Stara Imperador 4000 sprayer touches down  

Local sprayer distributor, Croplands, has announced the arrival of the 4000-litre Imperador sprayer hailing from Brazil.

The sprayer comes standard with a 36m boom, 1.6m underframe clearance, four-wheel steer and continuous recirculation and tiered booms.

Croplands National Sales Manager, Jeremy Rennick, said Stara has been in business for 60 years and is Brazil’s largest agricultural machinery manufacturer producing a wide range of products including sprayers, spreaders, chaser bins, planters, seeders and precision farming tools.

“Stara is an impressive company. The scale of the agricultural industry in Brazil is massive, and Stara builds high-quality machines to meet its needs,” he said.

“They provide very good customer support, including their own remote access system that factory technicians can use to connect to a machine to help the operator solve issues in real time.

“We have done extensive testing in Australia with Stara staff and we are confident that the Imperador 4000 will stand up to our demanding conditions. It will be a very attractive option for row crop applications, but it will also be very handy in many broadacre operations.”

According to Rennick, one of the Imperador’s unique features is the boom mounting system. It sits midway between the front and rear axles so, unlike a boom mounted over the rear or front axle, it is less affected by any up and down movements in uneven ground.

According to Stara, tests conducted by Brazil’s Agrarian Foundation of Agricultural Research showed 58 per cent more chemical reaches the target with the Imperador’s mid-mounted boom.

“The boom’s ride and the accuracy of the application are pretty amazing, and because it is mounted at the midpoint of the chassis, the operator has a much better view of the boom during work,” Rennick said.

“Safety is another consideration and the Imperador’s boom does not spray on or under the cab or chassis. The wings only spray out to the sides, and a separate boom at the rear of the machine sprays where the wheels and chassis have passed.”

Another benefit of a mid-mount boom, Rennick added, is its even weight distribution between the front and rear axles.

“This reduces compaction, which is a major concern to many Australian farmers, and it also lowers fuel consumption,” he said.

The Stara Imperador features tried-and-tested components such as a Cummins 6-295 CV electronic engine with a turbocharger and a Rexroth hydrostatic transmission.

Imperador sprayers sold in Australia will come standard with 3m hydraulically adjustable track widths which is ideal for jobs like desiccating taller crops such as sorghum and canola.

There is also the option of a hydraulic lift system that can raise the clearance height from 1.6m to 2m for spraying specialty crops such as corn or sugarcane.

With full boom recirculation, the operator can prime the system on the way to the first paddock, and with the tiered boom, the Imperador is always automatically spraying at the ideal rate, no matter the forward speed, Croplands said.

The Imperador comes standard with a Trimble GPS receiver on the roof, and Stara’s telemetry system for remote monitoring and troubleshooting.

“With the telemetry system you can either talk to a Croplands technician or a technician at the Stara factory. It can also be used to send assignments to the spray operator,” Rennick said.

“Stara staff have been in Australia to train our technicians, and we will be holding a wide range of spare parts to back up our customers. We also have full visibility of the stock that Stara has in its warehouses.”

Visit Croplands' website for more information.