Spotlight on quality
Spotlight on quality
Assured produce schemes for cereals and field vegetables has turned the spotlight back on to storage and crop handling. This special page of New Lines looks at the latest equipment to help maintain standards and quality.
Prisms do a topping job
THE Top-Tail whips the tops and tails cleanly from root crops such as onions, radishes and red beet as they are loaded out of store. Throughput of about 4-5t/hour is possible with the system based on twisted prism rollers running at right-angles to the crop flow, and with right- and left-hand twists. It costs from £15,500 from Nicholson Machinery, of Southery, Downham Market, Norfolk. 01366 377458.
Making a clean sweep
TELESWEEP has been designed to allow telescopic handlers to be used for sweeping out. With a standard 2.13m sweeping width, it has a fully-enclosed 0.75cu m debris container and a built-in flotation system for rougher surfaces. Price is £3,500.
Gurney Reeve, Suton, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18 9SR. 01953 601331.
Non-stop for dryers
CONTINUOUS flow grain dryers with capacities from 5-18t/hour were launched by Opico at the Royal Smithfield Show. Built in the USA by M-C, they are designed for true continuous flow operation with heating and then cooling in one pass. Prices start from £18,950.
Opico, South Road, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9LG. 01778 425080.
Box fillers gentle touch
GENTLY does it with the Easy-Fill box filler for use on farms and packhouses to place onions, potatoes and root vegetables into static boxes with the least damage. Proximity sensors are used for fully automatic operation of the £10,000 machine.
Tong Engineering, Spilsby, Lincolnshire PE23 5DW. 01790 752771.
Silo features extra drying capacity
GSI storage silos from 51t capacity up to 22,500t are now distributed through Danagri-3S, as are the GSI Airstream mobile batch/continuous flow grain dryers. An unusual feature of some GSI installations is the Top Dry, a drier located at the top of a storage bin, which may also incorporate a ventilated drying or cooling floor within the pitched roof space.
Danagri-3S, The Livestock Centre, Tasley, Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV16 4QR. 01746 762777.
Elevator has reach
VERSATILITY is the key to the Swift Lift Extendo Contain-a-vator designed mainly for loading the specialised refrigerated trailers now being used for the transport of crisping potatoes. Long enough to reach to the front of the 12m (40ft) containers, it is fitted with a height adjustable luffing head to minimise the drop from the elevator on to the floor of the container as loading starts. Priced at £25,000, it can also be used for loading into store and to bulk lorries.
Terry Johnson Ltd, Cranmore Lane, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE12 7HT. 01406 422286.