2025 Volume 70 Issue 4 Pages 165-173
To effectively restore farmlands abandoned for years, the performance of three flail mowers used for removing woody plants was evaluated. The three selected mowers were mounted on tractors, radio-controlled tractors, and hydraulic excavators, which are suitable for use on flat fields, steep slopes, and terraced fields, respectively. We established nine plots (20 m×2.5 or 2.0 m) for determining the shrub removal rates (effective field capacities, m2/h) and another nine plots (10 m×2.0 m) for measuring the diameter of removed trees, in an area dominated by multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora Thunb.) and Chinese hackberry (Celtis sinensis Pers.), respectively, with three plots assigned for each mower. The average shrub removal rates of the tractor, radio-controlled tractor, and hydraulic excavator were 7,518, 2,988, and 269 m2/h, respectively, which were notably higher than those of the conventional method using brush cutters (62 m2/h, estimated from national standards). The maximum diameter of trees removed by the mowers (in the same order above) were 17.6, 10.6, and 7.5 cm, respectively. These results indicate that the tractor-mounted flail mower has higher performance for shrubs on flat field and tall trees on moderate slope, with average heights of 159 and 272 cm, respectively.
