Friday, 15 December 2023 12:55

Fert spreaders with curve control

Written by  Mark Daniel
Amazone fertiliser spreader Amazone fertiliser spreader

Amazone's CurveControl won a silver medal winner at Agritechnica 2023.

It adjusts the lateral distribution to the various cornering speeds and corrects the movement of the spread pattern in centrifugal fertiliser spreaders when driving around bends, resulting in more uniform crops and also helps prevent over-fertilisation inside the bend and fertiliser placement beyond the field boundary.

While curve compensation has already been implemented by Amazone in its crop sprayers, the geometry of the sprayer boom being located tight behind the physical pivot point of the machine means only the application rate within the boom needs adjustment to compensate for curves.

In the case of a fertiliser spreader, the typical throwing distance is up to twice the working width and the application area can be many metres behind the spreader, depending on the type of fertiliser, while the spread fan is kidney-shaped area. This demands a detailed knowledge of the way that the spreading unit works with various fertilisers, along with a corresponding complex implementation of a control algorithm.

Modern centrifugal fertiliser spreaders have the disadvantage that over- and under-fertilised areas inside of the working width occur when negotiating bends as a result of different speeds.

This effect is amplified by the combination of forward speed and swivelling of the spread pattern caused by the steering angle. This means that significant over-fertilisation arises in some areas because of these multiple overlaps, whereas gaps occur in other areas. In addition, the swivelling of the spread fan at the edge of the field causes fertiliser to be applied beyond the field boundary.

CurveControl prevents these effects, which are undesirable from an ecological and economic point of view, and thereby minimises the risk of nutrients leaching into the ground water. Furthermore, incorrect application beyond the field boundary when negotiating bends is prevented by the system.

In addition, CurveControl can further improve the environmentally friendly use of mineral fertiliser in combination with existing solutions such as ArgusTwin, WindControl and GPS part-width section control.

More like this

Featured

Farmstrong marks 10 years of rural support

Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

110,000 visitors!

OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter