Following several years of field testing, Ropa’s new two-row trailed Keiler II Classic potato harvester will be on sale from Agritechnica and the first production machines in the field for the 2020 harvest.
On show for the first time at this week’s Potato Europe in Belgium (starts Wednesday), the new harvester is similar to the current Keiler II. The main difference is in the separation area. The Classic has two pintle belts instead of four and the manual picking off platform has space for up to eight people.
Where cleaning requirements are minimal, the rotating finger comb can be replaced for optional triple deflector rollers, with no haulm and discharge conveyors. This lighter configuration is also available on the Keiler II from next season.
The Keiler II Classic is fully hydraulically driven and comes as standard with an ISObus control unit and an integrated quick-change frame for the pick-up. This allows it to be used for harvesting onions and other specialised crops with the reduced cleaning units.
An integrated telescopic axle is part of the standard spec, and like the current model, the options list includes a hydraulically-powered axle and a 6.0t bunker.
The German manufacturer has high hopes for the new harvester, which it reckons will quickly increase the current 350+ population of machines delivered around the world so far.
