Sprayers Cover More Ground

Mar 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Sherry Collins

High corn prices should increase the number of corn acres this growing season. And with the ethanol boom, everyone seems to be scrambling to secure the necessary inputs and equipment to get the largest corn yield per acre. Nowhere is that more true than when it's time to spray. Because postemergence herbicides need to be applied by the time weeds reach 4 to 5 in. in height or farmers risk loss of yield by the day, spray timing is critical.

New sprayers are up to the task with features that can fit any size operation and help make spraying more efficient. “We expect sprayer sales to be strong in 2007,” says Redball President Steve Claussen.

Redball

Redball has entered the self-propelled sprayer market with a 1,200-gal. stainless steel sprayer with a 140-gal. integral rinse tank and a ProAction Flex boom. The boom is a lattice-truss pendulum boom, which is available in 80- and 90-ft. widths. The 2-wd mechanical drive sprayer is powered by a Tier 3, 275-hp, 6.8-liter John Deere diesel engine. It has an Allison 3000 automatic transmission with a locking torque converter, a JCB on-the-go locking differential and gear-driven drop boxes. Axles, which adjust from 120 to 152 in., are suspended with an automatic axle-leveling air bag system with sway control.

The sprayer's bolted flex-design frame is built from ⅜-in., 110,000-psi C-channel steel, with heavy-duty open-section cross members. The wheelbase is 13 ft. 9 in., allowing for a turning radius of just 15 ft. The overall sprayer length is 27 ft. with booms folded. Crop clearance is 48 in. with 14.9X46 tires, both front and rear. Heavy-duty disc brakes can be found at all four corners.

Although Redball has built its reputation with industry-leading high-clearance trailer sprayers, members of its engineering and production staff have designed and built many of the top self-propelled sprayer brands now in the field, Claussen notes.

“We started this project with a tremendous base of in-house knowledge and experience about self-propelled sprayers and the factors that make them productive and cost-efficient to operate,” he says.

Suggested list price is $185,000. Contact Redball LLC, Dept. FIN, Box 159, Benson, MN 56215, 877/332-2551, visit www.redballproducts.com or www.freeproductinfo.net/fin, or circle 106.

AGCO Spra-Coupe

AGCO has given its Spra-Coupe 4000 series sprayers a cosmetic overhaul, but they are essentially the quality sprayers farmers expect, says Joel Krause, sales engineer, AGCO Application Equipment. The 4455 and 4655 have a new hood design that falls in line with AGCO's larger Spra-Coupe series. The biggest advantages to these popular sprayers are that they are fuel efficient, have a lightweight design and, at 13 ft. 9 in, have the tightest turning radius in the business, Krause says. “That tight turning radius allows farmers to make pass after pass and get down the field a lot faster without spending needless time backing up and repositioning the sprayer,” he says.

The 4000 series offers 400-gal. poly tank capacity and features a new optional 60/80-ft. breakaway boom. The 60/80-ft. boom design allows two different spread widths, depending on the application job, in a single boom. And because the sprayer weighs less than 14,000 lbs. full, Krause says that farmers can spray in wetter conditions than if they used another sprayer, without worrying about compaction.

Suggested list prices of sprayers with a 60-ft. boom and automatic transmission range from $92,614 to $98,990. Contact AGCO Corp., Dept. FIN, 4205 River Green Pkwy., Duluth, GA 30096, 888/989-8525, visit www.agcocorp.com or www.freeproductinfo.net/fin, or circle 107.

Bestway

Bestway promises to tackle farmers' sprayer concerns with its lightweight Field-Pro IV-1200. The sprayer is a pull-type sprayer available with a choice of 60-, 80- or 90-ft. booms.

“As farms get bigger with more crop acres total, and more corn acres in particular, timeliness becomes very critical,” says Tony Stueve, Bestway sales manager.

The biggest advantage of the Field-Pro IV is its Fiberworks boom, which is a third the weight of steel but has three times more impact resistance. It rides better in the field because it is lightweight, causes less compaction and has fewer repair problems, Stueve says.

The sprayer also has an adjustable axle, which can accommodate wheel width spacing from 80 to 120 in. with minimal adjustments. The 1200 is available with a Norac automatic boom height control system.

Suggested retail prices range from $29,000 to $40,500, depending on boom length and tank size. Contact Bestway at RHS, Dept. FIN, 2021 W. Iowa St., Hiawatha, KS 66434, 877/390-4480, visit www.rhs-inc.com or www.freeproductinfo.net/fin, or circle 108.