Harvy500
Harvy500 development never stops
Development never stops, and that's certainly the case at FineField. In addition to the further development of the Harvy200, development work has begun on the Harvy500, the next stage in the evolution of these harvesting machines. The Harvy500 offers the possibility of fully-automated blueberry picking. This offers farmers great flexibility. The machine features a platform, allowing the farmer to choose whether to detach the fruit manually, using a power tool, or fully mechanically.
Next steps
The Harvy500 was operational for the first time during the 2021 harvest season. Throughout the season, the Harvy has proven to be an efficient harvesting platform for harvesting berries for the fresh market. The first Harvey has also been deployed in North America. The focus for next season is to further improve maintainability, efficiency in use and data analysis possibilities. In addition, production will be scaled up and the presence in the North American market will be strengthened.
Performance
The first fleet of Harvy500’s finished it’s first full harvesting season. Some results:
- Fresh market quality; better than handpick
- Minimal groundloss; around 5%, less than handpick
- Yields of up to 1000 kg an hour
- Full day autonomy with solar roof
Technical specifications
Harvy500 specifications
| Dimension | Length |
|---|---|
| Length | 5102 [mm] |
| Width | 3330 [mm] |
| Minimum Height | 3150 [mm] |
| Maximum Height | 3480 [mm] |
| Total Mass | appr 4100 [kg] |
| Capacity | 200 [kg] up to 1000 [kg] an hour |
| Buffer Capacity | up to 1000 [kg] crate buffer |
Characteristics
Automatically Powered – the Harvy500 is powered by two energy-efficient electric motors. The speed can be adjusted over a wide range, from 100 to 700 metres per hour.
Automatically Controlled – the machine navigates using probes that determine the position of the plants. This allows for the machine to operate for periods of time without anybody
Automatic Leveling – the computer on board the Harvy500 ensures that the four wheels are continuously at the right height and self leveling, so the machine is perfectly vertical, regardless of the surface. At the same time, the load-bearing capacity per wheel is measured and regulated, so there are no unwanted forces on the frame and the traction is always perfect.
Automatic Crate Changer – the crates are automatically rotated, so that the buffer of empty crates is efficiently transformed into a buffer of full crates.
Perfect Plant Sealing – the patented ‘NOGAP’ system of brushes ensures that the plants are perfectly sealed and separated from the ground below, ensuring that all the berries are caught and ground loss is effectively eliminated.
Automatic Filtering – before the berries end up in the lugs, they pass through an air stream that filters out leaves and twigs from the harvest.
Internet Connection – the machine has an internet connection allowing it to be continually monitored. This allows the current status of the capacity, the machine parts, and the harvesting data (kg per hour, kg per bush, kg per row, etc.) as well as the position of the machine in the field to be under constant watch.
Li-ion Battery – the latest battery technology makes it possible to work without smelly fossil fuel engines or polluting generators. The system is extremely efficient and consumes very little energy, making the machine environmentally friendly. With the addition of solar cells, mounted on the top of the frame, this machine is as “Green” as it gets!
Flexible Transition – the blueberries can be harvested in any way possible, whether it’s manual picking, manual shaking, or mechanical shaking. In the coming years, Fine Field is committed to the R&D of new programs, in order to continue the development of optimized and efficient harvesting techniques.
