As the backdrop to N P Seymour’s impressive stand at the Vineyard & Winery Show, the ERO Grapeline 7000 reflected the focus on keeping harvesting costs down following this year’s large crop and falling price per ton.
With more grapes being grown, labour an increasingly costly factor and wineries becoming more open to the idea of machine-harvested grapes, quality machinery like the Grapeline 7000 can make a real difference to bottom lines, getting fruit harvested at the best time and at the cheapest cost.
While the ERO dominated the stand in terms of size, pride of place on the dealership’s comprehensive display of quality vine machinery went to the Fendt e107V Vario, the world’s first fully electric fruit tractor.
Ideal for viticulture, fruit and amenity work, the e107V has a battery life of up to seven hours, or around four when using the 75hp ‘dynamic’ drive mode to operate machinery such as a sprayer or mower.
“Switching to electric does not mean sacrificing on specifications or performance. The e107V Vario is an electric version of the existing Fendt 200 series that growers know and love; all attachments and implements are fully compatible, and operators will be sitting in the same comfortable cab environment,” said director Claire Seymour.
From the existing Fendt 200 series, a Gen3 Fendt 211V tractor was paired with an ERO-Binger pre-pruner fitted with the manufacturer’s new VITIassist, an AI-assisted camera that automatically opens and closes the machine head as it differentiates between posts and thicker vine stems.
On a smaller scale, Felco’s new 834 cordless secateurs, which feature an F-gold-plated blade and clever safety cutout system in a sensibly priced package, attracted considerable attention throughout the day.
