Vegetable specialists Haith Group has celebrated the diamond anniversary of its mobile grader. Introduced in December 1963, the unit has become one of the best-selling products for the company, with more than 300 produced.
While the machines have changed significantly in the last 60 years, the company has continued to focus on customisation and meeting bespoke needs. Today’s units include a heavy-duty hopper, as well as auto crop flow control, a choice of cleaning systems, touchscreen control and shaft-mounted drives.
Options include soil extractors, optical sorter integration and stainless or mild steel construction.
The latest unit was purchased by BH Savidge & Son, which opted for the flagship Pro SF 2400. It’s capable of over 100 tonnes per hour, either in the yard or in the field and features all standard options, as well as a galvanised gantry with anti-slip treatment.
Ben Savidge said that he is delighted with the performance so far. “We worked with Rob Highfield in early 2023 to design the grader, having seen a similar one in Norfolk. We had previously had a high-capacity grader made by another firm, which we could not move and required very high power to run.
“We’ve known for a few years that we needed a mobile grader. This year, we needed to grade 2,000 tonnes more than last year and knew we would be working at our main base and another farm. As we wanted to invest in one machine to work at both sites and futureproof ourselves, the Haith mobile grader made perfect sense.
“By working with Haith, we have been able to build something exactly to our requirements. We are also confident in the quality of Haith’s work as we operate their bagging trailers. Everything is over-engineered, and we hope that this machine will last us for years to come; so far, it is doing the job of two machines on many other farms.”
According to managing director Duane Hill, the company has been exceptionally pleased with the sales and enquiries over the last four years.
“I think there’s definitely been a resurgence in interest in mobile machinery, whether that be grading or sorting. Mechanisation and automation are increasingly important to growers and packers of all sizes, and the ability to move their machinery around is very popular now.
“We have a very healthy order book at the moment. Hopefully, when we come to celebrate the mobile grader’s Blue Sapphire anniversary in five years, we will be marking the 350th mobile grader leaving the factory,” he said.
For more information go to www.haith.co.uk
