DRIVING IMPRESSION: If you’re still emotionally scarred from having to wander along picking stones and heaving them into a bucket or trailer, then this could be the tool for you. The Stoneless turns this task into a one-person show.
What critics might dismiss as a gimmick turned out to be very efficient in our stone collecting the Stoneless is Danish farmer’s son, Søren Vestergaard Kristensen. The now 26-year old began working on the design eleven years ago having had his fill of collecting stones on his parents’ farm. Others have seen the appeal of the Stoneless, as Søren has sold almost 400 collectors to date into various markets.
Self-powered
This trailed machine can be towed by an ATV, UTV or small tractor. Power is supplied by a four-stroke petrol engine that drives a gear pump for the on-board hydraulics. A small thumb-operated control box then looks after the hydraulic functions. These include raising and lowering the machine’s pick-up, offsetting the drawbar, tipping the hopper and turning the rotor forwards or backwards. Only the drawbar takes a second finger to operate as an added safety feature — to prevent you from accidentally offsetting the machine. The control box and the electro-magnetic valves on the machine draw their power from the 12-volt supply on the ATV. If you’re always using the same quad or UTV, then a power plug near the towbar is a worthwhile addition.
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