Report No 63 - The Wolseley Swipe
Two files containing about 65 Head Quarters Mechanical Development Committee Reports from 1950 to 1958 were saved from destruction by Jim Christie former Forestry Commission HQ, Plant Engineer. Jim, from Crook of Devon, has kindly made the reports available for scanning and entry onto this website. Please open the PDF to see this full report.
Report No 63 describes another ground braking development in the clearance of surface vegetation when the idea of using chains as flailing cutters (rather than sharp metal blades) on a revolving vertical spindle was tried out in the field. The trial model was obviously very light weight and little more than the original model used for removing potato haulms but the photograph of the heavier weight spindle with domed bottom demonstrates the rapid development of the system. The chains cope very well with obstruction such as stumps and rocks and are very cost effective cutters.
The statement at the end describing the swipe to be a most effective machine for the removal of small scrub growth and so successful that there will always be a tendency to ask it to do too much. This machine concept still operates very successfully in forestry today!
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Groups: Forestry Mechanical Engineering Reports , Other Vehicles and Machines