The drive to save growers time and labour permeates every area of a modern business. When it comes to outdoor machinery, manufacturers are having to find new ways of responding to the need to produce crops faster, cheaper and more efficiently than ever before. This has led to numerous new products becoming available to growers in recent weeks and months.
John Deere has this week unveiled details of its new 8030 series of tractors, which are being delivered AutoTrac-ready from the factory at no extra charge.
This, the firm explains, means that the tractors have all the internal hardware necessary to operate the now standard automatic guidance system. Growers would then just need to add and activate a GreenStar monitor and StarFire iTC GPS receiver.
John Deere reckons that with the reduction of overlaps during tillage work, for example, growers will be able to lower their operating costs by up to 10 percent. During fertilising and slurry spreading, savings are said to reach up to 15 percent.
Lamberhurst Engineering, which is responsible for distributing Ferrari tractors in the UK, has recently announced that the Italian firm is now bringing the ‘Dualsteer’ Ferrari Vega to this country.
Dualsteer Vega is said to be ideal for use in vineyards, orchards and greenhouses where the ability to move in narrow spaces is key.
The Dualsteer is said to have the same basic fundamentals of the ‘AR’ and ‘RS’ versions of the Vega tractor. A particular development is the new steering system, which is said to make the vehicles practical even in precarious conditions where being able to move easily in narrow spaces is key.
Reduced wheel bases and the use of hydraulic clutches which allow containing of the overhanging part of the engine are also a feature of the new model, while the double steering system is claimed to allow a turning radius of just 2,200mm with a steering angle of 70 degrees.
Hortec has developed a new trimming machine with a 1.2m or 1.6m cutting head and lightweight collection box that is easily removed. It features an adjustable width frame, made to customer specification, which can vary from 1.5m to 4.6m. It can be easily moved on gravel beds, has adjustable cutting height on both sides, a lightweight frame, and can be broken down for easy transport. The trimmer head is also easily removed, with no spanners required.
French vegetable harvester manufacturer SIMON has introduced a new two-row top lifting harvester to replace its T2-R model. SIMON says that over 50 of its T2-R machines have been sold to British growers in the last 20 years, but the new R2-B5 model features a new chassis offering greater strength and carrying capacity, improved access for maintenance and adjustments, and reduced transport width.
A larger tank of 10.5 cubic metres with a capacity of around five tonnes of carrots is also a feature, as are longer pick-up arms, wider cross conveyor and tank feed conveyor.
The machine’s revised design reportedly allows the ‘ACROBAT’ tank to be hydraulically angled for gentler unloading, and can also discharge at ground level. As the tank fills a ‘sliding-gate’ option gradually moves along inside automatically to enable complete loading, preventing losses from the end of the tank at the same time.
Other new features of the product include new, longer, low angle pick-up rails at 6.72m, which include notched belts and the firm’s new ‘J’ type pulleys. Mountings are now on the underside of the pulleys, soil ingress is virtually eliminated, dramatically reducing wear and running costs.
Addressing the challenge of increasing plant populations and decreasing processing costs is a major issue for growers. Tackling this is the Carousel concept, which is being developed by Castlefields in association with Tony Botsman, who was behind the Aeropick inflatable conveyor system. The concept essentially sees plants brought on a rotating carousel to the point of processing.
According to Castlefields’ Geoffrey Gwilt, the system’s capacity to double plant populations per square metre does not prejudice optimal plant density. “The carousel takes up some of the expensive space left for picker access as this process and all others such as trimming, spraying etc can now take place at row ends,” he explained.
Gwilt went on to say that the carousels have an application for a number of specialised vegetable crops, mushrooms and cut flower production, in addition to soft fruit.
The company states that overall benefits to growers take the shape of more control, especially over picking costs, but also overall process costs. The system is said to be well suited to night time picking as only the row ends need lighting. Change over from early to mid to late season varieties is eased and the system can handle plants in bags, trays or pots.
It also features variable speeds, allowing for presentation of 50 berries per minute to pickers from either a light or heavy yield.
Botsman stressed that after concluding registration and protection of a number of designs the focus is now on sourcing components at global best prices. “Industrial designs do not translate into horticultural applications and they are hugely expensive,” he said. “We will have all components available shortly and will be working with growers on site, in most cases we expect to fit the system over existing table top posts or glass house support frames provided they are sound.”
Mechanical Botanical has recently unveiled its Lanz Easy Cut Trimmer, which now features a 1.6m knife length. Used over a mobile bench the trimmer is able to trim complete mobile bench widths up to 1.6m. It is electrically driven while the cutting height is electrically adjustable. The cutting material is then blown into a collecting bag and the cuttings may be re-used.
Used over ground with a petrol engine, the Easycut trimmer has a width adjustable frame ranging from 1.6m to 3.15m. The standard blade is 1.6m, with a 1.2m version also available. The equipment is said to be light and easily manoeuvred over the bed by one person, with the blade adjustable sideways and for height.
Easycut is also available as a portable hand-held version without a frame, powered by a petrol engine.
Meanwhile Spaldings has launched a new versatile broadcaster with 100 litre hopper for accurately applying small seed, grains and slug pellets up to 24m.
The Supervario broadcaster is powered by a robust 12v 180w electric motor, can be mounted to any cultivator, tined weeder, tractor or ATV with a varied range of mounting brackets available, Spaldings says.
The firm’s marketing manager, Alastair Ramsay, says: “The maximum spread width achievable for slug pellets is up to 24m. All distributed seed is evenly spread via integral spreading vanes.”
Operating of the broadcaster is said to be simplified by using a tractor cab mounted digital control panel that can be used to switch the spreading disc on and off, open and close the slide and set the spread width and seed rate.
Its safety features include an audible warning feature, error message and visual alert flashed up on the screen to help minimise blockages from foreign objects in the hopper and warn the operator when it is empty.
‘The sensor can also detect blockages, either in the drive motor or in the output slide. This is an advanced safety feature, only available due to the electronic system control provided by microprocessor technology.”
Also new from Spaldings is a range of quick-fit knock-on ‘A’ shares and adaptors that can be retrofitted to popular makes of cultivator leg, eradicator tine and tined seed drill.
And in a busy period for the firm Spaldings has addressed the problem of how to change large agricultural wheels safely and using only one man by launching a new wheel changer.
The hydraulic two-speed pump allows the unit to be used with any size and width of agricultural tyre up to 2.2m diameter and 800mm width. The company explains that the wheel is balanced with the help of an adjustable retaining arm that allows rotation of the wheel in a secure position, making the task of lining up the wheel studs when re-fitting a wheel simpler.
Grimme has been working on developing a new mechanical potato weeder to give organic and conventional growers a cost effective alternative to gas burning.
The firm cited the example of grower David Smith from Kirriemuir in Angus, who replaced an old mechanical rotary weeder modified to include a ridge reformer and a gas weeder for a two row Hiller on his 2,000-acre organic enterprise.
“Rising production costs and operation timeliness has made us focus on replacing the way we have historically removed weeds from our organic potato crops,” he said, adding that the fact that organic crop yields are lower than conventional ones means that it is important to minimise weeds and reduce damaged potatoes as much as possible.
Smith adds that the new Grimme Hiller has the advantage of shaped hoods to help rectify a damaged ridge. It has a working speed of 4-5kph, giving a daily output of around 20 acres per day. It can be pulled by a small tractor on row crop wheels.
Grimme says that the large tines on the Hiller are very effective at pulling up the bottom of the ridge, but they do not go too deep as to bring up clods and stones. The discs are also said to be ideal at replacing soil on the ridge and then the shape former enhances the drill further. Side plates ensure soil is kept within the drill. Smith concluded: “Mechanical weeders in general might appear to be simple machines but actually they require a skilled operator. It’s very easy to alter the ridge set up from planting. If you run slightly off the ridge it can damage the drill. It is worth setting the machine up correctly to begin with then it should be relatively trouble free.”
Meanwhile Sayell Equipment is distributing a new small muck spreader for orchards, developed by Italian manufacturer Annovi. The A25 front laterally spreading model is said to be well suited to narrow work in orchards, with optional extras including a lateral plate to localise the manure or compost in the line on trucks. l
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