New AGCO Row Crop Sprayers Feature Easier Clean-Out Systems
The new RoGator C Series of row-crop herbicide applicators from AGCO Corporation feature a closed-loop sprayer system for fast priming to get started and more complete clean-out of sprayer booms at the end of each job.
“With the prevalence of herbicide-resistant weeds throughout the country and the introduction of new herbicide systems to control these weeds, greater management and attention to detail will be needed for anyone applying herbicides,” says Mark Mohr, tactical marketing manager of AGCO’s application division.
“The engineering and technology of the RoGator C Series machines and new LiquidLogic system are going to help operators simplify their jobs, reduce potential for off-target application, make cleanout faster, easier and more thorough and reduce product waste,” he says.
In a field demonstration put on for farm media this week in Jackson, Minn.,. Mohr and his colleagues demonstrated that the machines are capable of leaving less than a gallon of material in the 120’ sprayer boom, plumbing and filters. The rest of the product is reclaimed and pushed back into the sprayer’s tank. Key to the system is a continuous flow, closed-loop plumbing system. The operator is also able to angle the boom arms up and down which allows gravity to drain the boom. Air pressure is then used to force remaining product back to the tank and to vacate and clean nozzles.
The C Series applicators also use self-priming booms once the product pump and recirculation system is turned on. The LiquidLogic systems maintains a +/- 1 psi variation across the boom and helps ensure a consistent spray pattern.
The applicators’ drive system is also new. A single system with a four-corner distribution block sends hydraulic fluid to all four wheels of the machine, and sensors detect which wheel or wheels need more or less power for better traction control as the machine moves down the field. On turns, sensors also slow down inside wheels and speed up outside wheels which reduces sliding, crop damage and soil disruption. The C Series applicators are also now equipped with an anti-lock braking system for safer, shorter braking distances both in the field and on the road.
The auto-guidance system on the C Series applicators features dual-band cellular plus worldwide satellite connectivity, so machines are never lost and owners always know where their machines are. That enhances both security and operational efficiency as machines move field to field and tenders move product to the sprayers.
The C Series sprayers will make their public debut a MAGIE August 24 and 25 in Bloomington, Ill., and will be featured at other Midwest farm shows this fall.
