Months of excessive moisture ups the ante for the new AS640.
Kenneth Hiser grows corn, soybeans and wheat in the “dead center of Kentucky,” near the small town of Big Clifty. He’s faced a challenge that iscommon for many farmers in 2019: Excessive moisture starting in early spring and persisting through the early summer has made it difficult for him to get his crops planted and sprayed in the “normal” timeframe.
“We farm about 2,000 acres and will probably spray our wheat three times this year,” said Hiser, who purchased an Apache AS640 in December 2018 to cover his spraying needs, which also include two passes through his corn acres and three passes through his soybeans.
The spring weather challenge followed an equally soggy fall, when corn and soybean harvest meant a lot of mud and ruts. Normally a no-till farmer, Hiser spent much of the start to the 2019 growing season conducting vertical tillage to smooth out the ruts left after fall harvest.
On top of the rush to finish planting soybeans, Hiser found himself facing rust disease issues in his wheat crop in mid-June, necessitating a full fungicide program for his crop.
Features that matter in a wet year
尽管过去8-10个月的大部分时间里，他的农场都很忙碌，因为反复的暴雨导致他在关键时刻无法下地，但Hiser对他的新AS640喷洒作业更有信心。这是该公司在过去十年中拥有的第三台Apache Sprayer。他之前拥有Apache AS715和Apache AS720。
“What I liked about the AS640 is that it’s lighter and I could get the bigger tires on it,” Hiser said. “We have a lot of wet ground, and it’s on the sandy side. The weight of the machine helps it go places where you wouldn’t think it’d be able to go in the field.”
The Apache AS640 is the lightest self-propelled sprayer made by Equipment Technologies, weighing in under 17,000 lbs.
尽管AS640是两轮驱动的机器，但其轻重量提供的机动性和覆盖潜力仍然存在。While Hiser said he was originally a bit skeptical about the absence of four-wheel drive, he noted thathe’s not had one occasion when he would have needed the heavier, more expensive drivetrain.
“I actually believe this machine will go anywhere a bigger four-wheel drive sprayer will go,” Hiser said. “Even though it’s a two-wheel drive machine, it will go just about anywhere. It’s amazing. It’ll just go.”
Hiser typically operates each Apache Sprayer he’s purchased for about three growing seasons before he’s ready for a trade-in. The combination of in-field performance, as well as the machines’ simplicity, will have Hiser looking to purchase another Apache Sprayer when he’s ready to trade in his new AS640.
“I’m 65 years old, and I like simplicity. These Apache machines were such a step up from the old Spra-Coupes, but still not as expensive as bigger machines,” he said. “Three years from now, I’ll be looking at a new Apache.”
Learn more about theApache AS640. Ready to get serious? Locate yournearest dealer, orschedule a demo!
