Despite the best efforts of potato harvester manufacturers, some soil still accompanies potatoes leaving the harvester, and in extreme conditions Grimme reckons many tonnes of the stuff are transported back to the farm. The German firm is working on a couple of new concepts to not only ensure more of it remains in the field, but also keep road tyres on the tarmac and field tyres on the land. Called the CleanLoader, the first packages certain technologies from the company’s other machines (1.2m-wide GT 300 unloading elevator and 24-60 Receiving Hopper), with a newly-designed chassis and tandem axle. Powered by an integrated 60hp engine, trailers empty their contents into the 19cu.m. hopper from where the potatoes pass over a cleaning module and up the swivelling elevator into a road-going vehicle. It depends on the conditions, but two seasons of tests suggest it can remove at least 70% of soil. A limited number of the 120tph-capacity machines are available for the 2017 harvest. Each one is expected to cost around €220,000. Grimme is keen for feedback from the second solution – a potato chaser bin. While popular with growers in North America, the 4.8m-width of the existing 35t-capacity Spudnik-made Crop-Cart 4835 is simply too wide for European roads. So the company has developed a prototype of a 2.9m-wide version. Called the Crop-Cart 4820 (20t-capacity), it also unloads into trailers at the headland, but unlike the CleanLoader there is no cleaning system. The 12m-long trailer will be in the field next season.
Grimme potato chaser bin prototype
Despite the best efforts of potato harvester manufacturers, some soil still accompanies potatoes leaving the harvester, and in extreme conditions Grimme reckons many tonnes of the stuff are transported back to the farm. The German firm is working on a couple of new concepts to not only ensure more of it remains in the field, […]
Steven Vale
