LAMMA 2018 hosts the launch of the UF2002
UF 2002 to be unveiled at the Peterborough show
After its introduction to the farming world at Agritechnica last month, the new UF 2002 mounted sprayer will debut to British farmers on January 17th - 18th at LAMMA 2018 in Peterborough.
The trend towards increasing tank sizes for minimising refill times, and wider booms to improve work rates, has led to a complete new design for the model. With boom widths up to 30 metres, and the option of either up to 11 part-width sections or individual nozzle shut-off using the AmaSwitch electric nozzle control, the boom mast has been integrated into the new frame with improved slide bearings for exact boom height control. The DistanceControl plus automatic height control, with its mix of tilt sensors, potentiometers and ultra-sound sensors, is brought over from the existing smaller models which ensures that the boom is guided at the desired height above crop in either undulating ground or on flat going at speeds of up to 20 km/h.
The new UF2002 is distinctive in looks with its new, close-coupled, flush-fronted 2120 litre spray tank and grey 350 litre fresh water tank that offers sufficient clean water for when using the FT1001 front tank as well. The sprayer is a doddle to connect with the tractor as the lower link balls, either in Cat. II or Cat. III widths are integrated into the lower link sockets for easy mounting and then the top link is hooked on and then with ample room to get the PTO and hydraulic pipes, etc. connected first, the quick attach system pulls the sprayer onto the tractor top link The parking legs then are released into their working position by the pull of a catch which then locks the quick attach system.
Another highlight is the new operator station that provides a quick, simple fill up thus saving time and avoiding chemical wastage. Open the swing door back against the boom to avoid clothing contamination, pop on the gloves and face mask out of the door and the sprayer is ready to fill. The new 60 litre induction bowl draws in dry powders or liquids at a staggering 150 l/min with the main spray tank filling with water at up to 400 litres/min. The Comfort-Pack I terminal means that the fill levels for the fresh water and main tank can be set from the operator station and come with automatic fill stop built in. The see-through filter housing makes maintenance much simpler and both the suction filter and pressure filter can be drained and cleaned. The new 7-way, in-house produced, pressure tap is designed to ensure that no spray liquid gets transferred from port to port accidentally preventing any issues of contamination during filling. Hand wash tank, soap dispenser and clothing locker are built into the operator station.
The performance of the FT1001 front tank has also been improved with faster transfer rates via the unique FlowControl+ system that automatically, fills, mixes and transfers the contents of the front tank back and forth where necessary to ensure a homogenous mix and optimum weight distribution between front and back axle without any input from the operator.
WindControl comes to ZA-TS and ZG-TS spreaders
Amazone, with a 100 year history of making fertiliser spreaders, has always been at the forefront of technology, and no more so with the introduction of WindControl for the TS range of both mounted and trailed spreaders. WindControl is able to cope with those times when it might be too windy still to be out spreading - the job needs to be finished but is it worth the risk to crack on? So where does WindControl fit into all this? Going back to the original scenario, it is not just a case of whether it is too windy or not to go spreading; the question is how wide are we spreading, what product is in the hopper, and which direction is the wind coming from rather than just about the strength. Using an anemometer integrated into the spreader, the strength and direction of the wind are continually monitored and the spreader adjusted on each disc individually to compensate for any wind effect. The spreader knows what product is being spread and the width at which it is being spread to. WindControl and ArgusTwin then look after the decision making; when it exceeds what is possible to compensate for, the system tells the driver that they should stop spreading. A win-win situation all round from the spreader experts.
LAMMA 2018 will see the ZA-TS mounted spreader with WindControl and ArgusTwin taking centre stage on Stand R29 come and find us there, the kettle will always be on the go.
Mid-range ZA-V spreaders go Hydro
2018 will be the third spreading season for the ZA-V mid-range spreaders, and the range is still being expanded with LAMMA 2018 seeing the ZA-V Profis Hydro making an appearance. The hydraulically-driven discs on the ZA-V Hydro are controlled for speed via the ISOBUS terminal thus maintaining the desired disc speed whether driving up hill or down dale, and all this at a diesel-sparing, tick over engine speed. GPS-activated Section Control gives up to 16 automatic part-width sections via a mixture of disc speed reduction and application rate adjustment plus border spreading can be done to either side at the press of a button in the cab which slows the disc speed and adjusts the spread rate where necessary during the headland bout. The ZA-V Hydro is only available with the 200 Hz Profis weighing system and comes in hopper sizes from 1400 litres through to 4200 litres. Spreading width is up to 36 metres.
