Chemical Fertilizer Applicators

Summary of Melroe 2710 Fertilizer Attachment (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.31 MB)

Quality of Work: Overall functional performance of the Melroe 2710 fertilizer attachment was fair. Its performance was reduced by large variations in application rate with changes in field slope and fairly high variation in distribution across the seeding width.

Application uniformity was not affected by field roughness, ground speed or level in the fertilizer box. Application rate was significantly affected by field slope and increased 53% when seeding up a 15° slope. The variation in application across the seeding width was just within acceptable limits.

Actual application rates were about 30 kg/ha (27 lb/ac) higher than those indicated in the manufacturer's calibration tables for all application rates when applying fertilizer types commonly used in the prairies. A large range of fertilizing rates were available with an adequate number of settings in the commonly used range.

Ease of Installation: Installation of the attachment on a drill was easy with adequate instructions supplied by the manufacturer.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: The fertilizer box was very easy to clean. The feed baffles and dropout bottom were easily removed. The box was well sealed with a slight amount of moisture entering only in heavy rains.
Operators Manual: The operator's manual was very good. It contained comprehensive instructions on installation, adjustment, repair and maintenance.

Mechanical History: Only one minor mechanical problem occurred during functional evaluation.

Summary of Spierco M80 Fertilizer Attachment (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.31 MB)

Quality of Work: Overall functional performance of the Spierco M80 fertilizer attachment was very good. Performance was reduced by variation in application rates with changes in forward speed and by nonuniformity of distribution across the seeding width at low fertilizing rates.

Application rate was not affected by field roughness or level in the fertilizer box, and was only slightly affected by field slope. Application across the seeding width was uniform at high fertilizing rates but was non-uniform at low rates. Application uniformity was affected by side slope.

Actual application rates were slightly lower than indicated by the manufacturer's calibration. The calibration of the two boxes was slightly different. A large range of fertilizing rates was available with an adequate number of settings.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: The fertilizer box was easy to clean, since the Screens and baffles were easily removed. The box was well sealed.

Operators Manual: The operator's manual contained comprehensive instructions on operation and maintenance.

Mechanical History: Only one minor mechanical problem with a drive cable occurred during the test.

Summary of Gandy 44-NDK 59 Fertilizer Attachment (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.29 MB)

Quality of Work: Overall functional performance of the Gandy 44-NDK 59 fertilizer attachment was very good. Performance was reduced by variation in application rates with changes in forward speed and by plugging of the delivery tubes when travelling down slopes greater than 10°.

Application rate was not affected by field roughness or level in the fertilizer box, and was only slightly affected by field slope unless delivery tubes plugged. Application across the seeding width was very uniform.

The manufacturer's calibration was accurate and a large range of fertilizing rates was available with an adequate number of settings.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: The fertilizer box was easy to clean since the rotor bar and box bottom were easily removed. The box was well sealed.

Operators Manual: The operator's manual contained comprehensive instructions on operation and maintenance.

Mechanical History: No mechanical problems occurred during the test.

Summary of Fertilizer Banding Knife Attachment (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.85 MB)

Conventional Cultivator Chisel Point: Cultivator chisel points left an uneven field surface. Fertilizer was placed in bands 1.25 in (32 mm) wide and varied 0.40 in (10 mm) in depth when the chisel points were new. Installation on the cultivator was convenient. Fertilizer band width increased when the points were worn. Penetration was very good. Power requirements were usually less than for most banding knives.

Culti-Band Q0115: Fertilizer was placed in bands 0.75 in (19 mm) wide and varied 0.40 in (10 mm)in depth. Penetration was very good when the knife was new and fair after the knife became worn. Installation on the cultivator was convenient. Power requirements for new knives were about 20% greater than those for new chisel points. Power requirements for worn knives were about 6% less than for worn chisel points. Several replaceable knife tips were lost during the test.

Dutch Granular Knife Number 7: Fertilizer was placed in bands 1.0 in (25 mm) wide and varied 0.40 in (10 mm) in depth. Penetration was very good when the knife was new and fair after the knife became worn. Installation on the cultivator was convenient. Power requirements for new knives were about 15% greater than for new chisel points. Power requirements for worn knives were about 9% greater than for worn chisel points.

Gromor Deep Banding Knife: Fertilizer was placed in band 0.75 in (19 mm) wide and varied 0.40 in (10 mm) in depth. Penetration was very good when the knife was new and poor after the knife became worn. Initial installation on the cultivator was inconvenient. The cultivator shanks had to be cut off and modified to accommodate the Gromor deep banding knife. Power requirements for new knives were about 19% greater than for new chisel points. Power requirements for worn knives were about 16% greater than for worn chisel points.

Digger Bandit Snout 3: Fertilizer was placed in bands 1.0 in (2.5 mm) wide and varied 0.40 in (10 mm) in depth. Penetration was good when the knives were new and fair after the knives became worn. Installation on the cultivator was easy. Fertilizer feed tubes were not supplied. Power requirements for new knives were about 40% greater than for new chisel points. Power requirements for worn knives were about 70% greater than for worn chisel points.

JAD Opener: Fertilizer was placed in bands 1.0 to 1.25 in (25 to 32 mm) wide and varied 0.35 to 0.50 in (9 to 13 mm) in depth. Band width and thickness varied due to variations in knife manufacturing uniformity. Penetration was good when the knives were new and poor after the knives became worn. Installation on the cultivator was inconvenient due to limited access to the lower bolt hole. Power requirements for new knives were about 8% greater than for new chisel points, Power requirements for worn knives were about 3% higher than for worn chisel points. A weld on one knife support bracket failed when an obstruction was encountered.

TSL Deep Banding Knife: Fertilizer was placed in bands 0.75 in (19 mm) wide and varied 0.40 in (10 mm) in depth. Penetration was very good when the knives were new and poor after the knives became worn. Installation on the cultivator was easy, Power requirements for new knives were about 24% greater than for new chisel points. Power requirements for worn knives were about 32% greater than for worn chisel points.

Haley Deep Banding Knife: Fertilizer was placed in bands 0.75 in (19 mm) wide and varied 0.40 in (10 mm) in depth. Penetration was poor when the knives were new and poor after the knives became worn. Installation on the cultivator was inconvenient due to limited access to the support bracket bolt holes. Power requirements for new knives were about 20% greater than for new chisel points. Power requirements for worn knives were about 18% greater than for worn chisel points. Wear of the knife tips was excessive and caused plugging of the fertilizer tubes.

Summary of Valmar Model 4400 Fertilizer Attachment (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.36 MB)

Quality of Work: The accuracy of the fertilizer metering system was excellent. Fertilizer was applied at rates from 35 to 436 lb/ac (39 to 488 kg/ha) depending on density. The manufacturer's calibration chart was accurate. A convenient scale was supplied for determining density, and checking application rates in the field. Distribution across the width of the Valmar 4400 was very uniform with coefficient of variation's (CV) less than 5%.

Performance of the fertilizer delivery system was very good: The smooth plastic hoses did not plug, and did not damage the fertilizer.

Fertilizer placement depended upon the cultivator and banding openers used. Fan speed did not affect fertilizer placement.

Ease of Installation: Ease of installing the Valmar 4400 was very good. It took two men about 16 hours. It was easily adapted to the test cultivator. A loader or crane was required. Installation instructions were adequate.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: Ease of filling the tank was good. The 9.2 ft (2.8 m) filling height was too high for most drill fills, but worked well for auger filling. The tank lid was weathertight. The tank access ladder was too short.

Ease of cleaning was very good. The metering rollers were easily removed, once the tank was empty. The venturis and air manifold were easy to clean. Some fertilizer caked on the metering rollers and venturis in cool, damp weather.

Monitoring was good. A fan tachometer, a low bin level alarm, and meter shutoffs were provided on the control console in the tractor. The meters and venturis could be viewed from the tractor, but the plexiglass shield became dirty and could not be kept clean. The high tank obstructed visibility of the cultivator frame.

Ease of transporting was very good. The Valmar 4400 did not interfere with normal transporting of the cultivator. The tank should be emptied before transporting to avoid excessive cultivator frame stress or tire overloading,

Application rate adjustment was very good. Fan adjustment was fair. With the pto drive, the full range of fan speeds could hp (7.5 kW) at a fan speed of 5000 rpm and tractor pto speed of 1100 rpm.

Operator Safety: Drive components were adequately shielded. Warning decals were supplied. The tank access ladder was too short, making it hazardous when filling the tank.

Operator's Manual: The operator's manual was very good. It was thorough, complete, and well illustrated.

Mechanical History: A few minor mechanical problems occurred during 70 hours of field work.

Summary of ACCU Lil Bander Fertilizer Attachment (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.32 MB)

Quality of Work: The accuracy of the fertilizer metering system was very good. Fertilizer was applied at rates from 24 to 345 lb/ac (27 to 385 kg/ha) depending on type. The calibration chart was accurate but could not be used for custom blended fertilizers. A method for field checking rates was not provided. Distribution across the width of the Accu Lil Bander was uniform with CV's less than 10%.

Performance of the fertilizer delivery system was very good. The smooth-lined plastic hoses did not plug, and the box had adequate height for gravity flow.

Fertilizer placement depended upon the cultivator and banding openers used.

Ease of Installation: Ease of installing the Accu Lil Bander was very good, it took one man about 8 hours to install each box. It was easily adapted to the test cultivator. A loader or crane was required. Written instructions and several sketches were adequate.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: Ease of filling the tank was good. The 7.8 ft (2.4 m) filling height was too high for some drill fills, but worked well for auger filling. The large filler opening was weathertight, Ease of cleaning was fair. Fertilizer had to be swept or vacuumed out of the flat bottom. The metering wheels were easily removed.

Monitoring was good. Material flow could be viewed from the tractor. A sight glass helped to judge the amount of fertilizer in the box. The boxes obstructed visibility behind the cultivator.

Ease of transporting was very good. The boxes were offset to allow the cultivator wings to fold up normally. The wing lifts had to be slightly adjusted. The boxes should be emptied before transporting to avoid excessive cultivator frame stress or tire overloading.

Application rate adjustment was good. The multiple speeds were easy to set. Ease of maintenance was good. Daily servicing took about 3 minutes. No servicing information was supplied.

Power Requirements: The Accu Lil Bander had no measurable effect on the cultivator power requirements.

Operator Safety: No serious safety hazards were apparent with the machine. Climbing onto the cultivator for filling was hazardous.

Operator's Manual: The operator's manual was good. It contained information on installation, operation, adjustment, and troubleshooting. Safety information was not provided.

Mechanical History: A few minor problems occurred.

Summary of Clarke Dual Delivery System (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.40 MB)

Quality of Work: Penetration of the Clarke Dual Delivery System was good. Penetration depended entirely on the shank trip characteristics. A shank with a trip force of at least 750 lb (3340 N) is recommended.

Seed placement of the Dual Delivery System was very good. The seeding blade split the seed evenly into two rows 6 in (152 mm) apart. Bandwidth of the rows was slightly wider than that of a hoe drill. Use of the seed blades left ridges. This required the use of a harrow packer drawbar as a post seeding operation.

Fertilizer placement of the Dual Delivery System was very good. The fertilizer was placed directly between, and 2 in (51 mm) below the paired rows of seed.

Trash clearance was good. The use of the Clarke system increased the trash clearance capability of the test cultivator in normal conditions. Performance, though, was reduced in adverse wet or heavy trash conditions.

Operation of the Clarke system in stony conditions was very good. No major damage occurred to the deep banding blade or seed blade.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: Ease of transporting the test cultivator with the Clarke Dual Delivery Systems mounted was poor. The deep banding blades had to be removed or secured up to allow for ground clearance while transporting.

The openings on the seeding blades did not plug during the test. The openings on the deep banding blades started to plug at the end of the test because of blade wear and operation in wet soils.

Power Requirements: Draft (drawbar pull) requirements depended on depth, field preparation, ground speed, soil type and moisture content. The draft on the Clarke system was 50 to 79% greater than a 16 in (406 mm) chisel sweep at the same seeding depth. Maximum tractor power requirements in primary conditions for one Clarke Dual Delivery System ranged from 7.1 to 9.4 hp (5.3 to 7.1 kW).

Ease of Installation: Ease of installing the Clarke Dual Delivery System was good. Two major modifications had to be made to the test cultivator to accommodate the Clarke Dual Delivery System.

The Clarke Dual Delivery System presented no safety hazard if normal safety precautions were observed.

Operators Manual: No operator's manual was provided.

Mechanical History: The deep banding knives were still useable after 25 acres (10 ha) per blade.

Summary of Morris Air Hoe Packer Attachment (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.77 MB)

Quality of Work: Penetration of the Morris Air Hoe Packer Attachment was good. Penetration of the hoe opener in primary conditions depended on the depth of the knife opener and the packing force. Secondary soil conditions improved penetration..

Seed placement of the air hoe packer attachment was good. With the wide sweep, the seed was split evenly into two rows 5 in (127 mm) apart. The rows were distinct with the bandwidth a little wider than that of a hoe drill. With the narrow sweep, the seed was placed in a row with an average bandwidth of 4 in (102 mm). The two rows were not distinct..

The seed depth was difficult to set when operating in summerfallow conditions because the softer soils allowed the seed depth to be affected by changes in the packing force and the depth of the cultivator.

Fertilizer placement of the knife opener was very good. The fertilizer was placed below and directly between the paired rows of seed in a row with a bandwidth of 0.5 in (13 mm). Depth of the fertilizer below the seed was variable.

Soil finishing of the packer attachment was good. Ridge depths left by the narrow spaced packers were an average of 3 in (76 mm) compared to 2 in (51 mm) ridge depths left by the wide spaced packers.

Trash clearance of the Morris Air Hoe Packer Attachment with the 5 in (127 mm) spacing was good and with the 3 in (76 mm) spacing was very good. The only plugging that occurred was in weed patches of fields or in stubble fields with large accumulations of trash.

Operation of the Morris Air Hoe Packer Attachment in stony conditions was very good. No damage occurred to the attachments from operation in stony conditions.

Ease of Operation and Adjustment: Ease of transporting the test cultivator with the Morris Air Hoe Packer Attachments mounted was fair. The cultivator had to be raised up to allow for more ground clearance.

Ease of setting the seed depth was fair. Seed depth was controlled by the vertical distance between the packer and the hoe opener. Ease of setting the packing force was poor. Packing force was controlled by the spring length or tension. Changing the tension required a small prybar to compress the spring.

The fertilizer boots did not plug during the test. The seed deflectors with the 3 in (76 mm) spaced packers would plug with soil when their packers stopped turning in very moist conditions. This was caused by a lack of clearance between the packer and the packer arm.

Power Requirements: Draft (drawbar pull) requirements depended on depth, field preparation, ground speed, soil type and moisture content. The Morris Air Hoe Packer Attachment pulled an average of 110% heavier than a 16 in (406 mm) sweep at the same seeding depth. This was with the fertilizer set 2 in (51 mm) deeper than the seed depth on the attachment. Maximum tractor power requirements in primary conditions for one air hoe packer attachment ranged from 4.8 hp to 8.6 hp (3.6 to 6.5 kW).

Ease of Installation: Ease of installing the Morris Air Hoe Packer Attachment was fair. Access to the nuts of the top U-bolts were obstructed by the springs. The entire test cultivator had to be raised up to accommodate the air hoe packer attachments.

Operator Safety: The Morris Air Hoe Packer Attachment presented two safety hazards during testing. Caution had to be taken when adjusting the spring tension on the packers and hitching the test cultivator was difficult due to the negative hitch weight on the cultivator.

Operator's Manual: The operator's manual was rated as good. It contained useful information on set up, operation and maintenance.

Mechanical History: Three of the wide sweeps broke during spring seeding. The top jam nuts on the seed adjustment bolts loosened during field operation. The knife openers were worn out at the end of the test.