A number of crop sprayer manufacturers have adopted a unique two-nozzle pesticide container rinsing system.
The combination of Hypro’s ProClean rotating multi-jet and ProClean Plus fixed ‘blade’ nozzles in a larger capacity induction hopper was developed after operators called for an improvement in container rinsing performance. It has been quickly adopted by sprayer manufacturers who recognise the reduction in the time taken to thoroughly rinse large containers and those holding formulations that leave hard-to-shift residues.
Landquip and Knight Farm Machinery started fitting the new system soon after its introduction and operator demand has seen Bateman Sprayers switch almost entirely to the new dual nozzle hoppers. Chafer, GM-R, Househam, Lite-Trac and Sands are among manufacturers offering the system as an option.
Induction hopper specialist Watson & Brookman installs the two rinsing nozzles in 25-litre and new 30-litre and 50-litre stainless steel units. Richard Abbott of Suffolk-based Landquip is fitting them as standard across his entire range because of their time-saving potential.
“It’s got to be the way to go because no one nozzle can do a 100% job,” he says. “A rotary nozzle will do a good job but it won’t clean congealed residues from the bottom of containers without spending a lot of time and using a lot of water.”
The two-nozzle installation provides two approaches to rinsing – rotating multi jets and a single ‘blade’ jet, explains Roger James of Hypro.
“The ProClean spinning nozzle sends water jets upwards into the main body of the container and downwards to clean around the neck and handle mouldings,” he points out. “The ProClean Plus creates a powerful blade-shaped jet that easily reaches the bottom of large pesticide containers and strips away the sticky residues that some chemical formulations leave behind.”
The 25-litre hopper with two Hypro nozzles is installed on Landquip mounted, front tank and Fastrac demount sprayers, while the 30-litre size fits Multidrive and Unimog demounts. It also goes on to Landquip self-propelled sprayers as standard, some of which can have the 50-litre hopper as an option.
The big hopper is standard on the InTrac medium-size trailed sprayer and also the new Gladiator big capacity trailed machines being shown in the Sprays & Sprayers section of the Cereals Event for the first time.
The Knight Trailblazer is another newcomer to the Sprays & Sprayers arena and it comes with a 25-litre two-nozzle hopper as standard. Sales manager David Main says the system is currently being introduced across all other models in the range.
“Customers have been asking for the new rinsing nozzles and on a big sprayer like the new Trailblazer it makes a lot of sense,” he says. “With a high output sprayer, you could cover a lot of ground in the time taken to rinse big containers with a conventional system.”
He adds that removing all residues is important to eliminate contamination risk from containers being re-cycled – but doing so also means growers get best value from the pesticides they buy.
“If I was using a chemical costing £250 a litre, I’d want to be sure of putting every last bit on the crop,” he says.
The larger 30-litre two-nozzle hopper will fit a couple of Knight’s self-propelled sprayers and the company’s engineers will keep in mind the space requirements of this hopper and the 50-litre unit when planning any updates to the machines.
The Watson & Brookman hoppers come with a sideways opening lid that exposes pylons for draining containers when opened. Closing the lid sends any water into the hopper and pushing it down starts up the ProClean nozzle spinning to clear any residues from the hopper surfaces.
