Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What do you do with the weeds?
A: The weeds are full of nutrients and useful for all types of soil management. We work with local gravel pits, farmers and land owners to secure locations where the weeds may dewater and compost.
Q: How do you haul the weeds?
A: The harvester transport trailer is also a specilized conveyor trailer, which we use to transport the weeds. Once the harvester is launched then the sideboards are opened up and the conveyor system is accessable. This trailer has a self contained gasoline engine which runs the hydraulic system for both the winch and the conveyor system. The conveyer system provides a moving bed used for loading and off loading the material.
Q: How deep can you cut?
A: We have two different harvsters. They are different sizes and have a maximum cutting depth of 5’6” and 7'. The cutter head can be raised and lowered for different water depths.
Q: How much can you cut in one load?
A: Depending on the weight of the product, our small machine can haul up to 120 cubic feet or about 4.5 cubic yards of material. That is almost the same size as a small dump truck. Our biggest machine can haul up to 293 cubic feet or anout 10 cubic yards of material. That is the size of a regular size dump truck.
Q: Do the weeds grow back?
A: Yes, the weeds have only been trimmed down. The speed at which they grow back is determined by environmental conditions. Water clarity, temperature, available sunlight, plant type, available phosphorous in the water and many other factors determine plant growth. If we are able to cut the plant at the depth of 7' deep then we have a good chance of that plant not regrowing becasue it could be below the penatrable light source for the rest of the year. Even though the weeds have only been cut back, the material that is taken out of the lake can not build up and produce nutrients for other plant material in the future.
Q: How fast can you cut?
A: The speed of our work depends on whether we are in open water or working around docks, the density of the weeds, the weed type, and the distance to the off-load site. We can normally average one acre per day with each machine.
Q: Do you need a permit?
A: Yes, however this permit is normally easy to obtain as mechanical harvesting is the least intrusive means of aquatic plant control.
Q: How much does it cost?
A: Each project poses unique conditions which make it very hard to generalize. Please contact us and we will evaluate your situation and provide an estimate.
