John Deere brings Hagie sprayers Down Under

Hagie, famously known as the inventor of the self-propelled sprayer, will finally grace Australia with its presence via John Deere, which has fully acquired the brand last year.

In 1947, Ray Hagie, founder of Hagie Manufacturing, came up with the world’s first self-propelled sprayer in a bid to help farmers apply pesticide in a more efficient way.

In the years following, the company continued to lead the way in self-propelled sprayer manufacturing and innovation and in 2016 struck a deal with John Deere to distribute its products through the latter’s sales and service channel. From there, Hagie started incorporating John Deere components into its products including engines and precision agriculture technology.

In 2020, John Deere fully acquired Hagie Manufacturing. Earlier this year, both companies announced a series of exciting new developments for the MY22 Hagie machines including all-new, wider booms and more precision tech including AutoTrac guidance, PowrSpray, ExactApply and JDLink.

The year 2021 was also when John Deere decided to take the brand new Hagie offering Down Under.

From 2022, three new Hagie self-propelled sprayers, namely the STS12, STS16 and STS20, will descend Down Under.

These sprayers will still feature Hagie’s yellow paint scheme and proven spraying systems but will come with an array of John Deere precision ag tech and a Deere designed cab.

"Hagie forward-facing innovation and John Deere precision-ag technology have joined forces to advance full-season spraying,” said John Deere US marketing manager, Joel Basinger.

“If you need to split-apply nitrogen or demand superior late-season fungicide coverage, John Deere and Hagie can help you ‘Enter the Field Any Day’ with an STS Sprayer."

Ideal for larger cropping enterprises and contractors, Hagie's STS sprayers have tank capacities ranging from 4500 litres to a massive 7500 litres, allowing farmers to spray more in the day.

Hagie sprayers are powered by John Deere’s PowerTech 9.0-litre engines that generate 300 to 400 horsepower with the STS20 featuring dual turbos to maximise power while spraying.

All the features Hagie customers value, such as high clearance, four-wheel steer and front boom will also be on the new sprayers.

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Some of the precision ag tech and features customers can expect in the STS range include JDLink, integrated StarFire GPS receiver, Generation 4 CommandCenter display, AutoTrac guidance as standard, as well as free access to the John Deere Operations Center.

This allows operators to easily transition between their Hagie and John Deere equipment and enjoy a common operator experience.

The digital integration also allows farmers to take advantage of the John Deere Digital Ecosystem to monitor and track job quality, review field data, monitor equipment location and adjust plans.

John Deere’s PowrSpray technology fills the tank at 1100/min per minute and features auto prime and onboard mixing, which means the tank can be filled in seven minutes or less and operators will be able to spend more time spraying.

CommandDrive monitors wheel slip and comes as standard, while All Wheel Steer technology keeps tyres in the same set of tracks while turning on headlands to reduce crop damage.

Farmers can equip their STS Sprayer with one of four sizes of Hagie Hybrid Booms - 27.4m, 30.5m, 36.6m or 40.2m. The booms are strong yet light and features an Active Wing Roll feature by Norac that controls boom height when spraying across uneven terrain to ensure even spraying and prevent boom damage.

Hagie’s new STS line of sprayers is available to order now from John Deere dealerships nationwide. No exact date has been set for the first arrivals in the country. For more information or to find your nearest dealer, visit deere.com.au 

For more field days content and new machinery releases, visit farmmachinerysales's Virtual Field Days 2021 page.