“It has unlocked the full potential of spreading performance for us; it’s also saving on fuel by running at lower revs most of the time; and it has improved operator safety.”
A succession of Kverneland weigh-cell spreaders have performed well for the family farm, with the reference sensor and section control delivering unprecedented accuracy on sloping fields.
But when working on steep slopes, the Hasties have recently noticed that disc speed could be compromised from a fluctuation in tractor revs.
“We use 180hp tractors, which is an ideal size for us – not too big and clumsy in our 24m tramlines, but powerful enough for most jobs,” says Iain Hastie. “But I’ve noticed that on our steepest fields, a drop in engine rpm as the tractor climbs the steeper parts of a field has caught us out when fertiliser spreading. And it’s the only area where we could use more power.”
“A lower gear does help, though the trade-off is then less output,” says Iain. “What I really wanted, was a Kv spreader with hydraulic drive, so we could set the disc speed independently of tractor revs.”
His investment this year in the very latest Exacta TL GEOSPREAD with iDC (intelligent Disc Control) is the solution he sought, and he’s delighted with its performance.
“It’s now absolutely superb,” says Iain. “We could never fault the precision of GEOSPREAD section control, or the spreading accuracy on shallower slopes. We tray test too, and invest in quality fertiliser, to make sure we do the best job we can.”
“Eliminating the pto shaft has brought several benefits,” says Iain. “It has unlocked the full potential of spreading performance for us; it’s also saving on fuel by running at lower revs most of the time; and it has improved operator safety.”
“And we no longer have to use an uphill speed and a downhill speed, when spreading on the steeper fields.”