Contractor gets a clear run with stone remover
Contractor gets a clear run with stone remover
Agriculture, amenity and council work are just a few areas
where Northumberland contractor Martin Bell aims to exploit
his Kongskilde stone picking machine. Andy Moore reports
GUT feeling and an eye for business were the only reasons Martin Bell needed when investing in Kongskildes latest stone picking machine – securing customers came second.
A bit of a gamble by many standards, but Mr Bell believes to have found an ideal means of diversification to bolster his existing stubble to stubble contracting firm near Corbridge, Northumberland.
"After witnessing the machines performance during a demonstration, the stone picker offers enormous contracting potential in terms of high outputs and labour reduction," he says.
Known as the Stonebear, the 4m tractor trailed machine uses two angled rotors to gather stones which are then collected by a central spring-tined rotor before being discharged into a 2t capacity hopper.
Main drive is from the pto which is split through two shafts connected to two dropped belts for each rotor. A third belt transmits drive to the spring-tined rotor.
"The Stonebear is designed to collect stones from 3 to 30cm diameter and can fill the 2t hopper in about 10 minutes depending on stone density and ground preparation," says Mr Bell.
Typical working applications for the Stonebear, according to Kong-skilde, are for removing stones land destined for root crops, high value vegetable crops or turf production.
Ground preparation, he says, can be carried out by one or two passes of a chisel plough or cultivator to bring stones to the surface. Alternatively, the machine can be used without ground preparation and worked to a 13cm (5in) depth for lifting stones lying in the topsoil.
Trailed from the tractors three-point linkage, the machine is lowered into work with the two hinged rotors set to the desired depth using two jockey wheels.
"Working in the ground reduces forward speeds from 6 to 4mph and leaves a definite ridge either side of the machine," he adds. "When used on the surface, the machine leaves a flat even finish, which at the most, requires a single pass with a levelling board implement before going in with the drill."
In terms of output, Mr Bell reckons the machine can clear a 2.4ha (6 acre) site in about 12 hours.
Seedbed preparation for agricultural crops might appear to be the most logical role for an agricultural contractor, but Mr Bell has wider ambitions.
"The machine offers the potential for a host of applications including reinstating farmland after landfill sites and motorway verge preparation and turf growers," he says. "From an environmental point of view, the Stonebear may even have scope for beach pebble picking for sea front conservation or river bank work."
Another adv-antage of the machine, he adds, is the ability to pick stones to a required specification by interchanging different mesh-sized concaves.
In this situation, Mr Bell believes the stone picker is more efficient than manual labour by leaving smaller insignificant stones, but collecting large ones normally to heavy to pick up by hand. The result, he says, is that stones of required specification could be stockpiled and bought off-site after being hydraulically tipped from the 2t hopper.
"The hopper is big enough for small scale operations, but is limited on large areas where the driver has to go backwards and forwards emptying at headlands," he maintains. "For work on large sites where there is a need to reduce soil compaction, we will supply an additional tractor and trailer to cover the ground."
Mr Bell plans to use a low loader lorry to transport the Stonebear and its 125hp New Holland partner. *
No stone unturned… Kongskildes Stonebear can collect stones from 3cm to 30cm (1.25in to 12in) in diameter. Agricultural contractor Martin Bell (right) claims the stone picker can clear a 2.4ha (6 acre) site in about 12 hours.
The two floating angled rotors are designed to gather stones throughout a 4m working width.