Haulm toppers are now an essential piece of kit on the majority of potato farms and Grimme has updated its offering with the launch of the imaginatively named Toppa range.

Demand for haulm toppers has increased rapidly after the loss of key chemical desiccants and, keen to get a slice of the market, Grimme relaunched its British-built KS600 three-bed hydraulic folding version at Lamma in 2019.

See also: Potato haulm toppers: What are the options?

The root crop machinery specialist has subsequently updated its haulm toppers and taken production back to its German headquarters for distribution across the world.

The result is the new lightweight Toppa series, which is available in several configurations. However, not all are suited to the UK, where potatoes are typically grown on 90cm rows, rather than 75cm.

Toppa 600

Most relevant to Farmers Weekly readers is the three-bed, six-row Toppa 600, with a horsepower requirement of just 150hp and plenty of extras to bring it up to the standards set by rival manufacturers.

An optional hydraulic headstock, combined with row guidance technology similar to that used on sugar beet harvesters, keeps the machine on the right track.

Automatic height control, managed by hydraulic rams on the front and rear units’ ground wheels, is an option to minimise crop damage.

Ridge runner wheels on each row can also be fitted to firm ridges back down and prevent greens.

Independent wing lifting is possible, which is ideal when moving into short work or topping just four rows, and angled lifting on both sides gives good ground clearance when turning on headlands.

There’s no word yet on price, and only a limited number of pre-production models will be out across Europe for testing in 2024.

Five machines are expected in the UK and interested growers are advised to contact their local Grimme rep for a demonstration.