A manure spreader by French company Brochard Constructeur stole the show and the Imported Machine of the Year award at the 2015 Elmore Field Days.
The larger-than-life Brochard EV 2200 spreader has a capacity of 33 cubic-metres and is capable of spreading up to 80 tonnes per hectare at widths of 8-16m.
Australian distributor Techgrow Agriculture sales manager Mark Bastian says the company saw the need to bring in a high capacity spreader to complement its existing range of lower rate spreaders.
“We saw this machine for the first time two years ago at the Agritechnica show at Hannover in Germany,” he says.
“We currently import the Bogballe and Bredal spreaders and decided that to complete the range it would be helpful to have a dedicated manure spreader as there’s a current trend towards intensive agriculture and livestock.
“We had a look at several machines while we’re in Agritechnica and decided that the Brochard looks like a machine that would suit the Australian market really well due to its capacity and its ability to be multipurpose.”
In addition to its primary task of spreading manure, the Brochard spreader is also suited for other on-farm tasks such as grain handling.
“The back part of the machine is like an implement which you can unbolt and attach different implements to,” Bastian says.
“It can be used as a grain cart or silage cart. You can also drop off the table spinners at the back and use the machine for composting instead of directly spinning the products.”
The unit on show at the recent Elmore Field Days featured two power take-off (PTO)-driven horizontal beaters which serve to process the manure and two demountable spinning discs below the beaters which then spread the material on to the field.
Another key feature of the unit is the heavy duty Vaucanson chain on the conveyor which sets the machine apart from its competitors.
“A lot of our competitors are running a standard single link marine chain, we’re running a double link chain,” Bastian says.
The Brochard EV 2200 features a 3-axle system with front and back steerable axles and a set middle axle.
“The indication we’re getting from farmers is it will be a very popular machine,” Bastian says.
“Our existing range of spreaders gives lower rates of about 100 to 200kg/hectare whereas big manure spreaders like the Brochard can apply several tonnes per hectare. A large capacity machine is useful when you need to cover large areas within a decent timeframe,” he adds.
“The biggest thing we’re finding with manure spreaders is it’s not the spreading time but the loading time that matters so if you can cut that down by having a large capacity machine, it can really pay off.”
Video: Carene Chong