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Solar Farm Mowing ... Anyone done it?

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47K views 50 replies 35 participants last post by  Mark Oomkes  
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#1 ·
Looking at a large solar farm and wondered if anyone had experience doing these? Trying to figure out which is the safest / best / fastest / safest (yeah, I said it twice - its a glass house, kinda) way to approach this thing.

The panels are only about 16-20" off the (sometimes uneven) ground and we have to get back about 3' or so under them. The rows are about 8-10' wide and at least 100 yards long.

The dilemma: How to mow under (the low side), between (down the middle) and under the high side, without throwing a rock or breaking the panels, efficiently. They are at a fixed 30 degree angle. Like I sad, 16+" on the low side and 6' or so on the high side.

I have a batwing, but there is no way it's going to fit under the low side. One small bump and there goes a few hundred dollar panel.

Also, Round up isn't an option.

Thoughts?
 
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#2 ·
desii said:
Looking at a large solar farm and wondered if anyone had experience doing these? Trying to figure out which is the safest / best / fastest / safest (yeah, I said it twice - its a glass house, kinda) way to approach this thing.

The panels are only about 16-20" off the (sometimes uneven) ground and we have to get back about 3' or so under them. The rows are about 8-10' wide and at least 100 yards long.

The dilemma: How to mow under (the low side), between (down the middle) and under the high side, without throwing a rock or breaking the panels, efficiently. They are at a fixed 30 degree angle. Like I sad, 16+" on the low side and 6' or so on the high side.

I have a batwing, but there is no way it's going to fit under the low side. One small bump and there goes a few hundred dollar panel.

Also, Round up isn't an option.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Man.....talk about the possibilities for some bad luck! Too many mirrors for me! :)
 
#3 ·
I wanted to recommend using a flail mower, but I think that'd be more hazardous than anything. We just had a solar farm built on the north end of town within the last month. Rather curious to see how they maintain that area. I know which LCO is handling it, but I haven't seen them mowing through there yet.
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#4 ·
Round up isn't an option? You seriously need to sell the property owner on putting gravel with a nice border (edge) or something in underneath these panels to minimize the maintenance. Inform him/her of the dilemma with the danger of the panels being so close to the ground, the reduced long-term maintenance costs, and the aesthetic improvement in general.
 
#6 ·
Maybe it's the 4th cup of coffee talking, but I'm making myself laugh as I imagine that that the solar panels are used solely as a power source for thousands of cheap, plastic landscaping lights that have their cables buried 1" below the surface, creating what could arguably be considered the toughest lawn servicing bid known to man.
 
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#7 ·
How about using PGR's in some of the hard to cut areas? Do you have any picture of what this looks like? Is it full grass or a field with weeds? Fertilized or not? Expectations from the property owner? Dimensions? Acreage? Google Map?
Sounds interesting and if the money is right I would figure something out.
 
#8 ·
zechstoker said:
I wanted to recommend using a flail mower, but I think that'd be more hazardous than anything. We just had a solar farm built on the north end of town within the last month. Rather curious to see how they maintain that area. I know which LCO is handling it, but I haven't seen them mowing through there yet.
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I was thinking the same thing about the boom flail. Is there a company that makes a bush hog with a boom? Or how about one of those tow behind mowers that are offset to one side? If all else fails and you are making a good profit, just give a couple guys some knee pads and garden shears.
 
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#9 ·
I am sorry but I would be all for convincing this customer that a layer of mulch over top of some weed control fabric would be the way to go because the risk of damage and the liability being so great you really want an area that is as relatively maintenance (and machine) free as possible, before mentioning any of it I would have a price already in mind so I can give them that as well and be prepared that it may not be the answer they want...

But...
And we take on all KINDS of work!
But this is one I wouldn't want to play with.
 
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#11 ·
Lots of good input, but I don't think we have a winner yet. This is close to 100 acres and mulching is not an option. I have included a pic for everyone to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Like I said, there is only about 16" to 20" (max) of clearance at the lowest point of the fixed angle panel and I need to get back under the panel about 3 feet or so. I haven't found a rotary mower with that kind of clearance, height wise. Not to mention that the soil is not perfectly level and any little bump could throw it up into the panel.

The only thing that I have been able to come up with is a sickle bar mower (very old school) on the back of a tractor and a rear discharge belly mower underneath. This would allow one pass and cover most of the area.

Down the middle is the easy part. It's getting under the panels, especially the lower side, that's tricky. Not to mention the wires that connect each panel to the next. You can see them if you look closely. They are dangling just enough to be a pain.

Take a look at the pic and see if you can suggest something else that may work.

Image
 
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#48 ·
desii said:
Lots of good input, but I don't think we have a winner yet. This is close to 100 acres and mulching is not an option. I have included a pic for everyone to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Like I said, there is only about 16" to 20" (max) of clearance at the lowest point of the fixed angle panel and I need to get back under the panel about 3 feet or so. I haven't found a rotary mower with that kind of clearance, height wise. Not to mention that the soil is not perfectly level and any little bump could throw it up into the panel.

The only thing that I have been able to come up with is a sickle bar mower (very old school) on the back of a tractor and a rear discharge belly mower underneath. This would allow one pass and cover most of the area.

Down the middle is the easy part. It's getting under the panels, especially the lower side, that's tricky. Not to mention the wires that connect each panel to the next. You can see them if you look closely. They are dangling just enough to be a pain.

Take a look at the pic and see if you can suggest something else that may work.

View attachment 253791
Click to expand...
I know this post is old but this company makes orchard mowers and came out with a solar farm version

 
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#13 ·
desii said:
Lots of good input, but I don't think we have a winner yet. This is close to 100 acres and mulching is not an option. I have included a pic for everyone to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Like I said, there is only about 16" to 20" (max) of clearance at the lowest point of the fixed angle panel and I need to get back under the panel about 3 feet or so. I haven't found a rotary mower with that kind of clearance, height wise. Not to mention that the soil is not perfectly level and any little bump could throw it up into the panel.

The only thing that I have been able to come up with is a sickle bar mower (very old school) on the back of a tractor and a rear discharge belly mower underneath. This would allow one pass and cover most of the area.

Down the middle is the easy part. It's getting under the panels, especially the lower side, that's tricky. Not to mention the wires that connect each panel to the next. You can see them if you look closely. They are dangling just enough to be a pain.

Take a look at the pic and see if you can suggest something else that may work.
Click to expand...
The problem with a rear discharge mower is that the discharge doesn't just come straight out the rear of the deck...it comes out at a lot of different angles.
 
#15 ·

or one like this

http://www.skidsteersolutions.com/Skid_Steer_Sickle_Bar_Mower_p/sb-108.htm

What about a sickle bar mowers like that. The only problem is it leaves it whole an doesnt mulch it.

If it was me I would go in with a skid steer mounted offset sickle bar then do the center with a flail mower. I know brushhound makes a good flail that doesnt kick much up its got alot of guarding on it witch is nice.
 
#16 ·
have 1 guy on a stand on or wb to do under everything and one guy on the z-turn or other stand on to do the rest.. or just cit sprinkler lines so the grass dries up and dump roundup all over the place
 
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C
#17 ·
100 acres of that! Looks like the solar farm just needs to put a person or 2 on payroll to maintain that! Unless they got the money to pay (make it profitable) for a LCO. To much of an obstacle course. Does look like alot of liability there for LCO!
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#18 ·
somewhere on the internet (i can't find it) there is a video of a very powerful) walk behind tractor that has a sickel mower attachment on it. this guy was cutting hay with probably a 15' bar and was just flying. it is blue and has metal wheels, I actually saw the units at GIE expo but can't remember the name. this would be a great spot for one of those
 
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#20 ·
BrandonV said:
somewhere on the internet (i can't find it) there is a video of a very powerful) walk behind tractor that has a sickel mower attachment on it. this guy was cutting hay with probably a 15' bar and was just flying. it is blue and has metal wheels, I actually saw the units at GIE expo but can't remember the name. this would be a great spot for one of those
Click to expand...
Good call! I believe the brand on those is BCS.
 
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#22 ·
Find a tractor with a sickle bar mower mounted on the side (town or county auctions, or Ebay) then run a 3pt rear discharge finish mower on the back. Then take some old truck mud flaps or conveyor belting and bolt it to the back with as much material as possible is dragging behind the mower. That should keep the rocks from flying.

Sort of like this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-4610-D...IESEL-TRACTOR-WITH-HYD-SICKLE-BAR-/160853760571?pt=Tractors&hash=item2573a19a3b

Or just take one tractor and bring two mowers with you, a sickle bar for under the panels and a rear discharge finish mower for everything else.
 
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#24 ·
From the picture, it looks like the support columns are in a single row. In other words, the panels are cantilevered off the single support.

If this is the case, then there is a free clearance from the low-side, over to the row of columns. A sickle bar extending over the columns makes this a simple pass to get the area between the low side and the column row.

On the backside, there is a different problem. Yes, a sickle bar can be used, to only to the row of columns. This would leave a strip of uncut grass. The width would be a matter of how close you wish to cut from either side. I would presume the columns are steel, so hitting them with a sickle bar would be catastrophic. Another mower that was able to go in/out between the columns could cut the remaining strip. A w/b, with mulching kit (to minimize flying debris) would work, but the task would be tedious and laborious.

Also, the strip down the middle would also need to be cut. A sickle bar unit at the front of a machine could do this task.

From what I can see, multiple machines may be needed to get this job done. Covering 100 A would seem to be nearly a full-time job for a crew, that is, by the time finishing at one point, the area where the work started would be ready to cut again. 100 acres with small equipment, and with tedious maneuvering, is a very intensive undertaking. I don't think the OP stated how often the mowing needed to be done. Maybe it is a one-time per year task,....?

Interesting to think about, but undoubtedly far more difficult to execute a plan.

P.S. These solar farms are ugly, ugly, and more ugly. There is a contradiction on the part of the advocates because they are the first ones to talk about preserving the landscape. Wind farms fit into the same contradiction.
 
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#25 ·
Yeah, the sickle bar hitting one of the posts would not be good. That's what I liked about the swing away.

The frequency would only be two or three times a year. So, tall grass and weeds would be the norm.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that at the end of every third or fourth row there is a "panel" that makes it even more narrow.

One dilemma with the sickle bar mower is that once you "go in" there is no way to lift it up to do any maneuvering at the narrowed end.
 
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