GRIMME GB330. Opinions?

[MJFreeman]

What are people's opinions on the Grimme GB330 belt planter? For salad potatoes and ware crop?

From what I have seen they have a greater capacity for output but are less accurate for spacing than a conventional cup planter. Do you think the savings in efficiency outweigh the inaccuracies?

 

[Darren]

Used to plant salads with a standen quad planter. Put 50 acre of maincrop in with it. Deadly accurate. Only problems were large seed would get wedged down the belt Shute and it needs a consistent seed size. Used to plant everything around 5/6 kph. That was salads at 10cm spacing, main at 30cm. If not putting amistar on it would plant at the latter spacing up to 10 kph if you wanted.
Used a Grimme belt planter this season and couldn't get my head around how inaccurate it was. Ok for main. Wouldn't think about doing salads with one.

 

[MJFreeman]

Used to plant salads with a standen quad planter. Put 50 acre of maincrop in with it. Deadly accurate. Only problems were large seed would get wedged down the belt Shute and it needs a consistent seed size. Used to plant everything around 5/6 kph. That was salads at 10cm spacing, main at 30cm. If not putting amistar on it would plant at the latter spacing up to 10 kph if you wanted.
Used a Grimme belt planter this season and couldn't get my head around how inaccurate it was. Ok for main. Wouldn't think about doing salads with one.

We also run Standen Quad planters, Darren and like you say the accuracy is unbeatable. Ive seen the results of the Grimme belt planter first hand and am interested to see what others think. If they are only good for main crop I can't see the advantage over a cup planter which can travel at a similar speed (assuming like you say a consistent seed size).

 

[Norfolk Olly]

We run a standen quad for salads which produces great results but our forward speed is never more than 4k as you'll struggle with misses and doubles.
We run 2 mediema belt planters on main crop and find a constant speed does give even spacing, forward speed is 8-12k, although for accuracy you can't beat a cup planter.
Shame standen have stopped making the 6 row cup planter IMO
Don't RG's near you run one?

 

[MJFreeman]

I think the general consensus is that cup planters are the ideal for salads and for efficiency, rather than accuracy, a belt planter could be utilised. Who are 'RG'? Are they based in Norfolk?

The GB330 I have seen was planting 3 row beds and the inconsistency in spacing from row to row was shocking.

 

[Darren]

We run a standen quad for salads which produces great results but our forward speed is never more than 4k as you'll struggle with misses and doubles.
We run 2 mediema belt planters on main crop and find a constant speed does give even spacing, forward speed is 8-12k, although for accuracy you can't beat a cup planter.
Shame standen have stopped making the 6 row cup planter IMO
Don't RG's near you run one?

Do you mean RG produce near Wissington beet factory ?

 

[Norfolk Olly]

Yes Roger garret, I'm sure Wayne garret had one in the spring, well it looked like him

 

[MJFreeman]

Mmmmm I don't know. A lot of people had them and those I know of all had troubles in particular spacing issues. As far as I can see, it is not something that can be rectified either. It appears to be a broadcasting machine, end of story.

 

[Darren]

No. Wayne bought their old big boy back from BB. Adrian runs the Grimme under the A garret potatoes. Lees have one. They're all in that area

 

[MJFreeman]

Youve got a fair way to go to beat a Standen!

 

[Darren]

Neighbour had a couple of the Goliaths. They covered a fair bit of ground with the big hoppers.

 

[MJFreeman]

Neighbour had a couple of the Goliaths. They covered a fair bit of ground with the big hoppers.

We have a goliath. Fantastic planter! Better than the GB330 in our opinion

 

[Darren]

We have a goliath. Fantastic planter! Better than the GB330 in our opinion

What part of the country are you?

 

[MJFreeman]

We are based in Norfolk.

 

[MJFreeman]

Check out our business page https://m.facebook.com/MJFContractor

 

[Darren]

Is that your harvester in your avatar?

 

[Darren]

Not on Facebook

 

[MJFreeman]

I think you should be able to look even without a facebook account. Yes it is one of our harvesters. We have another one identical.

 

[Norfolk Olly]

So have you been lifting for Martin Spizick?

 

[MJFreeman]

Yes. We still have one harvester working for Albert Bartletts now.