Potato Review

42 POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 MACHINERY Optical sorting options broadened TONG Engineering has announced its latest product development, which will see advanced optical sorting options available on all new models of its popular fieldloader machine, the FieldLoad PRO. Designed to allow growers to clean and load crop in-field and on-farm, the FieldLoad PRO is one of the latest Tong machines with fully-integrated camera sorting facilities, reducing labour requirements when processing crop straight from the field. Sales Director Charlie Rich said: “With rising costs and an increasing need for growers to streamline their post-harvest operations to get tractors and trailers off the roads, carting less soil and generally minimising crop mileage and associated expenses, the demand for our FieldLoad PRO machine has continued to increase since its launch in 2018. The company’s flagship mobile grader, the Caretaker, has long been available with integrated optical sorting as a replacement of traditional manual inspection. As growers load the crop straight into boxes, bulkers and bulk storage, the new option to incorporate optical stone and clod removal within one fully-integrated fieldloading machine is a distinct advantage, said Charlie. The self-contained and compact FieldLoad PRO features a high capacity reception hopper feeding a choice of crop cleaning units including Tong’s renowned EasyClean separator available with Auto-Touch HMI controls, as well as the company’s PU coil cleaning system and star cleaning units. Custom-built to suit specification, the machine has a four-man inspection area as standard, with the new optical sorting option is offered as an alternative to the standard inspection module. Mobile water treatment system to be unveiled UK manufacturer of vegetable handling solutions, Haith, was poised to reveal a mobile water treatment system, its latest innovation in mobile machinery, at Interpom at the time of going to press. Utilising Haith’s extensive knowledge of designing and installing water treatment systems at factories, the new Mobile Water Treatment System can be used on-farm at strategic locations or at production factories. Haith has installed numerous water treatment systems in the UK, but complicated planning processes and transportation costs have so far deterred European companies. Haith’s new modular system overcomes all of the issues facing potential overseas customers. The plant splits into two units for easy transportation by low loaders without special permits, and can be assembled in less than two days using forklifts. Managing Director of Haith, Duane Hill, said he believed mobile units are the future of vegetable handling solutions and washing. “Permanent water treatment and recycling systems are really in demand at the moment as they significantly reduce water consumption by up to 90%, and provide fresh recycled water to the washing process. But this can be a considerable investment for a full scale installation.” Once connected to a washer, the dirty water flows into Haith Mobile Water Treatment System, with a screen separating larger organic matter from the water. The effluent is then pumped to a lamella settler which separates the soil from the water. The sludge drops to the bottom of the tank, from where it is pumped to a dewatering filterpress on the opposite side of the unit. The resulting soil cake can then be moved into a skip or presented to an elevator for emptying into a bucket on a teleporter before being returned to the field. Clean water is gravity fed into a storage tank for returning to the process or being allowed to discharge.