How Rolled Sod is Harvested and Palletized

This time of year, it’s not uncommon to be driving down the highway and pass by a truck with a dozen perfectly rolled sod pallets. It’s easy to assume that the freshly cut turf is headed for a sports field or a neighborhood to be applied to lawns, but passersby are always curious to know how on earth all of those neatly rolled pallets of grass were harvested.

Landscapers love rolled sod pallets because of installation preferences—rolled sod makes for easy application and transportation. While the demand for rolled grass increases, the need for top-of-the-line harvesters does also.

This is where the Brouwer 4000 Automatic Roll Sod Harvester comes in. This high-tech machine is a single-operator sod harvester, meaning that it takes just one person to handle the giant cutting and rolling machine. The harvester cuts pallets, and then the robotic stacking system gently transfers four to five rolls at a time to a rear-facing forklift. The machine is capable of cutting and rolling dozens of precisely measured and cut pallets in a shockingly short amount of time.

Enjoy this short video of the Brouwer 4000 at work. The methodical rolling and stacking method of the machine is almost mesmerizing. The next time you pass by a truck loaded with those perfect rolls of sod, you’ll know exactly how they came to be.

For more information on the Brouwer 4000, check out their list of benefits and features here. The next step after harvesting is palletizing. To read about pallets of sod and the measurements and pricing that go into them, take a look at our How Many Square Feet are On a Pallet of Sod blog. To learn more about which type of grass may be best for you before making a purchase, check out our blog on How to Choose the Right Type of Sod.