Summerside, PEI
First Season on the Grimme Evo 280 — Summerside PEI
Potato harvest is moving on PEI, and at Linkletters near Summerside there’s a new machine leading the row this year. The operation brought in a Grimme Evo 280 to replace the Grimme SE150/SE160 that had been doing the job, and a few weeks into the season the early read is a good one.
We caught up with Chris, the operator running the Evo 280 while the farm was doing small table stock at the start of the season.
“Great start” is the short version. Chris has had the machine moving at up to 7.5 km/h in the field and is happy with how it’s handling the work so far.
The number that stands out is cleanliness: about 20% less clay coming through in the loads compared to what they were seeing before. On PEI ground, cleaner potatoes off the harvester means less work down the line and better quality in the bin — the kind of difference that shows up load after load.
Chris also gave a shout-out to HJV PEI’s vetran technician, Blair for the help getting the machine set up. Dialing in a new harvester takes time, and having someone close by who knows the iron makes the start of the season go smoother.
It isn’t perfectly tuned yet, and Chris is straight about that. The main thing they’re still working through is setting the intake exactly the way they want it — a couple of small adjustments they’re fine-tuning to match the conditions and the crop. That’s normal for a first season on a new machine, and it’s the kind of thing that gets sorted as the hours add up.
One thing that caught Chris off guard in a good way: how well the sensors have held up. The Evo 280 carries more sensing than the SE150/SE160 it replaced, and durability there can be a question mark going in. So far they’ve stood up to the field without trouble.
A few weeks in, the Evo 280 is earning its spot at Linkletters — more capacity, cleaner loads, and a machine the crew is getting more comfortable with every day.
Thinking about what a Grimme harvester could do in your operation? Talk to HJV Equipment about a demo or a walkaround.
