Your potatoes need their food and medicine, and you likely have neither the time nor the inclination to spoon-feed it to them. With that in mind, we present to you this application equipment buyers’ guide. Listed below is some of the most innovative equipment on the market, to provide you with the peace of mind that comes with knowing your crop is being well taken care of.
Summers Manufacturing
(800) 732-4392
Spray Fill Xpress
Conventionally filling sprayers eats up valuable time. The Spray Fill Xpress can increase spraying productivity by as much as 82 percent, thanks to its uniquely designed chemical batching process. This greatly expedites filling time, reducing a 30-minute chore to less than seven minutes. That means more time spent spraying and less time refilling. Customers can choose from two models, depending on size and chemical capacity requirements.
Concord
(800) 688-3300
Concord 5250 & 3800 Air Carts
The Concord 5250 and 3800 air carts offer fantastic capacity and flexibility. They have three tank compartments with single or dual airstream capabilities to deliver many different product combinations to the drill. They can also be used as tow-behind or tow-between to accommodate individual growers’ needs.
AGCO
Challenger TerraGator C Series
AGCO Corporation, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment, introduces the new TerraGator C Series high-flotation nutrient applicator and redesigned spray system by Challenger.
TerraGator C Series applicators provide nearly endless choices in single-pass fall or spring pre-emergence nutrient application, bringing even more accuracy and versatility to variable-rate crop input application to help optimize yields.
The TerraGator C Series features application-focused operator environment, intuitive command center and touchscreen AccuTerminal. Enhanced cab suspension, improved visibility and transmission upgrades that put more power to the ground are other new features of the TerraGator C Series high-flotation applicators.
The redesigned spray system has robust, full-featured booms and a new reload station that delivers greater control, exceptional accuracy and added convenience when applying liquid products.
Case IH
(877) 422-7344
Trident 5550 Liquid/Dry Combination Applicator
The Trident 5550 is the industry’s fastest-converting liquid/dry combination applicator on a high-clearance, row crop chassis that is engineered to be changed across three seasons. Using the Case IH Aerial Lift Device, operators can change from liquid to dry, or vice versa, in as little as 42 minutes. Automatic and in-cab adjustments and precise application technology help protect and spoon-feed crops at the optimal time. While in the field, operators benefit from an exclusive load-compensated suspension package and available factory-integrated dual tires.
The Trident 5550 Liquid System offers Case IH’s AIM Command FLEX advanced spray technology, delivering:
- Precise product flow and spray pressure
- Efficient, effective applications by eliminating over- and under-application
- Turn compensation for accurate, precise application across the boom, even around corners or on contours
The Trident 5550 combination applicator features the optional New Leader NL4500T G4 Edge variable rate dry nutrient applicator and a new level of precision dry-product application. The NL4500T G4 Edge’s patented precision spinner technology spreads dry product faster, wider and more consistently.
Greentronics Ltd.
AutoGlideXR Sprayer Boom Height Controller
Greentronics’ advanced AutoGlideXR system (also known as RiteHeight) fits a wide range of sprayers and automatically maintains correct boom height over varying soil and crop conditions. The AutoGlideXR keeps sprayer booms automatically at a consistent height, eliminating the need for manual height adjustments in hilly terrain and minimizing the risk of boom contact with the ground.
The AutoGlideXR system uses rugged ultrasonic range sensors mounted near the boom tips to continually monitor and maintain the height of the booms above the ground or crop canopy. This means more consistent spray height, better spray coverage, reduced drift, and less stress and fatigue, especially when spraying at dusk or after dark.
Because the AutoGlideXR controller uses the sprayer’s existing electric-over-hydraulic controls, it can easily be installed on almost any type of sprayer. Connections are made to the solenoid valves that control the boom lift cylinders.
Not only is AutoGlideXR extremely versatile, it is also attractively priced and offers great value on sprayers and other applications where sonar sensors can be used to automatically maintain correct height or depth.
John Deere
(866) 993-3373
R4044 Sprayer
The 1,200-gallon-capacity R4044 sprayer is 9 percent lighter than Deere’s R4045 sprayer, with a more balanced power-to-weight ratio, thanks to 325 engine horsepower from a 9.0-liter PowerTech engine. This allows operators to maintain speed under load as terrain changes and results in more accurate applications and greater productivity. This new sprayer also incorporates the latest guidance technologies that improve application accuracy and reduce crop damage and operator fatigue. AutoTrac Vision uses a front-mounted camera to help guide the sprayer wheels down the center of the crop rows early in the season; AutoTrac Row Sense relies on wheel-mounted paddle sensors to help steer the machine down row middles later in the growing season.
The R4044 features VF tires for superior traction and reduced soil impact, and steel booms up to 120 feet in width. Customers have the option of carbon fiber booms in 120- and 132-foot widths. A 200-cubic-foot drybox option is also available for dry fertilizer applications.
The ExactApply nozzle control system maintains consistent droplet size and pattern through a wide range of speeds, while reducing the potential for overlaps, skips and drift. Another major benefit of ExactApply is that operators have full turn compensation and shut-off functionality at the nozzle.
New Holland Agriculture
Guardian Front Boom Sprayers
The advantages of a front mount boom compared to a rear boom are many. With a front boom, the operator gets the best of all views and never needs to turn in the seat to monitor spraying action. Nozzles are located behind the boom, so the operator has a complete, unrestricted view of every nozzle. Spray is delivered into the crop before the tires go over it, eliminating the potential for dust to neutralize the spray.
The Guardian front boom sprayer lineup includes five models from 300 to 400 horsepower, with Tier 4B engines.
Guardian sprayers offer some of the industry’s largest tank sizes and six feet of ground clearance. Even weight distribution provides an ideal balance, with near equal load on each tire to maximize power to the ground while minimizing compaction. Four-wheel steering with crab-steer function is available as an option to minimize crop damage.
Pentair
(800) 424-9776
Hypro Express Flushing Valve
Pentair introduces the new Hypro Express flushing valve. Designed easily to install into a new system or retrofit onto an existing boom, the flushing valve minimizes the cumbersome task of boom cleanout after a long day of spraying. With the Hypro flush valve, boom flushing takes less than half the time than the standard Hypro Express end cap, but includes the same features such as a minimized dead end and air aspiration for quicker nozzle shutoff. The sprayer operator no longer requires a tool to remove the clip and plug from the end cap to flush out the boom, only a quick turn of the valve handle.
To retrofit a current Hypro Express end cap, an operator has simply to remove the plug and pin, place the valve in the plug socket, and place the pin back. Designed with operators in mind, this valve saves time with easy installation and easy boom flushing.
