BED FORMER, POLY-LAYER, POLY-WINDER, HOLE MARKER

Recommended by growers: Reliability, Service, Great Value !

Pro-Tech Machinery provides growers with a range of specialised equipment for use in crop production. We are the exclusive agents for Hiller Engineering machinery: Bed Former, Poly-layer, Poly-winder, Hole marker.

Bed former

Our Bed Former capable of producing firm, uniform high beds is helping growers to produce a high quality, high yielding crop as efficiently as possible. With a bed height of up to 55cm, the plant has a potential rooting depth in topsoil of over 80cm. There are a number of benefits in producing strawberries on a high bed:

•  Increased rooting zone.
•  The risk of waterlogged roots is greatly reduced.
•  In turn reducing the risk of phytophora.
•  Mud-splash is almost eliminated and the amount of straw required is greatly reduced. 
•  Larger surface area, resulting in an increased soil temperature and the potential benefit of earlier picking dates.
• The fruit is more visible to the pickers easing their job.

Long lasting beds that can be replanted on most soil types, thus greatly reducing the cost of cultivations and moving of tunnels.  

Poly-Layer

The very successful Bed former is complemented by the Polythene Layer specifically designed to cover high raised beds made by the Bed former. The Polythene layer combines high productivity (with an operational forward speed of 6 MPH) and high quality engineering in order to deliver “the perfect bed”.

Hole Marker

The Hole Marker has been designed to ‘punch’ holes through polythene at specified distances to assist in the planting of strawberry plants.  The machine self- steers along the bed, allowing the operator to make slight deviations from dead centre.  This in turn allows the machine to travel with a much greater forward speed (5-6mph).  The hole marker can be specified to mark 1, 2 or 3 rows depending upon the bed width.  Wider machines are available (built to special order).  The marker wheels can be made to mark from 15cm up to 50cm spacing.   Hole markers can also be fitted to Hiller Polythene layers, to facilitate hole marking (in a separate pass).

Why our Bed Former?

The Bed former works in a very different way to most other bed formers currently on the market.

Two large PTO driven rotors lift and work soil from directly behind the tractor wheels, the soil is thrown by the rotors into a central chamber where it is then forced out of the rear through the forming plates, giving a very firm well worked bed, with no smearing or compaction below the bed giving the plants the best possible bed to grow in.

It has spring tines mounted both in front of and behind the rotors, which work to loosen the soil in front of the rotors. These also loosen and level the wheeling’s behind aiding the polythene laying operation and leaving a flat surface for future operations.

The Bed former has been specifically designed to fit into 1.5 metre bed centres, allowing 4 or 5 beds to be fitted into existing tunnel systems. It incorporates a number of very important design features that combine to give a very robust machine capable of giving a very long life, including: -

• A gear drive to the rotors eliminating chains and sprockets utilising hardened steel tines 25mm thick and 300mm long.

• The tines are reversible and have two mounting positions that gives the operator the option of moving the tines as they wear, maximising tine life.

• The forming bodies are covered with hardwearing PVC wear plates that are easily replaceable when required.

• Adaptability - it is a very flexible machine, with height, base width, top width and firmness all being adjustable to suit individual growers requirements.

• The Bed formers can be specified to make flat-topped beds or sloping bed tops that are fully adjustable.

We have provided a number of options allowing customers to tailor the bed former to their individual requirements. These options include a drip tape layer fitted to the central chamber of the bed former; this lays tape at a consistent depth and at a constant position across the bed eliminating any “snaking” of the tape. For growers wanting to lay two lines of tape, there is an option to fit two applicators. There is also an option of fitting a granule applicator to apply soil sterilising chemicals.

It runs at a PTO speed of 540rpm and requires a category 2 linkage. With a relatively low horsepower requirement of 70H.P. an operational forward speed of 1 mph is easily achievable (dependant upon soil type and condition).

Why our Polythene Layer?

The Polythene layer has been specifically designed to cover high raised beds made by our Bed former.   It can however be set to cover a multitude of different shaped beds.

The polythene layer uses discs to remove soil for the edge of the polythene to be laid at the bottom of the ridge and a further set of discs to cover the polythene behind angled press wheels.

The polythene layer is equipped with 2 polythene carriers, providing operators with the option of carrying 2 rolls of polythene and facilitating a fast change over when a roll runs out mid field. The machine has been designed to be self-steering this keeps the machine in line with the bed, easing the operation for the tractor driver. There is an option of fitting drip tape application equipment on the polythene layer capable of laying one or two lines of tape.  The poly layer can lay polythene or “Mypex” ground cover up to 2 metres wide.