DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A LARGE-SCALE FORAGE MAT MAKER

A large-scale prototype forage mat maker was designed, built, and eval uated in the field It included a 2.1-m cutterbar, eight serrated rolls of 1.5 m width and 0.20 m diameter to macerate the crop and a compres sion device composed of two rubber belts which formed a thin mat for d eposition onto the stubble. The experimental mat maker was used to mow and condition timothy and alfalfa at five stages of maturity. Average d over the stages, timothy and alfalfa mats dried 61 % and 137% faster , respectively, than conventional windrows, thus decreasing on average by half the field wilting time. Dry matter losses (including mowing, pickup, and baling) were 2 % in timothy mats and 8% in alfalfa mats, v ery acceptable levels compared to conventional hay making. The average thickness of mats was 26 mm. The mat maker shows great potential beca use it decreases field wilting time and windrow manipulations but it s till requires mechanical simplifications before commercial use.