Horsch's new range of Leeb sprayers has been awarded the coveted Machine of the Year 2014 award at this year’s Agritechnica show.
The sprayers were recognised as the most technically advanced on the market and are designed with innovative features.
“The Leeb sprayer range has many advancements that make real difference to in-field performance, such as the close nozzle spacing for deep crop penetration, unmatched boom control for high speed spraying and a highly effective cleaning system. We’re delighted to win an award that recognises our innovative technology and the benefits to operators,” said Stephen Burcham, Horsch UK General Manager.
The Leeb range of trailed and self-propelled sprayers offer tank capacities between 6000 and 8000 litres and incorporate new intelligent and user-friendly features to improve operation and performance.
The patented boom suspension is hydraulically dampened to provide smooth boom control. Boom widths of 21m to 36 m available and working height range between 0.3 and 2.5 m. The geometry of the parallelogram has been designed to keep the boom close to the axle.
Available as an option, the electronic BoomControl Plus system offers an exact positioning of the boom, keeping it very close to the target area even at high speeds and on hilly terrain. The hydraulically proportional control allows for smooth movements, which guide the boom smoothly depending on the deviation. The middle part of the boom and the outer wings are controlled independently. The boom itself is available in nine different configurations and widths.
Pneumatic individual nozzle control allows the spraying line to be equipped with a large variety of nozzle body combinations, ranging from single nozzle bodies with a horizontal spacing of 50 cm, double nozzles with 25cm spacing to a quadruple nozzle body with intermediate nozzles. With a 25cm nozzle spacing, the spray distance and drift can be kept to a minimum. The pneumatic nozzle control allows for individual, intelligent application technology for an excellent wetting and penetration of the crop.
After spraying, the Continuous Cleaning System allows for a safe and quick cleaning of the sprayer. First the line system can be discharged with compressed air then an additional piston diaphragm pumps clean water into the tank via rotation nozzles. The continuous flushing of the container and the spraying lines is very efficient, saves time and can be operated completely from the tractor cabin. The capacity of the fresh water tank is 530 litres.
On Horsch’s new PT 330 self-propelled sprayer, the company’s new BoomControl Pro offers a revolutionary system that provides unprecedented control at speed for an exact and secure control of the spraying boom above the crop. This patented and unique active boom control is essential in offering a small spray distance.
As the boom has been separated from the chassis, it can now follow the field contours exactly. This decoupling prevents the rolling motions of the vehicle from being transmitted to the boom. The boom adjustment speed is very high, even in most difficult conditions, and enables an application with fine droplets and a low risk of drift to be possible. Wind and thermal disturbance is also minimised.
This system allows for a secure boom control even at high operational speeds with a nozzle distance above the crop of less than 30cm at speeds up to 30kph.
