The GRIMME Group presented several equipment innovations at the VDMA Information Exchange on 26 and 27 September 2023 in Kassel. The company announced today that its ‘ChangeSep‘ and ‘SmartFold‘ innovations have been awarded silver medals by the DLG ‘AGRITECHNICA Innovation Award’.
The ‘ChangeSep’: Complete flexibility with the choice of a 2nd separator
Many farms have diversified in recent years. In addition to a wide range of potatoes for various uses (food, starch and processed products), they are also increasingly growing onions. In addition, due to the progressive specialisation and expansion of farms, cultivation is taking place on more and more areas and different soils.
As a result, the requirements regarding the variability of options within the potato harvesters are growing. The focus is particularly on specific separators, for which there has been no practicable solution up to now for switching between deflection rollers and finger webs.
The hydraulically interchangeable separator “ChangeSep” enables a convenient change of the 2nd separator on modern GRIMME harvesters with two separators, such as the EVO 290. Within less than 2 minutes, the changeover between finger web (“ClodSep”) and deflection rollers (“EasySep”) can be carried out hydraulically from the cabin. The levelling adjustment of the first and second separator is still possible without restrictions. In addition, the speed of both separators can be adjusted individually and continuously, allowing the harvester to be adapted to the different conditions and crops at any time almost without compromise.
Thanks to the TerraControl intake with half diablo rollers, which can be used to pick up potatoes from the ridges and windrowed onions, the potato harvester can be converted into an onion arvester at the push of a button. Without any additional assembly work required on the crop-intake or the
separator.
The road transport width does not change due to the new type of separator. In addition, the integration of both separator types in one machine enables better remarketing of stock and used machines.
The new ChangeSep is already in use on a GRIMME EVO 290 and will be used extensively on other machines this season.
The ‘SmartFold’: The patent-pending folding mechanism for mounted windrowers
To this day, in many regions of the world, potatoes are cleared from the ground by machine and then picked up by hand. Simple, mounted, 2-row windrowers with a full width share-plate are used.
The cleaning and sieving is usually done with a short main web followed by a mechanical shaking rake.
The machines are used with tractors in the power class from approx. 40 to 70 hp. In practice, this method results in 5 – 20 % harvest losses due to spilled tubers.
At Agritechnica, GRIMME, as part of the joint venture with the Indian manufacturer SHAKTIMAN, presents the new SGRW 200. A mounted windrower with foldable second main web for more efficient potato harvesting.
The two-row machine is fitted with share blades commonly used in Europe. It only clears the tuber nest in the ridge and thus conveys significantly less soil into the machine. In particular, large, hard clods of soil, which are predominantly in the furrow area, are not taken onto the main webs. The depth guidance of the shares is done with the help of diablo rollers, which break up incrustations on the ridge surface. Two disc coulters per row ensure blockage-free operation.
The innovation of the foldable 2nd main web
A new feature is the patent-pending hydraulic folding mechanism for the 2nd main web. Thanks to “SmartFold”, the centre of gravity of the machine can be shifted forward at the headland or on the road. The significantly reduced lifting power requirement makes it possible for the first time to use the new windrower with two crop protecting main webs in a power class from 50 hp.
In the field, the grower benefits from significantly improved sieving of soil and clods. A pressing roller is optionally available for the machine, which levels and superficially presses the soil after lifting the crop. This ensures that 100 % of the potatoes are placed clearly visible on the ground. The high harvest losses mentioned above are completely avoided.
Source: GRIMME
Cover photo: The GRIMME ‘ChangeSep’
