James Stewart of Stewart Trailers purchased the 2.8m Major Cyclone to control bracken and willow for his sheep farm on the rolling hills of Aberdeenshire in north-east Scotland.
James Stewart has been manufacturing high-quality agricultural trailers under the Stewart Trailer brand since 1988. The brand has a reputation for exceptional quality, reliability and longevity, appreciated by customers throughout the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
James also has a 800-head sheep farm on the rolling Aberdeenshire countryside in north-east Scotland. Heather, widespread bracken and willow up to three inches thick considerably reduced grazing potential and, if left without proper control, would deem the land unproductive.
“We’ve been looking at overcoming the really challenging problem of bracken and willow infestation on the hill especially,” began James. “Since we can no longer use chemicals on the bracken, finding ways of controlling and managing it sensibly became a priority. We were using a simple topper but this was just a waste of time because a couple of days after we went through the thick undergrowth, it would be sprouting up again and becoming even more dense.”
His local dealer, Sellars Agriculture, recommended that he take a look at the Major Cyclone rotary mulcher. It was already making a major impact with bracken control in the area and was deemed to be the best solution.
“I have to admit the results from using the Major Cyclone have been unbelievable,” enthused James. “I was so impressed with how it pulverised everything, that we bought one and it has exceeded all our expectations!”
“There’s no substitute for quality engineering”
James acquired a fully mounted Major Cyclone in 2.8m working width. Low power requirement of 80-120hp is needed on its four rotors and 16 knives, which run at blade-tip speed of 58m/s to cut and mulch all vegetation and evenly disperse over full length rollers. Cutting height can be adjusted between 40mm – 200mm.
The Major Cyclone is built from high-performance Strenx 700MC structural steel which means it’s much stronger and lighter than ordinary toppers. It’s also hot-dip galvanised and therefore protected from the ravages of farm use which otherwise contributes to rusting of most metal constructed machinery which would shorten their working life.
“There’s no substitute for quality engineering,” added James, “and I have to say that the Major Cyclone is truly a fine piece of quality engineering. It’s a fabulous piece of kit. It has a robust frame, the gearbox and drive are very heavy-duty – so will be durable for the long-term. It’s all galvanised, which is a great benefit because anything with paint on is trashed the first time it goes out to work in these conditions.”
Cyclone processes bracken and willow in one pass
“We hit the bracken with our Major Cyclone through July and August, when it’s at the peak of maturity and feeding energy back to its roots,” continued James. “If we hit it earlier, then it just regenerates very quickly. Bracken is an invasive plant and the only way to control it is through mechanical means. Its root system has several modules and if you don’t control it properly, it just reshoots and spreads almost overnight.”
“With the Major Cyclone, what has really impressed me is that when we come upon a heavy clump of bracken and willow, we just reverse the Cyclone into it and it all comes out like matchsticks – quite amazing.”
“The way the Cyclone chops everything completely, shreds it and spreads it around is unbelievable. I was a bit concerned about its ability to chop one-inch willow stems, but I didn’t need to have worried because it takes on three-inch willow without flinching. A standard topper is of no use in these conditions. Whereas with the Major Cyclone, all it needs is one pass – even when the bracken is the height of the tractor bonnet – it’s not a problem.”
“Also, it doesn’t leave big clumps of chopped material behind it, it just seems to chop, pulverise and spread evenly, leaving a really good finish. We are going to test it out on the heather this year instead of burning, just to see if this would be the best control option.”
Final verdict: Cyclone ‘the’ solution to bracken and willow control
James lauds the Cyclone’s performance in difficult conditions.
“I would recommend the Major Cyclone to anyone who needs to control heavy vegetation on pastureland,” enthused James. “Hill farms especially where the bracken invasion is having a detrimental effect on the grazing performance of the land. Also, land with heavy excess vegetation and infestation which makes it almost impossible to round-up the sheep safely.”
“For me, the Cyclone, has changed everything and made hill management much simpler. The Cyclone is without doubt ‘the’ solution to bracken and willow control and for me it has performed way beyond my expectations!”