Here is a continuation of the last post about this year’s harvest. I left you looking at these tantalizing Vermentino grapes…
beautiful grapes… and wondering what all these controls are for…
So now for Part 2, we will look at the inside of the cab. Here is the scientific explanation. Ready, here we go. There are number to watch for and buttons to push. There is the little orange joystick thing to play with. I don’t know how they get anything done with so much fun going on. There are even TV screens!
When the harvester needs to back up, the driver shifts the screen view to a rear view. When they are actually harvesting grapes, they can see the grapes coming off the vines in the top screen. The bottom screen shows the grapes going into the bins. Or not going into the bins if the small tractor and bin are not lined up properly with the harvester. From up on top where I was, I could see the berries going into the bins (or not going in). But the driver of the harvester needs this screen to help with the lining up. They really do usually get the grapes in the bin.
Lots to watch and monitor, and play with of course. My friend, Sandy, told me just today how the machine looked rather hi-tech. I refrained from telling her that I could have bought a really nice vacation home down in the Hill Country for what that machine cost, but as I said – I refrained. I’ll just tell the whole world about it instead. My Honey does enjoy his toys. They all seem to enjoy it. Even Daniel, another one of my sons, got to run the machine this morning. He was one of the few people at our house that wasn’t sick with a stomach bug, so he got to go to work.
After I’ve done a few rows, I think I’ll just let them finish it up. So, there they go.
Back at the barn the forklift gets ready
And the trucker is ready to haul off bins.
The bins are placed on the blue scale (that flat rectangular piece that is , about to be covered up) to get their weight.
There they go off to the truck. Of course someone has to write down all those numbers, so that we can get an exact weight of those lovely grapes. I think Alexis, my new daughter-in-law has been dutifully doing that job at all hours of the night lately. Seems she likes to be around her new husband, Clint. Yes, that’s my first born son. We had to practice on him quite a bit before we figured out how to raise the rest of them. Now the rest of us haven’t figured out why she wants to be around him, but we’ll just let her put up with him for a while.
Now where were we … yes, here we are – then the bins are hauled off to be placed on the truck.
Now the bins with grapes are placed on the truck and ready to be hauled off to the crush press at the winery. This is how they are hauled if they are just going a short distance such as to Cap*Rock winery. If they have a further distance to go, they are loaded into enclosed, refrigerated 18-wheeler trucks so their ride can be more enjoyable.
And then everyone goes back to sleep, if we started at 2:00 am in the morning – unless there is more work to be done, like there usually is.
Last of the harvest is next week.
Blessing,
Betty
