Grading Machine Buying Checklist for a New Packhouse

This is the number everything else depends on. How many tons of produce move through your shed on your busiest day, not your average day. Machines are sized around peak volume, not average volume.

Stainless steel costs more but handles moisture and washdown better. Mild steel with powder coating is cheaper and works fine for a lot of standard packhouses. Pick based on how wet your process is, not just budget.

Ask your buyers what grading standard they expect. Some only want big, medium, small. Others want finer bands. More grades cost more, so do not pay for precision you do not need.

Most machines run on 3-phase power. Confirm your shed has that connection before you order, not after the machine arrives.

A good line should be able to expand later, not force you to replace the whole machine. Ask if the manufacturer can add lanes or capacity down the line.

Find out where the manufacturer is based and how fast they can get spares to you. A machine that breaks during harvest season and takes two weeks for a part is a real cost, even if the machine itself was cheap.

Photos and specification sheets only tell you so much. If you can, ask to see the machine running, either at the manufacturer's workshop or at another packhouse using one. Watching it handle real fruit tells you more in five minutes than a spec sheet does.

Capacity, material, warranty terms, and delivery timeline should all be written down before you pay anything, not agreed to verbally. It protects both sides, and gives you something to point back to if anything does not match what was promised.