Leek grower Paul Carroll, from Lusk in north Co Dublin, bought and then modified a self-propelled leek harvester with the aim of getting greater harvesting efficiency.
Vegetable growing and harvesting is a labour intensive operation and Paul set about reducing the in-field workforce during harvesting, from between 12 and 15 people, with a more efficient machine option. Paul looked across Europe to access a suitable machine and found a used self-propelled Asa-Lift leek harvester in Denmark.
The machine had been parked up for a few years. Paul went to view it and was satisfied that, with a little time, the machine could be easily brought into full field efficiency.
He arranged to bring it home to Ireland, complete with harvesting trailers to tow alongside it. The machine cost him in the region of €60,000 and required very little effort to get it into action.
The harvester is fitted with an Iveco Fiat six-cylinder engine that develops close to 170hp. The engine drives a full hydrostatic system that includes wheel motors and a series of hydraulic motors to operate the lifting and harvesting system.
The range of hydraulic/hydrostatic functions is extensive. The entire system is controlled by multiple solenoid valves linked to a sophisticated in-cab control system.
When Paul put the machine into work, the wetter Irish ground conditions immediately became a problem. The relatively higher rainfall levels and the heavier soils of north Dublin, compared with the types of sandy soils that leeks are grown in on the continent, meant that flotation was becoming a problem.
This led him to seek the help and advice of local farm machinery engineer and dealer Neil Butterly of Leinster Hydraulics Agri, based at Balcunnin, Skerries, Co Dublin.
Neil discussed the problem with Zuidberg importers Farmhand Ltd in Dublin and between them they produced a solution to the soil flotation problem in the shape of a set of Zuidberg rubber tracks in place of the wheels.
The harvester’s hydrostatic drive system required the minimum of modification to allow it to drive the rubber track system. There are three tracks on the machine; the two at the rear are 760mm wide, while the single front steering track is slightly narrower at 610mm.
The front track is slightly longer at 2.13m with an effective footprint length of 1.42m. The two wider rear tracks are slightly shorter at 2.09m giving an effective footprint of 1.38m. These tracks are slightly asymmetric to take account of the frame of the harvester.
The track units are self-contained kits and the front one fitted to Paul Carroll’s harvester can also be fitted without modification to a Case IH Puma tractor, as the fittings match.
The track systems are effectively off-the-shelf from Zuidberg and there were some modifications needed to the frame of the harvester to take the triangular tracks.
Farmhand took the leek harvester into its workshop to kit the rubber track system with the support of technicians from Zuidberg, which is based in the Netherlands.
JP Duffy of Farmhand said that the Zuidberg team had already carried out a similar conversion in the Netherlands.
With that experience and the measurements taken by the Farmhand team, they arrived prepared with flanges and couplings for the conversion job.
The track systems are each fitted with two bogie wheels, which carry much of the weight of the machine as they are 10mm lower than the idler wheels at each end of the track. This system allows for less track wear and scrubbing when the machine is being transported on the road.
Paul Carroll has spent another €70,000 in equipping the harvester with rubber tracks. The overall investment is still lower than buying a new Asa-Lift harvester with rubber tracks.
“We expect that the machine will work for more than 10 years at our level of production so the investment has to be considered to be a 10-year one,” said Paul.
Paul, through his company Carroll Produce, grows more than 450 acres of vegetables covering crops such as spring onions, celery, and cabbage, in addition to the leeks. Wheat and barley crops are grown to provide a rotation, so soil compaction is important to manage.
The rubber track harvester has meant lower compaction and soil damage for Paul Carroll. It has allowed him to harvest in weather conditions where even hand harvesting would be a problem.
“We can harvest our daily need in a matter of two hours with the harvester, compared with a full day for a hand harvesting team. That, along with the new track system, makes the investment well worthwhile,” said Paul.
SHARING OPTIONS