German maker Grimme has sold its first three-axled Rexor 630 in the UK to Lincolnshire-based beet contractors M and J Harvesting.

Powered by a Mercedes 625hp engine, and with all-wheel drive, crab-steering and a 45cu m bunker, the spec is pretty impressive.

It may not look much different from other triple-axle models from Ropa or Holmer, but what is distinctive is the use of powered Opel wheels.

Last season M and J Harvesting tested a smaller 620 machine with both walking shares and Opel wheels and concluded that the latter gave lower losses and fewer breakages.

Operator Roger Parr, who has 26 years’ experience driving almost all brands of harvester, says he has been impressed by the machine. “The Opel wheels have coped better in trashy and stony conditions and have left a cleaner field, even on heavy land,” he says.

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Six rollers take the beet from the Opel wheels to the turbines and the speed of these can be independently changed. Having adjacent rollers move more slowly than the first one also improves cleaning, he says.

Screens and buttons are fully customisable and seven cameras automatically focus on specific areas when loading exceeds a preset level – for example, if the ring trace hits 80%.

Fuel economy is noticeably better, he adds, and averages about 28 litres/ha.

One improvement Mr Parr would like to see is the maximum speed raised from 30kph to 40kph, a feature the Rexor’s smaller brother, the two-axled 620, already has.

M and J Harvesting covers a wide area from South Lincolnshire up to the Humber, so the extra speed would help.

Grimme has built up sales of the Rexor 620 fairly slowly, but with several new machines sold this season (plus the 630), a company normally known for its potato harvesters is starting to make serious inroads into beet. Price of the 630 is about £450,000, depending on specifications.