The East Lothian based farm, Luffness Mains, took delivery this year of a Standen UniPlus Stone and Clod Separator. They replaced two star-web combination destoners they previously used to prepare the land for planting 200 acres of main crop and 200 acres of salad potatoes and carrots.
Graham Knottenbelt, farm manager at Luffness Mains said of the Standen Uniplus “Moving from two machines to one seems counterintuitive but swapping to the Standen model has in fact increased capacity for us. The UniPlus is bombproof, it is user friendly and once in the field it just keeps going. It has proven to be so reliable that we have not yet had a single breakdown. It is a simple machine but is essentially two destoners in one. The star element does the majority of the job but is backed up by web separation which leaves a very clean bed. Not only have we increased capacity but we have also made cost savings as we don’t have to run two rigs, we are saving one man and one tractor. We are really impressed.”
Luffness Mains are running a Standen UniPlus Stone and Clod Separator, which features 10 rows of 320mm diameter DUROPOL stars, the stars are arranged in an ACTIFLOW configuration which is a patented system that effectively moves the soil away from the sides and back again through the machine to maximise the separation area. The stars are very hard wearing and will last up to 3 times longer than competitors’ machines. The feed into the machine is via large serrated discs and a smooth intake roller which eliminates small stones dropping into the bottom of the bed, this is assisted further by the fitting of optional in-fill rings on the first 5 rows of stars. The UNDERWEB starts after the fifth row of stars and continues up to the cross conveyor, this gives a double separation effect to further boost output.
Graham runs a 36mm web for potatoes and then changes the UNDERWEB to a 28mm for carrots, this is a 10minute operation which means he can change from one crop to another very quickly, and still maintain good quality beds for both crops.
The optional hydraulically driven VARI-FLOW scrubber web is reversible from the cab and aids separation in cloddy conditions and helps feed the machine on slopes. Like our harvesters, our separator range are all fitted with a goal post axle arrangement, this means there is no axle underneath the machine which ultimately drag in the bed of separated soil causing some of this to be pushed into the wheeling’s. Toothed belt drives give long life and simple maintenance with a central greasing kit also available. A hydraulic boulder box collects any large stones that need to be removed from the field. The machine is also fitted with a hydraulic breakaway drawbar which protects the machine in case of it hitting an obstacle in the ground.
To find out more about Standen UniPlus Destoners click here.
