Report 4: (Update: 08/14/09)
The ESM CaneThumper® as a tool to help make chopper harvesters a complete sugarcane solution:
There has been a large increase in the usage of large chopper harvesters for harvesting sugarcane. This is especially prevalent in Brasil where there were approximately 1050 new chopper harvesters bought in 2008 alone. The main reason for this is the decrease of available labour and the world trend of green cane harvesting.
There are, however, lots of limitations and costs that come with using these large machines. They include the following:
- A good land preparation is required
- Minimal slope
- Long lines and
- Area’s to be able to turn commonly known as headlands.
This is where the has become a useful tool or help for the large chopper harvesters. It does this in 2 main ways:
- Cutting the entry point for the tractors and trailers and turning areas for the choppers so that they do not ride over the cane
- Cutting the sugarcane on the contour where the chopper harvester is unable to ride
- Cutting areas that are wet and
- Decreasing the number of short lines by as much as 69%.
The does this by cutting using the 5-7 labour units and placing the cane against the line that will be cut or lying it right next to the cane with the butts lying toward from where the chopper harvester will be coming from. The chopper harvester battles to pick the cane up if the tops are pointed toward the harvester.
Opening for the harvesters and trailers by the CaneThumper®
Position of the trailer (row opened by CaneThumper®)