Tong Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Grader
Handling Solutions | Tong Engineering
Tong Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Grader
Handling Solutions | Tong Engineering

Sizing Products

Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Sizer

  • Worldwide Best-Selling Mobile Sizer
  • Unrivalled Dirt Elimination with EasyClean Separator
  • Advanced & Intelligent HMI controls
  • All Electric Drive - up to 50% more efficient
  • Custom-built to your specification
  • High Throughputs up to 80 tons per hour
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THE INDUSTRY’S LEADING MOBILE SIZER

With over 90 years of engineering experience, Tong has unrivalled expertise in manufacturing the most gentle, efficient and advanced mobile vegetable sizing machine on the market.

With the first Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Sizer manufactured in the 1970s, as they say, some things improve with age. Tong’s inherent drive to keep the Caretaker at the forefront of crop cleaning and sizing technology means the world-renowned sizing machine from Tong keeps getting even better.

Now the first choice for farmers and vegetable growers worldwide, the Caretaker can be custom-built to handle a wide variety of root crops; from high quality potato, carrot and onion sizing, to effective sizing of parsnips, beet, bulbs and more.

Energy efficient

50% Less energy

The new Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Sizer is exceptionally energy efficient, running on as little as just 18 amps*. An energy saving of over 50% on older machines (*dependent on crop and condition).

Custom Built

1.2m to 2.4m wide

With standard widths including 1.2m, 1.5m, 1.8m, 2.1m and 2.4m wide, the Caretaker can be custom-built to suit your individual crop and throughput requirements.

high throughput

UP TO 100 TONS

Whatever your throughput requirements, large or small, the Caretaker can be built to effectively clean and size crop at capacities up to 80-100 tons of crop per hour.

THE CARETAKER

CUSTOM-BUILT ON EXPERIENCE,
ENGINEERED TO LAST

Select your cleaner. Tailor your design.

Take your pick of Tong’s range of vegetable cleaners to suit your requirements. From the high-performance EasyClean separator to adjustable PU coils or stars, the choice is yours.

Our expert design engineers take your specific requirements, however large or small, and create a Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Sizer that is configured to meet every one of them.

Tong EasyClean separator vegetable cleaning

EASYCLEAN DIRT ELIMINATOR

Tong’s market-leading EasyClean dirt eloffers truly unmatched crop cleaning performance and control with exceptional results on a wide variety of crop in all conditions. The EasyClean separator features Tong’s Blue Inverter Technology with an electric direct drive motor on every shaft, delivering the very best energy efficiency as well as refined control of each shaft for optimum cleaning results.

When specified with an EasyClean separating system, the Caretaker is fitted with the cartridge-style EasyClean separator featuring the latest auto-reject function for automatic removal of foreign objects. Tong’s unrivalled knowledge and experience in effective crop cleaning means that when you choose the EasyClean, you are selecting the most effective separator on the market.

Adjustable coil cleaner Caretaker Vegetable Grader

ADJUSTABLE COIL CLEANER

Manufactured in a choice of polyurethane (PU) or Steel coil rollers, the Tong adjustable coil cleaner can be specified as your chosen cleaner separator in the Caretaker Mobile Sizer.

Designed as an efficient cleaning system suitable for light soil conditions, the Tong adjustable coil cleaner can also be fitted after a Tong EasyClean separator for sizing out smaller crop between 15mm to 55mm. Built with 4, 6 or 8 rows of easily adjustable centre spiral coils/rollers the coil cleaner is gentle on crop whilst effectively removing loose soil, small stones and clod.

Star Cleaner | Tong Engineering

STAR CLEANER

The Tong star cleaner features 4, 6 or 8 rows of 14 or 18 fingered polyurethane (PU) stars and can be specified as your chosen cleaner in the Caretaker mobile sizer. The star cleaner is ideal for light soil conditions, offering gentle and efficient soil, clod and stone removal. The star cleaner can be fitted with a VertiCam system for improved self-cleaning of stars.

Tong Caretaker mobile vegetable grader potato carrot onion grading

NEXT-GENERATION VEGETABLE SIZING

Manufactured in the UK to the highest standards, the Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Sizer is designed to perform in the most demanding vegetable sizing situations, with robust construction and reliable operation as standard.

The Caretaker features all the latest technical advancements in inverter direct drives for maximum energy efficiency, alongside Tong’s unique automated controls for highly efficient vegetable sizing and handling.

With high levels of efficiency, productivity, and gentle handling in mind, when you choose the Caretaker, you choose the industry’s next generation vegetable sizing machine, favoured by vegetable producers worldwide.

Tong Engineering-Caretaker vegetable grader hopper Tomra optical sorting

INTEGRATE OPTICAL
FOR ULTIMATE AUTOMATION

Advanced optical sorting options are now available across Tong’s range of vegetable handling equipment. Working with best in class manufacturers Tong has years of experience in fully-integrated vegetable sorting solutions. Automated removal of stones, clod and debris with the TOMRA 3A optical sorter is an increasingly popular choice within the Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Sizer, minimising and even replacing traditional manual inspection.

Talk to Tong today about integrating the most advanced vegetable optical sorting solutions.

 

Features

CUSTOM-BUILT CONFIGURATION

Renowned worldwide for its build quality and performance, the Tong Caretaker can be custom-built to suit your exact requirements. With a choice of cleaning units and configurations, you have complete freedom to specify your Caretaker exactly as you like. Talk to our specialist Sales team to determine the best configuration for your needs and you can be sure of an advanced mobile sizer that will meet your needs for many years to come.

AUTO-TOUCH HMI CONTROL

When specified with an EasyClean separating system, the Caretaker is available with the option of the latest technology HMI touch screen controls. In order to achieve the very best control of crop cleaning in all conditions, touch screen control offers customers a simplified ‘touch of a button’ means of setting the machine to suit different crop cleaning requirements. Users can select crop conditions such as ‘Wet’ or ‘Dry’ and crop type from the display menu. Setting the machine to automatically change the speed, position and direction of the cleaning rollers at the touch of a button. This makes setting the separator for different loads exceptionally quick and easy.

And now, Tong’s proven Auto-Touch HMI touch screen control is even more advanced than ever. With the added option of a unique and advanced Pro-Control Interface that facilitates a number of impressive and very useful features. These new Pro-Series features make the HMI control even more user friendly whilst offering enhanced control, as well as reduced maintenance and downtime. The new Pro-Series feature on our mobile vegetable sizer leaves you feeling quite literally empowered at the touch of a button! With advanced diagnostic capabilities including a machine health status report. As well as fault detection and precise location information on inverter faults and E-Stop alerts. The Pro-Series advancements are leading the way in equipment control.

Tong-blue-inverter-3col
BLUE INVERTER TECHNOLOGY

The Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Sizer is built with Tong’s Blue Inverter Technology. Offering the very best energy efficiency, with all electric Inverter Variable Speed Drive. Giving energy savings of over 50% when compared to similar machines with standard mechanical drive. When running at full capacity and tested with dry crop conditions, the latest models of the mobile vegetable grader run on just 18 amps. Offering significant energy savings on previous models.

Tong Engineering-Caretaker vegetable grader hopper
HEAVY DUTY UNLOADER

With heavy duty steel gauge design consisting of chain and lathe construction and heavy duty 4 inch pitch chains with a dual driven shaft. The Caretaker unloader offers the very best quality and reliability, with a total maximum strain of 64 ton. Built with the option of a heavy duty reinforced rubber chevron belt with vulcanised V cleats or a heavy duty PVC pocket belt. You can be sure that Tong unloader will stand up to demands for years to come.

TRAILER REVERSING SENSORS

Quite literally your hopper loading co-pilot! The Caretaker mobile vegetable sizer’s version of parking sensors, make trailer reversing and hopper loading much quicker, easier and more accurate than ever before.

These innovative sensors also help you to ensure the ongoing safety of your workers and those working around the Tong Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Sizer.

Tong-ppg-paint-3col
RESILIENT PAINT FINISH

Tong has partnered with Internationally-renowned PPG Industries to offer a specialist paint finish on all mild steel painted equipment. Giving the Caretaker Mobile Vegetable Sizer unrivalled corrosion resistance, excellent durability and outstanding appearance.

The innovative SPECTRACON® coating, which pairs a solvent-based epoxy primer with a high-performance finish layer, not only ensures surface durability. The resilient undercoat offers superior anti-corrosion protection should the top finished coating suffer chipping or damage. Giving an additional layer to prevent rust, oxidation or steel tarnishing on your mobile vegetable sizer. The eco-friendly acrylic polyurethane paint has been designed with challenging exterior conditions in mind. It can also withstand direct sunlight, preventing appearance fade and ensuring a long-lasting glossy appearance. Tong’s specialist painted finish can be supplied in any colour, to match existing machinery, surroundings or site requirements.

Tong Engineering-LED Inspection lights Caretaker
LED INSPECTION LIGHTING

For enhanced visibility on the inspection table, the Caretaker is now fitted with energy efficient LED lighting. Improving working conditions and picking-off capabilities.

Tong Caretaker Vegetable Grading
MULTI-CAMERA MONITORING

The latest models of the Caretaker are now available with a suite of cameras positioned at different locations around the machine. Allowing for easy and instant ‘live’ viewing of multiple areas of the mobile vegetable sizer from a central location.

This allows operators to quickly check the running status of the machine, to check crop flow, blockages, load etc from one viewing screen.

Tong HMI Touch Screen
CATEGORY 3 SAFETY SYSTEM

The foundation of the new mobile vegetable sizer is built around a computerised Category 3 safety system. For advanced diagnostics and safety settings at the touch of a button.

HEAVY DUTY CANOPY

All our mobile vegetable sizers are available with an option of a custom designed and manufactured canopy for full or part coverage of the sizer. Particularly popular when the machine is to be largely used in an outside location.

Conveyor Vegetable Conveyor Potato Tong Engineering
DOUBLE STRENGTH CONVEYORS

All Caretakers are built using the most heavy duty conveyors, with double strength PVG side-tracked belts. Ensuring smooth, straight and reliable running that meets the most demanding conditions.

Caretaker mobile vegetable grader
ANGLE-ADJUST CONVEYOR

The introduction of an angle-adjust presentation conveyor in all new Caretaker sizers allows easily adjustable feed to any choice of cleaning unit within the Caretaker.

Caretaker Grading Line Tong potato carrot onion grader

A CARETAKER FOR EVERY THROUGHPUT

SEE THE CARETAKER IN ACTION

Elveden Caretaker potato grading mobile portable grader sorter even flow potato box bin filling (37)
Elveden Caretaker potato grading mobile portable grader sorter even flow potato box bin filling (37)

TALK TO TONG ABOUT
UPGRADING YOUR SIZER TODAY

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