Plastic Mulch Lifter/Wrapper

Plastic mulch enables workers with disabilities to control weeds, but is difficult to remove from the field at the end of the season. The Plastic Mulch Lifter/Wrapper removes the mulch without heavy manual labor. Attached to a small tractor’s Cat 1 or 2 three-point hitch, this hydraulically powered device combines these two functions simultaneously in a single pass. As it’s being towed down the row, the implement splits then lifts the plastic, the one end of which having first been affixed to a slowly rotating reel that wraps it into a roll for disposal. (Any dirt, vines, trash, etc., reportedly falls off to the side as the plastic is lifted up.) The entire process is monitored/controlled by an individual standing on a platform at the rear of the implement. Two models are available: a single reel for one-row removal and a double reel for two-row removal.

Cost: Single reel, $8,200; double reel, $9,000

Impairment Category: Back, Lower extremity, Strength/endurance, Upper extremity