Vibrating Inert Cart ‘REBI 30’

Although great strides have been made in recent years in terms of respect for the newly harvested grape, mechanical harvesting continues to present a number of negative aspects. One of these is the loss of must from inside the berries, exacerbated by the length of time that passes between harvest and delivery to the winery.

The grape transport truck developed by Tecme International makes it possible, firstly, to separate the liquid from the solid parts at the time of harvest, thus minimising various negative effects, such as oxidation of the phenolic and aromatic components, the onset of fermentation due to the presence of apiculate yeasts, premature maceration of the skins and the release of unpleasant aromas from the leaves and stalks.

The Tecme harvesting truck is equipped with a tank where the solid material is separated from the must, which collects in a container below by means of gravity.

Closure of the receptacle door launches the automatic inerting cycle, which employs inert gases (nitrogen or carbon dioxide).

The inerting cycle, managed by a PLC, continues while the grapes are being transported to the winery and repeats automatically every time the harvester is emptied.

The special shape of the truck, with its completely hermetic bucket, makes it possible to transport the harvested grapes in a sealed and protected environment, which guarantees the total absence of foreign contaminants and, no less importantly, provides a cooler-type effect, preventing the grapes from becoming overheated by the sun.

Once the product arrives at the winery, the truck’s adjustable bed can be raised so as to transfer the liquid material directly into tanks, while the solid material can be unloaded directly into destemmers or crushers — all this with the utmost respect for the integrity of the grapes that only a vibrating unloading system can provide.