Trailed vs Self Propelled Sprayer

[Feldspar]

Can't be bothered to start a new thread, but a useful bit of information that I absorbed today on boom height effects on drift when compared to increases in wind speed. This is an important piece of the puzzle when costing new equipment if it does give wider weather windows whilst still resulting in acceptable spraying performance.

Image credit: Agrii slide from NROSO course presentation, and research work done by Silsoe.

 

[Feldspar]

One question on the above: the Horsch sprayers have that silver guard that shrouds the boom and the nozzles. Does it achieve a boom height of 30cm from the nozzle tip, or from the bottom of this shroud?

 

[Tom H]

One question on the above: the Horsch sprayers have that silver guard that shrouds the boom and the nozzles. Does it achieve a boom height of 30cm from the nozzle tip, or from the bottom of this shroud?

It's from the nozzle tip.

 

[Feldspar]

Another (!) question for users: is a 110 l/min pump on the tractor enough? Heard stories about the spray pattern becoming irregular when the boom suspension is demanding a lot oil. What about if you are driving an air system on the sprayer with oil from the tractor? I'm a bit worried that 110 l/min might not be sufficient.

I remember back when we first had our Amazone Hydro Profis spreader which we were told would work fine on our MF6455. It didn't. Even the 6613 with a 110l/min pump and power beyond wasn't good enough. Ended up having to put new coupling ends to get enough flow through the pipes. Learnt that although the tractor pump was theoretically OK, in practice not enough oil was getting through pipes.

 

[Db880]

You will only loose spray pattern if pressure drops. What tractor are we talking about? Some are better on the power beyond than others. But there is a valve on the sprayer that can overcome most tractor problems. Flow is an important factor but if your tractor has a 110lpm pump you’ll be fine

 

[Feldspar]

You will only loose spray pattern if pressure drops. What tractor are we talking about? Some are better on the power beyond than others. But there is a valve on the sprayer that can overcome most tractor problems. Flow is an important factor but if your tractor has a 110lpm pump you’ll be fine

MF7620. Don't know if their Power Beyond design is inferior to other makes, but seemed to have more problems with the spreader than the Ben Burgess rep said they have with their JDs on Power Beyond.

 

[Robt]

I wonder why the John Deere rep said that?

 

[Feldspar]

I wonder why the John Deere rep said that?

Well the MFs are not very good in this respect. When they measured the oil flow at Weatherheads out of the couplings as normally configured the flow was pretty poor.

 

[Spud]

Well the MFs are not very good in this respect. When they measured the oil flow at Weatherheads out of the couplings as normally configured the flow was pretty poor.

Odd that, I've had 6 mfs of different ages with power beyond, never an ounce of bother with any of them. 12000hr 7480 last year tested within 3% of our 2015 7620's output.

 

[Feldspar]

Odd that, I've had 6 mfs of different ages with power beyond, never an ounce of bother with any of them. 12000hr 7480 last year tested within 3% of our 2015 7620's output.

In the end on the spreader we had to remove the couplings and run a direct line between the tractor and spreader to get the discs to run at a steady rpm. I can't remember the figure, but I think they could only get something like 40 l/min flow out of the normal set-up.

 

[Spud]

Sounds like very small couplings or lack of signal from the spreader. Could you get max flow by pulling a spool into gear to dead end the system? We had a similar problem with the sprayer last year, issue was with sprayer hydraulics, easily sorted once the right man looked at it.

 

[Feldspar]

Sounds like very small couplings or lack of signal from the spreader. Could you get max flow by pulling a spool into gear to dead end the system? We had a similar problem with the sprayer last year, issue was with sprayer hydraulics, easily sorted once the right man looked at it.

Could be. Couplings were all standard MF and Amazone. We hadn't downsized them at all. I can't remember exactly what they did when they tested it.

 

[Brisel]

@Steevo has experience with sprayers and oil flow issues.

 

[Steevo]

@Steevo has experience with sprayers and oil flow issues.

I do indeed!

It’s a poor show when the only experience I have that I can contribute to this forum is of things going wrong!

 

[Brisel]

I do indeed!

It’s a poor show when the only experience I have that I can contribute to this forum is of things going wrong!

I thought you fixed it?

 

[Feldspar]

I do indeed!

It’s a poor show when the only experience I have that I can contribute to this forum is of things going wrong!

Do expand.

 

[Steevo]

I thought you fixed it?

I just meant experience of things going wrong in general. Others bring useful skill and experience...

Power beyond made a huge difference.
Some parts being replaced (well, actually fitted where they should have been originally!) helped too.

But my pump is much much smaller at 60lpm max. Run it on the MF6490 and you’re laughing.

 

[Db880]

A lot of it can be to do with how the load sense signal is used in the tractor. On the Jd it goes in a pretty direct route back to compensator valve on the pump. On others like the Massey it has the chance to leak off through areas like the hyd block for front suspension. This can cause issues. If the sprayer like the Horsch has got has the possibility of upping the load sense return it’s fine. The Horsch can do this. If you run out of adjustment on this valve the boys from Horsch can make a change in the hydraulic block to give it more. If anotone needs more info please send me a private message

 

[Feldspar]

A lot of it can be to do with how the load sense signal is used in the tractor. On the Jd it goes in a pretty direct route back to compensator valve on the pump. On others like the Massey it has the chance to leak off through areas like the hyd block for front suspension. This can cause issues. If the sprayer like the Horsch has got has the possibility of upping the load sense return it’s fine. The Horsch can do this. If you run out of adjustment on this valve the boys from Horsch can make a change in the hydraulic block to give it more. If anotone needs more info please send me a private message

Cracking. Thanks!

 

[Feldspar]

Now that there must a few older Horsch sprayers on farms now, how are they holding up reliability wise?

On the spec front, is having air suspension worth it over the rubber dampers?