Description
Seed strippers were developed to overcome problems in harvesting light, difficult-to-handle, chaffy seed. In 1981, Aaron Beisel developed the Woodward Flail-Vac Seed Stripper (U.S. Patent No. 4,373,322) to harvest mainly bluestem species (Bothriochloa spp.). His hypothesis was that a brush that rotated upward at the leading edge would result in less stem breakage and thus a cleaner product than would be possible from a brush that rotated downward. In addition, the air flow produced by the shroud-covered brush would gather seed heads into the flailing brush and carry the stripped seed to the seed hopper. The unit has become the standard for harvesting numerous grass species in the United States, Australia, and other countries. Stripper units attach to the front-end loader frame on a tractor and are available in 4- to 12-foot widths, 12 foot being the most common. Trailer models and hand carried units are also available. Strippers are well suited for use on commercial grass-seed farms as well as small acreages and research plots because they are simple and very cost effective. They are not suited for rocky or rugged terrain.
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References / Additional Information
Dewald, C.L.; Beisel, A. 1983. The Woodward Flail-Vac Seed Stripper. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. 26(4): 1027-1029.
Dewald, C.L. 1983. Woodward Flail-Vac Seed Stripper – Update. 37th Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation and Equipment Workshop (VREW); 1983 February 13-14; Albuquerque, NM. Missoula, MT: USDA Forest Service Equipment Development Center: 20.
Dewald, C.L. 1991. Woodward Flail-Vac Seed Stripper. In: Rangeland Technology Equipment Council. 1990 Annual Report. 9122-2805-MTDC. Missoula, MT: USDA Forest Service Technology and Development Center: 40-41.
Kees, G. 2006. Modifications improve seed harvest with the Woodward Flail-Vac Seed Stripper. Native Plants Journal. 7(2): 149-150.
Kincaid, D. 1981. Kincaid Grass Harvester. 35th Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation & Equipment Workshop (VREW); 1981 February 8 & 9; Tulsa, OK. Missoula, MT: USDA Forest Service Equipment Development Center: 66.
Loch, D.S.; Johnson, P.W.; Jensen, T.A.; Harvey, G.L. 1996. Harvesting, processing, and marketing Australian native grass seeds. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research. 39(4): 591-599.
Miller, W. 1988. The story of the commercial development of seed equipment developed at USDA Research Stations. In: 42nd Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation and Equipment Workshop (VREW); 1988 February 21-22; Corpus Christi, TX. Forest Service Technology and Development Program: 9-11.
Miller, W. 1990. History of ag renewal. In: 43rd Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation and Equipment Workshop (VREW); 1989 February 19-20; Billings, MT. Missoula, MT: USDA Forest Service Technology & Development Center: 10-11.
Monsen, S.B. 1985. Seed harvesters – An evaluation of existing machines and projected needs. In: 39th Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation and Equipment Workshop (VREW); 1985 February 14-15; Salt Lake City, UT. Missoula, MT: USDA Forest Service Equipment Development Center. 36-39.
Morgan, J.P.; Collicutt, D.R. 1994. Seed stripper harvesters: Efficient tools for prairie restoration. Restoration and Management Notes. 12(1): 51-54.
Oklahoma State University. 1980. Oklahoma State University seed harvester development. 34th Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation and Equipment Workshop (VREW). San Diego, CA: 14
Pedrini, S.; Gibson-Roy, P. Trivedi, C.; and others. 2020. Collection and production of native seeds for ecological restoration. Restoration Ecology. 28(S3): S228-S238.
Tilley, D. 2017. Collecting light, wind-dispersed seed with a modified flail-vac. International Network for Seed-Based Restoration. Available: https://ser-insr.org/news/2017/12/8/collecting-light-wind-dispersed-seed-with-a-modified-flail-vac
Whitney, R.W. 1978. OSU Seed harvester. 32nd Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation and Equipment Workshop (VREW). 1978. San Antonio, TX: 14.
Whitney, R.W. 1979. OSU Seed harvester developments. 33rd Annual Report of the Vegetative Rehabilitation and Equipment Workshop (VREW). 1979. Casper, WY: 20-22.