Know How / Spraying and spreading

Advice and tips

How to fit Avadex applicators to drills and Cambridge rolls

Growers planning to fit a granular applicator to their drill or Cambridge rolls need to make sure they are set up with a high-volume fan and wide-bore pipework to ensure…

SPRAYERS

How to retrofit old sprayers with automatic section control

Few people who have had a sprayer with auto-section control would consider going back to manual boom switching. Not only do these systems improve spraying accuracy and reduce overspray, but…

SLURRY TANKERS

Advice on setting up the perfect umbilical slurry system

Spreading slurry through an umbilical system can be vastly more efficient than running tankers, but it’s not always a practical proposition for every farm, particularly those with outlying ground a…

SPRAYERS

Nozzle expert gives tips on more accurate spray application

Arable production across the prairies of western Canada might appear to have little in common with that of the UK, but they share one problem: how to increase sprayer productivity…

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Case studies

SPRAYING AND SPREADING

Contractor customises UK's first Borger slurry separator

Several contractors are running trailer-mounted Borger RC150 separators these days, but Lockerbie-based Andy Rae was the first to do so in the UK. Having pumped, hauled and spread millions of…

UMBILICAL

Co Down farm offers free slurry separating – with a catch

The typical business model for a large, mobile slurry separator is as follows: a contractor stumps up the cash to buy it and charges customers an hourly rate for the…

SPRAYING AND SPREADING

Novel home-made trommel separator handles sand-laden slurry

Farmhouse washing machines have a tough life, but Cornish contractor Kevin Heywood took the abuse to new heights when testing his concept for a unique slurry separator. Rather than oily…

SPRAYERS

Cleanacres sprayer revived with home-made autosteer system

Keen to modernise spraying operations, but happy with the performance of their 1998 Cleanacres Atlas, David and Michael Edwards decided to treat it to some upgrades. Top of their wish…

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Community

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2023: Mick Thompson's custom pumping trailer

Mick Thompson takes third place in the complex category of the 2023 Farmers Weekly Inventions Competition with his slurry-pumping trailer. Mr Thompson of Lancashire outfit Thompson Brothers built a remote-controlled…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2023: Self-propelled pump and tank

The runner-up of the complex category of the 2023 Farmers Weekly Inventions Competition is Alistair Craig with his lorry slurry pumping trailer. Remote umbilical slurry pumping trailers and nurse tanks…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

FW Inventions Comp 2022: DJ's starter fert applicator

DJ's starter fert applicator is the winner of the intermediate category in our Farmers Weekly Inventions Competition 2022. Derek Howard, known as DJ, of Alton-based contractor Scribeland, built a starter…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2020: Fertiliser bogie slashes power use

Owen Wilks’ Fertable fertiliser bogie placed third in the intermediate category of the Farmers Weekly inventions competition. One of this year’s most experienced entrants is 80-year-old Owen Wilks, who has…

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Insights

MUCKSPREADERS

Muck and slurry field equipment: Where is it made?

In the face of intense competition, not only among themselves but from EU-based manufacturers, UK companies building muckspreaders and slurry handling equipment continue to hold their own with a decent…

SPRAYERS

SoilEssentials' Skai spot-sprayer cuts chemical use

Aware of the dearth of options for tackling pernicious grassland weeds without clobbering clover, Charlie Murray went in search of a solution. The core of his Clyde Agriculture business, which…

SPRAYERS

Aussies offer spot-spraying system for autonomous tractors

A new AutoFill docking system for SwarmFarm Robotics’ autonomous pivot-steer tractor units means they can top up their spray tanks without human intervention. Once the liquid level falls below a…

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News

UMBILICAL

VSM Grow Tech introduces 12m MOM disc-type slurry injector

A new name in the UK slurry equipment market, Moretto Officine Meccaniche, or MOM, has produced its first series-production 12m disc-type slurry injector to work on grass, with a custom…

SPRAYERS

Kverneland sprayers gain green-on-green weed detection

Three new high-tech options are available for Kverneland’s sprayer range to improve application accuracy and ease filling. The most interesting is the addition of Ecopatch, a weed identification system developed…

TRACTORS

Landquip affiliate transforms JCB Fastrac into load carrier

A new business set up to carry out forward control conversions of the JCB Fastrac hopes to attract customers in forestry, utility, fire-fighting and airport runway maintenance sectors, in addition…

FERTILISER SPREADERS

Kverneland unveils high-capacity Alentix fert spreader

More capacity and technology are the headline improvements for Kverneland’s latest spinning disc fertiliser spreader. As standard, the Alentix 8047 GI has a tub volume of 2,375 litres, but this…

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Test and reviews

MUCKSPREADERS

On test: RS Agri targets muckspreader market with new Atlas

Feeding and bedding specialist RS Agri has broadened its offering with a range of complementary machines to dispose of soiled livestock litter. Like its ration mixers, the six new vertical…

SPRAYERS

First impressions: John Deere's front-cab 550R sprayer

After years of peddling its US-style self-propelled sprayers in Europe, John Deere has finally ditched the comfortable but cramped mid-cab format for its new 500R series. The last of those…

SPRAYERS

First impressions: McConnel's bigger and heavier Agribuggy

At what point is a small, lightweight self-propelled sprayer no longer small or lightweight? The McConnel Agribuggy has defined this relatively niche segment since its inception in the early 1980s…

SPRAYERS

Champion operator rates Chafer and Bateman self-propelleds

Buyers of the biggest self-propelled sprayers are being seduced by a seemingly ever-growing list of optional extras that promise to improve accuracy, spray efficacy and ease of use. The pinnacle…

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Video

CULTIVATION AND DRILLING

Video: Horsch reveal drilling innovations and tillage tweaks

German implement maker Horsch is experiencing strong UK sales from its tillage and crop protection machines. However, with the uncertainty surrounding glyphosate regulation and Brexit, the company thinks that exploring…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Video: How nozzle choice affects spray quality and efficacy

Selecting the appropriate sprayer nozzle for pre-emergence weed control is an important step in cutting spray drift and maximising the efficacy of the chemicals being applied. There are four key…

Video: Cereals sprayers in action

Manufacturers flocked from far and wide to demonstrate their latest machines in the Sprays and Sprayers arena at this year’s Cereals event. From the smallest mounted units to the largest…

MACHINERY

3 Cereals videos: Top tractors, cultivation kit and sprayers

Machinery makers from across the globe flocked to Boothby Graffoe, Lincolnshire this week (10-15 June) for the annual Cereals 2015 event. We captured a few highlights from the tractor manufacturers, cultivation…

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