GT Powers through 1000 - Grimme UK

inform
GT Powers
through 1000
G
rimme’s GT harvester tops the
1,000th. The 2010 production of GT
harvesters from Grimme will exceed
one thousand in numbers. Considering these
machines are virtually all bespoke machines,
as are all planters and destoners built at the
Grimme factory it is no mean feat.
J & S Lewis Ltd of Leigh in Lancashire customer -
Martin Reid will be the recipient of this milestone
GT harvester.
The GT harvester range has seen a transformation
in available options and innovative designs since it
introduction in 2006. Taking the best of the
previous models ranges the Variant and the GZ
harvester, the GT has established itself as the
trailed harvester flagship for Grimme UK.
Developed with the UK grower in mind, it offers a
`harvester for all sizes of growers to work in all
Grimme NEWSLETTER
Spring 2010
conditions. Yes, it has had its required
updates/modifications as part of Grimme’s
ongoing R & D but without it the product will never
improve. The UK sees all GTs with wheel drive, the
majority with double separator systems – double
Multi-Sep or RS Multi-Sep and various attachments
depending on the harvesting requirements.
The GT harvester
range has seen a
transformation in available
options and innovative
designs since it
introduction in 2006.
New ideas form and allow the development of
different models of the same – the GTS 300 is a
wider machine for lifting wide bed systems or three
rows of potatoes. The wide bed system has
potential and will develop as systems develop
alongside it. Where conventional potato growing is
the norm, the wider system has many advantages
as it will be other planting regimes and also
vegetable growing systems.
The GT harvesters, being bespoke, are now proving
popular with vegetable growers.
Built to high specifications for vegetable harvesting
the GT will harvest carrots, onions, red beet,
turnips/swedes, parsnips, bulbs etc.
For an animated video of the GT – log onto the
Grimme web site

Has quality changed?
H
News and events
Nobody does it better as quality changed or has our perception
of it changed?
Cereals 9 – 10 June 2010
WR200
ohn Reynolds from Cromer wrote
J to us after seeing the Maxtron
Sugar Beet Harvester working –
‘ Dear Sirs,
Forty seven years ago the following article was published in a
Farmers Weekly Potato Supplement. It would seem the pressure of
gentle handling was very much in the forefront then as it is indeed
now. The messages we receive from our customers is to provide
equipment which will produce gentle but efficient potato harvesting
and handling equipment. We should be proud that the message from
Near Royston, Hertfordshire, Post code for park and ride system SG8 5LX
Potatoes In Practice 12 August 2010
Balruddery Farm, Invergowrie, By Dundee DD2 5LJ
Two row windrower
his semi-mounted windrower is
T
designed to work on the flat and on
slopes and to operate with minimum
Since leaving school I have seen and
operated in 69 beet harvest and never did
I imagine that a beet harvester could ever
be invented to harvest beet better than by
1963 is still basically the same. – we must be doing something right.
Degrees of Damage
Undamaged Scuffing – skin broken but no damage to underlying
Rexor 620
The efficient way to harvest sugar beet
horsepower (70hp).
hand work your machine which I have just
seen operating locally does. Well done to
the manufacturers and does a perfect job.
tissue. No economic importance, but can lead to excessive water
loss, shrivelling and rot infection
Peeler Damage – acceptable to general trade as it can be
utomotive steering, a turning circle of just 7.5m and 40kph
A road speed make the new Rexor the most agile and fastest
Yours truly, J Reynolds.’
removed by domestic peeler, Not suitable for pre-pack trade.
sugar beet harvester in the World.
Severe Damage – should not be sold as ware according to the
Grimme has increased cropflow by around 70% and with the high
We replied
proscriptive regulations of the PMB (the bushel weight of potatoes
performance Defoliator FM 300 or the advanced inline FT 300 front
Thank you very much for your kind letter
about the Grimme Sugar Beet Harvester.
It certainly has caused some comments
within the Grimme organisation, not only
about the machine but also about yourself
varies between 52 and 60cu ft a ton for practical purposes 56cu ft
is taken as standard).
Eleven Points for Damage Protection
•Drop 9’ maximum on to hard surface 18’ on another potato
•Cover all sharp edges with rubber
topper and up to 70% better crop-flow it’s also the most productive.
A 22 tonne bunker with moving floor technology ensures fast gentle fill
and discharge and there’s plenty of power from REXOR’s 490hp engine.
Add to this its advanced drive, control and hydraulic systems and it’s the
most economical too.
A main web links to a variety of options
including second web or separator, cross
conveyor and/or fine haulm elevator. Crop can
either be set to one side of the windrower or
and the vast changes you will have
•Adjust baffles and boards on machinery to do the least possible
behind the machine.
experienced over the 69 years.
I do not know if you would agree to have
your photograph in a magazine which
Grimme publishes and direct mails to our
UK customer base, perhaps with a short
resume of your experiences. Perhaps I could
ask Glyn Argent who lives in Norfolk to call
and talk to you about this sometime in the
near future? Glyn is our area sales manager
for East Anglia.
In the meantime thank you for your
correspondence.
damage
•Slats on boxes can be as little as ¼’ apart
•Where not used for storage, boxes could be made of plywood
•When walking over a stored crop, wear rubber boots or use planks.
•Use a pusher for levelling not a fork Potato forks can be lethal.
•Keep them in trim, use with care Transport all loads carefully
over rough ground
•Use wicker, plastic or rubber baskets in preference to wire or
galvanised buckets
•Point out the cost of damage and train all staff to treat the crop
like eggs than spuds.
Extract from Farmers Weekly August 9th 1963 By kind
Robust, low maintenance digging technology
offers a cost-effective higher output two row
harvesting system without the need for a
bunker or trailers running alongside the
harvester when opening up fields.
Minimising drop heights and fewer working
parts significantly reduce the chances of
damaging the crop,
Rear wheel steering improves manoeuvrability,
while levelling rams on each side of the machine
and the pivot point at the front follow the
Sincerely, Grimme UK
permission of Museum of English Rural Life
ground and keep the digging web level.
NOBODY DOES IT BETTER HAS QUALITY CHANGED NEWS AND EVENTS NEW PRODUCTS

Focus on Scotland
Grimme plants the
highland way
T
he Scottish Highlands are a challenge
for all root crop machinery to prove
their mettle, not least for a potato planter.
Grimme's GL42K 2-row mounted belt model
planted 69ha (170 acres) of Maris Piper
seed on James Gordon's Ross-shire farm
last spring living up to his expectations.
Replacing a belt machine from another
manufacturer, the GL42 has met the needs of the
Scottish grower who plants into mainly light sandy
loam and some clay soils. ‘We bought the GL42K
chiefly because of its consistent sowing depth,
spacing and quality of ridging,’ explains Mr
Gordon whose son Alan operates the machine.
‘We consider the machine to be versatile in
planting a greater range of potato sizes and
varieties.’ Despite a few teething troubles, which
were quickly ironed out by Grimme, the planter's
sowing accuracy is partly achieved by its
hydraulically driven belts,
operated by a sensor-controlled conveyor; this is designed to achieve an even
feed. A specially-designed shaping hood also leaves a decent finish to ridges,
especially with the soil susceptible to wind erosion, claims Mr Gordon. He
considers the in-cab controller to allow simple setting of planting distance and
amount of potatoes per hectare; it stores these varioussettings, and can
monitor planting performance using a series of cameras, says Mr Gordon.
‘We have also found the planter to be effective at keeping stones clear of the
planting area even though there are rouges below the surface after destoning.The
planting units deal with stones so that seed is planted away from
them. We had to de-stone ground a few inches deeper with previous planters.’
The planter's hydraulically-adjustable hopper is also highly-visible from
the cab, and has sufficient capacity without greedy boards to allow
large work rates between fill-ups. But ultimately it's the machine's ability
to maintain an even planting depth across steep and undulating terrain,
which are characteristic of Mr Gordon's highland ground. ‘Some of our
ground is steep, and the planter has made a big difference by following
the land contours, ensuring seed goes in consistently. This also helps
protect against wind erosion,’ he explains. ‘It's essential that the planting
units do their job effectively and withstand the sandy loam soil which
can be abrasive on the metal.’ Planting 15cms (6in) deep, seed dressing
is currently undertaken by hand, although there are plans to fit the
machine with an applicator. So far, the machine is claimed to be wellmatched
to Mr Gordon's 125hp tractor.
Looking back, he is pleased with the Grimme GL42's planting performance:
‘Depth and spacing accuracy, above all, are the planter's main selling points –
but we've also increased outputs,’ he says. ‘The machine can get more seed in
the ground per day, which adds up to a significant area over a season.
Grimme belt planter improves planting accuracy
P
lanting 89ha of high grade seed potato, Aberdeenshire grower, Keith
Norrie, invested in Grimme's mounted GL42K two-row planter to
achieve optimum conditions for tuber development. He is no stranger to
operating belt planters, using another make before his Grimme to plant
over 50 varieties of seed.
‘Our aim is to achieve highly uniform growing conditions for our tubers which can vary
from 20mm right up to 65mm,’ he explains. ‘A cup planter is not practical for these
requirements. We have been impressed with the GL42K’s simplicity of use, its controls
and, above all, its planting accuracy.’ Such accuracy, believes Mr Norrie, has not been to
the detriment of forward speeds and output, which enables the planting of up to 6ha/day.
One of the most striking results of the planting accuracy has been the increase in yield
quality because the planting spacings and depth are very consistent, he says. In turn,
this has enabled tuber size to develop more consistently over a given time, resulting in
less burn and wastage. The overall verdict is a more uniform crop that has paved the
way for a more marketable end product.
In operation, the GL42's planting
system is designed to ensure
smooth planting from the start
of the machine.
On Mr Norrie's planter, crop is transferred through a feeding flap onto a feeding belt.
An angle sensor controls the transfer on the belt planting elements to ensure an even
feed, while round centre belts control the crop position for planting. Excess crop returns
to the back on conveyors at the right or left hand side, a filler spiral integrates the seed
gently back into the crop flow, and an oscillator is designed to ensure a consistent
delivery without seed build-up. ‘The planter has performed well in our range of
soiltypes which vary from medium clay loam to sand,’ he adds. ‘We have found the
machine to be easy to set-up to cope with various soil types, and we can easily adjust
the pressure of the shaping hood from the cab as we go along.’
Mr Norrie also considers the GL42's builtin
levelling system to achieve a constant
planting depth (5cm to 15cm) across some
of his Aberdeenshire farm's steeper ground
– some of which is liable to wind erosion.
Adding to planting evenness is the coulter
design at the front of planter that allow
rows to be opened evenly before the tubers
are quickly covered with soil, he says. He
has found other makes with rear-positioned
coulters to be less effective in this area.
Mr Norrie's machine is also fitted with
agitators and three strategically-placed
cameras – one of which provides a decent
view of row formation. Other than being a
'slightly heavy' machine to operate, and
improvements to the depth control system,
Mr Norrie is ultimately pleased with
his GL42.
‘We are happy with how the planter
performs behind our 122hp tractor fitted
with narrow tyres. We expect the machine
to sow another 89ha of seed equally well
this spring.’
For More
information
on the
GL42K,
contact
Grimme
UK for a Leaflet
GRIMME PLANTS THE HIGHLAND WAY GRIMME BELT PLANTER IMPROVES PLANING ACCURACY

Totally Focused Parts Marketing
Pictured above (l-r) Stuart Smith, Grimme UK
Technical Manager; Russ Bulman, Root Systems
Ltd Service Manager; Lyle Thomson, Apprentice,
Phil Spencer, BMC Lecturer Machinery;
Oliver Wilson, Apprentice; Mike Scully, BMC
Training Officer; Russell Lister, Grimme UK After
Sales Manager; Chris Ball, BMC Principal;
Jack Samways, Apprentice.
Specialisation
A
s a specialised industry we have to
prepare for the continuity of support
from people who are already in the industry
or from those who wish to make a career in it.
To succeed it seems that within the potato and
vegetable growing sector we as Grimme UK must
take a lead to maintain continuity so the support is
there now and in the future. In doing so we have to
ask how is this to be achieved?
The first answer is that - Grimme UK launched an
Apprenticeship Programme with Brooksby Melton
College (BMC). BMC, the foremost provider of land
based and agricultural training in the Midlands
launched this special apprenticeship programme
with Grimme in September last year. BMC are
looking at developing the programme further to
incorporate apprenticeships as well as full cost
training for professionals through the BMC
Management Centre; continuing to meet the
training needs of the potato industry. Grimme UK
have given BMC a specific two row harvester for
training purposes and part of the programme will
mean students are given specific training at
Grimme UK as well as their time at Melton.
For more information, Contact BMC on
01664 855 444 or
email courseenquiries@brooksbymelton.ac.uk
The second answer is that – Grimme UK has critically looked at the dealer network
throughout the UK and has made important changes.
To specialise in the growing product range from Grimme the formation of Grimme
Yorkshire, based at Dunnington near York shows a commitment to the growers in
the Yorkshire area of a very specialised support in terms of service, parts and sales.
Drawing on staff with exceptional Grimme knowledge, Grimme Yorkshire has many
years of these areas of experience within the team based at Dunnington.
Further north in Scotland, C C Powell Ltd has taken on the Grimme franchise for
the Aberdeenshire, Morayshire and Ross-shire areas of Scotland. This new
company based near Banff has been formed by Chris Powell, formerly working
for Root Systems, is specialising also in the Grimme product range.
Support works both ways and the support given by the customer to the dealer and
vice versa allows both parties to develop and succeed. By specialisation Grimme UK’s
aim is to give the customer a complete package through their specialised and
dedicated dealer network.
Quality dealer back-up and support
are the key
A
ndrew Nottage is manager for Russell Smith Farms, which farms
707ha within a five mile radius of Duxford, - including 234ha of
potatoes, 80ha of onions and 16ha of organic parsnips and carrots.
Three specialised root crops keep the pressure on for most of the year, especially at
harvest. Lifting to order means there is no time for downtime. Good dealership ---service
and parts back up is a key component of running the business smoothly.
‘We often work 24/7 and this can mean calling for back-up on a Sunday. We receive
excellent support from Ben Burgess in Newmarket and, in particular, its engineer
Robert Aves who is very much one of the team,’ explains Mr Nottage.
‘The level of service provided by Robert is often beyond the call of duty. We are
increasingly reliant on his experience across the other root crop operations in the
business. He shows initiative, and often suggests solutions to potential problems that get
us going again quickly, but that do not necessarily cost us a lot of money to implement.’
‘We need maximum output with minimal damage and minimum downtime,’ says Mr
Nottage. ‘We lift to order and we pride ourselves on service.’
Grimme introduce the NEW Ultra
Star and Ricon Star
T
he new Ultra Star from Grimme is the
ultimate in design and performance
– offering the extended working life you’d
expect from a genuine Grimme part. Now,
there’s an alternative that’s ideal for
smaller acreages and saves money too.
Both Stars feature
• Extended wear tips
• Excellent flexibility, particularly in cold weather
• Precision manufacture, means they fit first time
• Made from food grade material
Now the Grimme Star is even more flexible.
Webs - Get a great deal more from
genuine Grimme replacements
Model Part No. Web Type Price
CW1500 300.61490 1st Main Web 40mm
CW1700 300.61492 1st Main Web 40mm
CS150 300.78726 1st Main Web 35mm
Grimme gets a new website
£759.57
£842.01
£665.36
Coming soon the new Grimme UK web site. The format follows the www.grimme.de site and allows for similar navigation and technical
information but specific to the UK market. The site will be regularly updated with news, events and articles. Contact details and the dealer
network information will be linked accordingly. Find all the back editions of Inform on the new website at www.grimme.co.uk
11
TOTALLY FOCUSSED SPECIALISATION QUALITY DEALER BACKUP PARTS MARKETING

Grimme Worldwide
Grimme trailed sugar
beet harvester the
toast of champagne
R
ecent changes to the European sugar
beet regime have resulted in French
growers enduring a 20% decrease in income.
To reduce production costs a number of
growers have opted to lift their own sugar
beet with a trailed machine rather than rely
on a contractor.
Grower Bernard Lemoine from Vassimont et
Chepelaine in the Champagne area, has always
preferred to lift his own beet. In 2007 he changed
his Saïga six row trailed machine with a front
mounted flail topper, and a trailed lifter loader TE4
for a new Grimme Rootster trailed harvester with
bunker and hydraulic drawbar providing automatic
guidance along the rows. A circular filling elevator
transfers the sugar beet into a unique 4t bunker,
before unloading into a trailer via a 1m wide
elevator that is up to 4m long.
‘The bunker provides essential holding capacity for
this type of trailed machine,’ explains Mr Lemoine.
‘This allows me to harvest field openings easily and
to cover about 200m before needing to empty into
a trailer. The flail topper is very effective because it
spreads the leaves between the rows, preventing
them from being picked up during lifting.’
‘The hydraulic driven Oppel wheels and two roller
arrangements provide a very efficient cleaning system.
Output depends on harvesting conditions though, and
in the dry our forward speed is about 7km/hr,
compared to a respectable 6km/hr in the wet. This
compares very well with other similar machines.’
The hydraulic Oppel wheels minimise damage to the crop even in bad conditions.
The cleaning arrangement is based on a set of four rollers with a further two half
rollers (adjustable speed from PTO). A short separating web connects to six
longitudinal rollers with external smooth rollers turning in reverse direction. Three
turbines can replace the second set of rollers as an option.
‘Adjustments are easy to make from the control panel in the cab and auto guidance
makes the driving easier, without having to make any directional corrections,’ he says.
In spite of some of the worst lifting conditions experienced in the last five years
the Rootster performed very well in its first season, he says. However, the
Champagne area is one of the best sugar beet growing areas so it will have to
prove itself in harder conditions.
International Trade Shows
Agraria 5 – 9 May 2010
Agraria, Rumania
www.agraria.info.ro
AgroFarm 26 – 28 May 2010
AgroFarm, Russia
www.agrofarm.org
Tarla 27 – 30 May 2010
Gunleri DLG-OCP Tarla Gunleri,
Turkey
www.tarlagunleri.com
Opolagra 11 – 13 June 2010
Opolagra, Poland
www.opolagra.pl
Agro-tech 3 – 4 July 2010
Minikowo, Poland
www.agro-tech-minikowo.pl
Agrotech 8 – 10 October 2010
AgroTech Russia, Russia
www.agrotechrussia.com
Ag Connect 7 – 10 January 2011
AG Connect Expo, USA
www.agconnect.com/dlg
Potato 8 – 9 September 2010
Europe Bockerode Estate in
Springe-Mitterode,
near Hanover
Grimme UK Ltd, Station Road, Swineshead,
Boston, Lincolnshire PE20 3PS
Tel: 01205 822300
Fax: 01205 821196
E-mail: info@grimme.co.uk
Website: www.grimme.com