Subsoiling brush cutter hitch

Abstract

A subsoiling brush cutter hitch adapted for receiving a mower, a subsoiling shank, and optionally a coulter blade, enables combining activities for two dissimilar resource management practices, mastication (mowing) and subsoiling.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This invention is related to provisional application 60 / 691,734 entitled “Subsoiling Brush Cutter Hitch,” as well as commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 781,487, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,072 entitled “Subsoiling Excavator Bucket” and to commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 781,612, entitled “Subsoiling Grapple Rake”, both assigned to the United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of Agriculture, and both herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention [0002] This invention relates to a multi-purpose implement for conducting dissimilar forest and soil management activities, mastication (mowing) and subsoiling (especially as related to soil productivity and restoration). The objective of mastication (mowing) is to reduce organic matter (live or dead vegetation) in an area for various purposes. The objective of subsoiling is to improve soil prod...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a combination brush cutter hitch that can be used for both mastication (mowing) and subsoiling (improving soil productivity by reducing soil compaction). The hitch is compatible with existing mastication heads and can also cut through organic materials on or beneath the soil surface. It improves soil moisture retention, enhances micro site conditions for reforestation or other plantings, reduces the chance of negative long-term influences of compaction, reduces cost of reforestation in sites of newly impacted areas, reduces potential of multiple inter-planting failures, and efficiently treats fuel loading, manipulate vegetation, and improve soil productivity, without leaving an equipment footprint long-term."

Problems solved by technology

Each of these pieces of equipment can produce its own soil impacts or accelerate existing soil impacts.

Subsoiling has been proven to increase the survival and growth of seedlings in areas of previous compaction, but since there is a high cost associated with subsoiling, it is considered only after multiple planting failures and determination that a hardpan has indeed developed.

Once a site has been replanted multiple times and has experienced surface losses of nutrient-laden soil, efforts to vegetate the area with desired stock may be greatly impaired regardless of renewed soil infiltration.

This approach to subsoiling reduces compaction, but does not allow return of organic matter of varying size to the soil.

Also, mats of organic matter tend to accumulate under the agricultural implement, resulting in a loss of organic matter from the soil surface.

Carelessness during the dozer subsoiling operation can also result in accumulation of rocks and boulders on the surface.

Moreover, the pivotal mount of the ripper to the back of the bucket is susceptible to eventual stress failure.

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