A Miller Nitro 6365 self-propelled sprayer is boosting efficiency at the McMahon family-owned business McPiggery
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Nev Dunn, with WD Lewis at Karoonda, and Sam Venning look over the Miller Nitro 6365 sprayer at the McMahon family’s ‘McPiggery’ property near Lameroo
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The business comprises three enterprises and utilises 15,000ha, with 1650 sows in the piggery, 6500 merino ewes for wool and prime lamb production and a cropping program of 5000ha.
The new Nitro 6365 is the South Australian company’s first Miller sprayer, purchased from local dealer WD Lewis at Karoonda.
McPiggery cropping manager Sam Venning says the cropping program is primarily used for sustaining the McPiggery livestock enterprises and consists of 50 per cent cereals, including wheat and barley, and 50pc legumes, such as canola, lupins, peas, vetch, lentils and oaten hay.
“Prior to getting the Nitro 6365, we had a John Deere 4930 boomspray with a 4800-litre tank and we were looking to upgrade due to the hours and the fatigue on the 4930,” Venning says. “We saw it as an opportunity to increase our tank size and move to a front-mounted boom, as well as hoping to get better coverage and results.
“It’s the first Nitro we’ve had and it has increased our efficiency significantly, we’ve done 1200 hours on it in the first 12 months, so it’s certainly had plenty of use,” Venning adds.
McPiggery’s Miller Nitro 6365 features a 6100L tank and 36m truss boom with Staged Spray Control (SSC). The SSC is based on the twin-line spray system and is a cost-effective tool for droplet management.
It uses nozzle-mounted air shut-off valves to switch between two different nozzle sizes, and both speed and rate ranges can be extended while staying within the nozzles’ ideal pressure and droplet range.
“We work on 50cm spacings and the SSC is set on 25cm, so from a coverage point of view, the SSC made good sense for us,” Venning says.
“We’ve made a few adjustments along the way, but it’s been working well.”
Venning says the Nitro has slotted in well to the busy McPiggery program thanks to its increase in coverage efficiency and decrease in fuel consumption.
“We batch our chemical mixes and we have seen such an increase in our efficiency since upgrading to the Nitro that we’re now upgrading our truck and tank so we can better keep up with the refills out in the paddock,” he says. “Overall, the Nitro has been great.”
Not only is the Nitro 6365 impressing the family with tank size and efficient spraying, but it is also providing a more enjoyable experience for operators thanks to its bigger cabin and fuel economy.
“The engine is so quiet, I can’t even hear it because it’s positioned at the back,” Venning says. “The clearance has also been a big positive, especially when it comes to doing any maintenance.
“We’ve also seen an improvement in fuel economy – once I had a chat with WD Lewis and realised we didn’t have to run it at full power,” Venning adds. “Now we’ll get 80-100ha done per tank with water rates at 60-80L/ha – and for a program of our size, those differences have a big impact overall.”