New cultivation floor with rail system

Under the name ErfGoed Trolley Track, ErfGoed is marketing a new flexible rail system for use on the cultivation floor. According to managing director Hugo Paans, many growers think that a cultivation floor is not suitable for internal transport. "Growers then choose a cultivation system with a closed surface such as asphalt or concrete. But that's absolutely not necessary. With the development of the ErfGoed Trolley Track, the breeder can use the ideal growing conditions the cultivation floor offers, without having to sacrifice internal transport."

Paans says rail systems have been made for use on the cultivation floor before. However, they can only be used with certain types of carts. "By further developing the system, the use of several types of carts is now possible anywhere in the greenhouse."

The special trolley bridge - a type of attachment bridging the height difference between cultivation floor and concrete path - ensures that the cart can be driven from the cultivation floor onto the path without difficulties. "That was a concern we often heard from growers. It's nice to be able to drive a full cart over your floor, but if you then have to lift it onto the path, the system is suddenly a lot less ideal. That’s why we came up with a solution for this as well." The special round shapes of the ErfGoed Trolley Track ensure that the system can be easily cleaned with a sweeper.

Paans believes that the ErfGoed Trolley Track is an ideal expansion of the possibilities to make a cultivation floor accessible. "Back in the nineties, we delivered our first navigable ErfgoedVloer. That floor can’t be compared with the high-quality product we build today. Because of its unique composition, our current cultivation floor is the strongest cultivation floor in existence. It can also carry a truck with wide tires and a flat tread. There’s no question of rutting."

In the meantime the Dutch company has made a combination with fixed conveyor belts at several breeders. "This ensures highly efficient use of the cultivation area, because in most cases the belts are also used as a walkway. Small batches can also be moved from any given place without first having to move aside other plants."

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