Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW MARCH/APRIL 2022 43 MACHINERY Reducing downtime and machinery damage AFAMILY-RUN farmclaims to have reduced its downtime and been able to carry onharvesting evenwhen itsmachinery parts need replacing, after installing the latest innovation fromGriff, which manufactureswebs for the agricultural sector. OWWortley and Sons has more than 4,500 acres of land growing mainly potatoes, parsnips, cereals and sugar beet. WorkshopManager, KevinBarber, said: “Wewere tired of our joiner bars damaging ourwebs and de-stoners. Joiner bars regularly seemed to be the weakest link in the chain.Theywould often snap, jamup themachine orwear a hole in the side of the machine. It was causing a lot of downtime, and it was expensive to keep replacing the parts. “We needed somethingmore durable” KA AgriculturalMachinery Importers LtdDirector Karl Arndt said it was a commonproblemfor his company, which connects farmerswith manufacturers of agriculturalmachinery parts. “Webs were breaking, and joiner clips needed to be repaired and replaced regularly. Our customers were getting fed upwith it,” he said. “We were looking for a new supplier, and came across Griff ’s EndurolocTM. Kevin’s company decided to switch suppliers and giveGriff ’s EndurolocTMweb joiner systema go Kevin said: “It’smore expensive than other joiners, but it’s quickly outweighedwith the improved strength of theweb–meaning there’s less hassle and outgoings replacing theweb on a regular basis. “Our de-stoners work on really stony land, and Griff ’s system is able to withstand this – even on the parts of themachine where fatigue is very high. Because EndurolocTM is installedwith two rods instead of one, the joiner bar doesn’t move, which reduces friction andwear and tear on the machine. Now, we only need to replace the joiner bar when it gets tired. It slides straight out, so downtime isminimal. We don’t even need to stop harvesting to replace it.” Harvesting and cleaning equipment network extended SCOTTS Precision Manufacturing Ltd has extended its distribution network with the appointment of a new sales and service agent to cover the West Midlands. The Boston manufacturer of vegetable harvesting and cleaning equipment formally appointed RM Agricultural Engineering Ltd this month. Based near Leominster, Herefordshire RM Agri will offer Scotts’ full range of Trinity toppers, Microlift Pro fully mounted windrowers and harvesters, Evolution separators and Grimme GT170 Windrower conversion kits RMAgricultural Engineering Ltdwas launched in 2013 by Rob andMarie. In 2021 it became the official Dewulf partnerwithAgVantageUKLtd for theWestMidlands andHerefordshire. Scotts also recently announced that it is working with Vegcraft near Forfar Scotland and with Yorkshire &Humber to provide service and support to customers in these two counties. Telescopic handler range expanded for more grower choice THE JCB Loadall telescopic handler range has been expanded with the introduction of the mid-range 538-70 to give growers more choice in performance, features and specifications. The 538-70 is a seven metre machine that slots into the Loadall Series III line-up with 3,800kg maximum lift capacity and 7.01m of lift height, placing it between the current 532-70 and 542-70 models. At 3,000 to 3,800kg, lift performance is particularly strong in the 4-6m loading-at-height zone critical for bulk loading of grain into trucks and silage into diet feeders. There is also 2,500 to 2,750kg of capacity available at full height, depending upon the version. Like all mid-range machines in the Loadall range, the new 538-70 is available with a choice of four different transmissions, three power outputs and three standard feature and specification levels. The Loadall 538-70 AGRI variant comes with JCB’s Torque Lock 4 transmission, featuring torque converter lock-up in fourth gear for power-efficient direct drive on the road, coupled to a 109hp (81kW) version of the Stage V emissions-compliant JCB DieselMAX 448 engine. The AGRI Super has 130hp (97kW) from this engine and a regular four-speed Powershift as the base transmission installation, but along with the 150hp AGRI Xtra, it is also available with a six-speed Autoshift with automatic and manual shifting modes in addition to torque converter lock-up in the top two gears. The AGRI Super and AGRI Xtra can also be had with DualTech VT transmission which combines the best characteristics of hydrostatic and powershift drives in one unit. Standard equipment across all variants includes auto wheel alignment when switching between the three steering modes, and an auto reversing cooling fan that blows dust and debris from the air intake grille. The 140-litre/min load-sensing hydraulics system includes gravity regeneration of oil for the retract and lower services to bring the boomdown rapidly but under full control, and automatic Smooth Ride boomsuspension is standard on all but the AGRI versionwhere it is an option. JCB’s LiveLink telematics solution is also part of the standard package.