Tong Engineering, leading UK manufacturer of advanced vegetable handling equipment, is excited to introduce a new Stinger Hopper, specifically engineered to meet the demands of the USA and Canadian markets. This innovative new even flow hopper solution is designed to streamline the unloading of live-bottom trucks and semis for maximum efficiency and reliability.
“With our dedicated Tong USA division in Michigan, we’ve worked with many customers throughout the USA and Canada unloading crop with Stinger elevator solutions that feed our even flow hoppers,” says Charlie Rich, Sales Director at Tong Engineering. “What we have developed now, is the ultimate Stinger Hopper; one fully integrated even flow machine with a built-in stinger elevator, resulting in a complete unloading solution that can receive crop direct from trucks.”
The new Stinger Hopper features a deep-flighted 6ft wide stinger elevator at the infeed, which is hydraulically adjustable to suit the height of the unloading trailers for ultimate versatility. “We’ve fitted the stinger elevator with what we call a Droop Snoop. Like our popular box fillers, the end of the elevator lowers into to the hopper for the gentlest handling,” explains Charlie. “Both the stinger and the hopper are fitted with sensors that automatically detect the level of crop in the hopper, keeping the droop snoop in optimum position as well as controlling the hopper speed according to the level of crop. This ensures there is always a constant flow of product onto the handling line.”
The new built-in Stinger elevator can be specified on any Tong even flow hopper, whether it’s unloading onto a static handling line or a mobile grading and sizing solution. When added to a mobile even flow hopper, the Stinger elevator can be moved hydraulically into a transport position within seconds, making the machine quickly and easily transportable to its next destination.
Engineered to the highest manufacturing standards, the Tong Stinger Hopper is built upon a heavy-duty design for reliable performance and longevity in the most demanding environments. Tong’s reinforced rubber hopper belts span the width of the hopper floor, giving more complete movement of the load which keeps crop tumbling and scuffing to a minimum.
“The new Stinger Hopper from Tong really does transform our proven even flow hopper systems into the perfect, single machine for unloading live-bottom trucks and semis,” says Charlie. “It brings significant time and labour savings; there’s no unnecessary set-up time getting separate elevators aligned with the hopper. It’s one fine-tuned machine that delivers streamlined and gentle unloading whilst providing maximised throughput of up to 150 tons per hour,” added Charlie.
Initial sales of Tong’s new Stinger Hopper are scheduled for delivery to customers in the USA and Canada, but the new Stinger Hopper will of course appeal worldwide to all vegetable producers using live-bottom trucks and semis for unloading crop onto handling lines.
