Grimme offers a new generation of haulm toppers in a range of operating widths with the Toppa series. Notable features include enhanced suction power, a redesigned housing, and low power usage.

The Toppa series offers a variety of types that allow for haulm topping of 2, 4, 6, or 8 rows in front and rear mounting, or in a front-rear machine combination. Grimme provides all internationally accepted row and track widths, taking into consideration various flail contours for crop cultivation in ridges or beds.

The Toppa 200 and Toppa 400 are 2-row and 4-row haulm toppers, respectively, which are suitable for both front and rear attachments.

By optimizing the gearbox position, the angle of the PTO shaft to the tractor has been flattened. This significantly reduces wear on the PTO shafts, especially when lifting the haulm topper at the headland.

Another new feature is, that the 4-row machine with a row width of 90 cm is now also equipped with a continuous flail shaft – without any bearing and missing flails in the middle of the shaft. Large maintenance flaps across the entire width of the housing make it easier to clean and change the flails.

The 6-row front-rear combination consists of the Toppa 200 in the front attachment of the tractor and a Toppa 600 Combi in the rear. The Toppa 600 Combi is folded hydraulically so that two rows are folded on either side of the tractor. The machine can be hydraulically folded to a transport width of 3 meters for a fast change from field to field.

For an 8-row front-rear combination, the Toppa 400 in the front is combined with a Toppa 800 Combi in the rear. Here, the two booms in the back of the tractor are also folded hydraulically to operate two rows twice. With the Toppa 400 haulm topper, the road transport width is 3.29 meters with a row width of 4 x 75 cm.

On both the Toppa 600 Combi and the Toppa 800 Combi, the two booms can be controlled separately from each other via a hydraulic control box or optionally via ISOBUS with AUX-N assignment. In conjunction with the standard wide-angle PTO shafts, it is therefore possible to lift the haulm toppers independently of each other on wedge-shaped surfaces. The two housings are also pendulum-suspended, allowing them to adapt perfectly to uneven ground. An optional hydraulic side shift is also available, which can be controlled manually or, in the highest configuration level, can adapt fully automatically to the alignment of the ridges. This is particularly relevant if the number of rows of the planter does not match the number of ridges of the haulm topper.

“With the Toppa 800, Grimme offers an 8-row haulm topper for rear mounting, which can be hydraulically folded to an external width of 3 meters for road transport. The machine is particularly suitable for farms with 8-row planting methods and for tractors without a front PTO shaft,” according to a recent press release.

In the Toppa series, the typical Grimme flails are still used, which, adapted to the ridge contour, ensure an even and clean flail pattern. An optimized flail arrangement follows the trend of ever-larger ridges. In addition to other flail types, counter-blades can be installed for optimum haulm shredding. These are completely closed and can be positioned closer to the flail shaft in the event of flail wear to ensure consistent work quality. In combination with the new, extended haulm deflector plates, the placement of the potato haulm between the ridges is significantly improved. This has advantages for subsequent chemical siccation, for example, as it ensures good wetting of the stems.

RidgeRunner Against Green Tubers

Optionally, superficial ridge pressing wheels (so-called RidgeRunner) can be selected for each row, which close cracks on the top of the ridges after the haulm has been topped. The individual suspension enables optimum adaptation to each row. The extremely low tire pressure allows the wheels to roll in a targeted manner so that cracks in the ridges are closed. The potatoes can thus be protected from direct sunlight and the risk of green tubers can be reduced. At the same time, fulling ensures that the wheels clean themselves.

The haulm topper is guided by the tractor’s three-point hydraulic system and 175 R14 support wheels. The height of the support wheels is adjusted either mechanically via a spindle or hydraulically from the cab. The set working depth can easily be read off and checked at a scale.

A new “implement road lifting frame” for the 4-row haulm toppers has been developed for road transport with an external width of fewer than 3 meters. For this purpose, the Toppa 400 has an additional three-point linkage on the outer left-hand side of the machine frame. By attaching to the lateral road lifting frame, the topper can be picked up in a transport position within a few minutes and can thus be moved at unlimited transport speed.