Weed Cutting Bucket Demonstration - Tue 29.9.2020 Ilmajoki

On Tuesday 29th September 2020, there will be a demonstration of a Finnish-made weed cutting bucket for ditch clearance at the Ilmajoki Field Day. The event is organized by SEDU, SeAMK, and the Pohjanmaan Ravinneratas project, and will take place at Sedu's educational farm at Ilmajoentie 525 (farm side). The event will start at 13:00 and finish around 15:00.

MenSe Oy has been importing Dutch-made weed cutting buckets to Finland for a couple of years. In previous demonstrations, concerns were raised about the durability of the imported buckets in our harsh conditions.

The benefits of the weed cutting bucket method have been recognized, and there is a need for it in Finland as well. There is a lot of ditch and waterway restoration work to be done. Over the years, ditches have been dug deeper and deeper, and there are already areas where the same methods can no longer be continued. There is a demand for new work methods and new equipment to replace the previous ones at least partially. The use of weed cutting buckets for ditch clearance is not yet widely adopted in Finland. The field day provides an opportunity to learn about the technique and the equipment.

The weed cutting bucket resembles an excavator bucket in appearance. The bucket is attached to the excavator boom using a quick hitch coupler, and hydraulic hoses are also required: pressure and return. The MenSe NKT-250 requires an oil flow of 70 l/minute. With a long boom excavator, the cutting area becomes quite extensive. The use of the weed cutting bucket is not very difficult, and the operator quickly learns the method. The work does not differ much from conventional digging. The cup part is designed to be open, allowing water to drain out of the bucket. The bucket can be equipped with additional sides, significantly increasing its volume. This is important when there is a lot of vegetation. Instead of a standard bucket lip, there is a cutting edge made of durable Hardox steel. The cutting edge consists of five separate blade pieces, and any damaged piece is easy to replace. The blade movement is achieved by a special cylinder.

When working with a weed cutting bucket, usually only the vegetation in the water is removed. This is a much faster process than traditional digging methods. The work is relatively light because water drains out of the bucket. There is no need to spread the cut vegetation on the field as in traditional excavation. The ditch banks do not need to be spread, resulting in time and cost savings. The edges of the ditches remain intact because only the vegetation is cut, without damaging the banks. In many cases, it initially appears that the ditches are dry. However, water starts to flow immediately when the vegetation is cut. Good water flow is likely to have positive effects on soil structure, nutrient content, and ultimately crop yields. With increasing floods, the condition of main ditches is also important. When water management is in good condition, soil compaction is avoided, and machines can operate more efficiently.

We have noticed that ditches commonly have overgrown vegetation, including hedge cutters, and we wanted to remove all vegetation at once with the weed cutting bucket, including hedge cutters. We started to develop a more robust weed cutting bucket for Finnish conditions based on these identified factors. The weed cutting bucket is designed to withstand even severe impacts. The cutting blades are made of extremely durable Hardox wear-resistant steel. With the weed cutting bucket, water areas can be treated by cutting and removing only the vegetation. There is no need to disturb the bottom. This minimizes the release of sediment and nutrients, avoiding unnecessary loading of the ecosystem. The cut vegetation is collected in the bucket, resulting in more effective prevention of blockage in ditches and pond drums. The sturdy construction and strong blades of the MenSe NKT-250 weed cutting bucket also allow for the removal of ditch soil if needed. Even thick vegetation up to 7 cm can be easily cut and removed, for example, from ditches and ditch edges. There should be plenty of overgrown field edges to tackle.

MenSe has manufactured the first weed cutting buckets for basic machines, with a capacity of about 10 tons. Additional models will be introduced according to demand, but currently, only this size of self-made buckets is available.

There are several options available for lightweight Dutch-made buckets.

Event Details

Weed Cutting Bucket Demonstration and New Ditch Clearance Technique - 29.9.-20 (Tue) from 13:00 to 15:00

Location: Sedu's educational farm, Ilmajoentie 525, Ilmajoki (farm side)