Powered Bulk Scooping in Potato Storages

Excerpts from the report: Powered bulk scooping of potatoes is a method of moving potatoes from bulk piles to packing or processing lines. Although earlier uses of this method are known, rapid acceptance did not occur in the potato industry until the 1963-64 shipping season. It is now a principal method of removing potatoes from storage. The bulk-scooping method offers several advantages, but primarily its use results in lower costs and reduced labor requirements. Time study techniques were used to obtain elemental performance data for a typical powered bulk scoop. These data were then synthesized to represent the performance of a scoop or several scoops within each selected method. Ownership, operating, and labor costs were developed for each item of equipment. These values were then further combined and presented as annual costs for each method over a wide range of output rates and hauling distances. The information developed from these evaluations and studies are shown as (1) data for selecting bin size, storage size, and receiving hopper location combinations, (2) curves illustrating the output of a typical powered bulk scoop over a range of haul distances, and (3) annual cost data for comparing the methods in various handling situations