Automation of work processes is one of the most important trends among global manufacturers of agricultural machinery. This is especially true for relatively complex, technological equipment, such as sprayers.

Currently, there is a steady trend towards saturating agricultural machinery with additional electronic systems to minimize the impact of the human factor on work processes and, as a result, maximize the potential of the equipment.

This is also relevant for domestic farmers, because today the shortage of personnel is felt quite acutely and it is quite difficult to find qualified employees. And the situation in the world is no better. Therefore, automation of such a responsible technological operation as spraying is now timely. After all, this allows not only to save on expensive pesticides, but also to maximize the potential of the equipment and the crops grown.

The world leader in the production of agricultural machinery, the American company Case IH, offers domestic farmers a new line of intelligent self-propelled sprayers Case IH Patriot® 50th series, which combine many years of experience in manufacturing simple, reliable sprayers and modern technological solutions for effective work in precision farming systems.

Case IH Patriot® 50th series is a line of self-propelled sprayers that have undergone radical changes in almost every unit or system. Therefore, it is possible to compare them and single out the changes that have occurred compared to the previous generation, but, as Anatoliy Matsyuk, product manager of Case IH, says, it is easier to say what has not changed.

“The main emphasis of the designers of the new generation of Patriot self-propelled sprayers was to create a machine that would minimize the impact of the human factor on the technological process of spraying and meet the latest trends in working with pesticides, including their local application, working on differentiated task maps, collecting and transmitting information about the condition of crops, etc. Today, we can confidently say that Patriot 50 are machines that work with every square meter of the field or plant growing on it. "I am convinced that these machines will help our customers optimize work processes on the farm and more effectively apply pesticides even in short periods of time," says Anatoliy Matsyuk.

In Ukraine, the Case IH Patriot 50 series self-propelled sprayers are represented by three models: Patriot 3250 (tank volume 3785 l), Patriot 4350 (tank 4542 l) and Patriot 4050 with a tank of 4000 l.

There is never too much power. The sprayers of the new Patriot 50 series are equipped with time-tested and practice-tested FPT engines with modified, improved characteristics of both power and torque. The smallest model is equipped with an engine with a rated power of 268 hp, while the largest model already has an engine with a rated power of 390 hp. “Engine power is a rather important characteristic of the sprayer. After all, the quality of the technological process directly depends on compliance with the speed regime. In addition, thanks to modern control systems, the new engines have improved fuel efficiency, which allows minimizing operating costs during operation,” says Anatoliy Matsyuk.

Case IH Patriot 50 series sprayers have undergone radical changes in almost every component or system.

The power transmission from the engine is carried out using a hydrostatic drive. In the new generation, instead of two hydraulic pumps that provided the drive of the wheels located diagonally, one is installed, but with greater performance. Due to which it was possible to reduce energy consumption for the drive and increase the transport speed to a record 60 km/h.

Slip control is carried out by individually controlling the performance of the hydraulic motors of each wheel.

“Improved maneuverability of the sprayer during field work and increased speed of movement on public roads allows you to dramatically increase the variable performance of the sprayer, which is quite important in tight deadlines for applying pesticides. It is also necessary to focus on safety - all our machines have separate brakes, while most manufacturers offer only hydrostatic change of movement and parking brakes,” says Anatoliy Matsyuk.

The suspension system has also undergone radical changes. It is made in the form of a longitudinal parallelogram, which allows you to practically eliminate shocks when moving over difficult terrain. Its design also incorporates a special pneumatic cushion and positioning sensors so that the system can track the position of the suspension. At first glance, this somewhat complicates the design, but this solution improves the level of comfort for the operator, because now it is possible to constantly maintain optimal suspension stiffness regardless of the tank filling. It should also be noted that this suspension is now more reliable due to the transfer of load to four axes (parallelogram). There are no problems with maintenance either - lubrication of the unit occurs in one place and takes a matter of seconds.

The parallelogram suspension allows you to practically eliminate shocks when moving over difficult terrain.

The new sprayers also have a separate pneumatic system, which was primarily implemented to ensure the operation of the air suspension. But the presence of constant compressed air made it possible to implement other options, such as a special post for cleaning nozzles, or the ability to free the filling or pouring system from liquid residues. No more “fires” and plant suppression when changing pesticides.

“For quick filling of the tank, almost all of our machines are equipped with a front quick-release device. As a rule, a certain amount of working solution remains in its sleeve. The pneumatic system allows you to “blow out” this sleeve and avoid mixing different pesticides.

It should also be noted that the quick-filling system is equipped with a counter, which allows you to clearly track the amount of filled liquid regardless of its density. This greatly simplifies the operator's work and allows for better planning of the work process without having to repeatedly move around the field for refueling.

It is also possible to spray the desired amount of liquid depending on the flow rate, for example, to complete a certain section of the field,” says Anatoliy.

Depending on the wishes of customers, it is possible to install a boom with a width of 30 and 36 m on the sprayers, although options with a width of 40 and 41 m are also available.

To maintain high boom stability, the built-in AutoBoom® XRT boom height control system is used, which, thanks to radar waves, detects and takes into account changes in the terrain, ensuring accuracy and efficiency of coverage, and the new design of the central section minimizes boom deflection in difficult field conditions – even when using a longer boom.

The boom design also incorporates a gyroscope for sprayer positioning for better boom stabilization. For example, the system sees a change in the position of the front axle of the sprayer in the event of an obstacle or a hump and sends a signal to the boom hydraulic cylinders for its early stabilization. This happens in a split second and allows you to achieve greater stability during operation.

But perhaps the biggest advantage of these machines is the ability to work in a precision farming system.

First of all, it should be said that the sprayers have received an updated AIM Command FLEX™ II pesticide application system, which provides a constant rate of chemical application, pressure and droplet size with individual control of nozzle on/off to increase accuracy and efficiency.

“Due to the pulse width modulation, the AIM Command Flex II system, which is equipped with our sprayers, allows us to always obtain the desired droplet size in a fairly wide range of speeds without the need to change nozzles or pressure,” says Anatoliy.

With six operating modes, this advanced spraying technology provides flexible and precise spraying - even on bends, uneven surfaces and irregularly configured fields. In addition, it is possible to individually control and manage each nozzle, which minimizes the consumption of the working solution, and when equipped with special cameras for point application, it can detect harmful weeds and fight them locally. Also, the valves of the AIM Command Flex II system have increased throughput, which allows spraying at higher speeds or applying more product as needed.

It is now possible to change the pulsation frequency: 10, 15 or 20 pulses per second. Each nozzle adapts its duty cycle to ensure that the set application rate is maintained when the sprayer speed changes.

“AIM Command Flex II is not just a system for precise application of preparations and creating a droplet of the required size. It is a unique executive tool that allows you to work separately with each square meter of the field,” says Anatoliy.

In addition, the new Patriot® 50 series sprayers have unrivaled remote access tools, such as the Case IH FieldOps™ system, which provides remote connection, control, data transfer and monitoring for any operation. It also allows for remote setup with full display of the machine display. Each Patriot® 50 series sprayer comes from the factory with a modem for the Case IH FieldOps™ system, and does not require a subscription fee.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the new product in the company's portfolio

Case IH - a unique Augmenta field analyzer, which is used for automatic online analysis of vegetation in the field and real-time creation of task maps for differentiated application of nitrogen fertilizers, growth regulators or plant protection products for various crops.

Creating technological task maps, according to which differentiated application, for example, of nitrogen fertilizers, will be carried out, is a complex, long and relatively expensive process. In addition, the reliability of such maps does not always correspond to reality, because nitrogen is one of the most mobile elements in the soil. Therefore, the presence of nitrogen in the soil in the fall, when soil sampling is usually carried out for analysis, and in early spring, is different.

When applying a differentiated nitrogen rate, the Augmenta dynamic algorithm uses its own AUG index map to assess and categorize in real time the productivity potential of different sections of the field. Depending on the result obtained and the selected fertilizing strategy, the system automatically adjusts the dose of mineral fertilizers.

The technical equipment of the device includes a scanning system for determining the physiological characteristics of agricultural crops, which is installed on the roof of the equipment. The system includes: a multispectral camera (five spectra; scanning width — 40 m; resolution — 12 pixels per cm2; possibility of separate scanning of 128 sections), a 4K camera, sensors for determining environmental and light parameters.

"This is a new solution on the market, which is of high value to farmers. Today, one of the most significant costs in cultivation is mineral fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore, their economical and at the same time rational use is the number one issue. For example, currently, three factors of inappropriate use of fertilizers and pesticides can be distinguished:

agronomic - excess mineral fertilizers and pesticides can gradually suppress the growth of crop plants, so they must be applied in a strictly fixed amount;
ecological - excessive or unnecessary application creates an increased impact on the environment and the ecological situation in a specific area of ​​activity;
financial - the cost of production increases with the application of an unreasonable amount of drugs or fertilizers.

Thanks to the Augmenta software capabilities, automated control of equipment with adjustment of operating values ​​in real time is carried out. Augmenta technology supports nitrogen application (all types of crops during seasonal work), foliar feeding (for any crops), defoliation (for cotton), application of fungicides, growth regulators and differential application of herbicides. The algorithms of the system have already been worked out on crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans, sugar beets, rye, oats, barley, rapeseed, cotton, green crops (lettuce, spinach, etc.). In parallel with the improvement of the technology, the list of these crops will expand.

But most importantly, with the new Case IH Patriot® 50th series sprayers, we have a system for implementing the capabilities of the analyzer,” concludes Anatoliy Matsyuk.