One size fits all sprayer testing !,,

[Boomerang]

Am I the only one who thinks the sprayer testing protocols should be on a sliding scale depending on how much ground is covered.
A small scale 12 m 100 ha a year sprayer is tested with the same frequency as a 20000ha unit. Either test the larger one more often or the smaller one every 3 or four years . As usual the rules favour the big boys. The costs ,paper work ,rules that small scale units have to endure beggar belief !!,,,
Who are these faceless desk jockeys .,,'

 

[7610 super q]

I suppose the smart arse answer is, every machine that applies chems to crops needs to be tested to the same standard.
It does grate that the small fry has to pay the same as the big boys though.
Testing every 5000 acres covered would be a good idea. Mine would only need doing once a lifetime.

 

[Boomerang]

Same standard Yes but same frequency no ,those big machines are piling thousands of litres through them compared to the small ones so surely are more likely to have problems and much higher wear rates.
My sprayer tester laughs every year he comes because he knows full well he won't find any problems, the sprayer dosn't do enough.
For various reasons a contractor is not a viable route for me to take , so I'm stuck with this laughable unfair system .

 

[spin cycle]

Am I the only one who thinks the sprayer testing protocols should be on a sliding scale depending on how much ground is covered.
A small scale 12 m 100 ha a year sprayer is tested with the same frequency as a 20000ha unit. Either test the larger one more often or the smaller one every 3 or four years . As usual the rules favour the big boys. The costs ,paper work ,rules that small scale units have to endure beggar belief !!,,,
Who are these faceless desk jockeys .,,'

spot on boy....i'm in same boat.....it's like RT are trying to 'cleanse us out'

 

[Bury the Trash]

Annual Mot seems to come around far too quickly.
This would be one of those things that i think they (FA ) could easily stratify and make a sensible cost./ extended period of Mot validity - relative to use.
Small operators/ acreage/ contractors can be as good as large ones,keeping them in business and
would encourage wider skills base rather than curtail it as said above.

 

[GTB]

HGV's on low mileage don't have to have six weekly checks, they do 8 or ten weekly I believe so if it's good enough for HGV's then why can't something similar happen with sprayers?

 

[Jetemp]

In the intrest of debate i'm going to be a little controversial!! I reckon the big sprayers covering large acreages will be better looked after than the smaller machines that only do a few acres a year!! So it should be the other way round less acerage means more frequent testing!!

James

 

[spin cycle]

In the intrest of debate i'm going to be a little controversial!! I reckon the big sprayers covering large acreages will be better looked after than the smaller machines that only do a few acres a year!! So it should be the other way round less acerage means more frequent testing!!

James

HMMM....how do you prove that though??....i went on a pa1/2 free training course....in the afternoon we went to have a look at 4000l sp yr old jobber....took 20 mins to stop various nozzles leaking

 

[Campbell]

As an NSTS tester, I say test everything twice a year!. You could argue that bigger growers/users of sprayers have much greater running costs, so expense is proportional.
Under the EU Sustainable Use Directive sprayers require a test every five years from this November, it is UK supermarket protocols, VI and farm assurance that require annual testing. Every sprayer is required to be tested by November this year. Note it is extremely rare to find a sprayer that is not fit for work these days.

 

[Boomerang]

Twice a year for a little used sprayer ,you need a course of common sense

As an NSTS tester, I say test everything twice a year!. You could argue that bigger growers/users of sprayers have much greater running costs, so expense is proportional.
Under the EU Sustainable Use Directive sprayers require a test every five years from this November, it is UK supermarket protocols, VI and farm assurance that require annual testing. Every sprayer is required to be tested by November this year. Note it is extremely rare to find a sprayer that is not fit for work these days.[/QUOTE

 

[spin cycle]

Twice a year for a little used sprayer ,you need a course of common sense

....saying that to these people is akin to the HSE stating 'theres no such thing as an accident'

 

[Boomerang]

In the intrest of debate i'm going to be a little controversial!! I reckon the big sprayers covering large acreages will be better looked after than the smaller machines that only do a few acres a year!! So it should be the other way round less acerage means more frequent testing!!

James

you should get a job at Red tractor with arse about face thinking like that !

 

[Jetemp]

I think you have to take things into perspective, I/we operate a 4000 litre self propelled and there hasn't been a point in its 4 years with us that it wouldn't have passed a nsts test (other than when one of its other operators clouted a fence). We change things like diagram check valve seals as a service item (full sets at a time), pump diaghrams and Ramsey seals as a matter of annual maintanence, strip down and clean and lubricate all valves and air shut offs and any pipe work that isn't in perfect condition gets replaced at this time of year to prevent down time in a hectic spray season.

What do the sprayers that only cover a couple of hundred acres a year get done to them, on a maintanence basis, there's nothing worse than seals going dry and cracking !!

James

 

[Spud]

To be honest, I dont think an annual sprayer MOT is a problem. Wear occurs with big use, perishing etc occurs with low use. Annual is fine.
Whats more unfair, I feel, is the nematicide applicator MOT. Regardless of how much abrasive product passes through it, its to be tested annually. a 200ha grower could (in theory) put 6tonnes of product through. A 20ha grower a tenth of that.
Smaller growers (as per AHDB Potatoes' levy return, ought to be once every 2-3yrs. Over say 100ha then annually. Much less to go wrong than on a sprayer.

 

[spin cycle]

you do 4 tanks with your sprayer @Jetemp and you've done a years worth in my terms....perhaps you should have a daily nsts mot?

 

[Jetemp]

@spin cycle to a degree we do, our sprayer gets checked over to nsts level by its operator at least once a week in the season, nozzles flow checked etc. what's the routine maintanence schedule on your sprayer??

If it takes annual checking to keep customers further down the food chain on side I don't think it's a major issue.

James

 

[Campbell]

Twice a year for a little used sprayer ,you need a course of common sense

I think you may have had a sense of humour bypass.

 

[spin cycle]

@spin cycle to a degree we do, our sprayer gets checked over to nsts level by its operator at least once a week in the season, nozzles flow checked etc. what's the routine maintanence schedule on your sprayer??

If it takes annual checking to keep customers further down the food chain on side I don't think it's a major issue.

James

i could say i check my sprayer every time before i go spraying but self regulation is no good though is it?..thats why we have nsts and the like....if we can have a service log that we could fill in as we go and checked by farm assurance guy fine....but we know thats not going to happen

if we're going to be controversial i think that full sprayers shoudn't be allowed on the roads

 

[spin cycle]

I think you may have had a sense of humour bypass.

pot and kettle

 

[Bumble Bee]

We often find when MOT testing that sprayers that are used infrequently often suffer from sticking valves/microswitches, pressure gauges inaccurate (frost damage?) perished pipes.
On a busy machine an annual MOT does certainly not mean it is fit for the next 12 months. Ours are checked daily with a more thorough check weekly.