Mulcher: front or rear-mounted

Mulching has many advantages: It can improve soil quality, protects the soil from erosion and minimizes water evaporation. Mulchers are therefore particularly popular in the maintenance of extensive grassland. In addition to the question of whether to opt for a flail mulcher or a sickle mulcher, you also need to decide on the type of cultivation when buying a mulcher: Do you want a front-mounted or rear-mounted mulcher? In this article, we explain the advantages of both attachment options.

Rear attachment: Robust & resistant

The use of rear-mounted mulchers is very popular. Farmers particularly appreciate the great robustness of the machines: The fact that the mulchers are rear-mounted means that they are not as susceptible to damage from foreign objects. In addition, the load on the machine in dense vegetation is less than with a front-mounted mulcher. For this reason, rear-mounted mulchers are also very suitable for difficult areas of application.

There are two main disadvantages of rear-mounted mulchers: Firstly, the view of the attachment is not optimal, as the driver has to keep looking back towards the implement. Secondly, some of the vegetation is driven over (if the mulcher is mounted in the middle). This is particularly disadvantageous when mulching in arable farming, as the vegetation in the tracks is pressed against the ground and can no longer be properly processed by the mulcher. However, this disadvantage can be avoided if you opt for a rear mulcher with a side boom.

Front attachment: Precision & maneuverability

Everything always in view: Many farmers appreciate this advantage of front-mounted mulchers. As the driver always has an eye on the mulcher in this position, work is more comfortable and constant turning around is avoided. It also makes maneuvering easier, especially in narrow or confusing terrain. Another advantage of operating a front-mounted mulcher is that the crops are not rolled over by the tractor. With a rear-mounted mulcher, the tractor first rolls over the plants, which presses them against the ground. As a result, the mulcher is less able to pick up the plant material in the tracks and the cut is less precise in these areas. In addition, front-mounted mulchers are suitable for combining with other mounted machines. For example, mulching and the resulting plant material can be worked into the soil in a single pass. Front mounting has a disadvantageous effect when the mulcher encounters a foreign object: Pushing over possible obstacles or particularly dense crops puts extra strain on the mulcher. This often results in increased maintenance requirements. A front-mounted mulcher can also reach its limits in areas with soft, damp soil or hilly terrain. In these cases, it may be necessary to raise the front-mounted mulcher slightly instead of running it in the floating position on the support roller. This results in a fluctuating cutting height and a sometimes wavy cutting pattern.