Effective operational capacity of brushcutter with different cutting tools

Abstract

Brushcutters use different cutting tools with variations in operating capacity. Thus, the present study evaluate the effective operational capacity of a brushcutter equipped with different cutting tools in different areas of plant cover. It was subdivided into three experiments with 44 replicates of 4m2 each. The first was carried out in an area with plants cover with wheat and ryegrass, with blades of triple and double discs, and double wire. The second was carried out in another area with a cover composed of wheat, ryegrass, and fallow (composed of different species plants), with double- and triple-discs blades. The last experiment was carried out in a fallow area, with all cutting tools, except for the double wire. The results indicate that the brushcutter equipped with the triple-disc blade had greater operational capacity compared to the other cutting tools. For a working day of 8 h.day-1, the highest amount of mowed biomass was obtained with the triple-disc blade in areas with ryegrass and wheat cover, while for the fallow area, there is no significant difference between the double- and triple-disc blades. The adequate selection of the cutting tool contributes to the increase of the cut biomass in a shorter time, reducing the exposition of the operator to the vibrations and noise produced by the machine.