A PAINT job, an upgraded command system and a better shot at drift control are the 25th anniversary gifts the Patriot sprayer received from Case IH.
The latest command centre upgrade, styled the Aim Command Flex is now available on the Australian market, along with the snazzy paint job.
Case IH, high horsepower and sprayer product manager, Alyx Selsmeyer, said the Aim Command Flex and the Flex-S offered increasing levels of spray control on the still available non-command models.
Flex technology, she said, resulted in a more consistent rate control over a wider range of speeds.
Ms Selsmeyer said this could result in operators seeing up to an 8:1 speed ratio with properly sized tips, a significant improvement on the most standard rate controllers, which would minimise costly over-spray.
She said, reducing over-spray also had agronomic and potentially yield benefits for the crop, as well as reducing the chemical bill.
Given the increasing concern over potential spray drift, Ms Selsmeyer said a standout feature was the increased drift control.
The new system allows boom pressure to be adjusted independent of the target rate and sprayer speed, at the push of a button, she said.
Ms Selsmeyer said the Flex technology also allowed for full application rate turn compensation and full section control with an up to 30 per cent spray rate increase.
South Australian farmer and contractor, Robin Krieg said he had completed 1000 hours on his new Patriot, the third he has owned.
Mr Krieg, who farms about 3000 hectares with his wife Robyn, son Josh and daughter-in-law Caitlin, was impressed with the new Flex-S technology.
“It’s an improvement on what we had last time in that the Flex is easier to operate,” he said.
“You can go from a fine spray to ultra-coarse with the press of a button.
“The individual nozzle control means you don’t waste any chemical and it works out to be very accurate – if you have 34 hectares to do, you’ve done 34 hectares - there’s no wastage of spray.”
Mr Krieg said he often sprayed in high sensitivity areas, such as near horticultural crops and vineyards.
“We’re got a whole range of things around us where we’ve got to be careful of spray drift,” he said.
“The Flex makes it a lot easier to switch to an ultra-coarse spray and in a lot quicker time.”
Mr Krieg said he is impressed with the spray coverage achieved by the Patriot.
“The coverage is good, probably one of the best I’ve seen for fungicide coverage and the accuracy and evenness is excellent,” he said.
“It certainly makes things easier for us.”