Next Generation of Stone Picking Machines Increases Productivity Significantly

Kongskilde Industries A/S launches second generation of stone picking machines at Agritechnica 2015 in Hannover, Germany. The Stonebear 2 comes with a working width of 6.2 m and significantly higher hopper capacity, which increases the productivity (up to 30 percent). The new model has the largest capacity on the market today.

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Kongskilde sees a big potential for elimination of the hard work of manual stone picking within agriculture. The company expects that the new, second generation Stonebear will make mechanical stone picking more attractive for a larger target group because of its superior operating economy.

The Stonebear 2.60 is introduced by one of the originators of stone picking machinery. The vast experience is reflected in the heavy-duty design of its barrel and tines as well as its capacity of 1.3 tons/minute. The new Stonebear easily collects stones in the size of footballs, offers a new high-tipping feature and larger hopper capacity. Furthermore, the Stonebear 2.60 is the first product with the new colours and streamlined design from Kongskilde.

Significant higher productivity

A decisive factor for productivity is the capacity of the hopper. The volume is up from 1.8 to 2.4 m³ and the load is up from 3 to 5 tons of stones, thus the (theoretical) load capacity is increased by more than 50 percent compared to previous Stonebear generations. If the customer chooses the high-tipping feature, stones can be dropped from a height of 3 metres straight unto a truck.

Working width has been increased to 6.2 metres, and this combination significantly increases the productivity. Theoretically, the Stonebear 2.60 has a capacity of up to 2 ha/h at a 6 km/h speed.

Stones up to 50 cm

Thanks to the new heavy-duty design of drum and screen, stones of up to 50 cm in diameter (previously 30 cm) can be picked up. Drum capacity has been increased by 30 percent and is now 1.3 tons of material per minute. New is also that the Stonebear 2.60 is equipped with the well-known Kongskilde VTH tines that increase the durability of the wear parts and reduce the operating costs.

Forerunner of the new design line

Stonebear 2.60 is one of the first products to show Kongskilde’s new curved design. Both shape and functionality are completely integrated in the finished design. The curved, almost spiral-like shape has a dynamic look and is inspired by both sprouting seeds and the classic Kongskilde tines.

- The new Stonebear has been developed for farmers who focus on reducing manual labour and improvement of the productivity, says Morten Wittrock Brandt, Group Product Manager at Kongskilde, and continues: The optimized construction with an increased productivity sets a new standard for the market.