Used machines for Onions

About second-hand machines for Onions

Onions, who doesn't love them? There are few vegetables that can be used in as many dishes as onions. The most famous onion is the yellow onion, but there are many other varieties; white, red, sweet, pink and shallots, they are all varieties of the 'common' onion. As a result, the onion is hugely popular and widely grown and traded worldwide.

The cultivation and processing of onions involves the extensive use of machinery, in sowing/planting, grubbing, sorting and processing, among others. This mechanisation is necessary for quick and efficient cultivation. Moreover, (larger) machines are also needed to carry out the work in an increasingly shorter period of time. Besides efficiency, machines also provide more consistent quality, but buying these machines for onions usually requires a hefty investment. By opting for used onion machinery, investments are lower and the cost recovery period (Return on investment) is significantly reduced. This is especially true if you are considering starting to grow or sort and pack onions.

Onion seeder

Onions are a crop that can be either planted (plant onion) or sown (seed onion). Onion sowing is carried out between March and April. Pneumatic precision seeders are used for sowing onions. These onion seeders can sow the fine onion seed at exact spacing and depth in the row. A pneumatic precision seeder has a rotating seed disc that uses air to suck the seed onto the disc. In this disc, at regular intervals, there is a hole through which the seed is sucked into a vacuum. Wipers ensure that only one seed is sucked in per hole. The pneumatic precision seeder is the perfect onion seeder. 

However, before starting sowing, it is important to work the soil. This can be done mechanically with a seedbed preparation machine. This machine loosens the seedbed, crumbles the soil and then levels it, then presses the soil down well for optimum soil capillary action. A good seedbed is important for good germination and growth of the crop.

All our used machines for sowing onions can be found here.

Onion harvester

Towards the end of summer, it is time to harvest the onions. Harvesting onions is done entirely by machines, and that makes this crop an extremely efficient one to harvest. Harvesting onions requires a number of machines.

First, the haulm is removed from the onions using an onion haulm topper. This machine moves the haulm up, and augers then chop the haulm off, after which blades finish the job. This results in a nice clean onion, ready to be harvested. 

After removing the haulm, the onion can be taken out of the ground using an onion harvester.

Onion harvesters remove the onion from the ground, and windrow the onions. Onion harvesters are available in various operating and track widths, from track size 150 cm to 300 cm. The wider the onion harvester, the more onions can be harvested at once, reducing the number of lanes of onions that need to be picked up. Well-known brands of onion harvesters include Keulmac and Samon.

After grubbing, the onions are left in the fields for a while to dry. Drying onions is very important, because wet onions will rot. After drying, the onions are removed from the land by an onion loader and transferred to a tipping wagon. The onion loader also separates the onions from earth, sand and stones.

Curious about Duijndam's used onion harvesters and onion loaders? Then take a quick look here and we may have exactly the machine you are looking for.

Storage machines

After harvesting, onions are stored in a cold room or hall where the onions can further dry and rest. Keeping them cool keeps the onions fresh for a long time, so they only need to be packed when they are needed in stores. 

To get the onions into the storage shed, various storage machines are used, such as hoppers, duo belts, store loaders and box loaders. These machines allow you to easily move large quantities of onions in a short time. The convenient thing about these machines is that they can often be used for different products. Most store loaders suitable for onions are also suitable for potatoes, for instance.

Onion sorting machines

Before the onions go to the supermarket, they still need to be trimmed and sorted to create a nice, uniform product. Before packing and sorting, the onions are passed over the onion tailer that cuts off excess haulm. Feeding the onions dry through the onion tailer will also remove the outer skin of the onion, giving the onions a bright colour.

The onions are sorted by diameter by sorting machines similar to sorting machines for potatoes, Brussels sprouts and flower bulbs. The difference here is that an onion sorting machine is equipped with sorting plates covered with rubber. This will not damage the onions. These sorting plates are interchangeable, so a potato sorting machine can also be converted to an onion sorter. 

For sorting onions, Duijndam Machines has a wide range of machines for both smaller and higher capacities.

Onion packaging machines

In the very last step, it is important that the onions are properly weighed and packed. A weighing machine can efficiently weigh the onions to the desired weight after which they can be packed. Onions are often packed in nets with a wine glass label. To get onions into nets, a net-clipper is used. This machine packs the onions in a net with pre-set weight, for example per kilo.