The Slicing Method
The tommy™ silt fence machine is pulled through the soil with a tractor (30 H.P. utility or larger) or a skidloader with tracks (60 H.P. or larger). The process is called static-slicing because no other energy is applied to the soil disrupter, which literally slices through the soil, slightly pushing soil or debris to one side or the other.
The slicing method process uses a soil disrupter to thinly slice through the soil 8-12 inches (200-300m) deep. A vertical wheel then inserts silt fence into the slit. The soil disrupter utilizes a chisel type horizontal point to slightly disrupt soil upward, minimizing horizontal compaction, thus creating an optimum soil condition for future mechanical compaction.
The vertical wheel, positioned between two narrow parallel panels, is a moving pivot where the horizontal silt fence fabric is converted to a vertical position between the panels.
In this dynamic operation, silt fence fabric is simultaneously pulled off the roll by the vertical wheel, funneled into the apparatus, converted to a vertical position between the panels, and inserted into the soil being held open by the panels. As the machine progresses, soil collapses onto the silt fence fabric, thus securing silt fence in the desired position.
No matter in water-saturated soils, steep slopes, tight circles, windy conditions, or hard pan, the mechanical installation is consistent and dependable every time.
After installing the fabric, the power source wheel rolls the disrupted soil down against the fabric to create a compacted soil condition which strongly resizes washouts.
This technology slices through the soil, rather than excavating it. Excavation is extremely time consuming; the time is doubled again when you backfill in the dirt you excavated. If the excavated material is sod or cobble, the operation is even more time consuming, and may not enable proper compaction. Now required by ASTM, compacted soil resists water infiltration and moisture saturation, thus nearly eliminating washouts.
