Harvesting
Harvesting
GH9000
HYDRAULICS
-
4-Wheel Drive (in high and low range) large capacity harvester
-
Shift on-the-go from low to high and vice versa
-
Posi-traction valve to prevent wheel slippage in wet/hilly conditions
-
Direct electrical actuated valves and controls
CHASSIS
-
Structural tube frame operates in 8-foot or wider row spacings
-
Side mounted engine and hydraulics allows service from ground level and creates a low center of gravity
-
Automatic hydraulic leveling – 38 inches side-to-side
-
Quick responsive steering with a sharp steering angle
-
Wide 108-inch track for stability
-
Large capacity fuel tank capable of operating 30+ hours
-
Cummins turbo-charged engine operating at 1900-2000 RPM for maximum fuel efficiency
-
120 AMP alternator
-
Heavy Duty radiator and oil cooler which are field reparable
CONVEYORS
-
Extended length, 21 wings per side, closure system
-
Hydraulically adjusted front and rear height of collection conveyors
-
Special sorting conveyor for extra cleaning
-
Heavy gauge stainless steel with UHMW wear strips
-
AIM quick-adjust belt tensioners on all conveyors
-
PVC belts with polyester fabric and centering V-guides on bottom for tracking
PICKING HEAD OPTIONS
-
FMC Trunk Shaker with optional AIM “soft touch” rail control
-
Modified FMC head to accommodate up to 36-inch cross arms
-
Indexable bow rod for cane pruned vines
AIM Standard Gondola AGG220
This gondola is a heavy-duty self-dumping unit for moving bulk product from the field to roadsides. It requires a 50HP or larger tractor which also supplies the hydraulic power for operation. The gondola has a heavy tube frame (8 x 3 structural tube) with a 10 Ga. Bucket and a bucket capacity of 220 cubic feet (6-7 tons of grapes) on the 8-foot model and 330 cubic feet (for beans) on the 12-foot model.
AIM Narrow Gondola AGG200
This gondola is specifically designed to fit vineyard rows down to 9 feet wide and still carry a 6-ton payload. The frame and bucket are only 5 feet wide and 5 feet above the ground so it can fit into Quadrilateral systems with 3-foot cross arms on 10-foot row spacings. Special outriggers are hydraulically sequenced to provide safety and stability during the dumping cycle. Wheel track can be easily changed by sliding the adjustable axles in or out. Dumping height accommodates trucks with grape top tanks.
Grape Gondola Weight Scales
AIM Half Size Gondola AGG130
This gondola is designed to fit vineyard rows down to 8 feet wide and still have a 3.5-ton payload. The frame and bucket are narrow enough to fit into Vertical Trellis systems on 8-foot row spacing. Special outriggers are hydraulically sequenced to provide safety and stability during the dumping cycle. Wheel track can be easily changed by sliding the adjustable axles in or out. Dumping height is 10 feet above the ground to accommodate trucks with grape top tanks.
All AIM gondola models can be equipped with weight scales to track the weight of the load in the gondola. The scales are set up with a digital readout that is mounted on the gondola or on the tractor, ensuring that the gondola and the tractor load stay within allowable weights. Scales can be put on any newly fabricated gondola or can be retrofitted onto AIM or other gondola models.
Picking Heads
HOW’S & WHY’S
Trunk shaker heads feature the best quality picking of cordon trained grapes. Imagine picking first quality grape berries and leaving most of the rot, raisins, and second crop behind! You can still pick everything if you want to, but as grape quantities increase, quality will become more important!
HOW A TRUNK SHAKER WORKS
The principle is acceleration and instant deceleration of mass. Have you ever gone fly fishing, snapped your leader too hard and returned with a leader tip with no fly?
The grape trunk shaker head moves the vine with berries to the right perpendicular to the vine row, and while the berries are moving to the right, the head reverses direction, moving the trellis to the left. This is accomplished by a pair of horizontal picking rails moving along the trellis. The rails address the trunk and grape stakes below the cordon height level, not to damage cordon and spurs or canes. The action received is similar to cracking a whip. The frequency of the shaking can be adjusted by raising or lowering the picking head RPMs. The stroke can be adjusted by changing the rotational weights enclosed in the picking head. All adjustments are easily made.
The AIM Force Balance Shaker Head hangs like a pendulum and is free floating to follow and automatically center on the row. The picking rails are connected to the head at 2 points attaching on the front and rear. The trunk shaker requires less than 1 pound of force, while running, to center the head on the vine row. As the grapes ripen, they gain in specific gravity or weight. Ripe berries are removed easily with low snapping action. Raisins, rot, and second crop are lighter and will not shake off unless the shaking action is increased. Hand picking of grapes results in a harvest of whole bunches which rely upon a decision to pick the whole bunch or leave it hanging. Machine harvesting results in individual loose berries. The trunk shaker harvests grapes that are higher in sugar, have the best berries, and have a lower amount of MOG (Material Other than Grapes).
A trunk shaker does not fracture the canes or defoliate the leafing zones like a pivotal striker or bow rod shaking head – trunk shakers do exactly as their name implies. Pivotal strikers or bow rod shaking heads are canopy or foliage shakers. Canopy shakers are designed for cane pruned or young vineyards. Vines which are not defoliated have stored carbohydrates and more energy for the following spring bud break. Using bow rod and pivotal striker heads on spur pruned vineyards will show a decrease vineyard vigor and yields over time. For those growers with caned pruned vineyards, AIM does offer complete striker and bow rod heads in our GH9000 harvester or for retrofit in existing machines.
AIM features an AIM Force Balance shaker head in our GH9000 as a retrofit into your harvester if it will accommodate it. We also offer the AIM “soft touch”, a hydraulically controlled system that adjusts picking rail spacing and applied forces allowing large and small vines in the same row the same applied force.