The best potato planter and harvester

[mvargovic]

Guys,

Let's consider this - if you would have 500k €, which harvester would you buy? We are talking 4 row self propelled, ability to work in normal and wet conditions, as low as possible potato damage.
Also, in your opinion, what would be the best cup potato planter and why?

 

[jon9000]

Go for a belt planter, my prefreance even this year is trailed harvester..... lets not forget we all grow potatoes to hopefully make money!?

 

[mvargovic]

I heard belts, drives and electronics with Structural can be problematic.
Also for trailer, my company has 150-60 but we've got now about 300 hectares to harvest, so the owner decided to go for 4 row - don't forget the subisidies of about 50% when buying from EU.
Everything is expensive when you've got potatoes into the fields and you have 10.000 tons warehouse to fill - we are potato chip producers so buying from Europe in the spring can be even more expensive.

 

[Spud]

Best 2row cup planter by a mile is a Standen SP200 - but our next will be a Structural belt planter.

As for a harvester, T2 has the crown here - I cannot see how £500k can be justified for a harvester - 4 row machines are too wide for our roads anyway.

The best sp harvester I've seen has to be Charlie Padfield's Padco Psix - an impressive beast, ahead of it's time.

Are you waiting for someone to say AVR Mario?

 

[mvargovic]

Best 2row cup planter by a mile is a Standen SP200 - but our next will be a Structural belt planter.

As for a harvester, T2 has the crown here - I cannot see how £500k can be justified for a harvester - 4 row machines are too wide for our roads anyway.

The best sp harvester I've seen has to be Charlie Padfield's Padco Psix - an impressive beast, ahead of it's time.

Are you waiting for someone to say AVR Mario?

No actually, we have doubts with Grimme Varitron 470, AVR PUMA 3, DeWulf Kwattro....
Other companies haven't contacted us or maybe selling to us since we are in Croatia.

 

[Spud]

No actually, we have doubts with Grimme Varitron 470, AVR PUMA 3, DeWulf Kwattro....
Other companies haven't contacted us or maybe selling to us since we are in Croatia.

What sort of area of potatoes are you growing? On decent flat ground without too much stone, I always thought a Standen T3 a cost effective way to increase capacity

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Our neighbour has just bought 2 Dewulf Quattros. €1.4 million.

 

[mvargovic]

What sort of area of potatoes are you growing? On decent flat ground without too much stone, I always thought a Standen T3 a cost effective way to increase capacity

Decent flat soil, without stones, can vary from sand to clay. We have a Grimme GL 430 (4 row) which is a nice machine, but we need sprayers, fertiliser deponator, granulate deponator....

 

[mvargovic]

Decent flat soil, without stones, can vary from sand to clay. We have a Grimme GL 430 (4 row) which is a nice machine, but we need sprayers, fertiliser deponator, granulate deponator....

Sorry, and a GRIMME 150 - 60 2 row harvester, nice but it is getting too small for us.

 

[Honest john]

Don’t dismiss Ploeger 4 row tankers.

 

[grim]

Miedema/dewulf belt planter and I would be trailed harvester as well, grimme gt or standen t2

 

[Austin7]

Best 2row cup planter by a mile is a Standen SP200 - but our next will be a Structural belt planter.

As for a harvester, T2 has the crown here - I cannot see how £500k can be justified for a harvester - 4 row machines are too wide for our roads anyway.

The best sp harvester I've seen has to be Charlie Padfield's Padco Psix - an impressive beast, ahead of it's time.

Are you waiting for someone to say AVR Mario?

Unfortunately Psix met a fiery end through no fault of it's own. Charlie's P3 has now done six hard Essex years, finished a couple of days ago. Don't spend £500k build your own.

Photo shows sun can shine on a spud harvester

 

[Spud]

Unfortunately Psix met a fiery end through no fault of it's own. Charlie's P3 has now done six hard Essex years, finished a couple of days ago. Don't spend £500k build your own.

Photo shows sun can shine on a spud harvester

View attachment 841535

Excellent - any more info on it @Austin7 ?

 

[Norfolk Olly]

Excellent - any more info on it @Austin7 ?

Here you go

 

[Spud]

I've seen that - very impressed I am too.

Any info on the p3?

 

[Austin7]

I've seen that - very impressed I am too.

Any info on the p3?

Spud, here are a couple of videos taken last year. Charlie can fill you in with the details but simply the 400hp Cat engine drives both the many hydraulic pumps and a three phase generator. All the harvesting modules, which get wider as they progress, are hung below the chassis, the steering enabling a turn within its own length. Everything is accessible by walking up to it. Nothing blocks as there is no structure underneath.

 

[Spud]

@Austin7 thanks for that, it looks an impressive machine!

 

[D14]

Guys,

Let's consider this - if you would have 500k €, which harvester would you buy? We are talking 4 row self propelled, ability to work in normal and wet conditions, as low as possible potato damage.
Also, in your opinion, what would be the best cup potato planter and why?

A question maybe somebody could answer? All the large SP I have seen use a mix of tracks and wheels. Why don't they just use tracks as its always the wheel or wheels that cause the most damage to the soil and get stuck. I was sat on a Grimme (no idea on model I am afraid) 4 row machine last week as a passenger for a hour or so. The mess it was making was purely down to the wheels. It had two front wheels on row crops which were not to bad to be fair as they were running in the ridge bottom. However at the back it had a track on one side which road well but on the other side it had a great big wheel which was cutting in terribly. Had it got another track it would not of made a mess.

 

[Honest john]

A question maybe somebody could answer? All the large SP I have seen use a mix of tracks and wheels. Why don't they just use tracks as its always the wheel or wheels that cause the most damage to the soil and get stuck. I was sat on a Grimme (no idea on model I am afraid) 4 row machine last week as a passenger for a hour or so. The mess it was making was purely down to the wheels. It had two front wheels on row crops which were not to bad to be fair as they were running in the ridge bottom. However at the back it had a track on one side which road well but on the other side it had a great big wheel which was cutting in terribly. Had it got another track it would not of made a mess.

Well the track as it’s under the machine carries by far the most weight. The wheel probably a third of the weight. I have a 900mm tyre that sits nicely on top.

Reason mostly comes down to cost.