Increased productivity among operatives and less reliance on expensive hired-in machinery are just two of the reasons why family-run business, PC Thorold, has been delighted with one of the latest additions to its extensive fleet of equipment, the Stoll ProfiLine ISOBUS-Connected front loader.
Located near Spalding in Lincolnshire, Thorold specialises in growing brassica vegetable crops including cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli as well as other crops such as butternut squash, daffodils and wheat. Their customers include major supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi.
The company runs up to 17 tractors including nine vegetable harvesting rigs and hired-in tractors, one of which, a JCB Fastrac 4220, was hired in September. Having been impressed by the tractor’s power and four-wheel steering, Thorold purchased a JCB Fastrac 4220 Icon one month later through local JCB dealer, Pecks.
The tractor operator is Rodney Wing (pictured below) who works closely with the fieldsmen and is responsible for getting the produce to the company’s own on-site packing facility in the timeliest and most efficient way possible. He also acts as PC Thorold’s employees representative, sharing any concerns or problems raised by his colleagues with the management team, and assists with Red Tractor paperwork and audits including health and safety.
Rodney loved the JCB but recognised that the company could get an even better return from their investment by addressing an issue that was holding back the tractor’s true potential and his own productivity.
Owning just one loader tractor and one telehandler, with the remainder being hired, Rodney would often have to wait for a telehandler before he could get loaded-up in the field. He suggested that, in order to reduce these delays and get the produce to the packhouse more quickly, the company looked at equipping the JCB with a front loader.
The company sought the opinion of Pecks sales rep, Wayne Cottam, who recommended the Stoll ProfiLine ISOBUS-Connected front loader as it was proven to integrate virtually seamlessly with the Fastrac and, given the rapid turnround required, would be quicker to install than a conventional alternative. This is because the hydraulically controlled ISOBUS Connected loader system requires no specific loader or mid mount valves on the tractor. Instead, it delivers full integration of the front loader controls with the tractor system via the tractor’s onboard joystick and ISOBUS terminal. This means that fitting the loader and connecting it with the tractor’s existing ISOBUS control platform takes substantially less time in the workshop compared with a typical assembly routine requiring a separate, dedicated loader control system, joystick and hydraulics.
The team at Thorold were also impressed with the array of additional functions, up to 12 in total, that the system makes available to the operator and the benefits that delivers in terms of time-savings, convenience, precision handling and operator comfort. You can learn more about that unique set of 12 additional functions on our product page here.
Several months after taking delivery of the new loader, we asked Rodney how he was getting along with the technology on offer and about the difference the ISOBUS Connected loader was making to his everyday workload.
“We’ve been working the loader hard on cabbage bins, pallet work and daffodils, but this year it will also be used a lot on butternut squash. It’s been great and I really can’t fault it,” he added.
“The biggest bonus for me is that the loader has enabled me to be more self-sufficient. I’m not having to wait for teleporters to become available to load me up in the field. I can just go into that field, help myself to it, deliver to the packhouse and come back out again so it’s a lot more efficient and the cost of running it is a lot cheaper than hiring in teleporters to do the job.”
Whilst at first glance the screens and the settings can seem a little daunting, practice makes perfect as Rodney confirms.
“It took me about a week to get to grips with the various functions on the screen and there are still a few bits that I need to get used to. There’s a lot of technology to work on, but the more I use it, the more I’m learning,” he said.
“So far, I’m using the return to position function a lot when collecting boxes from the field. I can set the tines to where I want them and they’ll always return to that pre-set position when prompted.
“I like the weighing function too. When I’m working with boxes of veg, it helps me to gauge what I’m loading on to the trailer.
“To be fair, it’s still early days, but I know there is still so much more we can get from the new loader. I’m looking forward to the harvesting season resuming so I can really put it through its paces. Based on my experience so far, I prefer it to any other front loader I’ve worked with,” he concluded.
The 12 additional functions offered by the Stoll ProfiLine ISOBUS Connected front loader are as follows:- 
Up to 3 operator profiles can be stored on the system, enabling different operators to program and operate the loader according to their own preferences and the tasks they perform.
Lynx Engineering is the UK importer for a wide range of machinery brands, distributed through our nationwide dealer network.
