Double chop double jobs in Co Down

Based just south of Lough Neagh along the Armagh-Down border, David Wilson farms a 120-cow dairy herd. Operating a fragmented farm means David has a mainly indoor-based system, feeding fresh grass during spring and summer and silage over the winter.

Moving to a predominantly indoor-based herd left David needing to find a way to bring fresh grass to the cows daily.

He was not keen on the idea of investing in a zero-grazing machine, but he came up with the idea of buying a secondhand double-chop harvester to cut fresh grass for cows. So, in late 2015, he bought an old New Holland 339 double-chop trailed harvester. It had a cutting width of 1.5m (5ft), meaning it was well capable of cutting a load of grass daily which could then be brought back to the yard and fed to cattle.

Sourcing a more capable machine

David was impressed with the principle, although 18 months later, he found himself wanting a bigger, reliable, more capable machine for the job. Given that the New Holland was an outdated machine with many acres through its chute in its lifetime, David tried to source a new double-chop harvester.

Advancements in precision-chop harvesters over the years saw many manufacturers stop building double-chop harvesters. Machines were slowly phased out and replaced with larger precision-chop harvesters. This left David with a challenge to find what he was looking for. After some time, David’s son Robert came across a Finnish agricultural equipment manufacturer called Elho.

Among Elho’s range of equipment was a double-chop harvester, although more beefed up and better suited to modern tractors and working environments. After spotting the Elho harvester online, David approached local machinery dealer Alexander Mills – now an agent for the brand – about importing a unit. After some time the deal was done and the DC 2100 arrived.

Elho DC 2100

Elho is a family-owned business based in west Finland, mainly producing grass equipment. One of the more unique offerings is the DC 2100 double-chop harvester. The harvester is unlike a lot of its older counterparts in that it has a 2.1m (7ft) cutting width.

The horizontal cutting rotor is equipped with 48 knives which cut the grass or lift mown swaths, if required.

Grass is then thrown back and moves laterally towards the chopper unit via an auger. Once in contact with the eight-knife chopping drum, the grass is cut again and accelerated up the chute.

David explained how the chopping drum’s knife configuration can be changed to eight, four or just two knives depending on the chop length required.

He was pleasantly surprised by the harvester’s ability to blow grass wet or dry. It’s clear to see from looking at the build of the harvester that it is heavily built for dealing with harsh conditions.

Given the harvester’s nature, the tractor is fitted with a bracket which the harvester easily couples up with.

A 900 Comer gearbox sends power straight to the chopping unit pulley. The horizontal cutting rotor’s power is fed via pulley and belt from the chopping unit’s pulley.

The chopping unit rotates at 1,080rpm and the horizontal rotor turns at 2,000rpm.

David operates the harvester with his 6820 John Deere, noting that 100hp or greater is needed to operate the harvester with comfort. Weight is important, he said, given the distance of the trailer behind the tractor.

The harvester is joined to the tractor using a three-point linkage bracket that can be easily released for transport.

Trailers hook on to this bracket directly behind the tractor, just like older single and double-chop side-mounted harvesters.

The bracket is fitted with a side shift, so the trailer can be offset from the tractor allowing the trailer’s wheels to run offset to the tractor. The bracket itself offers ample adjustment for larger tractors and tyres, which allows David to pull the harvester with his New Holland T7050, if needed.

As standard, the harvester is fitted with two 26/12 R12 tyres and a front guide wheel. David decided to fit the optional third wheel to the harvester for light travelling of its 1,000kg structure in wetter ground conditions.

Double jobbing

Three seasons on and David has not looked back. Not only is he using the harvester as a zero-grazing machine but is also lifting his own silage with it. David takes three cuts of 80 acres for silage annually and 30 acres every 25 days for daily feeding in spring and summer.

When cutting silage, David mows the grass first with his 10ft mower before using the Elho to lift the rows. He typically travels at 6.5mph when zero grazing, lifting 2.5 acres per hour.

The simple design of the DC 2100 means that maintenance is straightforward as just shafts and bearings need to be greased regularly. David said the knives in the chopping drum are manually sharpened at the beginning of each season. Units now come fitted with a sharpening stone which automatically sharpens each of the drum’s knives once engaged. Removable back panels and the hinged chute give easy access to internal parts of the harvester. Controls are simple, consisting of two switches in the cab, controlling two electric motors, one of which swivels the chute and the other to alter the blow angle.

Machine spec