“I swapped a 120hp tractor and 1,500-litre mounted sprayer for a 185hp Puma, then looked for a front and rear tank combination,” explains David. “I thought adding a front tank would be better than just carrying a one tonne weight.” His research resulted in a Kverneland iXter B18 with iXtra front tank supplied by local dealer Paxtons, giving a total carrying capacity of 2,900-litres.
“It’s a heck of an improvement in logistics, and is similar to a small self-propelled sprayer, but for much less cost,” he says. “I can cover more area on a fill, and with autofill, I can load the sprayer precisely to suit blocks of land or crop type.” Sprayer specification includes auto start-stop for nine sections on the 24m boom, plus iXclean Pro one-touch tank washing and electric valve management, with control through an IsoMatch Tellus PRO dual screen terminal.
“The sprayer is so clever that I now put a tramline around poles or obstructions, and treat them like a headland,” he says. “The sprayer takes care of the rest. And with GPS, it’s really good on grass fields without tramlines.”
He says liquid transfer is evenly balanced, providing good stability on slopes. “I’m really impressed with the sprayer, and I really like the vertical folding boom – it keeps nozzles away from the cab,” he says. “It mixes easily, washes out effortlessly and it has given me much more precision and output, without having to rush around.”
“It’s important with anything I do that I enjoy it as much as possible – and with this set-up, putting on sprays and liquid fertiliser is no longer a chore,” he adds.
