Originally published 2017
Updated May 2021
It’s been a long winter and that has brought on an extremely wet spring. You’ve waited and waited for your wet field to dry, but it hasn’t. Now weeds are starting to take up residence in your crops. Do you risk soil compaction by bringing your ag sprayer in to apply herbicides or keep holding out for better field conditions? There’s no easy answer, but thereare杂草比你田地里的机械轨迹更危险的时候。
If weed growth has overtaken a crop and a grower needs to spray a field, there are factors that will help you minimize crop and soil damage. Get our expert tips before you head out this spring:
1) Consider using different sprayer tires.
“如果你进入一个潮湿的领域，考虑使用浮动轮胎。设备技术公司的高级应用专家Jeremy Hurt说:“你需要在半浮式、全浮式和双浮式之间做出选择。
Flotation tires are usually rear-mounted, while semi- or full-floats are wider than conventional farm tires and spread the weight of the sprayer over a larger area to reduce compaction on the soil. Duals are twin sets of narrower tires mounted on the same axle — together they create a weight dispersion similar to floats.
“I think float tires do a little bit better in wet conditions than duals, even though you’ve got almost the same width,” Hurt said. “Be mindful that the bigger semi- or full-float tires are a little harder to put on and take off compared to duals, where you just add another tire to each side. Duals can also make transportation on roads a little tougher with the extra width. Plus, duals are not set up for crop rows so you’ll have two sets of wheel tracks, which could cause crop damage.”
根据米其林运营营销经理大卫·格瑞登的说法，米其林有几种不同宽度的农业轮胎可供选择，以适应您的管理系统。
“My personal favorite is theMichelin VF480/80R50 Spraybibs tire——它的运载能力超过17000磅，”格拉登说。“VF480/80R50 Spraybibs的剖面宽度为19.1英寸，在适当的空气压力下，它将为你提供所需的浮力和牵引力，在赛季后期，它还可以适合你的30英寸排。Plus, with this tire option there is no need to store a second set of floater tires for your sprayer.”
Graden also stressed that as with any tire, the best results are seen at the proper air pressure.
“It is imperative you check your sprayer tires and set the proper air pressure for the load and speed of your machine,” Graden said. “If proper air pressure is not set, you risk yield damaging soil compaction while in wet fields. Every Michelin Ag sales rep carries a set of scales in their truck. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your local Michelin Ag dealer to ask for help setting these air pressures.”
需要帮忙找到你推荐的胎压吗?Try theMichelin Pressure Calculator.
Bottom line: Apache Sprayer owners have a variety of factory-installed options from bothMichelinandTitanbrands — ranging from a narrow 12.6-inch tire to a much wider 30.5-inch flotation tire.
>> Looking for more tire options? Read more: “Tire Options More Critical in Wet Fields”
2) Ensure your ag sprayer’s wet system is fully functioning.
Make sure your ag sprayer’s wet system is in top condition before entering a soggy field. This will minimize the time your machine is in the field by preventing the need for a respray in areas that received insufficient herbicide on previous passes.
“The booms and nozzle strainers should be clean and free of any sediment build up, so you get the correct and optimum spray pressure,” Hurt said. “Nozzles typically don’t cause many problems, but strainers are a different story. With booms managed in sections, there’s a strainer for each boom section, and it’s here where clogging is sometimes more likely to occur.”
>> Bonus content: “Strainer Maintenance and Why They Should Be Replaced”
3)Use a decisive attitude in the field.
“If you come to a large wet area, you need to commit to either going through it or driving around it,” Hurt said. “You can’t go halfway and change your mind. That’s how sprayers get stuck.”
4) Last but not least — own an Apache Sprayer.
Compared to hydrostat-type sprayers, the lighter weight and mechanical drive of an Apache Sprayer will make them less likely to bog down in mud and cause subsequent soil compaction. With Apache’s unique construction, 70 percent of the sprayer’s weight resides over the rear tires while transferring 90 percent of its horsepower directly to the ground.
>> Need more proof of Apache’sunmatched tractionandPower-to-the-GroundTMtechnology? Check out theApache YouTubechannel for more testimonials and demo videos.
