COMMANDING PRECISE SPRAYING

AGRICULTURAL MACHINES: Spraying with plant protection agents becomes more precise than ever with an intelligent new package from Hardi International which scooped a silver medal at Agritechnica 2005 in Hanover

At the world’s largest agricultural machinery fair Agritechnica 2005, held in November in Hanover, the Danish manufacturer of sprayers for plant protection, Hardi International A/S was awarded a silver medal for an epoch-making development of the trailed sprayer “Commander i”. The new model has an intelligent package which makes spraying plant protection agents the safest and most precise ever.

     “We have developed a number of features for our Commander which primarily protect the farmer and the environment, but which in addition make spraying more precise than ever,” says marketing manager Peter Dahl, Hardi International A/S. “The operation of the sprayer has on several points become so sophisticated, that the farmer does not come into physical contact at any time with the chemicals he sprays. In addition, we have developed a system for automatic washing of the machine as well as several other technical features. The patented SafeTrack is a function where the trailed sprayer automatically follows the tractor tracks. It turns accurately and the sprayer boom levels automatically in relation to the crops even on strongly sloping areas.”

Simple and safe
The new Commander complies with general developments in the agricultural sector and the European agricultural sector in particular. In Europe alone, the sector is reducing by around 100 farmers every day. Farms are merging, and in the future there will be considerably fewer farmers managing the same total land area. This structural development makes large demands on manufacturers.

     “It has been essential to us to make the operation of the new Commander as simple and as safe as possible,” says Peter Dahl. “Increasing numbers of the people who operate the machines are untrained. It is thus important that the machines are more self-automated, and that operation is logical and functional.”

Among the leaders
Hardi International A/S is among a handful of global players on the sprayer market who collectively cover more than 50% of the market; Hardi’s share of the world market is just over 10%. The company manufactures in Denmark, France, Spain, USA and Australia and also has sales companies in Sweden, Germany, Poland, Austria, Russia and UK. France is by far the largest market in Europe. In addition to trailer sprayers and self-steering sprayers, Hardi produces a large range of backpack lever operated sprayers, wine and fruit sprayers as well as special equipment. This primarily includes nozzles of any kind which make farmers able to spray precisely, regardless of the crop.

The air controls the drops
One of the many patents assigned to Hardi International A/S is the Twin boom, where via a controllable wall of air the plant protection agent can be placed exactly where it is required, regardless of wind conditions. The air nozzles can also lift the leaves of potato plants so that it is possible to spray under the leaves. Tests carried out with Hardi’s Twin boom have demonstrated that up to 30% of plant protection agents can be saved by Ôblowing’ them correctly towards the plants. Twin sprayer booms can be supplied in sizes from 18 to 30 meters in width.

The nozzles are the brain   Hardi International A/S is the only company among the world’s manufacturers of spraying equipment which conducts research into all the challenges of spraying technology. This includes the sprayer itself, chassis, pump and the liquid system, nozzles and how the liquids spray most efficiently. As a spraying specialist, Hardi also focuses strongly on the human environment around the machines. The nozzle is the brain of the sprayer. It measures the amount of fluid, manages the distribution of liquid in the required spraying pattern and atomizes the liquid into efficient drops adjusted to the crop and weather conditions. The development of a new nozzle can take up to two years. The research is conducted in the company’s nozzle laboratory and is carried out by specialists who have practical experience and conduct research in collaboration with a network of external research facilities, environmental authorities, factory inspection authorities and farmers.