Eliminating mechanical drive components by replacing them with hydraulic motors throughout makes the latest version of the Evo 280 trailed two-row potato and carrot harvester easier to operate and service, according to Grimme.

For one thing, with the separator units and all webs, including the optional intake web, now driven hydraulically, accessibility for cleaning and maintenance is improved.

There are grouped lubrication points at key locations, with a central-lube system due to be available next year, and on the picking platform there are additional cleaning spades and storage boxes beneath a redesigned canopy.

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There is also greater scope for automation – so Speedtronic electronic assistance systems can be used to automatically regulate the speed of the webs and separator according to load.

Grimme engineers add that manual adjustment of main and de-viner webs to match harvesting ground speed has been made easier by showing their speed in kph on the isobus terminal, which has been upgraded to the CCI 1200 providing larger control screens and remote camera views.

Telemetry is part of the standard package, with yield mapping an option for analysis using the myGrimme portal and import of data into common farm management software via Agrirouter.

Other changes include a subtly revised intake design that has trimmed some weight and is said to have improved contour following to help prevent haulm snagging and blocking this area.

Increasing the overlap between the first and second main webs, and the second web and separator, aims to further minimise losses, while more effective haulm separation is claimed for the newly-refined positions of the de-viner web drive and scraper comb.

The Evo 280 is an offset two-row harvester with choice of intake configurations to suit different vegetable crops and comes with either an 8t capacity conventional bunker or a 7.5t long-reach version that can be emptied on the move – even into two rows of boxes on a flatbed trailer for non-stop harvesting.

Hydraulic drive can be added to the two-wheel telescopic steering axle to help in challenging harvest conditions.