Swede harvestors

[Devil's advocate]

I'm happy hand pulling but 85% of mine are for human consumption, making decent money.

But what about stockfeed crops, the old Boswells must be on last legs now. Many human consumption swede crops are lifted with modified potato harvestors but would think it would need to be very good land or destoned.

How about fodder beet is that mostly 6 rows now?

 

[Gilchro]

Ah, spent many a cold winter's morning chuntering up row after row of neeps with the old Boswell.

Top link too long, trailer full of shaw. Top link too short, chippings everywhere with the lethal bladed instruments

Didn't matter how you set it, it was never right!!

Still, I do reminisce and remember the job with fond memories.

 

[Devil's advocate]

Ah, spent many a cold winter's morning chuntering up row after row of neeps with the old Boswell.

Top link too long, trailer full of shaw. Top link too short, chippings everywhere with the lethal bladed instruments

Didn't matter how you set it, it was never right!!

Still, I do reminisce and remember the job with fond memories.

Wondered how they worked without much elevator adjustment. If we store swedes it is in bulk bins & gentilly placed in by hand. Even for stockfeed they don't keep well if bruised.

 

[Gilchro]

They would never work for shoppers. They fire them at the trailer from the elevator, no such thing as a fall breaker.

Used to work for a big swede grower (2000+ acres). Most of them were set on beds and harvested with a modified Grimme.
Anything for long term storage was still hand lifted to minimise damage and prolong the storage

 

[Derrick Hughes]

This was mine, done acres with one, no good for shops though, wasn't to good on steep wet fields

 

[Jackson4]

is that built round a massey 165?

 

[Devil's advocate]

They would never work for shoppers. They fire them at the trailer from the elevator, no such thing as a fall breaker.

Used to work for a big swede grower (2000+ acres). Most of them were set on beds and harvested with a modified Grimme.
Anything for long term storage was still hand lifted to minimise damage and prolong the storage

I'm happy hand pulling, because they need triming & grading anyway, I prefer working outside.

But interested in your reply, because I did not realise large growers still hand pulled some swedes. Although local large grower who grows earlies for bagging but maincrop for processing had to hand pull a lot of earlies in 2007, 2008 & 2012 due to very wet weather. Think they now have a 3 point mounted scan stone elevator digger with factory conversion for swedes.

 

[Devil's advocate]

View attachment 29825


This was mine, done acres with one, no good for shops though, wasn't to good on steep wet fields

One of those built around a David Brown 885 working local to me, fodder beet not swede though. He told me it needs running at almost full throttle to work well, but very pleased with it, got it really cheap.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

is that built round a massey 165?

Mine was a 135, I have seen Fords and DB as well

 

[Derrick Hughes]

One of those built around a David Brown 990 working local to me, fodder beet not swede though. He told me it needs running at almost full throttle to work well, but very pleased with it, got it really cheap.

Mine went well , webs broke sometimes which were a pain to repair

 

[hindmaist]

I've heard of folk using a Thorgod? Machine to lift swedes.

 

[Devil's advocate]

So apart from FT with his one row self proppelled & some Boswells still working does no one lift swedes for stockfeed by machine? Is anyone lifting stockfeed swede with converted potato harvestors?

 

[Devil's advocate]

I've heard of folk using a Thorgod? Machine to lift swedes.

Yes heard of those. I think dutch machines one quite similar to Boswell & in its own country more likely to be used on fodder beet. The other simple elevator digger to lift the crop out of the ground but leave a windrow of two rows to pick up by hand.

 

[KennyO]

I think most (if not all) up here who still lift stockfeed swedes will use Boswell harvesters. Mate told me there is a blacksmith 'Up North' who will make a new one for you.

 

[Johnny400]

Theres a dairy farmer 15 miles away who still feeds his milking cows on swedes. Passed as they were lifting the other day. A boswell type machine if it wasnt a boswell itself. One of my first proper tractor driving jobs was probably running along side the neep harvester with tractor and trailer. Used to do 40 acres a year to feed cattle.
A new young seeds salesman almost laughed when he heard that we still grew swede for ewes. Getting a rare sight around here to what was quite common.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Any Opel wheel machine will lift swedes , used a two row Tim that worked well also

 

[Andrew1983]

Am Phillip agri tech were and possibly still are making Boswell type machines. There's someone not too far from here who has a beet lifter with bunker which picks up 2 rows at a time from turnips sown on the flat.

 

[Selectamatic]

Digging this thread up from the archives...

I've found myself a Boswell swede harvester, kept indoors and other than in need of a couple of tyres, seems to work as it should!

Fascinating thing, as I have a tractor, a precision swede drill, a three ton trailer, and all the other kit to grow them, a harvester, from what iv seen of it, really interests me!

Question is... why would you harvest them? The few that grow swedes round here graze them with sheep...

I'll probably end up selling it, but would love an excuse to get it in the field...

 

[quavers]

lift the neeps and sell as stock feed , going rate here this year 40 odd pound the ton , makes agood crop of neeps worth a bit of money

Digging this thread up from the archives...

I've found myself a Boswell swede harvester, kept indoors and other than in need of a couple of tyres, seems to work as it should!

Fascinating thing, as I have a tractor, a precision swede drill, a three ton trailer, and all the other kit to grow them, a harvester, from what iv seen of it, really interests me!

Question is... why would you harvest them? The few that grow swedes round here graze them with sheep...

I'll probably end up selling it, but would love an excuse to get it in th

 

[The Gentleman Farmer]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread again. Been looking at a Boswell harvester to use for fodder beet. Only got a few acres to lift.
Would this style harvester lift fodder beet please?
thanks.