With the 3-row model range being complete, it was natural that Standen should ask itself the question: what next?

Standen's marketing director of the time believed that the next step was to move to 4-row harvesting, in particular as the British Sugar Corporation were at the time examining the benefits of growing sugar beet in beds, (of which more later).

Not every one in the company could see why traditional growers should wish to change their systems to suit four row harvesting, so it was decided to use the good offices of the BSC to circulate a questionnaire to about 700 growers to ask them where they thought the market was going. In answering they won a free ticket to the Royal Show, so there was a good response.

There was absolutely no support for a 4-row system whatsoever!

However, despite this, the aforementioned marketing director (Andy Bone), who also happens to be the author of this history, decided to press ahead and for quickness to import a 4-row beet harvester from France, the Franquet 4-row. This lifted beet planted on 16 inch centres, as opposed to the more normal 20 inch centres, which suited not only the French market, but much more importantly the new bed concept being promulgated by the BSC.

So why was this new system being advanced as the next step? The answer was contained in the phrase "controlled wheelings". Running a tractor through a crop at random, whether spraying, distributing fertilizer, hoeing or simply transversing the field to the next gate, compacts the soil and adversely affects the growth of the plants which grow near the compacted soil.

To overcome this BSC tested a system based on a 72 inch tractor wheel track, made up of four 16 inch rows and two 24 inch wheelings. This proved to be the answer to compaction, and since there was no evidence of reduced yields, in fact the opposite, the market for the bed machine appeared... just as Standen had hoped.

The Franquet harvester had sold in very small numbers, mainly because it used a French style of lifting and cleaning which were not familiar to British growers; its discharge was even on the opposite side! It was nonetheless a good little harvester, and opened the door for the introduction of the Standen Turbo Four, which was an in-house design based on the Turbobeet.

The Turbo Four had the advantage of being completely understood by its operators, of lifting 16 inch rows on beds, and being able to lift four 20 inch rows as well.

This option became more attractive than the bed system after a year or two, and by the standards of the time the Turbo Four sold well.

In fact it marked the end of the traditional simple, effective Standen beet harvester.

Its replacement was introduced in 1990, this being called the Spectrum.

It must be remembered that in 1989 Standen were manufacturing three models of three and four row harvesters, the Turbobeet, the Sceptre and the Turbo Four. With numbers dropping as the effect of the self-propelled six row harvesters took hold it was becoming clear to Standen's management that without a model to replace all three, manufacturing costs of each model would start climbing. This realisation led to the development of the Spectrum.

This model could be specified as a 3-row or a 4-row machine, (on 16 inch up to 21 inch work), with or without the Sceptre-type cleaner, and with the option of an integral Turbo-topper. It also incorporated features such as double lift webs on the main web and on the discharge elevator, auto steering and depth control, a steering axle, and web angle control.

It was well received by the farming public, and sales began promisingly.

A later Mk2 version, was introduced which incorporated many imporvements, but already the market sector was in rapid decline, and 1997 was the last year it appeared in the price-list.

With labour availability becoming an increasing problem for farmers the Spectrum-type system with its need for a relay of trailers was already doomed. Furthermore the Thyregod tanker met the demand for this scale of harvester, and Standen was able to maintain a strong market presence with this model until 2001.