"Crop removal can be done more easily"

For many growers the crop change is usually a big job. According to Rudi Vandendijk it could be handled a lot quicker next year. His company has introduced a solution that allows for quick removal of low wire crops like cucumbers and tomatoes. The Autoclipper cuts under the wire. "That makes this system unique," says Rudi Vandendijk. A patent was granted last year.

The Autoclipper was developed by Wiel Nies. Initially, the crop was dumped on the tracks. Currently Vandendijk Serrebouw is bringing a new version to market. "With the new version the whole track can be cleared at once. The plant material isn’t dumped on the track anymore, but taken to the end of the row. We take the plant material outside, with the advantage that the track remains clear for the other work in the greenhouse."

The car has become a kind of train which can be up to 8 meters long and can rremove 160-180 meters of crop at once. This allows for the long train to still easily ride on the rails, even on a relatively narrow track. The capacity of the Autoclipper is 10.5 hours/3 ha with a crop length of 160 meters.

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