Feed pad with rubber matting hailed as game changer
For Otago farmers Michelle and Rogan Borrie, a newly constructed feed pad on one of their three farms has been a game changer.
The addition of its new TM (Twin Meter) Control Box with GPS Speed Sensor is said to allow precise control over the Fan Jet Duo. A pair of contra-rotating Fan Jet Plus applicators, running in tandem, are typically used to broadcast slug pellets up to a distance of 36m.
The TM controller features a 4.3” colour touchscreen, displaying application rate and forward speed, as well as allowing section control and headland control. The system is also capable of variable application rates in conjunction with an uploaded precision farming map, clearly shown in real time on the control screen.
The TM controller features a four-screen format, allowing the operator to switch between the home screen, parameters screen, details screen and mapping screen.
Disc speed control alters the disc speed and therefore, spreading width, for both or individual applicators, while the controller automatically reduces the application rate to match disc speed with the use of its own GPS sensor.
Headland control enables operators to define the field boundary on the first pass around the paddock using the integrated mapping facility, switching off application if the spreading width crosses an area/section that has already had product applied.
The TM software also allows the operator to create and store product application information, including the calibration settings for each new product, while a job creation and export feature makes it possible to record the application history of each field task.
Suitable for mounting to self-propelled sprayers or tractor front linkages, rear mounting on sprayer booms is not recommended due to increased weight. UTV vehicles are also suitable, provided their electrical systems have a high-power output.
Available with twin 65 or 130 litre hoppers, the contra rotating spinning discs are capable of spread widths up to 36 metres – product dependent, with electrical power and height above the crop likely to be limiting factors. The TM controller will be available from mid-2023.
