Whether you’re exploring the Christmas market with friends or sharing Christmas dinner with family, a tasty mulled or unique wine is essential. To provide individuals this presumed normality even amid labor shortages, winemakers must increasingly depend on automation during the grape picking. Nevertheless, inclines with a 75% gradient and tight rows of vines had formerly been deemed unautomatable.
The company CH engineering GmbH from Germany has created a notably compact harvesting machine specifically for this type of use. It employs a durable energy chain crafted from high-performance plastic by igus to function reliably in challenging conditions, reducing maintenance efforts for winemakers.
The foundation of the harvester from the Mosel is the UT110evo tracked machine. Measuring 1.32m in width, 3.2m in length, and weighing 2.7t, it is sufficiently light and compact to be hauled on a tractor trailer. This implies that it can also be utilized in vineyards that have narrow access roads. Upon reaching the destination, a ramp on the side of the trailer extends, allowing the vehicle to drive over it into the line of vines. A cable winch links the vehicle to the trailer and provides support with a tensile strength of 1.5t, allowing it to manage slopes of up to 75%. In these harsh environments, drivers can adjust the angle of their seats to the horizon to lessen the stress on their bodies.
Motion plastics reduce maintenance costs
One of the engineers’ key achievements was the development of a vehicle that can withstand the harsh conditions of the vineyard for a long time while minimising maintenance work for winemakers. The key to success: a carefully considered choice of components. Among other things, the engineers opted for an energy chain made of high-performance plastic from igus to guide the hydraulic and electric cables from the vehicle to the harvesting head. The e-chains not only prevent the cables from kinking and jamming, but eliminate the risk of them becoming entangled in the vines as well.
“They also help increase the longevity of the machine,” says Jörg Ottersbach, Head of the e-chains Business Unit at igus. “Our energy chains are made of durable high-performance plastic that is corrosion-free and resistant to UV radiation and chemicals. This means they retain their mechanical specifications for years without the need for maintenance.” The engineers have also replaced classic metal rolling bearings. In the past, the ball bearings were so badly damaged by the grape must that, despite daily lubrication, they only lasted one season and then had to be replaced. This is why plastic bearings from igus are now being used.
They are corrosion-free, robust and do not require any additional lubrication as solid lubricants integrated into the material allow for low-friction dry operation.
Vibrating vines due to beater unit
Another component of the solution is the Steep Slope Harvester CH 500, an attachment that can be connected to the front loading area of the tracked vehicle in 30 minutes using six bolts. It looks a bit like an oversized nutcracker: two movable arms, connected at the top of the machine, embrace the vine. The insides of these arms contain shaking rods that make the vine vibrate at up to 620 movements per minute and shake off the grapes.
A collection system under the beater catches the grapes and transports them to a collection container via a conveyor system. The harvesting machine travels down the vineyard at speeds of up to 4.5km/h – significantly faster than any human harvester. On the way back, it even reaches speeds of up to 9km/h, supported by the cable winch. Back on the trailer, employees then empty the container and position the vehicle for the next row of vines until the entire harvest has been brought in.