Grimme has launched a new generation of receiving hoppers that promises greater throughput and more delicate crop handling.

Most of the improvements come in the hopper area, with all three models – the RH 20, 24 and 28 – getting deeper-pocketed conveyors that quicken crop processing.

Floor speeds can be manually set from 0.2 to 6m/min or, via the revised “capacity control” feature, operators can simply specify the throughput rate in t/hour, leaving the machine to work the rest out itself.

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Other improvements include extra cushioning of both the front section and the crossbars on the hopper floor to reduce the risk of crop damage.

The incline angle of the hopper belt has also been reduced to improve crop flow, and the front opening is 10cm wider. This should increase the intake volume and make it easier to manoeuvre trailers into position.

Cleaning system

© Grimme

Further back, the design has been tweaked so that the soil cleaning and pre-grading rollers can be more effectively adapted to the conditions.

The highlight of this is VarioClean, which ramps up the cleaning intensity for heavy, sticky harvesting conditions.

An additional transition step has been installed in the roller package to help remove soil, and the rollers fore and aft of this can be raised to extend the time the crops spend on the roller, thus increasing cleaning time.

There’s also a new “turbo clean” feature, whereby the spiral rollers can counter-rotate to deliver a more intensive cleaning action.

Operation of the hopper is via a new IBX 300 handheld system.