Small-scale harvesting machinery for short rotation willow coppice

Mechanization in the harvesting of short rotation willow coppice is a pre-requisite for the areal expansion of short rotation coppice cropping. In the article new machines for small-sized plantations of energetic plants have been presented. The prototypes of machines were manufactured by R&D Centre INVENTOR sp z .o.o and SIPMA S.A in Lublin in cooperation with the Rzeszow University of Technology. The advantage of proposed solutions is their uncomplicated construction which is connected with low production cost and simple machine operation. The energy-crop harvesting machines are competitive with the world's leading manufacturers of machinery. The chipping units of front mounted harvester and side harvesting machines are power-take-off driven. The cutting header for the harvesters uses circular saws driven by hydraulic engines. 

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