British manufacturer Standen Engineering worked alongside US growers in the development of a new harvester, purpose built for the rapidly growing sweet potato market to join their already existing trailed harvester range. US growers Thornhill Farms in Louisiana identified Standen due to their name and experience in gentle handling after initially purchasing an OMEGA separator. They then asked the British firm to design a new machine that would be gentle enough to harvest their valuable sweet potato crop. The result is the TSP 1900 Harvester, a tractor trailed 2 row harvester featuring advanced harvesting technology, including a sizer and 2 separate elevators. A strong open plan tubular chassis provides great strength without excess weight and the machine has been designed to offer superb driver visibility and easy maintenance access. Lifting, separating, vine removing, sizing and discharge functions are all optimised to give great harvesting performance. Sales and Marketing Director Edward Gilbert said: "The TSP has been a great addition to our harvester range which includes the QM Harvester and the T2 Harvester, machines which have also been exported to the US, Canada and Taiwan for Sweet Potato harvesting this year. Our focus is always on gentle and efficient handling and the combination of star cleaners with our Omega separation technology will handle crops effectively and gently, removing any trash resulting in zero bruising to this delicate crop".
US Grower Dustin Rhinewalt from Sandy Ridge Farm, Mississippi, said: "After working with the Standen TSP1900 I can clearly see it is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment offered in the sweet potato industry. The versatility of this machine makes it ideal for growers looking to minimise labour. The grower gets a harvester that will work anywhere on any type of soil condition".
