UK contention
French Boxers fight back to
UK contention
French sprayer makers are seeking to win back self-
propelled sales, lost to their UK counterparts,
with more sophisticated vehicles. Peter Hill tried the
Berthoud Boxer 3000R for size
French sprayer makers are seeking to win back self-
propelled sales, lost to their UK counterparts,
with more sophisticated vehicles. Peter Hill tried the
Berthoud Boxer 3000R for size
THERE is no doubting this big Berthouds distinctive appearance.
Its generous ground clearance and mid-mounted cab make it taller and more imposing than its UK-built forward-control counterparts; the prominent snout gives it a purposeful air, while the multi-profiled tank shows typical French design flair.
Practical benefits are claimed for the layout, too – good all-round visibility from the prominent cab position, good weight distribution with engine balancing boom, and cab and tank set within the machines wheelbase.
It is all built on a shapely chassis with hardly any straight box-section in sight as it swoops down from forming a secure engine cradle to supporting the spray tank in as low a position as possible for stability, before rising again to clear the rear axle and provide mounts for the parallel boom arms.
Between the chassis and pivoting frame-mounted axles, large rubber bellows advertise the sprayers active pneumatic suspension.
But the mid-cab layout also has its drawbacks. Not least that parked booms, despite being steeply inclined to improve clearance, impinge on cab accessibility. With 1.2m (4ft) of under-belly clearance, it is quite a climb up the steps as it is. Drivers must then duck beneath the boom structure to get into the cabin, an activity not helped by a profiled door that, fully opened, fails to leave a clear aperture.
Regular operators will soon get used to it and many will feel the view from the seat, as well as the machines other attributes, outweigh this ergonomic shortcoming.
Biggest model
The Boxer 3000 is Berthouds biggest self-propelled sprayer, and it has a "doppelganger", the Tecnoma Laser 3000. Differences appear to be nothing more than colour schemes, but there are more. The chassis, cabin and tank are the same, put together by long-time self-propelled sprayer maker Preciculture.
But fellow Excel group companies Berthoud and Tecnoma have their own booms, pumps, sprayline pipework and computerised control systems added to produce sprayers with the distinctive features and characteristics of the two competing marques.
Whatever the name on the flanks and final specification, this is a big sprayer, aimed at contractors and farmers with a substantial acreage of crops. The emphasis is on capacity, derived not only from a wide boom and big tank but on maintaining decent field and road speeds thanks to the bump-smoothing of active pneumatic suspension.
The big bellows (Dunlop Pneuride suspension units to be more accurate) provide the supple springing, charged by an on-board compressor and either pumped up or exhausted as necessary to allow for any change in load, which, with a sprayer, is more or less continuous as the tank empties and is then refilled.
Simple linkage between the axle and chassis operates the air valves, the aim being to maintain a regular ride height for consistent wheel travel and suspension compliance. Any tendency to bounce is kept in check by telescopic dampers, there are rubber axle bump stops and cables to prevent the axles extending too far from the chassis.
Judging by a brief session behind the wheel on stubble alongside Berthoud agent Willmot-Pertwees Monxton base in Hampshire, the system works well, giving the smoothest of rides. That will encourage enthusiastic working speeds, with productivity further improved through quicker moves between fields or field and water supply.
The boom suspension helps an already competent suspension system in keeping the boom on an even keel, while also eliminating many of the bumps and shocks that promote fatigue in operator and boom alike.
Nor is the Boxer (or its Laser equivalent) lacking in power. A six-cylinder naturally-aspirated Iveco engine, developing 120hp, is standard with 155hp from the optional turbo version for those who want extra poke for climbing hills. Drive to all four wheels is hydraulic through Poclain wheel motors at each corner. These include higher capacity M18 units at the rear when the 155hp power unit is fitted, but, whichever specification is chosen, offer two speed ranges for work and travel.
Anti-wheel slip
Hydro-mechanical anti-wheelslip is standard to help maintain traction in marginal conditions, with four-wheel steering no doubt a regular requirement for most UK buyers.
This system can be switched to permanent four-wheel steer or a selective steering mode in which four-wheel operation is activated by holding down a foot pedal, during a headland turn, for example. With the rear axle automatically aligning itself, the system soon reverts to conventional front steer on releasing the pedal, so modest steering adjustments are less likely to see the machine weaving down tramlines or along the road.
Despite a 3.8m wheelbase, turns are as tight as any driver would want, with the pneumatic suspension not only ironing out bumps and hollows but discouraging the machine keeling over at crazy angles during turns.
The driver gets a tall and roomy cab with a one-piece windscreen that curves back at the bottom to give a decent forward view past the curvy bonnet. The bonnet itself slides forward for engine access and, sensibly, there is an automatic engine safety cut-out.
Controls and switch-gear are neatly laid-out, though the Gestronic controller, housed neatly to face the operator, lacks clear labelling of membrane push-button functions. Boom clamp and section folding switches are arranged separately out of the way – which makes sense as they are used only occasionally – while boom level, boom raise-lower, boom left/right lift and spray on-off buttons are more obvious and handy.
There are spray on-off switches on the hydrostatic control lever as well, of course, while the steering mode selector and indicator lights are positioned in a pod on the steering wheel column.
Easy access
Back outside the cab, the operator has easy access to a drop-down chemical inducter with a 50-litre hand/eye rinse tank nearby (a liquid soap dispenser is optional), along with a hand engine controller and pump on-off switch for convenience.
The spray system valve layout on the Berthoud machine lacks the modern trend for grouped and clearly labelled designs – something Tecnoma has latched on to with its "manifold" system – which guards against the inexperienced user opening the wrong valve. The Boxers valves are convenient to reach, nonetheless, if somewhat exposed to mud thrown up by the wheels.
There are three SAFI valves, the top-most being for "fill" or "spray" – the hydraulic drive 700 litre/min Renson centrifugal pump is used for both – the middle one brings the inducter into the circuit, while the bottom valve initiates recirculation, tank washing (there are two rotating ball nozzles and a 270-litre clean water supply) and tank emptying.
Prominent filter
The spray systems main fine gauge filter is positioned prominently at the back of the machine, easily within reach at ground level, with all sprayline valves and pressure compensation gear mounted on the back of the boom.
The boom comes in 24m and 28m (79ft and 92ft) sizes with individual section folding and powered levelling as well as adjustable geometry that allows one side to be angled up or down as field topography requires.
Berthoud Boxer – big tank and boom promises high outputs.
Added foam marker makes pump, valve and filler layout look more haphazard than it is, but it is not as neat as some.
BERTHOUD BOXER 3000R
• Tanks: Spray 3000 litre; rinsing 270 litre; hand-wash 21 litre.
• Booms: Steel on parallel linkage with level control and split angling; 24m or 28m.
• Chassis: Four-wheel hydrostatic drive with traction control; selective two- or four-wheel steering; active pneumatic suspension.
• Power unit: 120hp or 155hp Iveco six-cylinder diesel.
Robust front axle with well-guarded pipes to wheel motor. Note suspension "bellows", rubber bump stop, and telescopic damper.