Inter-row mower
The plant cover can be maintained by mowing or pinching with a special roller. A range of equipment is available for inter-row mowing, from simple rotary mowers to more robust hammer mowers with coarser cuts. Mowers and shredders, with horizontal or vertical shafts, are fitted with knives or flails, with height adjustment via skids. Some equipment can be used to mow under rows of vines, reducing the weed strip, and variable-width mowers can be adapted to suit different plantations.Mowers, including rotary mowers, hay mowers, and inter-row mowers, are essential tools for vineyard maintenance
Work objective
Plant cover can be maintained either by mowing or by pinching the vegetation with a special roller.
For inter-row mowing, there is a wide range of equipment available, from rudimentary to highly sophisticated. In many situations, a rotary mower is all that's needed to carry out the operation, but the use of a ground hammer shredder can also be used for mowing, giving a multi-purpose capability for shredding vine shoots and mowing. Hammer shredders are more robust, but the quality of cut is generally coarser than that achieved by blade mowers.
For inter-row mowing, there is a wide range of equipment available, from rudimentary to highly sophisticated. In many situations, a rotary mower is all that's needed to carry out the operation, but the use of a ground hammer shredder can also be used for mowing, giving a multi-purpose capability for shredding vine shoots and mowing. Hammer shredders are more robust, but the quality of cut is generally coarser than that achieved by blade mowers.
Mower shredder
Components of inter-row mowers
Row mowers can be either horizontal or vertical.Shredders (horizontal axis)
The rotor
The rotor is fitted with knives or hammers. The whole assembly forms the working part of the shredder. It rotates at around 2000 rpm.The knives
The knives are freely attached to the rotor. Some shredders can be fitted with L- or Y-shaped knives to obtain a better quality of cut than a conventional hammer shredder.The angular gearbox
The link between the rotor and the tractor's power take-off is provided by the angular gearbox via the universal joint. It is sometimes combined with a freewheel gearbox to gradually slow down the rotor's rotation speed when the PTO is switched off. The rotor is driven by belts.The skids
The working height is determined by the skids, which may protect the rotor from uneven ground.Rotary mowers (vertical axis)
Flails
Gyrorakes are fitted with one or more flails (depending on the working width). They are fitted with blades (from 2 to 4 per flail, depending on the work to be done).The blades
The blades shred the plants. The number of blades varies and depends on the nature of the work to be carried out. Forestry" shredders are fitted with double blades. Some manufacturers offer ventilated blades for better cutting quality.The angular gearbox
The angular gearbox provides the link between the rotor and the tractor power take-off via the universal joint. It is sometimes combined with a freewheel gearbox to gradually slow down the rotor's rotation speed when the PTO is switched off.The skids
Steel skids determine the working height.Some manufacturers offer the option of adding a rear roller to stabilise the tool during work
Adjusting and using the inter-row hay mower
Setting
The cutting height of the mowers (inter-row) is the only possible adjustment. To change the cutting height, simply adjust the position of the skids on either side of the tool. The equipment on mower-mowers determines their use. Shredders fitted with "L" knives will mow grass regularly, while those with "Y" knives are more versatile and can shred straw, large stalks and grass. Note that not all hammer shredders can be fitted with knives. Rotary mowers can be fitted with double blades as an option. In this configuration, they are known as "forestry" shredders and will be used for shredding larger areas of vegetation.Using mowers to reduce weed strips
Many equipment manufacturers offer inter-row maintenance equipment that can be fitted with under-row cutting satellites. In the case of a strategy to reduce the weeded strip under the row, the use of satellites can be an interesting solution for getting as close as possible to the vines without risking contact in the event of a trajectory deviation. The approximate planting width of some vines, or the use of mowers in vines with different planting widths, can be compensated for by using variable-width inter-row mowers. The width can be changed either manually or automatically using Braun's sensor-based vine detection system.
Inter-row mower