| Cereals
John Deere previews new sprayer at Cereals Event
Featuring a larger 5000-litre capacity spray tank and a new ultra-lightweight but extremely strong carbon fibre boom , John Deere ’ s new R4050i self-propelled sprayer made its UK & Ireland show debut at Cereals 2016 in Cambridgeshire in June .
S cheduled to be in full production at the John Deere Horst factory in the Netherlands for the 2018 season , the R4050i will join the existing R4040i 4000-litre self-propelled model in the company ’ s market leading sprayer range in limited numbers from early 2017 . Weight distribution on this bigger machine has been improved by removing around 900kg from the rear through the use of the carbon fibre boom , alongside the extra weight of liquid carried in the larger tank .
Able to spray at widths of 18 or 36m , the high-performance spray boom is considerably lighter than steel or aluminium designs . However , the carbon fibre material used in its construction is around 5.5 times stronger than steel and is able to flex , which relieves the boom structure from the stress that can cause fractures in metal booms . The carbon fibre boom is specially designed to withstand the high dynamic loads created at high application speeds of 20 to 30kph , even with very wide booms .
The reduced weight of the carbon fibre boom , at around five times lighter than a steel equivalent , also has benefits for ride performance . The boom ’ s low inertia greatly reduces the undesirable roll and yaw movement often seen in wide spray booms . In addition automatic boom levelling systems , like
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John Deere ’ s own BoomTrac , are able to control the ultra-lightweight boom with greater precision , enabling lower boom heights and higher speeds to be employed .
The R4050i is powered by the same 6.8-litre John Deere PowerTech PSS engine as the smaller machine , producing 235 rated hp ( boosted to 255hp with intelligent power management / IPM ). This engine meets Stage IV / Final Tier 4 emissions regulations by incorporating selective catalytic reduction ( SCR ).
The machine ’ s centrally located , easy to access cab provides a comfortable operating position and offers good visibility both on the road and in the field . The sprayer chassis features dual-strut independent wheel suspension for a smooth , fast ride , and hydraulic track width adjustment as standard . There is also a choice of two-wheel , four-wheel or crab steering to suit different crop and field conditions .
The R4050i is equipped as standard with the John Deere GreenStar 3 2630 touchscreen display with full FieldDoc spray documentation and ISOBUS compatibility . The sprayer comes AutoTrac ready and with a free JDLink Ultimate subscription for one year , which enables a range of additional FarmSight precision farming solutions including new Remote Display Access and Wireless Data Transfer , as well as Service Advisor Remote .
Other standard features include a Hydro Handle multi-functional control lever , Solution Command electronic sprayer control for automatic filling , mixing , spraying and rinsing , and a 50-litre PowrFill inductor for safe transfer of crop protection chemicals into the main tank . Total spray pump capacity is a maximum of 560 litres / min , with a flow of up to 380 litres / min .
John Deere ’ s established BoomTrac automatic boom levelling system can be upgraded to the new variable geometry BoomTrac Pro option , for increased application accuracy and efficiency . BoomTrac Pro automatically adjusts the height of the individual boom wings independently to match the terrain .
Instant crop or soil coverage to the full working width of the sprayer is provided by the standard pressure circulation system , which keeps the liquid solution moving along the stainless steel spray lines and right up to the nozzles , even when not spraying . Once spraying starts , the system feeds the spray lines from both ends to maintain a constant pressure and application rate .
To reduce input costs by minimising overlaps or skips , John Deere ’ s automatic Section Control system switches individual boom sections on and off when entering or leaving predefined areas , including headlands , while LED boom lights help to maintain high productivity at night .
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