A fertiliser applicator allowing farmers to quickly mix and apply foliar and fine particle fertilisers has been named the 2014 Henty Machine of the Year.
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The award was presented to New Zealand based ag-equipment manufacturer Tow and Farm on the opening day of the Henty Machinery Field Days, which is the Tuesday September 23 by National Farmers Federation Drought Taskforce chairman David Jochinke.
The winning machine, the Tow and Fert Multi 4000 impressed judges with its design and manufacture.
The tractor-towed unit with a 4000-litre tank allows the use of four basic forms of products – any solid fertiliser that is soluble in water; solid insoluble fine –particle product, liquid fertilisers and biologically active fertiliser.
Tow and Farm Marketing Manager Tim Henman says the Tow and Fert Multi 4000 stemmed from customers’ requirements to be able to apply different products easily with one machine, and to be able to do it in one pass.
“One key feature of the machine is to be able to dissolve urea in cold water,” he says.
“The benefit of that is when you apply urea, which is nitrogen in a foliar form, plant uptake is a lot quicker, and there is a lot less leaching.
“Effectively you can use about half the amount of nitrogen that you usually use in a solid form with our machine.”
With the patented agitation technology in the tank, users can empty one tonne of fine particle fertiliser directly into water without any pre-mixing. The Tow and Fert Multi 4000 uses the PTO of the tractor or towing vehicle at 1000rpm for the mixing and agitation of the fertiliser.
According to Tow and Farm, the award-winning unit is able to cover 1 hectare in 3 minutes at 12km/hr and is capable of covering up to 40 hectares per load.
Some other features of the Tow and Fert Multi 4000 are:
- Patented pre-mixer that ensures product is mixed with water prior to going into the tank agitation
- Durable build with a galvanised chassis, UV resistant plastic tank and use of stainless steel and plastic in all areas that come in contact with fertiliser
- Spray pressure of 20psi which is safe for live microbial activity
- Wireless remote control for boom operation and spray start/stop
- Weighing scales for accurate filling and operation
- Interchangeable nozzles for variable application rate
A total of 10 new machines and equipment that were released into the market in the last 12 months were entered into the Machine of the Year awards.
The winning entry was decided upon by an independent panel of regional primary producers on Monday September 22.
Judging criteria includes the machine’s purpose and suitability, scope of application, construction (durability and design), ease of maintenance and service, ease of operation and adjustment, availability of parts and overall value for money.
According to the Henty Machinery Field Days organisers, winning entries have gone on to become standard pieces of equipment on farms throughout Australia.
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