Spraying equipment manufacturer Silvan has introduced its new Cane Boom to cater to the sugar industry’s changing needs, following extensive research and feedback from cane farmers.
The boom is a linkage spray unit which incorporates shielded
spray heads and air inducted nozzles to minimise spray drift.
It uses a fully galvanised four row boom with a standard
hydraulic twin folding boom mechanism and adjustable tracking arms.
A six row model is set to follow due to requests from larger
growers.
A special feature of the boom, Silvan says, is the vertical
channel of the spray tank assembly allowing a manual boom height
adjustment or an optional hydraulic boom lift.
Attached to the boom are the four 500 to 1800 mm wide spray head
and nozzle assemblies, with 800mm wide spray heads generally the
standard choice.
Each spray head has a brush skirt to contain the area of
application.
According to Silvan, a main point of consideration for the
company when designing the boom was the Australian Government’s
“Reef Rescue” program.
The five year program provides incentives for sugar cane,
horticulture, cotton, dairy and grazing farmers working in areas
adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef to improve their pesticide
management and minimise chemical run off.
Silvan
Australia‘s Queensland Product Specialist David Carr says
Silvan is confident the company has taken all row crop industry
practices employed by cane growers in its design to deliver a new
boom that meets their needs.
“There are financial incentives available to individual cane
growers under the Reef Rescue program and we are working with cane
farmers on facilitating access to the funding towards their
purchase cost,” he says.
The Cane Boom offers a choice of 600, 800 or 1,100 litre
capacity UV stabilised Polytuff spray tank.
The tank itself features a range of options including a 15 litre
fresh water hand clean tank with an integrated, four litre
capacity, sealed tool box and a 70 litre capacity optional flush
tank for filter, spray line and nozzle flushing which fits snugly
under the main spray tank.
The pump choices are Silvan oil-backed high pressure diaphragm
pumps with the promise of a long life against chemical
corrosion.
The pump option has choice of two capacities: 71 litres per
minute at 1500 kPa or 121 litres a minute at 2000 kPa.
Accurate spray application is provided by an optional Bravo 180
Spray Rate Controller that automatically adjusts the application
rate by measuring the flow rate and ground speed.
The Bravo is matched to electric valves which are all controlled
from the tractor cabin.
A wet boom assembly is optional which will enable farmers to use
the Cane Boom for broad acre spraying in addition to row crop
applications.
Another optional choice is an Economy Hose Reel with 20 metres
of 10 mm hose and a Triam 49 spray gun which also enables spot
spraying.
Carr says the boom had already been previewed by a number of
farmers and will be on display at key machinery field days and
sugar industry events over the next three months.
“I am inviting interested cane growers to run their eyes over
the Silvan Cane Boom to see how well it will enhance their spray
application performance and to see what incentives under the Reef
Rescue project can be accessed to their advantage,” he says.
Photography: Silvan Australia