JTA unveils new 8500 Series sprayer

Wagga-based JTA Spraying Equipment chose the recent 2018 Henty Machinery Field Days to lift the covers off its latest model, an 8500 Series broadacre sprayer.

JTA makes trailing, broadacre, three-point linkage, truck-mounted and custom-designed sprayers with capacities from 1000 to 10,500 litres.

For the 8500 Series, JTA owner John Arentz took an off-the-shelf round tank and designed a sleeker, more efficient version based on extensive customer feedback. There are also no surprises with this machine, he says – all the usual options are standard.

"I have really designed this machine around efficient manufacturing, with savings passed on to the farmer," John said.

"The self-supporting tank has resulted in efficiencies in the chassis build.

"From a manufacturing point of view, this has allowed us to remain competitive."

The steel 36.5m hydraulic lift and bi-fold boom on the 8500 Series has been designed to eliminate yaw stress and give fast and smooth height adjustment.

The chassis is made for high ground clearance, with the open architecture allowing for easy maintenance.

The heavy-duty fully welded trailer has a platform at the front for drum storage.

The 8500 Series is equipped with both hydraulic drawbar suspension and airbag suspension for a quality boom ride.

"All our parts are off-the-shelf giving people peace of mind – if something goes wrong, chances are their rural supply shop will stock the part," John said.

"The cylinders are standard ag cylinders, taps are Banjo and electrics are Tee-Jet and ARAG.

"We lay our sprayers out in a simple manner so the operator can see what everything does.

"There is nothing overly complex in the wiring – the sprayers are fitted with automatic rate control and section control systems to suit the existing GPS equipment, but we are now fitting ISOBUS modules where needed."

The 8500 Series is also fitted with a 550 litre flush tank built onto the chassis and accessed by a stairwell, plus a 30-litre clean water/hand wash tank and an external sight gauge.

The 60-litre chemical induction hopper has a high flow agitator nozzle, drum rinse nozzle and hopper flush nozzle.

Tank rinse nozzles are fitted to the main tank.

"When it comes to filtration, we run a mud filter – a self-cleaning filter is used on the boom to collect any unbroken chemical and shoot it back through the agitators," John said.

"It then moves through a final filter to the boom – we can fit individual section filters in the boom if required.

"We run two large ARAG agitators on ball valves with a simple tap adjustment to restrict flow.

"The way we have designed our boom, the fully powder-coated nozzle brackets are incorporated into the boom to prevent wear and tear.

"Our clients say they can't believe how well the machine rides and the faster speeds they can now achieve without any boom yaw."

All booms from 24 to 54m have a break-away tip. Double-sided electric fenceline nozzles are included as standard and allow the operator to stay clear of fences and trees, yet spray around them.

The trailer and boom are sandblasted, treated with a dual zinc primer and then powder coated locally for a hard-wearing finish.

The 8500 Series comes standard with a Maxus axle but operators can upgrade to a BPW suspension kit, if desired.

A big part of the 8500 Series sprayer's appeal is its innovative tank design, said John. The UV-stabilised polyethylene tank moulds are made by Global Roto-Moulding in Mildura, Vic.

"The way conventional tanks sit on the chassis, granulated powder residue can accumulate resulting in a decontamination issue," he said.

"Our tank, where it sits on the gunner rails, constantly slopes inward so there are no flat spots where chemical residue can build up.

"We can build a front or rear mount boom out of the one tank.

"It was just a matter of talking to farmers and finding out what they liked and disliked, and working through those issues."