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Newly Developed Rock Crusher
By
Gary Rawlings
Handling rocks strewn through potato ground on an annual basis may come to an end if a
rock crusher developed by Italian engineers proves its worth.
Only one grower in North America - in New Brunswick, Canada - has tried the
unit so far since introduction last year but if his success is an example, the machine may just be the ticket.
FAE, the United States branch of the Italian company, has manufactured a series of Stone
Crushers to help growers reclaim land where stone removal is necessary.
According to company officials, the units can handle good-sized stone, much like the rock
crushers used in gravel pits.
The big difference is the implement actually pulverizes the rock and returns it to the
soil. For those in the Eastern United States and Canada who have problems with smaller stones or sometimes bread loaf-sized
rocks, the machine works well.
For years growers in many potato-production states have had to deal with rocks, stones
or gravel. In the Eastern U.S. and Canada it is the round shaped stones. In Idaho it is the various-shaped and sized lava
rock. In other areas, it may be gravel.
But whatever the need, these pulverizer units can supposedly handle any rocks/stones put
up against them, leaving potentially valuable minerals as dust in the soil.
While U.S. distributors say they have not yet tried it on the lava rock in the western United
States, they believe that if it is strong enough to pulverize stones the size of loaves of bread, it can handle the pitted
lava rock. They will do trials in Idaho this year.
The models of the series of Stone Crusher (STC and STCH) are also suitable for reclamation
of farming lands where stone removal is required.
Their rotors are equipped with fixed tools with heavy-duty tungsten carbide insertions.
The pulverizers can be run off the PTO on medium-and high-powered tractors with creeper transmission capability.
The FAE STC is ideal to be fitted on tractors with up to 180-hp, and the STCH models are
sized to fit tractors with up to 300-hp.
The heavy-duty rotor allows crushing as well as mixing the material into the ground up
to 10-12 inches. In its construction FAE employs special steels, like for example the high impact resistant Swedish steel
HARDO 500. All wear parts are accessible and easily replaceable.
Rick Radermaker, the New Brunswick, Canada, grower who has the only unit in North America, has
pulverized stones up to 15 inch in diameter. It may take some time to run the unit across a field, but it also takes out rocks
buried in the soil.
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