What Fertilizer spreader ?

[JMTHORNLEY]

I have a very simple KRM Breadle that I really like. Land drive wheel and GPS on the tractor makes life easy as our ground is very bumpy and can go a speed that suits

 

[ih1455xl]

On 2nd kv wouldn’t have anything else now first was a bog standard RS XL this one is a TL geospread with weighing and section control weigh and grade fert got on website get spreader settings and never far out

 

[Robt]

Looking at upgrading our Amazone ZA-M.
All makes being looked at, it needs to hold 3/4 bags, be easy to set up and use, be reliable and not stripe the wheat !!
What should I buy, and what’s everyone’s experience of the following.
Amazone/Sulky/Kvernland/KRM.

Good morning,
Happy to talk you through the key points of a sulky. Or put you in touch with other owners.

 

[Cowabunga]

We have been using a KV exsacta TL for a long time. It’s been a good spreader in general but is a sod for stripes. You really need to check your spread pattern regularly.
i have enquired about the new Kuhn aero but haven’t heard anything.

I am at a loss to imagine how you stripe with that spreader. I have had a similar Vicon for well over a decade and use a lot of fertiliser per acre on all kinds of fields, some quite steep which striped terribly with drop and bat type spinners, yet I’ve never yet striped a field with this machine. Its easy[ish] to set up using their sieve box and charts [choosing the nearest to the sieve box results and density if the particular product is not in the charts] and if the driving width and width setting on the machine match, then it just does not stripe. Most of the fertiliser I use and in the 18m width I choose to spread, requires a disc speed of 750 rpm and it doesn’t matter what combination of engine revs and PTO ratio I use to achieve that speed. Keep the revs and width consistent with the advised settings and its guaranteed to spread accurately.

From experience on the forum I realise that not everyone reads the manual and understands how machines work. In this case the main issues I can think of to cause striping, apart from poor day to day setting, is the actual initial basic setting of the machine’s exit curtain. This needs an initial setting according to the book and a daily check to ensure that the openings on both disks are consistent and in the correct place relative to where they should be according to the lever position. Secondly that the gap between the stainless steel exit curtain and the spreading disc is no more than a millimetre or so all around, so that no fertiliser escapes under it and that all is ejected through the actual gap where it is meant to.

This is all in the operator’s manual.

 

[Cowabunga]

They can all stripe!!

I've ran lely then kuhn and now kv .

If you're on steep ground avoid kuhn amazone not sure about sulky as none in the area.

I'm on my third kv now and really like it but it can still stripe but definitely doesn't do it on the steep stuff like the Kuhn did before it . I set it as the app for CF multi cut sulphur this year out of pure laziness I didn't bother tray testing it and I've striped everything not heavy stripping but it's annoying

Sulky also terrible on steep ground. Fertiliser just drops vertically off the slide and lands on the wrong part of the vane on steep land. It cannot be avoided with any of the spreaders you named.

As you point out, if it isn’t set appropriately for the product being spread, every spreader ever made will be inaccurate and stripe. That is pure operator’s error. Some are easier to set than others and some are more robust than others. I would place the Vicon/Kv/Accord/Kubota larger capacity twin disc machines and Lely Centerliner as being the most consistently accurate in all conditions if set correctly. They may not be the easiest to set correctly but they are not particularly taxing either. I would not consider either machine to be the most robust available but both are long lasting if looked after.

 

[KB6930]

Sulky also terrible on steep ground. Fertiliser just drops vertically off the slide and lands on the wrong part of the vane on steep land. It cannot be avoided with any of the spreaders you named.

As you point out, if it isn’t set appropriately for the product being spread, every spreader ever made will be inaccurate and stripe. That is pure operator’s error. Some are easier to set than others and some are more robust than others. I would place the Vicon/Kv/Accord/Kubota larger capacity twin disc machines and Lely Centerliner as being the most consistently accurate in all conditions if set correctly. They may not be the easiest to set correctly but they are not particularly taxing either. I would not consider either machine to be the most robust available but both are long lasting if looked after.

The only other that I'll be looking at in a few years is an amazone ZA TS but I'll only be checking out something else due to the kv dealer it's not that I've needed them a lot but they're now 40 miles away instead of 6 .

My mate has a za ts amazone and I'm very impressed with the consistency of spread his fields are the same from side to side no yellowing at the edges which is one thing I struggle with it's not bad but I'm throwing fert into and through the boundary and still get a bit of yellowing around the edge

 

[Cowabunga]

The only other that I'll be looking at in a few years is an amazone ZA TS but I'll only be checking out something else due to the kv dealer it's not that I've needed them a lot but they're now 40 miles away instead of 6 .

My mate has a za ts amazone and I'm very impressed with the consistency of spread his fields are the same from side to side no yellowing at the edges which is one thing I struggle with it's not bad but I'm throwing fert into and through the boundary and still get a bit of yellowing around the edge

Are you setting the boundary deflector as recommended along with the disc speed? There are two suggested alternatives which either gets maximum crop yield to the boundary or to contain all the fertiliser within the boundary. In both cases the width between boundary and centre of tractor should be half the full spreading width.

 

[KB6930]

Are you setting the boundary deflector as recommended along with the disc speed? There are two suggested alternatives which either gets maximum crop yield to the boundary or to contain all the fertiliser within the boundary. In both cases the width between boundary and centre of tractor should be half the full spreading width.

Yeah I usually go for the max yield but it's still not right . Yesterday I was going alongside some gardens and backed the PTO speed off to less than they say for keeping it all in the field and the old guy recoiling and covering his eyes as I went past tells it's still going beyond the boundary

 

[KB6930]

Are you setting the boundary deflector as recommended along with the disc speed? There are two suggested alternatives which either gets maximum crop yield to the boundary or to contain all the fertiliser within the boundary. In both cases the width between boundary and centre of tractor should be half the full spreading width.

They reccomend full PTO speed so 530 for yield and 430 for eco I was at 350 and still got him !!

 

[Robt]

Sulky also terrible on steep ground. Fertiliser just drops vertically off the slide and lands on the wrong part of the vane on steep land. It cannot be avoided with any of the spreaders you named.

As you point out, if it isn’t set appropriately for the product being spread, every spreader ever made will be inaccurate and stripe. That is pure operator’s error. Some are easier to set than others and some are more robust than others. I would place the Vicon/Kv/Accord/Kubota larger capacity twin disc machines and Lely Centerliner as being the most consistently accurate in all conditions if set correctly. They may not be the easiest to set correctly but they are not particularly taxing either. I would not consider either machine to be the most robust available but both are long lasting if looked after.

Hi Cowabunga, every sulky machine is delivered with inserts that go into the aperture in the base of the hopper when the machine is used on Hillsides. They help to keep the flow going where it should regardless of the angle. These do however need cleaning daily hence very few of any users fit them. It won’t completely cure the issue but it will make a huge difference .

 

[Hobbit]

I am at a loss to imagine how you stripe with that spreader. I have had a similar Vicon for well over a decade and use a lot of fertiliser per acre on all kinds of fields, some quite steep which striped terribly with drop and bat type spinners, yet I’ve never yet striped a field with this machine. Its easy[ish] to set up using their sieve box and charts [choosing the nearest to the sieve box results and density if the particular product is not in the charts] and if the driving width and width setting on the machine match, then it just does not stripe. Most of the fertiliser I use and in the 18m width I choose to spread, requires a disc speed of 750 rpm and it doesn’t matter what combination of engine revs and PTO ratio I use to achieve that speed. Keep the revs and width consistent with the advised settings and its guaranteed to spread accurately.

From experience on the forum I realise that not everyone reads the manual and understands how machines work. In this case the main issues I can think of to cause striping, apart from poor day to day setting, is the actual initial basic setting of the machine’s exit curtain. This needs an initial setting according to the book and a daily check to ensure that the openings on both disks are consistent and in the correct place relative to where they should be according to the lever position. Secondly that the gap between the stainless steel exit curtain and the spreading disc is no more than a millimetre or so all around, so that no fertiliser escapes under it and that all is ejected through the actual gap where it is meant to.

This is all in the operator’s manual.

I will ignore the comment about reading the manual. It’s not like there’s loads of money and my reputation at stake.
We grade and weigh all products and set up through the app. Never had a problem at 24m but 30m is where it stripes. It overdosing in stead of underdosing. Would trying the longer veins work to try and get a double overlap work?

 

[Cowabunga]

Hi Cowabunga, every sulky machine is delivered with inserts that go into the aperture in the base of the hopper when the machine is used on Hillsides. They help to keep the flow going where it should regardless of the angle. These do however need cleaning daily hence very few of any users fit them. It won’t completely cure the issue but it will make a huge difference .

Yes, I know that they have little dividers that are very similar to combine sieve longitudinal dividers in appearance and function.

 

[Cowabunga]

I will ignore the comment about reading the manual. It’s not like there’s loads of money and my reputation at stake.
We grade and weigh all products and set up through the app. Never had a problem at 24m but 30m is where it stripes. It overdosing in stead of underdosing. Would trying the longer veins work to try and get a double overlap work?

I don’t do 30m must admit and that requires the machine to be tilted if I remember correctly.

 

[Hobbit]

I don’t do 30m must admit and that requires the machine to be tilted if I remember correctly.

Yes. It varies between 4 and 8 degrees. I will get in touch with the dealer. Once the crops get a bit taller then you nearly have to check your disc high in each field this then changes the angle. A hydraulic top link would make it a bit easier.
I like the idea of a geo-spread especially given the value of what we are putting on now.