YANMAR S.P. Co., Ltd, a leader in agricultural machinery technology in Thailand, has launched the new "Sugarcane leaf cutter" to support fresh sugarcane harvesting in line with the government policy to generate more income for farmers, reduce air pollution PM2.5 and boost productivity of larger and sweeter sugarcane stalks. The removed leaves can also be used in the bioelectricity generation process to increase income for farmers.
Mr. Thachapon Chawinthanachot, Yanmar's Marketing Manager, has commented that pre-harvest burning may cause a reduction of sugarcane weight and sweetness quality which would affect farmers' income. Burn harvesting may also destroy soil organism resulting in loss of humidity and growth of weeds that may cause sugarcane roots to be shrunken in size. When crops are burned before harvesting, farmers may need to allocate more expenses for the maintenance of sugarcane roots, causing an increase of planting cost for the next planting season. The sugarcane leaf cutter can help farmers realize better produce compared to crops that are burned before harvest. Farmers are thus recommended to use a sugarcane leaf cutter before harvesting and turnover the removed leaves for fertilization. This process will also remove the need to burn fields before harvest, reducing air pollution. For these reasons, Yanmar has been focusing on development of products for the whole sugarcane cultivation process including soil preparation, planting and harvesting with various tractor series and tractor implements. Farmers are also encouraged to adopt Yanmar's planting knowledge to reduce the cultivating steps and save time with the help of Yanmar's machinery including power hollows, mini-combines, sugarcane deep planters, fertilizer rippers, and sugarcane leaf removers which are Yanmar's latest product to help boost productivity.
Efficiency
When mounted on a Solis tractor 26hp, the 4-roller sugarcane leaf-cutter machine can work with full efficiency. The leaf cutter process is quick and clean without destroying sugarcane stalks. The 2.3-meter width machine can move freely along the rows. The arms can be lifted up to two levels with a maximum height of 60 centimeters. While moving between rows, the upper rollers which are shorter in size will remove the leaves at the upper part of the stalks while working in coordination with the longer lower rollers, producing a clean removal. The 960 rounds-per-second speed produces a finer leaf cut. The machine may be used for maintaining the sugarcane plantation during the first 5-6 months to declutter the tillages for ventilation, allowing light to penetrate better for a more rapid growth and reduce chances of pests including snakes, bees, wasps and hornets.
Quality of the tendon string
The Yanmar sugarcane leaf cutter is equipped with a specially designed and durable tendon string that can work non-stop on an area of 18 rai without splitting, only the tip of the string may get slightly thinner. After an adjustment, the tendon string can continue working on an approximately 10-18 rai of land. It is not necessary to change the whole set of equipment. Therefore, the waste rate is reduced to more than 50%. In comparison to regular leaf removers that need 7 sets of tendon string per week, Yanmar machine requires only 3 sets per week. The change can also be done easily within a relatively short time. For other regular leaf removers, 1-1.30 hours may be needed for the changing process, but Yanmar machine requires only half of the time or only 30 minutes for the whole process. The tendon string has a rubber cover that helps reduce the friction between the string and the steel frame. The control box has been designed to protect the rotor shaft, the pulley and the belt from contacting with removed leaves as the heat may generate flame and cause accidents.
Maintenance
Yanmar sugarcane leaf cutter has been designed for an easy maintenance with guarding equipment and a matching sized fitting pocket for the grease nipple for convenience and extended usage.
Yanmar sugarcane leaf cutter cost 53,500 baht and are available at Yanmar distributors nationwide. For more information, call 1638 or visit www.yanmar.com for more Yanmar products.