A computing controlled Knight comes to the fields of Fife

 The 800-acre farm, owned and run by the Steven family, includes three parcels of land eight miles apart currently growing 500 acres of cereals, 150 acres of potatoes, 80 acres of sprouts, 30 acres of swedes and 15 acres of parsnips. A Knight trailed sprayer had been used successfully since 1999, and the family decided to buy a bigger machine with the most recent specification to replace it.

The boom on the new EUA sprayer is four metres wider and the tank is 400 litres bigger than the previous machine. This Knight also has a steering axle, which for Hillhead Farm has been fitted with air suspension to make provision for the long distances that the machine travels on public roads. A stainless steel tank has been preferred to a standard GRP unit because of its lower centre of gravity.

The high-flow low-volume MAXImiser plumbing system on the machine constantly re-circulates the chemicals and reduces retention in the spray-lines, so washing-out is quicker than on other machines and there is less risk of residues – important features with the wide variety of pesticides being used. Quad jets have also been included to give the maximum possible choice of application rates, which can range from 100 litres/ha on the cereals to 400 litres/ha on the sprouts.

A Müller Elektronik control system with a Comfort terminal provides automatic control of most sprayer functions through a single computer and integrated multi-function joystick, which together combine all the different boxes usually found in a sprayer cab.

The system controls spray output, boom height, electro-hydraulic switching and hill-side correction, with the sprayer operator selecting the appropriate function by scrolling through menus on the VDU with the joystick buttons. Provision for upgrading to GPS-based functionality in the future has been included.

Source: http://www.farminguk.com/index.asp?show=newsArticle&id=7677