WHICH PNEUMATIC SPREADER?
WHICH PNEUMATIC SPREADER?
THOUGH never universally popular, pneumatic boom spreaders have keen followers who credit their machines with the most accurate application pattern of any spreader.
But since Amazone withdrew its Jet and Super Jet spreaders and the 12m (39.4ft) Nodet machine was dropped following the French companys takeover by Kuhn, just four manufacturers now serve this "select" market in the UK.
Tractor-mounted models comprise the Accord Turbo from Ferrag, the Cascade from Horstine Farmery and the Aero (made by Rauch of Germany) sold by Kuhn. Overum handles the only trailed model, the Tive Jet, now Kuhns big trailer machine is no longer produced.
Concepts are similar but details differ, most notably on the Accord Turbo, where fluted metering barrels like those on a seed drill are used to measure fertiliser into the air stream rather than the metering rollers used on all the other spreaders.
This more compact arrangement is possible simply because the Turbo uses wider-spreading outlets, so needs fewer of them to cover the same working width. Curved separator blades send the granules on appropriate trajectories with no impacts; on the other spreaders, an angled deflector plate is used at each outlet to distribute the material.
Adaptability
But one attraction of the metering roller models is that they can be adapted to put on herbicide micro-granules, slug pellets or small seed (as well as beans in the case of the Tive Jet) by replacing the standard rollers.
This is a particularly simple task on the Cascade; the metering roller "cassettes" simply pull out, with no need to undo nuts or screws. That also facilitates cleaning.
Hydraulic metering roller drive on this machine and the Kuhn Aero give infinitely variable rate adjustment, as do the pto-driven Tive and Accord designs, which also respond to changes in engine/pto speed as the tractor speeds up or slows down on field hills and hollows.
All four machines can be equipped for in-cab rate adjustment (infinitely variable on the Cascade and Aero, by 10% steps on the Turbo) to cater for changing soil types, crop density, and so on. But to get true speed-related rate regulation, buyers need to invest in a full-blown electronic control system.
Kuhns Quantron L system, for example, is now programmed to work with variable rate application maps as part of a DGPS-guided precision farming system. Accords Uni-Control, on the other hand, will store calibration settings for up to three different materials to save repeated testing when switching from one type of fertiliser to another.
Over-spreading reduced
Readily adjusted working width is something boom spreaders have over their spinning disc counterparts, to reduce over-spreading on short-work areas within the field. Horstine Farmery offers a simple half-width cut-off on the Cascade (by interrupting drive to one of the metering rollers), the same goes for 12m (39.4ft) Tive Jet.
But on 18m (59ft) and 20m (65.6ft) Jets, and on the Kuhn Aero, quarter-boom cut-off is available, with a choice of cable or electric operation in the case of the Kuhn machine. Accords Aero individual outlet cut-off enables operators to trim working width by quarter- and half- boom sections. *
BUYERS GUIDE TO PNEUMATIC SPREADERS
Model ACCORD TURBO HORSTINE FARMERY TIVE S4012/4020 JET KUHN AERO 22-SERIES
(tractor-mounted) CASCADE (tractor-mounted) (trailed) (tractor-mounted)
Hopper Painted steel, 1400 litres Plastic, 1500 litres Stainless steel, 4000 or 6000 litres Painted steel 12/15/1700 litres.
Boom Aluminium structural/air tube, Steel tube space frame, Steel tube space frame, self-levelling Steel tube space frame, 12m/16m
individual self-levelling, hydraulic folding gimbal mounted on 18m and 20m, manual fold, 18m-24m
hydraulic folding hydraulic folding hydraulic fold
Metering Elastic rubber barrels, Hydraulic drive fluted rollers Pegged feed roller with variator Hydraulic drive fluted rollers
variator drive from pto gearbox drive from pto
Distribution Aluminium tubes with Plastic tubes, stainless steel Plastic tubes and deflector Plastic tubes with stainless steel
stainless steel fanning guide tube ends and deflector plates, boom shut-off 12m – deflector plate outlets, quarter-
plate outlets, individual outlet plates, half-width shut-off half-width, 18m/20m – width shut-off by cable or
shut-off for variable working quarter-width electric control
Granules No Optional micro-granule metering Optional micro-granule and Optional micro-granule feed
cassettes small seeds kit roller kit
Rate control In-cab 10% , optional In-cab stepless adjustment Infinitely adjustable via Variator In-cab stepless rate adjustment,
ground-speed related of metering roller speed gearbox metering roller drive, optional speed related rate control
optional Tive Tronic in-cab
Widths/prices 18m £12,802, 20m £13,427 12m £8971, 18m £13,306, 12m £21,600, 18m £27,790, 12m £9665, 16m £10,525, 18m
20m £14,557 20m £27,790 £15,940, 20m £16,795,
21m £17,460, 24m £23,165
Standard Hopper sieves and cover, Hopper sieves and folding Hopper sieve and flexible cover, Hopper sieve and cover, EMT4 boom
quick-attach triangle cover, in-cab metering roller gimbal-mounted boom on 18m/20m, width/rate adjuct remote control on
speed read-out and adjustment, ultra-low rate reduction gear, 18m model, Quatron speed related
late top dressing kit on 18m and lights and brakes, 13.6 x 38 tyres rate control on 20-24m models
20m models
Options Uni-Control electronic system Micro-granule kit – 12m £512, 2000 litre hopper extension £500, 12m/16m: Hydraulic boom fold
with ground-speed related 18m/20m £645 micro-granule kit £195, Tive Tronic £1585, cable remote boom width
application adjustment and rate adjustment control £2,995, control £440, electric application
calibration memory for three flotation tyres £700-£2,800, rate/boom width control £2365,
different materials – £1,742 suspension drawbar £2,200 Quantron speed-related rate/boom
width control £3560. 18m: Quantron
£1195. All models: Hopper
extensions 300-litre £230, 500-litre £275, micro-granular kit
£760, border deflectors £55
Supplier Ferrag Horstine Farmery Overum Kuhn Farm Machinery
(01942-272777) (01430-827337) (01325-308811) (01952-290991)