Surprise in store with purchase of 10,000th sprayer
What looked like a straightforward purchase of a
brand new John Deere 616R Self-Propelled Sprayer delivered some surprises for New South
Wales grain grower, Richard McKay.
The new machine was, in fact, the 10,000th sprayer fitted with an ExactApply Nozzle Control
System to be produced by the John Deere Des Moines factory in Iowa, USA and was delivered
with much fanfare by Hutcheon & Pearce’s Dubbo dealership in late June.
Immediately, Richard put it to work on ‘Winnabri’, Warren, where he farms around 5000 hectares of
winter wheat, canola and chickpeas with his wife Jess and parents, Mark and Valda.
“We’ve been using it on broadleaf weeds in wheat and just the accuracy of the spray job with
the ExactApply system is impressive,” Richard said.
“Even with section control on a normal spray you’re over-spraying, but the 616R’s ability to
compensate for the different sides of the boom through turns, and the lack of overlap, is really
impressive.”
The heart of the ExactApply system is a six-nozzle turret with multiple modes of operation to
help maintain target rate and pressure. Turn compensation mode decreases the spray rate on
the inside of a turn while increasing the rate on the outside, ensuring consistent application
across the entire width of the boom.
The McKays have run a John Deere fleet since investing in 8 Series Tractors in 2005, and now
operate five tractors, an 8R310, 8370RT, 8520, 8520T and 6930, and two combine harvesters,
an S780 and S660.
Six months ago, they were in conversation with Mitch Heath from Hutcheon & Pearce about
replacing their main sprayer and camera sprayer, and investing in one machine for the job.
“Mitch has been our salesman for 10 years and we ended up doing the numbers and trialing a
demo 616R sprayer at home with a few of the neighbours and my brother from next door,” Richard said.
“We were just working on a mix of summer weeds in a fallow, green on brown, and the
combination of ExactApply with the See & Spray Select system that sprays only emerged
weeds worked really well.”
See & Spray Select uses advanced camera and nozzle technology to deliver a targeted spray to
weeds, applying herbicide only where needed, and combines powerfully with ExactApply to
reduce potential drift. “My brother and I both ordered 616R SP sprayers fitted with ExactApply and See & Spray
Select,” Richard said.
“I then received a call saying mine was the 10,000th to be produced in the US, so my brother’s is
probably model 10,001! We’re pretty happy with the way it’s turned out.”
As well as maintaining a target rate and pressure over a wider range of speeds, the 616R offers
a very comfortable ride.
“It looked the way I expected but the comfort is awesome, and the 22-year-old worker who is
driving it is very happy – it’s not a bad gig for him!,” Richard said.
He said he was not surprised the 10,000th Exact Apply machine should end up in Australia,
given the progressive nature of the nation’s farmers in their approach to technology.
“The current and next generation of Australian farmers are really keen to take up the newest
technology that’s available. We’re looking to get yield as high as we can and that’s quite
expensive, so we need to achieve it as efficiently as possible.
“Machines like this John Deere 616R Self-Propelled Sprayer with ExactApply are going to make
that possible. They’re the top level of farm machinery.”
Media enquiries:
Stacey Wordsworth
stacey.wordsworth@bluehillpr.com.au
0438 394 371
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are more productive and sustainable to help life leap forward. Our technology-enabled products
including the John Deere Autonomous 8R Tractor and See & Spray™ are just two of the ways
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visit John Deere at its worldwide website at JohnDeere.com or in Australia
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PHOTO: Richard McKay with his 616R Self-Propelled Sprayer – the 10,000th sprayer with ExactApply to be produced at the John Deere’s Des Moines factory in Iowa.
