The Leeb 6.300/8.300 PT self-propelled sprayers from Horsch represented a significant design departure from the initial PT 230-280 models launched previously. CPM discovers how a 6.300 PT has helped one Suffolk farm to cover a large area without bowser back-up.
“Transmission-wise it’s smoother than our last machine, getting up to speed quickly and stopping swiftly when required.” MARK BARNES
By Martin Rickatson
Having worked with the Collen family for 47 years, Mark Barnes has seen a few key items of equipment come and go at the farm in Gisleham, East Suffolk. In an old Dutch barn across the yard, the innovative 1970s Lely combine with its folding header in the shed – long since pensioned off and today superseded by a Claas Lexion 8800 – is a case in point.
During the past couple of decades, the Collens’ crop protection equipment has also seen change, and while perhaps not so radical, its latest choice has helped Mark – who today carries out all of the 800ha-plus of spraying – to keep on top of the workload alone, without bowser back-up.
Back in 2012, John Collen and his father Bryan decided to exit dairying, and the family’s arable acreage grew, albeit with the ebb and flow of additional contract farming agreements during the following years.
Today, the total area farmed in-hand and for others is around 800ha, although it’s been as much as 50% larger depending on the availability and viability of contract farmland. While sugar beet has been a long-term crop, this year there isn’t any, with issues around previous harvest weather and this year’s contract offer having dissuaded commitment for this season at least. Aside from some contract oilseed rape, this year’s cropping comprises only winter wheat and winter barley.
While that’s made this season’s spraying workload simpler, there’s still plenty for one machine and operator to cover. During the 2010s as the arable enterprise grew, to handle the additional workload, crop establishment and protection moved from 24m to 36m tramlines.
Self-propelled sprayers have long been the preferred choice, ready to go as soon as the weather – particularly the wind on the Suffolk coast – allows. Crop protection is the sprayer’s only task; liquid fertiliser is considered too costly with solid materials being preferred, applied through an Amazone trailed spreader.
“We were running a 24m Dutch-built self-propelled for a couple of years, but John was looking to move to 36m tramlines to improve our spraying efficiency, and had agreed at the time to take a 36m from the same firm as soon as it was ready,” recalls Mark.
“He’d considered a Horsch previously, but found they were considerably more expensive. But, when the 36m machine came up for renewal three years ago, there was less price difference and Horsch products seem to hold their value well. Given there’s a strong local dealer network that we also use for our Claas combine, a deal was done for an ex-demo 36m 6.300 PT, delivered in spring 2023. It’s now completed 3500 hours.”
While the business had already moved to 36m tramlines, the next step in boosting capacity to make the best of good spraying days was the new sprayer’s bigger tank. While Horsch also offers an 8000-litre model, a move from 5000 litres to the 6000 litres of the smaller PT was considered sufficient. Tank specification on the 6.300 PT includes rapid filling via a 1000 l/min stainless steel rotary pump, CCS Pro continuous inside cleaning system, and an automated washing programme.
At the rear, Horsch BoomControl suspension is standard, with the optional Pro Plus specification allowing each boom section to independently follow ground contours.
FPT Industrial provides the power for both models, a 6.7-litre 6cyl engine producing a maximum 310hp and meeting Stage V emissions regulations without exhaust gas recirculation. This drives a hydrostatic transmission providing 30% more torque than on predecessor models. Combined with electronic traction control, this is said to address some of the traction and climbing ability weaknesses sometimes levelled at hydrostatics.
In addition, while the farm’s former sprayer was prone to sometimes struggling with wet spots on marshy ground, that torque gets to the wheels to help in-field traction, believes Mark. Furthermore, the Horsch ComfortDrive chassis concept incorporates new hydro-pneumatic individual wheel suspension, and the machines can now take tyres up to 2.15m diameter; the Collens’ 6.300 PT has 380, 450 and 710mm-wide wheel/tyre equipment available according to the task and time of the season.
“Our furthest land is 45 minutes away, which makes ride quality at speed on the road important, especially as I return to base to refill,” says Mark. Introduced on the current Horsch PT models, the individual wheel suspension is complemented by a diagonal cross interconnection which means that when a wheel deflects, its diagonal opposite number does too, a feature Horsch says ensures the whole machine is kept stable. Ride height is adjustable according to circumstances – low for enhanced ride on the road, higher for work in tall crops.
“The transmission feel is quite different to the hydrostatic of our last sprayer, and software updates have refined the responsiveness, taking a little bit of immediacy off it, which does help protect the boom.
“It rides well on big flat main roads, although is maybe a bit choppy on the lanes. But those software updates have improved things and all-round it’s pretty good. Transmission-wise, it’s smoother than our last machine, getting up to speed quickly and stopping swiftly when required,” comments Mark.
Despite having changed brands, the Horsch accommodation is at least a little bit familiar, he adds. “The cab is from Claas, as on our last sprayer. It’s slightly offset as they all are, which doesn’t matter until you’re spraying beet, when it’s noticeable during work, but of course that’s not bothered me this season.”
Operation-wise, the 6.300 PT is piloted via a combination of Horsch armrest controls and a Trimble GFX-750 touchscreen terminal. Mark says the armrest is laid out well and its joystick is logical, but the Trimble touchscreen terminal is a bit too comprehensive for his liking.
“Because so much is packed onto the display, the text and figures can be very small, and it should be easier to select and arrange data on the screen. The important numbers I want to glance at, such as the litres remaining in the tank, are often the smallest figures and especially hard to see at speed across the field. A second screen would be handy.”
Low water rates are preferred to maximise timeliness and efficiency, and give Mark maximum workrates while operating on his own to make the most of still days. Quad nozzle bodies help to adapt quickly to the work and prevailing situation.
“I can do most work at 75-100 l/ha, perhaps up to 120 l/ha, and if I switch nozzle pairs around to travel faster in good conditions I can go to 170-190 l/ha if I really need to get good canopy penetration and coverage. It makes life easier and there’s less nozzle changing.
“The highest water rate we spray at is 200 l/ha to burn off OSR or grassweed flushes, but the majority of fungicides are usually applied in 50-100 l/ha.
“With the quad bodies it’s easy to set up the machine for an intended application rate so it’ll spray on a series of nozzles according to forward speed, with the machine increasing the pressure for the initial nozzles until their maximum is reached and then changing them accordingly. I can select from red 04s, blue 03s, yellow 02s and green 015s.”
According to Mark, this gives him a much wider speed band to work with. “This is good, but the gap between yellow 02 and blue 03 nozzles can be too big, so we have a set of intermediate 015 greens at 25cm, which apply 100 l/ha at this spacing. The downside is that they have such as a small aperture they block easily.
“I run mostly on blue and occasionally yellow – to use the other pair I have to turn the bodies as there are only two air valves. With blue 03s I can spray at 18km/h if it’s still, dropping to around 12km/h if it’s a bit breezy.”
One of the other aspects that keeps daily outputs decent when working without a bowser is a good washout system, highlights Mark.
“This is really well thought-out. With at least 200 litres in the clean water tank, the process can be fully automated, washing the boom, tank, induction hopper, filters and then giving a prompt to spray it out. I can then repeat the process to ensure no residue remains and blow out the lines with air.
“It’s a lot more thorough and a big step up from the manual process on our last sprayer, but then that was obviously an older machine with older technology.”
The Horsch boom handles well, says Mark, with its six-sensor levelling system keeping things steady at speed. “Holes in OSR crops can throw it though, and it can also be affected if one end of the boom picks up a bit of rubbish and it gets near a sensor – but to be fair that could affect any make.
“If the boom starts yawing around too much, there are pressure sensors around the big stay bars that provide an in-cab warning to slow your speed and reduce the motion.”
The Collens choose to not run a bowser, with the sprayer returning to the nearest water source – usually at the main farm – each time refilling is required. “That’s a key reason behind why we run at low water volumes,” comments Mark.
“If I’m spraying at 100 l/ha, I can cover 60ha with a tankful, and at 75 l/ha it’s 80ha in a load – that’ll probably take four hours to apply, so I’ll probably only do two loads in a day.
“We’re putting in a new covered water tank and filling area to help make things as efficient as possible,” he adds.
The Horsch filling station design around the induction hopper is a significant improvement on that of the farm’s former machine, suggests Mark. “The controls are simple and easy to use. I can tell the system what I want to do and it’ll control the engine speed and filling processes to match.
“The fast/slow fill rate is handy to help with loading chemical, with automated water intake filling the tank firstly to 2600 litres, and then to 3300, after which it slows to prevent foaming, although it can be set to how I want.
“I can automate intake volume according to hectares to spray and l/ha planned rate, but I prefer to do this manually. The clean water tank inlet is small, which makes for slow filling, but I think it’s been upgraded on newer models.”
Mark says the induction hopper effective, with fast intake, good mixing and thorough can wash. “I can alter the wash nozzle pressure to more thoroughly clean cans that require it. And, the main pump is centrifugal, which to my mind is much more reliable than a diaphragm or piston type. There’s a small piston one just for the clean water tank.”
Bar some early DEF/AdBlue problems and one issue with a sensor that caused the folded booms to jump in their carriage, it’s been a reliable piece of equipment, notes Mark. “I could probably learn to get more from it, but as the only operator it’s challenging to find spare time to devote to learning more.
“As always, when you’re asked for an opinion on something, the areas for potential improvement tend to stick in your mind more than the good points. But, I’m not sure I’ll see another sprayer here before retirement, so while there are some areas that could be enhanced as always, this has been a good one,” he concludes.
This article was taken from the latest issue of CPM. Read the article in full here.
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