Friday, 01 March 2024 14:55

Stone collection made easier

Written by  Mark Daniel
The Stoneless offers the flexibility to allow users to collect stones between other jobs. The Stoneless offers the flexibility to allow users to collect stones between other jobs.

Usually a task given to higher horsepower tractors, stone picking looks like its moved down the horsepower charts, to anyone with an ATV or UTV, with the Stoneless trailed stone collector.

Dane Søren Kristensen spent many years removing stones by hand from paddocks on his family´s 400ha farm. “It was a tiring job that had to be done every year.”

After searching for an easier solution he decided that over the years the stone picker market had lacked development and in most cases was centred around larger tractors.

 This led to the creative Dane setting out to devise a solution to make it a much easier and less power-hungry job. His first prototype was ready for testing in 2018, and the first commercially available machines were running in Denmark during 2019.

Manufactured from galvanised steel with a tare weight of 400kg, carried on four flotation tyres to reduce crop damage, the Stoneless is a simply-made and robust machine that offers the flexibility to allow users to collect stones between other jobs.

Working offset behind the ATV or UTV, with a recommended minimum of 500cc, operation is controlled via a handlebar mounted box. When a stone, from 6cm to a maximum of 50cm, is approached, the operator lowers a hydraulically operated digger plate that can also be used to tease stones out of the ground.

A rotor then holds the stone against it, before both rotor and digger plate are raised and the stone drawn into the 500kg capacity hopper. If the stone is too large to transfer to the hopper, the grab action can be used to move them off the paddock.

Depending on the numbers of stones in a paddock, it is said to be possible to clear stones from up to 5-10 ha/hr. When the hopper is fully loaded, the hopper tips rearwards allowing it to tip at the headland or into a loader bucket.

To date, more than 300 units have been sold in Denmark over the past four years, with plans now in place to export machines to other countries. Mr Kristensen suggests his machine has great potential, commenting, “there is a need for a solution that addresses the challenges of finding qualified labour, but also makes stone collection an easy activity that you can always find time for.”

www.stoneless.dk

More like this

Tractor to help budding farmers

Jeff Farm is a 2433ha property near Gore, owned and run by the Salvation Army since the early 1950s after it was gifted by farmer Edmund Jeff, with the stipulation it be "used to train young people with a passion for agriculture, who would not otherwise have such a career option" - for a career in the New Zealand agricultural industry.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

BA Pumps expand

Cambridge based BA Pumps & Sprayers, specialists in New Zealand-made spraying equipment, has acquired Tokoroa Engineering’s product range, including the iconic Milk Bar mobile calf feeder products, alongside calf and feed trailers.

Entries open for innovation award

Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with the latter delivering a platform for problem-solvers to showcase their innovation to the primary industries.

Mounting kit helps with accurate metering, spreading

StocksAg has introduced a mounting kit to fit its Turbo Jet 8 or 10 units to pneumatic trailed SKY EasyDrills, allowing separate metering and accurate application of products like Avadex through an additional set of outlets behind the drill’s press wheel.

Featured

Massey Research Field Day attracts huge interest

More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

Boost for hort exports

The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.

National

Winter grazing warning

Every time people from overseas see photographs of cows up to their hocks in mud it's bad for New Zealand.

ANZ defends farm lending rates

The country's largest lender to the agriculture sector says it's not favouring home loans over farm and business lending.

Machinery & Products

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo…

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Review SOEs!

OPINION: NIWA has long weathered complaints about alleged stifling of competition in forecasting, and more recently, claims of lack of…

Bank reset

OPINION: Adding to calls to get banks to 'back off', NZ Agri Brokers director Andrew Laming has revealed that the…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter