WATERLOO, Iowa – Keeping sprayers filled with water and liquid fertilizer can be a full-time job.
A new filling system from John Deere aims to reduce those hours by up to 40 percent.
Load Command is a new high-flow loading system that connects the sprayer to the tender using a supported hose and connector the size of a breadbox.
The sprayer is equipped with the receiver connection, while a swing arm supports the large hose and coupler.
The sprayer’s positive displacement, rotary lobe pump drains the feed tank at up to 1,500 litres per minute. The pump is self priming and can be run dry without damage.
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The pump’s lobes rotate in opposite directions and mesh together, which creates cavities between the pump’s case and the rotor. Fluid coming from the inlet side of the pump is trapped in these cavities, pressurized and allowed to escape through the outlet, creating rapid evacuation of the housing.
The rapid loading connection is at the front of the sprayer, creating a safe, rapid approach to the tender. This allows the operator to see the unit clearly from the cab and makes it unnecessary to fold up the booms or move the tender unit.
The coupler uses an air seal to lock the tender and sprayer together. Proximity sensors on the sprayer sense when the tender line’s coupler is attached.
Once attached, the seal inflates and signals the pump to start loading. A spring loaded plunger, which completes the sprayer’s connection and acts as the sprayer line’s seal when not connected to the tender, is opened and product fills the tank.
The pump stops when the sensors in the tank indicate that it is fully loaded or the operator disengages the system.
The coupler, despite its size, has little fluid loss when disengaged.
A tender arm carries the four inch hose from the tank to sprayer, keeping it off the ground at all times and providing a mechanical support to the operator.
Craig Weyand of Deere’s Des Moines Works said the support vehicle’s tank needs a minimum two inch vent to avoid “a nasty implosion as this thing really empties that support tank.”
Cory Venable of Deere said the system not only saves time but also reduces operator fatigue.
“A custom operator on a typical work day will reload their machine 33 times on liquid fertilizer. That’s a big savings in time and energy,” he said.
The option will be available on John Deere’s largest sprayer, the 4930.
