Lightweight sprayer delivered to first customer
Hardi Australia’s new Hellios “lightweight” self-propelled sprayer has been delivered to its first local customer – after the product was unveiled earlier this year.
The machine has gone to a mixed cropping property in Victoria, growing potatoes, lucerne, wheat and more, after the owners decided to move onto a self-propelled unit after years of using a Hardi Navigator trailed sprayer.
See our story from the product launch in September.
Hardi’s national product manager for self-propelled sprayers Steve Lancaster says the company tailored the Hellios’ front-mounted 36m Hardi Paragon Al boom to suit the property’s irrigation layout, using the company’s AgLeader steering and the wide track for their row spacings.
“We spent a lot of time getting the machine right in Adelaide, before we sent it across to Victoria,” he explained, “and that paid off in the long run.”
“We were able to get it set up much quicker than a more complex sprayer like our Rubicon, and concentrate on training,” he said. “The operator is only 17 years old,” he continued, “and he picked up the Hellios and its systems really quickly.”
Featuring a 3,000 litre capacity and front-mounted Hardi Paragon AL boom, Lancaster says the Hellios is priced to please row crop and small broadacre farmers like its new owners.
However the real secret of Hellios is its power train.
A combination of hydromechanical rear axle transmission and front wheel hydraulic assist means the sprayer only needs a 103 Kw (183 horsepower) Deutz diesel to perform well on wet, soft and sloping ground. Making more of a smaller engine cuts down on weight and day-to-day fuel consumption.
Hardi Australia offers the Hellios with 3m, 2m and 1.8m track width options, which the company says makes it a perfect fit for row cropping.
It features a 3,000 litre capacity and, with a low tare weight of 6,300kg, helps alleviate soil compaction in frequently cultivated and irrigated paddocks.
The front mounted boom and centre have been tuned by Hardi to ensure smooth and precise height control, while the comfortable Category 4 cab gives a commanding view of the spray job.
Four-wheel steering makes the sprayer very agile as well, with a turning radius of just 3.6 metres.
Lancaster says he is confident the machine will be popular, providing value for money with self-propelled productivity.
“It’s not a complicated machine, but it’s everything a lot of growers want,” Lancaster says.