An efficient spraying machine is a formidable comrade in the farmer’s fight against weeds and pests, but deciding which one to acquire can be tricky.

The Amazone UF 1801 three point linkage piggyback sprayer, with the additional FT 1001 tank mounted on the tractor nose, has made a huge difference in the management of the crop-farming component of his business, says Mauritz de Beer, farm manager of Rilu Farms, a big dairy farm near Kroonstad.

More than 2 200 head of cattle has to be fed daily. The cows graze on centre pivot lands, but the basis of concentrated feed is silage. This is made from mealies and feed sorghum cultivated on 1 000 hectares and the Amazone UF is employed to protect the crops.

Mauritz says he had made use of contractors previously to do the spraying, and he and Riaan Oosthuizen, owner of the business, were hunting for a solution to make better use of the in-service Massey Ferguson 8690 tractor used for cultivation, planting and spreading.

The tractor deals easily with the piggyback sprayer and additional tank, and the complete spraying action can be controlled from the cabin with the aid of the Trimble system. The sprayer is Isobus-ready. It is only necessary to set the amount of water/hectare, ensure that the desired spray nozzles are in place by merely turning the nozzles to the correct position, and you are prepared to apply an even spray irrespective of the tractor speed.

There is automatic land section control ensuring that the same section is not sprayed twice, Mauritz says he first sprays the perimeter of the land and, when he then sprays the inside, the 20 metre beam lifts automatically when he reaches the perimeter.

The lands are sprayed before planting, twice during planting, after six weeks and after the silage has been cut. The tractor/sprayer combination can deal with between 160 and 180 hectares per day.

The two tanks work beautifully in tandem, both for filling and emptying, keeping them in balance all the time. The tanks are filled simultaneously from one source, and the pipes connecting the two are fitted with quick-release couplings enabling them to be removed quickly, leaving the connecting pipe attached to the tractor.

The sprayer itself has two wheels for easy handling when it is disconnected. The Amazone designers specialise in making everything as practical as possible for the farmer. The swing-out mixing bowl, all adjustment points and a tap for hand-washing are on the left-hand side of the sprayer as the operator climbs into and descends on that side from his tractor.

Cleaning is important . . . and easy!

“I will never store a sprayer before first washing it thoroughly; no way!” says Mauritz, who previously worked for an agricultural chemical company. “If a farmer complains about strips on his land teeming with worms and where weeds were not killed, I inspect the sprayer first of all and mostly find one or two clogged nozzles. One can easily identify the clogged nozzles by simply walking in the land,” says Mauritz.

The reason is normally that chemicals were left in the sprayer and the chemicals corrode everything, such as the metal parts of the nozzles and the pump diaphragms. “That is why the design of the sprayer is so important – the cleaning process must be as easy as possible and the Amazon UF makes it as quick as one-two-three!”

Mauritz says the moment he has finished spraying, or when he moves from the mealies to feed sorghum, he simply turns the handy and clearly marked levers on the side of the sprayer to ‘clean water’ and flush the whole system. For the second flush, he adds the prescribed cleaning fluid. Altogether 280 litres of water is available for flushing.

“This process requires less than 30 minutes with the result that my spraying remains effective and the sprayer in a good condition.”

Mauritz says he has tested the sprayer now for a full problem-free season. Furthermore he is sure that the Falcon and Senwes Kroonstad people will be at the ready to assist, should any problem arise.

Get your Amazone solution from your nearest Falcon dealer or contact 033-330-5787 for more information. You can also visit www.falconequipment.co.za to view the equipment ranges.