Stock & Land

Self-propelled or trailed? The choice of sprayer is yours

Self-propelled or trailed? The choice of sprayer is yours
Self-propelled or trailed? The choice of sprayer is yours

Sponsored content from John Deere

JOHN Deere’s range of self-propelled and trailed sprayers encompass the latest in application and precision ag technology, offering customers a complete sprayer portfolio to suit any farming application.

Based in Forbes, New South Wales, Hutcheon and Pearce salesman Darren Keane said his customers couldn’t be happier with the John Deere sprayer range.

“There is an old saying, ‘you get what you pay for’ and we have been extremely happy with the quality and longevity of the John Deere equipment,” Mr Keane said.

Incorporating the most advanced precision ag systems and application technologies, Keane believes the hardest question for any farmer is, ‘SP or trailed?’.

“The process we use with our clients who are interested in the John Deere SP and trailed sprayers, ensures the customer needs are met every time,” he said.

“Often, the sprayer is the most used piece of equipment on the farm, so it can make sense to invest in a dedicated self-propelled sprayer unit however, with anything from 1500 to 8000 acres (600 to 3200 hectares), a trailing sprayer makes much more sense economically.

“In larger, broadacre farming, clients want to see more of the technology and greater application potential, so an SP sprayer would be a more popular choice.”

John Deere’s fully integrated technologies provide real time data, giving the operator complete control over application rates, spray pressure and, in more advanced machines, individual nozzle control.

The sprayer is often the most used piece of equipment on the farm, so it can make sense to invest in one that will last.
The sprayer is often the most used piece of equipment on the farm, so it can make sense to invest in one that will last.

“If the farmer has their sprayer hooked up to a John Deere AMS system, they are able to upload all their spraying records to the MyJohnDeere cloud through an inbuilt computer application.”

Client records including the date of application, wind speed, spray rate and coverage are safely transferred and kept as an online record.

In larger scale operations, the owner can send information to the tractor or SP sprayer operator for use when in operation.

Investing in this type of technology now, can save farmers in the long term.

Meanwhile, Keane said farmers wanting a trailed sprayer for smaller properties can look no further than the John Deere M700 and M900 series.

“They have been fitted with air bag suspension on the axles and have been adapted with a longer drawbar to ensure balance.”

“The tractor operator can sit there and have a nice, smooth run without being thrown around.”

Keane suggests that farmers who cover more than 6500 hectares at a time often prefer to invest in the self-propelled model due to it being a more convenient option.

John Deere sprayers have the most advanced precision ag systems and application technologies available.
John Deere sprayers have the most advanced precision ag systems and application technologies available.

In particular, the R4045 SP sprayer is capable of producing a 870 litre per minute output through either the 37 and 40 metre carbon fibre booms, improving productivity.

The M962 trailed sprayer, by comparison, has the ability to capture 6200 litres within the polyethylene tank, allowing upwards of 260 litres to be pumped through the 30 metre boom per minute.

All sprayer units can be adapted with specific fittings, sprayer nozzles and record technology to suit the individual needs of the client.

Keane believes the comparison and potential investment between John Deere’s SP sprayers and their trailed range comes down to application and individual client needs.

“Most of my clients will work off their sprayer tank size and how many hectares they can get out of a tank,” he said.

Keane has also observed that farmers who sought out the trailed sprayer will, more often than not, be looking to have the added function of another tractor.

“With another tractor, they get a few bites of the cherry, so to speak, where they’ll be able to use it for spreading, ripping and light tillage or even sowing their crops,” he said.

While still relatively new to the diverse Australian landscape, John Deere trailed sprayer technology has quickly found its home in broadacre farming solutions.

“John Deere has brought these machines on to the market here with great confidence and we’re more than happy to offer them to our clients.”

Find your nearest John Deere dealer at: www.deere.com.au

Sponsored content from John Deere