Older Self Propelled Sprayers - Bateman, Houseman, Sands

[JR.]

Hi - currently run a Bateman Hilo of 1993 vintage with around 6000 hours on the clock - lovely light sprayer and does the job well, but as dad does less hours and I do more in evenings, weekends and holidays I have been looking at upping capacity (a bit). I really want a tank that can hold at least 2500 litres so I can spray 20ha blocks at 120l/ha but I don't want a heavy machine.

I am looking at RB15/16 and 25's and frankly I am rather amazed at how well they hold their value given the hours on them and the fact that the boom is the same rather unstable boom as I have on my HiLo. Whereas it seems you can get much younger, better spec and lower hour Houseman and Sands sprayers for less money. I am looking at the 5000 hour plus, at least 15 years old end of the spectrum, but still, why so much more for Bateman? Are the older Houseman AR3000's a good sprayer as there seem to be a good few about.

Just quickly should add that trailed is not in consideration here simply because of how we choose to run and kit out our little unit.

I would be interested in peoples views as I am very much heading towards Houseman, especially as I hear more stories of people with the Rb16/25 etc having the same issues I have with 'wavy boom'

Very many thanks

Jonathan

 

[snarling bee]

If you are interested I have a 2005 RB25 for sale, 24m contour boom, 3000l. 5800 hrs. £30k ono. Same farm since new.

Whats 'wavy boom'?

 

[JR.]

Hi - wavy boom is a phenomenon whereby the boom gentle oscillates from side to side in an ever increasing manner and had nothing to do with going through ruts or furrows, more is about undulations in the ground that just get it on the rock. We find it to be very bad when we drill peas in the spring straight into overwintered ploughing without moving the land first, it think its the low front furrow on the plough. We experience it and I have become aware of several farmers our way getting peeved with it. two moved to landquip, one moved to john deere.

Yours sounds interesting

 

[Lowland1]

I have just replaced a 9300 hour AR 2500 for an ex demo Spirit and reckon an older AR would be a good buy.

 

[Robt]

If you are in IP21 postcode. I would buy a Sands. great machines with backup to match Bateman. I know Househam backup is good too. But you could be at sands factory in what 1 hour and 15?

 

[Chae1]

Hi - wavy boom is a phenomenon whereby the boom gentle oscillates from side to side in an ever increasing manner and had nothing to do with going through ruts or furrows, more is about undulations in the ground that just get it on the rock. We find it to be very bad when we drill peas in the spring straight into overwintered ploughing without moving the land first, it think its the low front furrow on the plough. We experience it and I have become aware of several farmers our way getting peeved with it. two moved to landquip, one moved to john deere.

Yours sounds interesting

How fast are you going? I find the faster I go, the less my booms wave.?‍

I've landquip booms, sprayers 23 years old.

 

[JR.]

We spray at around 9km/hr - sometimes around 10km but can't go much faster. Big ruts and jolts are not a problem, its undulations
We have very good bateman backup within 20 mins, Sands are about an hour and 1/4 away, landquip are 2 mins away (but never have any machines) and Houseman support I think is about 40 mins away in Attleborough.

I don't mind paying for quality, I just wonder what it is you are getting thats worth more on the bateman. given that we keep kit a long time I don't focus on spending more now to have better resale.

Cheers

 

[fieldfarmer]

We spray at around 9km/hr - sometimes around 10km but can't go much faster. Big ruts and jolts are not a problem, its undulations
We have very good bateman backup within 20 mins, Sands are about an hour and 1/4 away, landquip are 2 mins away (but never have any machines) and Houseman support I think is about 40 mins away in Attleborough.

I don't mind paying for quality, I just wonder what it is you are getting thats worth more on the bateman. given that we keep kit a long time I don't focus on spending more now to have better resale.

Cheers

Not familiar with the hi lo, does it have axle suspention like on RB25, because I think my booms are quite stable up to 16K then vertical shock comes on the outer section?

 

[JR.]

Same boom on a HiLo but no suspension on chassis. Has been suggested that is a problem but equally some say that suspension adds to the problem.

 

[RAF]

Bateman end off

 

[Oscar]

Those older RB s are fairly bullet proof as so many were made and things improved along the way . They are holding value well as they suit farmers who want to go SP . Around here in West Somerset when I bought my first SP, a 4 yr old Hi Lo 2001 model in 1999, there were no other SP s for 20 miles as farmers used mostly Hardi mounted sprayers at 12m although one guy had gone to 21 m and I had a ancient Moteska 24m mounted with front tank. Over the next 10 years, there were 6 SP s, all 24m , 5 Batemans and one Case plus me . Now , it's more like 10 in the 20 miles !! That original case still going and @SRRC also bought a case !! Rest are all Batemans and I m now on my fifth one.
Good machine and good back up.

 

[Oscar]

Forgot to add ,that I do contract spraying hence why I went SP back in 1999.
Also to add, RB s are much more comfortable due to suspension, have hydraulic adjustable axle width , 2w steer when on road and actually spraying and 4 w steer for headland turns and with engine behind cab rather than under cab run cooler over a Hi Lo . All excellent features over the Hi Lo.
Also from experience , would think that your boom weave is due to something worn ( anti yaw rubber blocks?)

 

[Robt]

We spray at around 9km/hr - sometimes around 10km but can't go much faster. Big ruts and jolts are not a problem, its undulations
We have very good bateman backup within 20 mins, Sands are about an hour and 1/4 away, landquip are 2 mins away (but never have any machines) and Houseman support I think is about 40 mins away in Attleborough.

I don't mind paying for quality, I just wonder what it is you are getting thats worth more on the bateman. given that we keep kit a long time I don't focus on spending more now to have better resale.

Cheers

You must mean Jonny! Top chap!

 

[marshbarn]

Hi - currently run a Bateman Hilo of 1993 vintage with around 6000 hours on the clock - lovely light sprayer and does the job well, but as dad does less hours and I do more in evenings, weekends and holidays I have been looking at upping capacity (a bit). I really want a tank that can hold at least 2500 litres so I can spray 20ha blocks at 120l/ha but I don't want a heavy machine.

I am looking at RB15/16 and 25's and frankly I am rather amazed at how well they hold their value given the hours on them and the fact that the boom is the same rather unstable boom as I have on my HiLo. Whereas it seems you can get much younger, better spec and lower hour Houseman and Sands sprayers for less money. I am looking at the 5000 hour plus, at least 15 years old end of the spectrum, but still, why so much more for Bateman? Are the older Houseman AR3000's a good sprayer as there seem to be a good few about.

Just quickly should add that trailed is not in consideration here simply because of how we choose to run and kit out our little unit.

I would be interested in peoples views as I am very much heading towards Houseman, especially as I hear more stories of people with the Rb16/25 etc having the same issues I have with 'wavy boom'

Very many thanks

Jonathan

We used to run a HILO now a RB 16 same contour boom both 24 M
The contour boom is great in that it fold flat to sides of the machine , so no problem with over hanging trees on road. Down side of the contour boom is the shearpins on the shoulder which are a pain to replace in the field, The new booms on batemans are hydralic brake bake on shoulders and neighbour swears by them.
As for sway have you checked all the shock absorbers on the boom suspension?

 

[Hjwise]

I run an old Chafer Mirage - good cabs for their age and strong wheel motors. Weak point is electrics. There is a high speced one on eBay at the moment, which I’ve been very tempted by.

 

[traineefarmer]

What tyres are you running? The rigid chassis on our HiLo makes boom stability much worse when running row crops on narrow track width. On terras it's lovely.

I reckon the axle suspension on an RB will cure the issues you are having, new indespension units and shocks on your HiLo might also help.

What ever you decide, the best sprayer manufacturers seem to paint their machines red.

 

[JR.]

Morning all, just back in from a spot of spraying and by Christ its rough going over the hard baked tramlines.

Our local Bateman chap (Jonny) and his very handy engineer Phil have changed the yaw units, uprated the springs/shocks and this did improve things a great deal, so that jolts and ruts don't cause the problems. Its just the seesawing that just starts for no reason that bugs me as you suddenly find one end of the boom in the crop and the other reaching for the moon.
We run 540/65r24 during autumn and early spring and then 270/??R36 as rowcrops - it shakes you to bits on rowcrops but seesaws less.

It is a pain as the sprayer is bullet proof, light and very easy to use - but on our small acreage (340 acres) our aim is to offset our lack of size but trying (and often failing) to do everything 'just so' - hence me spraying wheat tonight once the wind was down and going at 8km/hr to get really good coverage. The results of the boom seesaw can be seen in the crops due to over and under dosing and tonight with a 3000 litre tank I could have done everything in 2 tanks with minimal running around, rather than 3.5 tanks and a lot of running around.

First world problems I know

 

[JWL]

I've spent the last couple of days on a Bateman Hi-Lo for a friend, my last full time spraying job was piloting an older Househam with a 3000l tank and the difference is quite marked. The Househam was the one where the cab had the flat glass panels so there wouldn't have been that much of an age difference but the Househam having the suspension and the longer wheelbase gave a much better ride for me sitting on the seat plus it didn't feel like I would be having to be going back to the field to pick up all the bits that might have fallen off on the headland tramline. I did find the RDS controller set up on the Househam was a lot easier to use than the Bateman but that might be down to the basic thing that I understood the RDS a lot more due to using some more of their products on other kit.
I will say that I would still take either of them over some of the other sprayers I've driven of that era and older, I'm not sure that I'd want to be spending hour after hour again on the Chaviot range, one of the farms I worked on had pretty much everything they ever made including the Spray Coupe, that was fun trying to maintain 15 to 20 kph in a small field with trees and telephone poles with a 24m boom!

 

[JCFC]

I had a HiLo on a Contour boom and then moved to a RB26 with Contour and since replaced with RB35 with VG. I don’t think there was much difference in book ride in the HiLo and 26, I think they were both pretty good and didn’t seasaw. I would think there is still a set up problem with your HiLo. The major difference between the two was driver comfort from the suspension. The 35 and VG is better again on boom stability and driver comfort, neither top of the class in the market now though compared to Horsch etc. Still a very good British built machine with incredible backup. The increase in output over the three machines is not proportional to the increase in cost imo, however application accuracy and driver comfort has improved

 

[Jim75]

Won’t go far wrong with a Househam despite what some will say. Parts are easily found locally and whenever help was needed from Househam it was forthcoming. Preferred sitting in the AR cab to an rb25 I had a look at but just personal preference. Think I was stuck twice, first was my fault and an easy tug out, 2nd was a major pull, it involved going in to a full crop of barley and a burst water main