Harvest is the busiest time of year for potato growers and it’s imperative that you’re prepared with quality, reliable equipment that will take good care of the fruits of your labors. Never fear; our buyers’ guide is here to help you find the perfect equipment to pull off another successful harvest.
Gellert Company
888-GELLERT
Miedema Box Fillers
Gellert offers bulk and box storage solutions for harvest. For box storages, Miedema Box Fillers ensure that your potatoes or onions are treated carefully. Pre-programmed, fully automatic filling guarantees the best possible box filling with any size by using a wide filling belt and filling the box in layers. Three different options give you choices that others don’t.
Miedema Storage Loaders
Miedema storage loaders are fully automated for remote operation. They are available in four different lengths: 43, 53, 62 and 72 feet. Thanks to theie sturdy construction, tall piles are no problem for Miedema storage loaders.
Lockwood Mfg.
(800) 247-7335
Lockwood 656 Windrower
Lockwood has a lineup of windrowers that add efficiency and value to any potato operation. Managing time and product flow during harvest is critical to earning the highest profits. Lockwood’s 600 Series lightweight design is fuel-efficient, and the patented telescoping rear cross allows for a left- or right-hand discharge by simply hitting a switch.
Equally impressive is Lockwood’s 656 dual-discharge windrower with new tri-discharge capabilities. It comes with large flotation tires and pressure-sensing support wheels to allow better depth control.
Lockwood offers many models in its 500 and 600 Series windrowers. Check out which one is right for your operation.
Tong USA
(231) 924-5647
(833) 844-8664
Tong Dirt Eliminators
Tong Engineering is a worldwide leader in effective potato and vegetable dirt elimination equipment. Tong has recently taken the success of its coil cleaning unit to the next level with new advancements for even greater performance. Incorporating a heavy-duty, scissor-action shaft design, the deformable PU coil shafts of the coil unit feature an easy-maintenance coupling and are fully adjustable to suit a wide range of sizing requirements. With a direct-drive motor on every shaft, the coil cleaning and sizing unit is not only easy to maintain but also ensures maximum energy efficiency during operation.
One of the key advancements with the new super-speed self-cleaning function is that it removes the need for manual cleaning of coil shafts. This means not only a much safer shaft-cleaning technique, but also significantly reduces downtime with an automatic self-cleaning process that is performed in a matter of seconds. When controlled by Tong’s intelligent Auto-Touch HMI touchscreen controls, the super-speed cleaning process can also be scheduled to automatically commence at pre-determined intervals.
The next-generation coil cleaner from Tong can be built to suit all throughput and sizing requirements, available in four-, six- and eight-row configurations as standard, and is popularly combined with Tong’s market leading EasyClean dirt eliminator, which is world-renowned for the gentlest handling and unrivaled cleaning results across a variety of crop types, in all soil conditions.
Safe-T-Pull Inc.
(701) 284-6100
Crop Shuttle
The Crop Shuttle is the largest, fastest and most versatile crop cart on the market. It is fully customizable, providing you up to an 800-bag capacity and discharge speeds of up to 400 bags per minute. The Crop Shuttle is extremely versatile, allowing operators to use it in diverse crops such as potatoes, sugarbeets, carrots, onions, red beets, cucumbers and even corn silage.
Safe-T-Pull has designed the Crop Shuttle so there is no PTO needed to power the hydraulics. The Crop Shuttle’s patented design has minimal moving parts and changing angles, meaning less buildup of debris while using less hydraulic power. The hopper rises into the air while unloading, creating the incline needed without a separate conveyor slowing down discharge and damaging the crop.
The Crop Shuttle is fully customizable to meet any grower’s needs, and features multiple cleaning bed options that allow operators to remove tare and leave more dirt in the field.
Strong Box Live Bottoms
Strong Box specializes in live-bottom semi-trailers and bulk beds that give growers versatility across many crops or aggregates. The new continuous belt option is still positive drive, providing a more even product flow and reducing skinning with no belt slippage. The proven plastic drag floor eliminates the hassle of replacing rollers or bearings.
The rubber profile belting along with a skirt board seal guarantee Strong Box’s belting is the best on the market. Attention to detail like this really sets STP Manufacturing’s products apart from the competition.
Custom end gate options and various belt widths make it possible to build the perfect bulk box or trailer to fit each grower’s needs.
Mayo Mfg.
(208) 523-6296
Mayo Elevating Conveyors
Mayo elevating conveyors are tough machines for a tough job. They are designed to be the best option for receiving and elevating potatoes from sizers and taking dirt and tare away from eliminators. They are available in either a standard or HD model, which features an open, trough roller design. Mayo elevating conveyors are versatile and provide the durability that Mayo equipment is known for.
Tri-Steel Manufacturing Co.
(800) 279-2689
Logan Bin Piler
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Logan’s newest Bin Piler is designed for years of excellent performance in three models: 36, 42 and 48 inches. The design of the machine was created with the flexibility to transload and storage pile, with a usable boom of 53 feet. Also available is the option of a two-conveyor boom design or a continuous single-belt bridge boom design.
A feature-rich hydraulic system and new two-way remote-control belly pack assist in troubleshooting problems, provide sensor feedback, and adjust system speed with load sense using proportional valves for precise boom control and with manual control backup switches.
The mainframe of the machine is robust with large traction tires, dual tow/no-tow gearboxes that completely disengage for safe towing. Some new features include a hydraulic traveling weight box for optimal towing, and extra-deep troughing of the boom conveyors provide large volume capability and limited product skinning on conveyor sidewalls.
Options also include hydraulic hitch, all VFD motor controls, boom end tip down, auto-speed control, and pup hanger with hydraulic adjust.
Advanced Farm Equipment, LLC
(877) 287-5711
72-inch Air-head Harvester
AFE’s computer-automated Lenco airhead now separates rocks from potatoes with maximum possible efficiency regardless of field conditions, and with less attention from the harvester operator. On-board sensors gather and relay critical data to the harvester’s central computer, and airhead speed is adjusted constantly to maximize separation and minimize bruise. Your operator can now focus on other critical tasks, like loading potatoes into a moving truck.
U.S. and Canadian potato farmers have reported 20 percent greater capacity with 0 to 2 percent bruise in very rocky conditions from the new 72- and 65-inch automated airhead harvesters. Advanced computer controls, remote programming updates, and IoT connection installed on the world’s most durable frames mean a high-capacity Lenco harvester will operate at peak efficiency for decades.
Apollo Tracked Windrower
U.S. and Canadian potato farmers asked AFE to design and build a windrower that can keep up with the company’s high-capacity automated airhead harvester. The Apollo six- and eight-row windrowers with tracks and Soil Savers are the answer to that request.
Lenco Soil Savers are designed to dig 30 percent less soil and rocks than a conventional windrower, allowing for cleaner potatoes at greater ground speeds. Mid-mounted steerable tracks reduce hitch weight dramatically, and the track system floats better than tires in any soil condition. Apollo windrowers can discharge potatoes into one or two rows, and to the left or right side with the touch of a button.
In recent field trials with Michigan potato farmers, a single Apollo six-row windrower ran circles around two of the farm’s conventional windrowers in wet, rocky conditions, and discharged the cleanest potatoes they have ever seen from a windrower.