Machinery Masterclass – Technology takes the strain

A host of innovations on the Rexor 630 harvester add up to ensure a more efficient harvest, better beet and a contented operator. CPM takes a detailed look.

By Tom Allen-Stevens

The Grimme Rexor 630 (six-row, 30t-capacity bunker) has been given a number of tweaks and additional features. So CPM met up with Adam Johnson from Grimme marketing to get some insight into the machine’s capabilities, in this Machinery Masterclass.

“Grimme has a market-leading position in potato harvesters,” he notes. “We’re relative newcomers in sugar beet, but we’re recognised for the innovations we introduce – a lot of these come from the potato side, but sometimes new ideas tried first on our beet harvesters transfer through to potatoes.”

Defoliation and extraction

The most notable introduction on the front end is that the Rexor is now available with walking shares as an option. It means Grimme now offers the most diverse range of defoliating and extracting methods on the market, the company claims.

Grimme entered the beet sector with Oppel wheels – pairs of discs angled in such a way that they lift roots from the soil. The performance, particularly under wet conditions, is said to be superior. Walking shares, standard across other makes, fare better in heavy soils. Another change is the depth wheel that’s no longer solid, so less soil is channelled through to the roller table.

The standard in-line topper has steel scoop flails that are set to deposit residue in between the rows or optionally out to the side. The optional front mulcher (FM) unit comprises two shafts that do away with the need for a scalper unit. A combination of steel and rubber flails cut and chop the leaves and then gently defoliate the beet crown.

Soil separation

The roller table is a Grimme introduction from its potato side. One plain roller is followed by five spiralled cylinders, with splines angled to transfer beet and soil across the width of the table and back to middle to minimise soil transferred to the transport web.

Just three turbines then complete the cleaning process. The turbine tines on the new Rexor have been angled slightly differently, which results in a higher throughput and gentler handling, says Grimme – less tap root is snapped off through the process. The height of the guide bars is hydraulically adjustable, so less downtime and fiddling with spanners, while for very heavy soils, pig-tail tines can be fitted in their place.

Speedtronic

This is a key feature, now standard in all Rexor beet harvesters. Pressure sensors on the hydraulic drives monitor crop flow so the speed of the cleaning turbines and the ring elevator automatically alters depending on the load. It means the separating system can operate at a lower speed, keeping it consistently full, which offers more protection to the crop as well as reducing the chances of a blockage occurring, says Grimme.

What’s more, Speedtronic responds automatically when a more rigorous cleaning process is required, minimising damage to the crop. Fully automated, the operator is left free to focus on other areas.

Unloading elevator

An option is to fit the unloading elevator with an additional kink. When folded, this puts the machine centre of gravity more into the centre and takes a little height out. When unloading, the extra section can be used to reduce dropping height, resulting in less damaged beet. A neat automated feature is that you can set the elevator to unfurl to a preset height to match the trailer as it comes into position.

ProCam

This is Grimme’s new all-seeing video surveillance system, fitted as an option to the Rexor and Maxtron range. Two high quality, wide angle digital cameras each scan a 180° panorama on either side of the harvester, putting the output through to one of the in-cab monitors with split-screen function. This gives the driver a wrap-around view to the side areas of the machine as well as the rear, putting people, telegraph poles and trees in clear view, with no blind spots in its 36m perimeter.

Visual Protect

There are up to eight cameras dotted around the machine, but knowing which to be tuned into on the two monitors in the cab can be a job in itself. If there’s a problem building, Visual Protect senses it through monitoring pressure to the hydraulic drives. An alarm sounds and one of the monitors switches to the camera where the potential blockage is, so the operator can take the appropriate action. When unloading, the monitor also automatically switches to put the elevator in view.

ErgoDrive

This is the joystick and terminals that put the entire harvester and its 625hp Mercedes-Benz Tier IV-compliant engine under fingertip control. A lot more functions have been built into the controls, and they’re programmable, so you can tailor buttons and dials to suit personal preferences.

The joystick has five buttons to control ram functions, such as share height, or topper lift and lower. Field in and out can be assigned to the buttons, or the unloading elevator. Two scroll dials are included in the joystick, with a further four to the right-hand side to adjust the speed of the roller table, turbines or topper, for example.

Two terminals put a host of settings and readings into a standard format, and one that’s easy to configure, says Grimme. One terminal is for drive control, while the other is harvest control.

Service package

Grimme will launch four new premium service packages at Agritechnica for its self-propelled potato and beet harvesters. From the basic Plus package with a professional overview of the machine including recommendations to keep it in peak performance, there are four grades in total. The top Protect package offers a complete service at a fixed cost which can be a benefit when planning and budgeting.

Machinery Masterclass

Technology is advancing fast, and the capabilities of equipment found in new tractor, sprayer and harvester cabs far outstrips what was available just five years ago. For growers who embrace the change, the potential to cut cost, refine production systems and boost output is immense. But how can you make an informed choice about whether an innovation will deliver the refinements you seek if you’ve not operated it before?

This is where Machinery Masterclass comes in. In this article, sponsored by Grimme, CPM has worked with the manufacturer to get a true user experience and an insight into the technology advances it has introduced. We hope this will bring you a ‘try before you buy’ feel for specific features found on this item of machinery and help you remain at the forefront of progression in crop production.