As long as Australia’s farmers, all types of land owners, grounds managers and contractors have had access to a tractor with a power take off, a rotary slasher has been the first attachment of choice.
Literally thousands of rotary slashers have been built and sold over the decades and regardless of the manufacturer there has been little variation or change to their basic design.
One of the consequences has been a progressive reduction in the quality of the slasher so that invariably they suffer a high failure rate caused by heavy wear and tear, impact damage or overloading that invariably causes the driveline and gear box the first to fail.
And the slasher is usually abandoned after each seasonal use and is left exposed out in the weather so that the flat body shape accumulates moisture or water and rust takes its toll causing another cause of failure.
The design team at Silvan Australia has taken a new look at slasher design to come up with a new Medium Duty slasher range that eliminates the traditional faults in design and manufacture.
The new Silvan Medium Duty Australian designed and manufactured slasher range has just been released to a warm reception by machinery dealers.
Available initially two models with working widths of 1.47 metres (or four feet ten inches) and 1.77 metres (five feet ten inches) the two models are the ideal match behind tractors of up to 50 kW (or 75 hp) with a Category I or II three-point linkage.
Either version is connected to the tractor with the choice of a centre or offset mount of up to 200 mm.
The Silvan Medium Duty Slasher range is based on the new unique shape of the 5 mm thick hot dip galvanized steel deck which with its clean angled design will not allow moisture or the slashed material to accumulate on the surface and eventually create rust and deteriorate.
The gearbox and power take off shaft driveline is a high quality BareCo unit and is supplied with fully compliant guarding of the moving parts and has a two-year warranty.
There is also a 250 mm (or eight inch) two plate friction clutch that gives further mechanical protection if an immovable object is struck.
The hitch for attachment to the tractor linkage points also readily folds down.
The BareCo gear box drives a three leaf rotor bar fitted with hardened bushes to which two Boron steel twist lift blades are fixed.
This ensures a long working life for the principal cutting component of the unit.
The working height can easily be adjusted within the range of 20 to 80 mm giving a choice of a close cut or trim that is suited to grassed ovals, sports fields or lawned areas, or a higher rough cut to breakdown or maintain taller more established vegetation or growth.
The new Silvan Medium Duty slasher is also supplied with front and rear deck chain guards that restrict the incidence of rocks or similar materials being expelled or thrown out from beneath the slasher deck and reducing the risk of impact damage.
Silvan’s machinery spokesman Gavin Wheatcroft says that the new Silvan Medium Duty slasher has been warmly received as “it’s a step forward in design and durability for a rotary slasher. And of course, they are locally designed and built by Silvan”.
For more information call Silvan on 1300 745 826 or email [email protected]