Wednesday Harvester 2

Majorman · Nov 29, 2023

As I commented yesterday, I was lucky to work with Standen on developing electric and electronic controls on their machines for a number of years and so saw machines before they were marketed. This is a trailed 6 row sugar beet harvester that was tried out in the early 1980's and never went into full production. French built, self propelled 6 row harvesters took the market.
Standen 8 Row

Majorman · Nov 29, 2023

Should be 6 row not 8 row.

Bob Bancroft · Nov 29, 2023

I assume there was(is) a standard row width. What was it? Same for beets/potatoes/corn/etc?

Majorman · Nov 29, 2023

Normally 24 inch or 30 inch, potatoes are 24 inch or 36 inch, Grain 4 to 6 inch. Think corn, Maize is 36 inch.

Bob Bancroft · Nov 29, 2023

Thanks

Absent Minded Farmer · Nov 29, 2023

It's really neat that you have a picture of a pre-production harvester.

What was the main reason, back then, to add the electronics? Better speed control of the elevators?

Mike

caterpillar guy · Nov 29, 2023

For a comparison the Heath bet harvester in the States had an almost straight up elevator for loading and the Hesston I think it was had an angled elevator similar to your picture. Those were 4 row units. I have been away from the beets for about 40 years now so not very familiar with what they use here to dig beets. I know some are as big as 12 rows. thery have also gone to a cart and what I have heard called a mouse that they use to load beets off the headland next to a road so the truck never gets in the field now. Beets here are raised in everything from 20inch to 30or36 . Corn is in mostly 30's with some at 20. Most of the corn picker guys liked the 36 inch rows though most of them are gone except for some that want the cob for cow feed.

Majorman · Nov 29, 2023

It was a lot easier to thread switches and wires into cabs than cables, levers and hydraulic pipes, which were later banned under Health and Safety Regulations. At one time we were supplying control systems for around 90 percent of all the potato and sugar beet harvesters in use in England from a tiny workshop in Norfolk.

We were custom making wiring looms with up to 80 wires in them. Then European manufactures took the market and UK producers went out of business. Today there are only about two British makers and we supply items to both but nothing like the number we did back in the 70's and 90's.

Wednesday Harvester 2

Majorman

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Majorman

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Bob Bancroft

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Majorman

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Bob Bancroft

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Absent Minded Farmer

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caterpillar guy

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Majorman

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