With its first sale to Damian Kelly from spreading services company Agrimax Services, Haze Ag’s prototype spreader has hit the ground running.
Ten years in development has seen the perfection of New South Wales farmer and contractor Richard Hazelton’s new spreader design with a number of operational and maintenance benefits.
Branded Haze Ag, the spreader boasts variable sized cones which affect the timing of the product as it leaves the disc, a feature Hazelton says no other spreader in the world currently has.
He adds the innovative hopper design reduces product build up inside the bin.
Cast iron spinner blades create a negative pressure, drawing the product onto the disc before being thrown out, creating a controlled spread of 50m with little damage to the product, which is important when spreading products such as urea.
The 1m-wide cleated belt combined with the special design of the cones and discs mean Haze Ag spreaders can spread all fertilizer products with greater efficiency.
Hazelton says the machine also has a properly designed conveyor system with class 18 PVC bed rollers and sealed bearings.
Rubber lagged head pulleys have heavy 60mm shafts and bearings while the tail pulleys are self-cleaning using left and right augurs to remove any excess product from the belt.
North-east Riverina spreading services company Macauley Transport & Spreading Services, based in Temora has been trialling the prototype Haze Ag Spreader for the past three years.
“We never have to climb in and empty the bin, a problem we’ve had with other spreaders when various products stick to the sides,” Lincoln Macauley says.
“We never have to climb into a Haze Ag spreader no matter what the product.”
Hazleton, who has been in the fertiliser industry since 1975 and once ran one of the largest fertiliser spreading companies in NSW, decided to give the business away to design his own spreader.
“Over 40 years of experience, I was disappointed with the lack of innovation in the spreading industry,” Hazelton says.
“Big inconsistencies in spreading applications and consistent design problems with the bins and spinners available on the market were a constant frustration.”
Hazelton says after devoting many years to developing a cost-effective and innovative machine, the Haze Ag spreader and spinner assemblies stand-alone in quality, design and innovation.
“It’s taken 10 years to get the spreader where I want it, but I’m very happy with the finished result,” Hazelton says.
“The beauty of it is that you can spread everything from chicken and feedlot manure to urea and all the granulated products.
“We’re throwing urea about 26m out either side of the spreader at the moment. We’ve done over 100,000 acres of urea with most of the spreading being done on tram lines at 36 to 38m in windy conditions before rain and everyone has been really pleased with the spreading results.”
The spreader had its debut at the 2014 Henty Machinery Field Days and later took home second place in the inventors section at Orange National Field Days.
Agrimax’s Damian Kelly who recently bought the first spreader says it’s the best decision he’s made.
He says the Haze Ag spreader has delivered a 40 per cent saving compared to other spreaders on the market.
“Not having to change the spinners for different products is a huge saving in time, and when you’re a contractor, time is money,” Kelly says.
“Being able to spread products like urea in windy conditions just before rain is a huge advantage, for myself and the farmer. The Haze Ag Spreader’s unique spinner design with variable sized cones is the best I’ve seen.”
Haze Ag Spreaders are compatible with 750 Trimble GPS and Farm Works program and the hydraulics can be specced to suit your individual tractor needs.
The whole system is suitable for variable rate maps.
“We build spreaders in Australia for Australian conditions,” Hazelton says.
“I aim for machines to outlast a generation.”