Australia: The Varitron 470 potato harvester is renowned for smooth operation

The 27,000kg harvester is 13.6m long, 3.5m wide and 4m high and capable of tearing through crops in quick time.

Potatoes are grown in raised beds and the harvester digs underneath with wide blades mounted on the front, then shakes off the dirt as the crop is transported along a series of webs to a bunker then on to a trailer.

Manufactured by Grimme and imported and distributed in Australia by Landpower, the four-row self-propelled harvester is priced from $750,000.

Grimme’s product and operations manager in Australia, Rob Breedveld, says the machine’s Multi-Sep cleaning system is a world leader.

“It is an extremely gentle system because each Multi-Sep shaft is made up of segments which run against the plain roller,” he says.

“The shafts are fully hydraulically adjustable for speed, height and how far they open up to allow trash to go through. That is all done from the cab. It’s the ‘bee’s knees’.”

The sophisticated Multi-Sep system comes in a combination of different separator modules which means each harvester can be customised to meet individual grower requirements.

Mr Breedveld says the Varitron 470, which is powered by a six-cylinder, 470hp (326kW), Mercedes Benz engine, has exceptional operator comfort and touch-screen control systems.

The Varitron 470 comes with large tyres on the front and tracks on the rear. Both the front wheels and tracks steer, making it a highly manoeuvrable machine. A hydraulic levelling function stabilises the machine on slopes.

TOPPER

A flail haulm topper, for removing the stalks and stems of potato plants, is mounted on the front. It has a cross conveyor that takes the trash out to one side. The linkage-mounted topper can be lifted up out of the road if the topping function is not required.

BUNKER

The Varitron 470’s seven-tonne capacity bunker features a filling web that automatically rises from the floor, and simultaneously pulls forward, as the load fills, ensuring potatoes only drop in low, gentle steps. When it comes to unloading, the bunker head has three adjustable parts that allow it to reach deep into the trailer.

WEBS

Dirt and trash is knocked off the potatoes and allowed to fall through the webbing, made up of a series of rods connected by hand to belts that transport the crop to the bunker. The system has been designed and engineered to produce clean and undamaged potatoes.

TYRES AND TRACKS

The large-dimension front tyres and rear tracks on the Varitron 470 are both steerable, allowing for tight cornering. The steering angle on the front axle is 60 degrees, and the rear tracks can swivel 14 degrees. The low-impact rear tracks have a 1.5 square metre footprint per track.