Are the people who usually end up lifting the heating pipes during crop changes already looking forward to it? And more importantly, are there even enough hands available to help with the heavy cleaning work that comes with changing crops?
These are just a couple of questions growers might be asking themselves now that the crop change season is around the corner. One of the key jobs at that time is lifting the pipe-rails. In a ten-hectare greenhouse, that means as much as fifty kilometers of heating pipes. That's a serious workout if you try to do it the old-fashioned way. Luckily, there's now a smart tool to take the strain out of the job: the pipe-rail lift. Growers can either buy or rent one from FB Engineering, with purchase prices starting from €3,850.
One-man operation
Richard Frenken from FB Engineering explains that the lift, originally invented by Wiel Nies, is designed to take over the heavy lifting. The machine works with nearly every pipe-rail size, and it doesn't just raise the rails, it also puts them neatly back in line afterwards. Even better, it only takes one person to operate.
Once the heating pipes are temporarily lifted, growers can get on with cleaning the greenhouse, even when daylight hours are short. By fitting a LED spotlight to the lift, the work can also continue in the evenings or early mornings, giving growers more flexibility during this busy time.
© FB Engineering bvNew: ramp plates for the pipe rail lift
New development
The pipe-rail lift has already been used successfully by growers for several years, but that doesn't mean development has come to a halt. FB Engineering continues to work on new products, including a pipe-rail lift designed specifically for strawberry production, as well as a few innovations that Richard isn't ready to reveal just yet.
There's also a fresh update for the existing pipe-rail lift. "After a customer request, we can now supply small ramp plates with the lift," Richard explains. "This makes it even easier to drive the machine on and off the concrete paths during work."
For more information:
FB Engineering
Tel.: +31 6 53 32 93 69
[email protected]
www.buisraillift.nl
