From Caffini a new machine for water-powered weeding
EIMA International is the stage for the premiere of the latest arrival from Caffini, awarded at the Bologna event with the Technical Innovation 2016 prize. We are talking about Grass Killer, an application intended for anti-pest treatments in spaces between vineyards and orchards rows. Instead of using chemicals that are harmful to the environment, it exploits the action of a jet “shot out” at over one thousand bar. “With such a high pressure - explains a technical note from the Verona company - you can penetrate deep into the ground, up to a few centimetres, to chop the root system of the plant.”
The heart of the machine is the 1000 bar piston pump, fed from a water tank (available in 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 litre capacities) and supported by a rotating head - positioned on the side of the machine – where the nozzles are secured (in a vertical position).
The rotation speed of the nozzle-holder disk (600 rpm) driven by a hydraulic motor, combined with the driving speed of the weeder (about 2.5 kilometres per hour) ensure a uniform coverage of the area affected by the treatment. As for water consumption, at room temperature Grass Killer employs about two thousand litres per hectare on 2.5 metre wide rows, with a consumption per linear metre of 33 cubic centimetres. According to information published by the manufacturer (obtained from experimental tests conducted for two years on a turfed vineyard in Valpolicella), the water-powered weeder by Caffini is able to solve the weed problem for a year with just two applications in twelve months.
