Boom shutoff on an old sprayer?

Rob Holmes

Moderator
BASIS
After months of deliberating i've finally decided to overhaul/smarten/modernise our 2001 Knight sprayer,

The rate controller is an RDS Delta 34i and switchbox is a Knight's own, valves are Teejet

One thing i would really like to do is to put GPS boom shutoff on it, it is 24 m in 4 sections

I priced it up a few years ago but was too expensive, has the kit become cheaper?

I was told i need at least 7 sections to make it worthwhile.

EDIT: It's a trailed sprayer and only really worth about £8k

@SimpersTradeCounter
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Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
It isn't difficult, but it cost about £7-8k plus the cost of the screen to do it with my bateman including the electric steering wheel. This included all wiring, antennas and fitting, I did make a bracket in the workshop myself to fit the screen to. I move the screen between tractor and sprayer but the rest stays put. It is brilliant, currently it does 4 sections but the kit is able to do up to twelve if you replumb the sprayer.

I think for just autosection it was about £4k, and I'd have still used my existing screen.

Aren't you using patchworks? If the fellow is to be believed they now do it with their GO screen for little outlay.
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
I have got a Patchwork Cruizer, which could do Autoboom with an extra box added to it but we need the Patchwork for the fert spreader, and is quite often being used at the same time as the sprayer

IIRC, i can have the Patchwork Evo which has everything built into it, and is around £2000 IIRC


That is very cheap if it does autosection control.
 

Robigus

Member
@Robt did our second hand Chaffer. No idea of cost because it was all part of the deal, but it works well.
We have got far more shut offs though. I had them set at regular spacings but am now wondering if a few very small sections near the boom tip would not be the way to go if you want to save chemical, with 4 x 6m sections you are going to have a big overlap before it switches off
 

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
I always wonder the benefits of these things. We have our drill tractor on auto steer now and I expected to have lots of leftover seed, fertiliser and chemicals with all the savings quoted. No difference.
 
Rob, I fitted a Teejet Centerline 230 BP to a Bateman RB25 in the past. Just wired straight into section switches on the joystick. It maps outside of the field and then runs auto section and parallel track. They are about £1500, central crop sprayers supplied and fitted. Plenty accurate enough for 4 sections.
 

Jim75

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Easter ross
Pondering the same at the minute rob. Currently have a patchworks advance and was quoted £1500 for the sc8 and from what the dealer said is relatively easy to fit myself. Just 4 sections on my househam but day in day out should be More accurate than me
 
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Rob Holmes

Moderator
BASIS
I use a LH Agro Centreline GPS for guidance:
awww.agriavis.com_medias_images_produit_originales_454_produit_4228.jpg

Could something be used with this?

How would i go on wiring something into the section switches or would i need a new switchbox?
 

womble

Member
Location
alcester
did a full boom section upgrade on our second hand househam sprint after using teejet matrix pro on tractor previously you don't say if its a self propelled or trailled machine .
we went the whole hog from scratch firstly sourced a air kit from erentek the trailer braking and air suspension guys options there for hydraulic drive stand alone 12 volt pump serious piece of kit rated for 80 % duty cycle or direct drive via vee belt if spare pulley some where . went for vee belt drive option and complete kit comes with unloader valve,pressure regulator , air receiver. Steel braided delivery pipe required number of air solenoids quick vent dump valves for outer sections to reduced delay in switching off . and all relevant fittings they can supply all the air line and fittings as well if you tell them how many sections you want to run cost circa £1000 sounds a lot but faster you can switch sections more savings as delays are minimal on to off in less than half a second electric valves can be 3to 4 seconds even worse accuracy the faster you are travelling .
next you need to source the air operated dcv replacements straight screw on replacement if using hypro or lurmark nozzle holders here you have a choice orginals on sprayer where triplet bodies the air dcv alone is £14 ish or a complete quine body holder was £18 so changed complete bodies as using liqid fert so less nozzle removing plus all plastic replaced to stop uv effects . this systems very safe as the valves work on spring closure air opening unlike some that work the other way round . also now you have air switching we fitted a pneumatic weir valve and joined all boom section pipe together so have full boom recirculation at all times when not spraying also four couplers will drain boom fully during frosty weather .

we set up or sprayer for 9 section control as set below

2m 2m 2m 4m 4m 4m 2m 2m 2m
this allows me to run at 12 m bout width when working on some pasture that is landy and in small paddocks you will be ultimately governed by how many sections your rds box is capable of handling our lh box listed 9 and works nine but in manual I have five section control as only 5 switches on joy stick

6m 4m 4m 4m 6m

a matrix pro box will cost circa £1400 and a dedicated rds module for electric valves circa £1100 this module will also be needed if air switching as it will need to talk to allow pressure control as sections turn on or off next step could be auto steer as matrix can be upgraded for about £1200 dedicated hyd block in system so not transferable easily

the accuracy of even a simple system as this is unnerving the bright golden over lap can be reduced to literately a 6inch wide stripe with little saw teeth on the pikes in my option you would be badly setup if you don't achieve 10%reduction in overspray as first time through with boom section most fields ran around .4ha over spray ie bounded area 7.37 sprayed area 7.7ha now that field will be around 7.39 even have two fields that achieve bounded area same as sprayed area but don't forget if your tramlines are narrow the sprayer will always account for them some people even go as far as having the two extreme nozzles as separate boom section each side may not be a option for you on older controllers due to section numbers available .

we budgeted for a three year pay back on 400 acres but on the amount of spray sent back in the first year due to the reduced area and the double up affect of the liquid fert savings nearly did it in the first season the one drawback I did find was the system was so dam accurate and working in hand with the rate controller the tank gauge was no where near accurate enough didn't realise they only need to be within 10% of tank cap accuracy so invested in a arag flow meter the magnetic one not a pony flow as don't need to account for differences in specific gravity not cheap at around £650 but essential to make system work


hope this gives you some idea need any more info just ask. graham
 

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