The world of highly specialized, single-purpose vehicles is wide and fascinating. But I have to say, I did not expect the orchard industry of all things to produce a machine that looks like straight up death. This little number is called the Hedgehog, a tree trimming vehicle with massive rotating arms that spin up to eight large blades and rotate to cut things at practically every angle and level. If you’re not in the cabin (or miles away) while it’s operating, uh, godspeed?
It’s made by the Orchard Machinery Corporation (OMC), who acknowledged on Instagram that it would also excel at killing zombies. Powered by a 4.5-liter Cummins twin-turbo diesel that produces 200 horsepower, the OMC Hedgehog measures 8.5 feet wide and up to 12 feet tall, depending on the model. That’s just in stasis, though. At its peak hedge-fighting height, the Hedgehog 3048 can top 53 feet and 7 inches. Oh, and with its two articulating arms featuring rotating hands that each have three 48-inch spinning blades as fingers. The 3036 model has smaller 36-inch blades, but eight of them, and all are mounted onto a single arm boom.
The cabin tells a different story. Equipped with climate control, an air ride seat, a tilted steering wheel, ergonomic controls, and a color LCD driver information panel, the interior sounds almost serene for a piece of heavy-duty machinery. But the fully-enclosed cabin also features a steel rooftop and half-inch thick laminated safety glass because safety is paramount with those swinging, bladed arms that can slice a minimum of 11 feet on each side. Trees are big sometimes, mmkay?
Also, with the shark mouth paint job and completely overkill nature, I’m gonna guess the Hedgehog name is at least partly inspired by the A10 Warthog.
For arborists and farmers, the Hedgehog offers an efficient way of cutting through the leafy noise. The arm(s) can be positioned for specific cuts, such as the A-cut, V-cut, skirt & hedge, taper top, taper skirt, or a combination of them. So, it’s not about attacking willy-nilly whatever the hell is around you unless…
Founded in 1961, OMC’s first products were hydraulic tree shakers used to harvest prunes. Since then, the company has continued to build shakers as well as all sorts of other high-performance harvesting-related equipment. And as if to add some fun to backbreaking farming, OMC products have names as intense as its machines. You got the Shockwave, Aftershock, Hedgehog, Brush Hog, and E-limb-inator. Definitely don’t want to get caught within that last one’s 8.25-foot-wide dual-motor hammer mill unless your final wishes are to be composted.
Anyway, seeing this heavy-duty contraption in action evokes jaw-dropping awe and an occasional “Holy hell” thrown in. Or am I the only one? I just know next time I’m driving through farmland and looking at orchards, I’ll say a little prayer of thanks to OMC that I am not the target of its built-for-harvest-but-apocalypse-ready machines. But I’ll know where to find my ride-or-die mechanical stallion when the end-of-the-world alien invasion happens.