b"Making a Harvester a New WayAllan Equipment has taken a new spin on the potato harvester by making an electric model.BY: ASHLEY ROBINSONWHEN TRENT COUSINS and Daniel vanSchalkwyk bought Allan Equipment in 2013, they knew they needed to update the manufacturers potato harvester.Locally, there was a couple farmers that were farming fruits and other vegetables, they had used electricity to power harvesters, as well as the former owner of Allen Equipment. He had tried an electric harvester 10 years before that, Trent Cousins, president at Allan Equipment, says in a phone interview. Nobody found anything wrong with it, it worked pretty good. It just wasn't the norm.Most potato harvesters are powered by a power take off on the tractor or hydraulically. Allan Equipments electric harvester has a diesel generator on it for power. By being electric, Cousins says Allan Equipment has developed an electric harvester which is powered by a diesel generator. the machine is safer, cleaner and easier toPHOTO: ALLAN EQUIPMENToperate and service.Our harvesters use off the shelfThe electric harvester has been wellthat I was used to with the four rows. electrical components. They are easilyreceived since launching. CousinsIt just didn't have as much room in the found across North America and moreestimates 75 per cent of the harvestersmain apron for cleaning clay out of affordable than most of our competitorsthey sell now are electric models, with thethe product, he explains in a phone conventional drive components. They arerest being lower capacity conventionalinterview.longer lasting than conventional hydraulicmodels for smaller farms. Some growersAfter testing the three-row unit, Griffin and PTO drive lines, and thereforehave traded their electric harvesters in,decided a four-row unit would be a better provide a lower cost of operation goingbut only because they wanted newerfit for him. He then purchased a four-row forward, he explains. models with improved features. electric harvester from Allan Equipment.The electric harvester also lets growersColton Griffin with WP Griffin Inc.,Everything has advantages and adjust the speed of each section ofa table and processing potato farm indisadvantages, but I guess I see a lot more it independently. Cousins says thisElmsdale, P.E.I., bought a four-rowadvantages today. It just puts the product allows for more capacity as growers canelectric harvester from Allan Equipmentout so much cleaner and so much less better calibrate the machine to the fieldin 2020. The farms previous conventionalmaintenance, he says, comparing his conditions they are digging by adjustingharvester was getting old, and it wasnew electric harvester to his previous belt chain speeds.becoming harder to find replacementconventional model.In 2015, Allan Equipment started sellingparts. Neighbours were using the electricThis year Allan Equipment expanded their electric harvester models in Princeharvester and it interested Griffin. Hetheir sales footprint, selling their first four-Edward Island. The harvester pleasantlyreached out to Allan Equipment, who letrow electric harvester outside of P.E.I. surprised customers when they sent thehim test a three-row unit in his fields onein Manitoba. They demoed a model last first model out into the fields and no majorharvest. year in Manitoba and this year have a few issues were reported. It didn't quite have the capacitydemoing in the United States. SPUDSMART.COM Fall 202123"