[bjahnes]

you hit it on the head Jason… that’s basically what i am trying to do in the video. The video shows half of the operation. I mow one side of the row in one direction, rake the mulch under the vine, then mow in the opposite direction on the other side of the row, and rake the mulch under the opposite vines.
I planted rye in the fall for a spring green manure/mulch, because grass wasn’t producing adequate biomass for the mulching. I got a hold of some buckwheat seed, but didn’t find time to plant it and test it this year because I got too busy. I would like to experiment with this system using a variety of cover crops/green manure. I’ve got a thin crop of hairy vetch to test this on, but my mower is in the shop with a broken gear. This fall I will plant a rye/hairy vetch mix.
The wheel rake I use does a decent job of raking, but doesn’t get the mulch on top of the weeds, between the vines very well. I think I need to do some sort of cultivating between the vines, and then do the “mow and throw” onto a stressed weed-bed to get a better control. I was afraid to drive over my nice rye crop to do the cultivating though, because I thought that would stress it and make it harder to cut.
I wonder if the rake that you talk about is better at throwing the mulch up onto the weeds between the vines. Would a narrow rotary rake do a better job of tossing the mulch up onto the in-row weeds? There is a small one being sold locally, but the drawback is that it needs pto.
Thanks for sharing your experience Jason, that is really encouraging.

Ben

[bjahnes]

Don, will you be at NEAPFD? I need to take apart the cutter bar for photos to show some of the essential items that need to be fabricated to make the mower work properly, and I might soon have a DIY instruction booklet if I can fit that work in, between grape harvest and NEAPFD. I will also be in the Ithaca, NY area soon before NEAPFD to visit some college friends, so I could meet you there and show it to you if you’re not attending.

Carl, Thanks for the support.

[bjahnes]

the tractors footprint in front of the mower did make spots hart do mow, like you predicted. I was hoping animal footprints would not be as troublesome. I guess I need to do more R&D. I thought an in-line mower might have a little less draft too because no side draft from an offset bar, and be more maneuverable in tight spaces, maybe good for trimming eaten-over pasture, where there is less grass to get stomped, and a perfect cut is less important. Like I said, my team of small dexters isn’t up to the challenge of this mower yet, so I can’t tell how much a problem trampled grass will cause the mower. I tend to cut shorter grass in the vineyard, so it doesn’t lodge as easily from foot traffic so maybe there is hope. My vineyard wasn’t planted on the contour and our hilly ground is hampering my progress with my smaller-than-average ox team. Thanks for the thoughts

[bjahnes]

I had a similar problem, with my steer being afraid when I approached him with a halter. He began associating being haltered with losing his freedom, and having to work, because this was usually the only occasion that I haltered him. I found that if I haltered him at random times and fed him, and/or gave him a good and long scratch under the chin, the halter became less threatening because the routine of being haltered became less associated with negative experiences. Also, i’ve noticed that it is good to distract him with food, water, or a chin-scratch when unhaltering, so that he doesn’t associate being unhaltered with immediate freedom.

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