Which is the right extraction system for me

Updated on:
December 11, 2023
Silage removal technology
Karoline Glöckner

Content

Large selection of silage extraction technology

There are countless practical options for silage extraction. From shear grabs, shear buckets or silage grab buckets to the silo comb, rotary miller or feed mixer with self-extraction, appropriate technology is available on the market. In the silage extraction technology sector, MAMMUT provides a comprehensive range of products for small, medium-sized and large farms. Convince yourself of the advantages of shear grabs, shear buckets and silage grab buckets!

Before the sale, just like after the sale

Before you start looking for a specific extraction device, you should ask yourself a few questions in advance and consider whether the previous system actually was the Right One, and consider the direction in which your farm will be developing in future. Topics like workplace convenience, time-saving and feed quality are more important today than ever before – accordingly, extraction technology should be adapted to suit your own wishes. At the end of the day, this is a device that is in use every day and that plays an important role in livestock feeding operations. Here are a few examples of the most important questions to ask, which may assist you when researching the right system for your requirements:

  • How much feed do I need each week? Are changes planned for in herd size?
  • What is important to me in relation to silage extraction?
    (e.g. how long extraction takes, a smooth cut surface, or a device that is as versatile as possible)
  • Does my mobile silo have to travel a long distance from the feed station to the mixer wagon? In the past, did you lose feed while in transit and are there any improvement options in relation to the extraction tool?
  • Which carrier vehicle should be used primarily to recover lost feed? Should a new tractor or loader be purchased in the near future?
  • Would I also like to be able to accept other feed components with the future device – if so, which?

The shear grab – smooth cut for best feed quality

These silage shear grabs are primarily intended for long-fibre feed such as grass silage. The sharp tines on this tool make piercing easy, even with firmly compacted silage – this means (depending on model size) that a relatively large amount of feed can be extracted cleanly and without tearing in a single operation. The smooth initial cut achieved by cutting out of the silo tower eliminates almost any possibility of reheating and subsequent mould or fungal growth, even at high temperatures. The classic silo shear is therefore the right device for everyone who values clean feed and high quality silage and who is already used to having a smooth cut surface, for example through the use of a silo block cutter. The easy cutting characteristics of the SILO CAT silage shear prevents the silo block from loosening up or lifting while being extracted from the mobile silo, ensuring that the silo tower and the extracted feed remain compact and undamaged. From Type H (opening height of 1.10 m), the shear grab from MAMMUT can also be used for splitting up round bales. With a very wide range of accessories such as a hinged floor plate, a pusher or the corn plate (closed rear wall) it is possible to adapt the extraction device to suit individual circumstances – enabling the shear grab also to be used on sandwich-type silage or on other combinations of grass and corn silage.

Practical tip:

The silage shear grab should be roughly the same width as the carrier vehicle, enabling cuts to be made right up to the edge when extracting silage from the mobile silo. When selecting your type of silage shear, also take account of the operational weight of the device in relation to the lifting power of your tractor or loader – depending on dry mass content, 1 m³ of silage can weigh approx. 500 – 600 kg/m³.

The shear bucket – clean extraction without chaff losses

The shear bucket is perfectly suited to fine-grained feed such as corn silage. Because the floor is a completely sealed unit, the load remains in the shovel reliably, even when fine-textured. This extraction device is therefore also ideally suited to loading the feed mixer with mineral feed, bruised grain, hops or other feed components. The cut surface in the mobile silo remains firm and does not heat up. The cutting basket and the floor of the SILO BUCKET shear bucket are double-walled with internal reinforcement which means that the silage can be extracted with little resistance and operating pressure. For you, the silage shear bucket simplifies everyday working life. The way this device operates means that you can keep your yard and mobile silo clean and tidy. The SILO BUCKET can also be used with combined grass and corn silage. All in all, this machine provides extraction technology for farmers who value cleanliness in their farmyards and in their mobile silos, and who spread a high proportion of corn silage.

Practical tip:

The shape of this bucket means that it is often only possible, when working with well-compacted grass silage, to push part of the floor into the feed. If the cutter shovel does not get filled at the first attempt, it is easy enough to insert it a second time during the same operation to increase the volume it picks up.

The silage grab bucket – an allrounder in everyday feeding operations

If you have high extraction volume and always have a high feed rate in the mobile silo, the gripper bucket is definitely the right implement to use. The silo grab shovel can also be used on the farm in an extremely versatile range of ways: Whether filling the mixer with straw, mineral feed or hops, or even when transporting wood – Mammut grab buckets are versatile tools to have. Their simple and robust design, components resistant to wear and the solid grab arm all combine to make the silo grab shovel a comparatively cost-effective alternative to other systems. The choice between the lighter SMART Silo Grip and its professional counterpart, the PREMIUM Silo Grip, makes it possible to adapt this tool perfectly to suit available resources on the farm – this is definitely technology suitable for any and every farm.

Practical tip:

When selecting an extraction system, you should always pay attention to how much silage you wish to feed on average on a weekly basis. The silage grab buckdet is also ideal if you are often in contact with the cut surface – preventing any danger of reheating. At low feed rates, we tend to recommend devices with a smooth cutting edge, such as the shear grab or the shear bucket.

Extraction technology in a practical test

At the end of the day, the decision about which device really is the right one for your farm depends on many on-site factors. However, when you consider that the machine will then be in service on a daily basis and will be an important part of the feeding operation, it is certainly an advantage to gain a good understanding of the topic well in advance of purchase. The German magazine “Profi” is not only an informative read for all technology enthusiasts – in numerous practical tests, a wide variety of machines are continuously put through their paces.
And this was also the case with our silo unloading technology: As further support in your decision-making process, we therefore recommend the following practical test article in the trade magazine “Profi” issue 03/2020 .

Personal consultancy support from MAMMUT

Do you have questions about silage extraction and would you like some personal advice? If so, simply contact us by phone on +43 (0) 7757 6701 or by e-mail at office@mammut.at – we will be pleased to advise you and will certainly find an appropriate solution for your farm.

More about silage extraction technology from Mammut

Similar articles
MAMMUT silo removal technology in a comparative test
MAMMUT silo removal technology in a comparative test
We present top performance in silo removal Our removal technology shows the outstanding results in the latest comparison test by…
3 new MAMMUT shear grabs & shear buckets
3 new MAMMUT shear grabs & shear buckets
Greater volume means more variety Based on our observations and close discussions with farmers, we have expanded our unloading technology.…
Avoid reheating in the bunker silo
Avoid reheating in the bunker silo
Step by step to the perfect cut surface Once the feed has been brought in, distributed, compacted and covered, the…
The trend towards the clean silo
The trend towards the clean silo
Focus on basic fodder production Exploding concentrate and fertilizer prices are not only making feed management a challenge in agriculture.…