J Riley Beet Harvesters has supplied the country’s first two self-propelled Vervaet Beet Eater chasers to UK contractors. With conditions particularly tricky during this season’s sugar beet campaign, the machines have already proven themselves invaluable.
The Beet Eater chaser is based on a reconditioned Vervaet Beet Eater 625 or 925 harvester, which provides the ideal base machine and has the added benefit of keeping the cost at a sensible level. The engine and drive train are retained, and given a thorough service with parts replaced as necessary. The 16-litre Deutz V8 engine produces 600hp and drives through a Sauer/Danfoss hydrostatic transmission with differential-locks, the combination providing plenty of power for working in adverse conditions.
The holding tank is modified to take advantage of the space gained by removing the ring trace and to allow for easier loading when running alongside the harvester. New tank floor chains and sprockets and Hardox wear sheets can be fitted depending upon the customer’s wishes and requirements. When in work, the unloading elevator can be lowered down to 2.5m for gentle handling when discharging onto the ground or raised up to 4m when topping up an established heap or emptying into a trailer. A full tank load is discharged in about 40 seconds.
With all of the lifting components removed, the chaser is surprisingly light, and despite water ballasting of the four front tyres to balance the machine and provide stability, it still tips the scales at far less than a high-horsepower tractor and large trailed chaser. Running on six 800mm wide tyres, the machine treads very lightly to minimise soil impact. It’s also surprisingly manoeuvrable for its size, with all six wheels steering to provide a 7.9m turning circle.
The first example in the UK was snapped up by Nottinghamshire-based contractor JP Plowright & Son. The company run a pair of six-wheel Vervaet Beet Eater series harvesters – a six-row 625 and nine-row 925 – and the chaser was bought to complement the latter machine. It’s based on a 925 harvester featuring an extending front axle so that each of the six wheels runs in a separate track, spreading its weight across 4.5m, just like the harvester it works alongside.
“It does exactly what it’s meant to do,” Ed Plowright said. “It travels much better than tractors and trailers, going where they won’t, and it rides well too. It leaves the field in better shape, and there are no ruts underneath the beet heap, which is especially important when you’ll be loading trailers with a Maus.
“Although this year’s conditions were part of the reason for purchasing it, it’ll definitely be useful in dryer conditions too. Previously the only Vervaet chaser available was mounted on a Hydro Trike, which didn’t really appeal to us, but this machine complements our 925 harvester, which has been performing very well. Earlier this year, in dryer conditions, we lifted 103 acres in two fields in 16 hours, which was 3,400t of beet.”
For more information visit: www.j-rileybeet.co.uk.
