Grass maintenance without ruts using
| ATV
Honda ATV
An ATV’ s light weight and low ground pressure tyres make it ideal for keeping on top of grass mowing tasks, able to travel on soft, sensitive ground where other heavier vehicles such as compact tractors would cause compaction & ruts.
T wo main types of trailed mower are popular with farm and estate users; rotaries and flails. Both have integral engines providing power for the cutting action which means the ATV is needed only to pull the machine. Rotary mowers, which usually have one or more horizontal rotating blades, tend to be best suited to lighter tasks, such as horse paddock maintenance and cutting areas which are regularly maintained. They are usually capable of operating at higher working speeds, have smaller engines and leave a tidy finish, but are less well suited to areas where obstructions such as hidden tree stumps might be an issue. Typical working widths are 1.2 – 1.8m.
A flail mower’ s loose swinging vertical blades are capable of withstanding much harsher working conditions as their pivot mounts provide protection if solid objects are struck, but they require a larger engine running at high constant speeds to provide a good finish. Travel speeds tend to be slower and, while they are usually quite capable of reducing any object that can be driven over to shreds, their finish on finer grass areas is less tidy than that of a rotary. Flail mowers are ideally suited to farm woodland or forestry use, and for maintaining field edges and footpaths. Cutting widths of 1.0m – 1.5m are typical.
The type and size of ATV needed will be largely influenced by the terrain being maintained and a smaller 250cc Honda TRX250 Fourtrax 2wd will be ideal for pulling a 1.2m rotary mower on gently undulating ground.
Where conditions are more demanding a larger 420cc TRX420 Fourtrax 2wd provides added lugging power, but if there are slopes then a model with selectable 4wd could be an advantage, the front driven wheels providing extra traction and increased steering ability when needed, with lighter steering available when in 2wd.
The tougher working conditions which demand a flail over a rotary will also mean 4wd would be an advantage, the extra traction essential to pull the heavier-built mowers through dense vegetation and over steeper slopes. Honda’ s legendary, heavy-duty 500cc TRX500 Foreman models are a favourite with
those needing extra pulling power combined with excellent manoeuvrability, and are ideally suited to the task.
Power steering is an option on TRX420 4wd and TRX500 models, and is rapidly gaining popularity with users, offering greater ease of use for situations where frequent manoeuvring is needed, such as operation around buildings and in farm woodland or forestry situations.
Whatever the intended use, it will be well worth asking the advice of the local Honda main dealer who has the knowledge and experience to suggest the best mower and ATV specification to suit the application. www. farmingmonthly. co. uk www. stalhameng. co. uk May 2016 | Farming Monthly | 63