|
| Really depends on what you want out of it.
Price is the price unfortunately, just gotta see if it is actually worth it for you though.
A few things it actually does:
1. Lets you slow down without reducing efficacy. While this isn't a 'sales pitch', we have every reason to slow down while spraying, so it'd help keep consistency whether you are spraying at 8mph going into a turn or straight away 16mph.
2. Turn Comp - The nastier the fields, you'll have the system to back you up and soften the high rate spots that get double-triple-etc coverage (inside of a turn), and outside spots that'd be severely low-rate that might produce escapes.
- For actual turns, the best way to actually get a solid turn spray is to slow down into the turn a fair bit so your rate controller and PWM aren't going from 100% to 10% (as in your rate controller rate is probably going from 100% to 20% flow in the turn, relying on pressure sensor info/etc to try keep this consistent. So the slower you get into a turn the better your turn comp will work. Same with your rate going out of a turn, slow out and it'll have an easier time getting back on rate without hunting for the rate.
- Often the 'turn comp' savings is where people see the payback of the AIM system. So, if you are spraying wonky shaped fields or pivots, or lots of power poles/etc, you might be seeing 3%+ savings. For regular square-cut fields, might only be like 1% savings.
3. Better use of nozzles - So, at face value, if you have multiple rates of applications that you do (e.g. 5GPA, 7.5GPA, 10GPA, 12.5GPA, 15GPA, 20GPA applications), you'd be in a much better shape to use a nozzle or two for that full range. AGAIN, differing modes of actions (contact chem vs. Systemic Chem) will still often need different nozzles, so don't just use it if it hits the right flow rate but isn't the right spray quality/etc. For example, if all the speeds are the same for all the rates, you could probably use what you'd call a 10GPA nozzle at higher pressure for contact spray (e.g. 60PSI), and then be able to taper that nozzle down to 5GPA at a lower pressure for coarser, systemic chem, work.
- Again, there are limits to this. Generally you'd aim to have a nozzle operating within 60-80% duty cycle as a rule of thumb. If you have a 'max-speed, max-rate' application that you want to do with the same nozzle, then you can still operate within that 80-95% duty cycle, but just keep in mind you'll have less flexibility in duty cycle/turn compensation without slowing down a tad more.
4. "DRIFT REDUCTION MODE" button - Since you have pressure control now, you'd have an easy button to drop your pressure on the go, so you can effectively have a 'drift reduction mode' without having to slow down/etc. Just press the button, drop your pressure to like 30PSI and you rate stays the same, but your drift might go down like 30% (depends on the nozzle type/etc).
5. Some diagnostics - Again, this depends on the system. Pretty much wont tell you if a nozzle is plugged, but you'd have means to test the nozzles on the boom or see if you have issues at a solenoid on a solenoid. This isn't really a 'perk', its just a side-thing for being able to test nozzles without testing the entire section.
6. Larger nozzle size(s) - Generally this only makes a big difference if you often get plugging issues with the nozzles you use right now. Since PWM allows the use of nozzles that are often 2 sizes larger than what you currently use, it often means you don't plug nozzles near as easily. (Again the 2 size up is just a rough idea. ALWAYS properly size nozzles)
7. Comfort of Drive - So, since the pressure is held constant wherever you want it to be (for coverage & drift reduction balance), that means you can slow down or speed up based on field conditions. Think of it this way, you can now drive the field based on whats infront of you. You don't have to worry about keeping speed up to keep pressure up, nor do you have to worry so much about your pressure spiking hard if you have a flat straight-away that you want to bump up 5MPH or something.
8. Heavier rates in select part of swath - Depending if you wanted, you could increase rate behind the wheels or at the boom ends and such if you chose to. So, just improving efficacy without having different size nozzles on behind the sprayer. Keep in mind these higher rate nozzles will still 'steal' flow from the other nozzles, so if you bumped up rate behind the wheels/sprayer 20%, it'd steal like 6 nozzles / 72 total nozzles x 20% = 1.6% less rate each of the other nozzles down the length of the sprayer. Not a huge deal, but just so you are aware.
9. Usually a 50 series would come with stacked nozzle bodies, so you do have the means to have a pulsing + non-pulsing nozzle at the same time for any higher 20GPA+ rates, but depends on your boom setup. That is probably one of my favorite ways to improve coverage in high volume applications into hard to reach canopy crops/etc, but it has more to do with stacked nozzle bodies than it does the PWM system.
As far as the 'bad stuff':
1. Cost - Obviously
2. Maintenance - While there seemed to be some 'lemon' years for controllers/harnessing in like 2014-2016-ish, generally might expect to replace a solenoid or two each year (even if you say like $250USD/each).
- Extra attention needs to be given if you are putting liquid fertilizer through it as well.
- End of year maintenance should be done to get antifreeze in behind the poppets to make sure it doesn't freeze up there.
3. Nozzle Searching/Education - A bit more complicated for nozzle selection, more of a situation to get your head around the first time, but once you get some of the extra details in what the system can do to improve flexibility, it is really good info that you can take to the bank. (e.g. picking nozzles that have a perfect coverage range at a higher pressure, allowing a perfect drift reduction pressure at lower pressures means you can spray more efficiently in less ideal situations/weather/fields.)
4. Air Induction Nozzles - As a general rule, you wouldn't want to use air induction nozzles due to the pulsing frequency interrupting the air induction action. Worst case, is they garble out and don't work. Best case, there are some AI designs that aren't as badly inhibited, but it isn't operating the same as while it is a constant-pressure AI nozzle, so generally it is recommended against by PWM system manufacturers. Luckily now there are a lot of options for drift reduction PWM nozzles, so just make sure you aren't using a non-drift reduction (conventional flat fan) nozzle with the system as using the system doesn't really inherently reduce drift. (Maybe a tad less drift due to using nozzles that are size(s) larger than otherwise, but that isn't enough drift reduction to make it better than a proper drift reduction nozzle without PWM. Just be smart and ask for help picking nozzles.
5. Max flow through the PWM solenoid - Just so you are aware you can put out like 1-1.25 gallons/minute per nozzle, so if you are getting up to like 20GPA at 15MPH, you'll get a fair bit of pressure drop through the solenoid. This is just something to be aware of and plan for if most of your spraying is 20GPA work. This is to do with the solenoid itself, NOT the nozzles. You can use larger nozzle sizes to counter-act it a bit, but generally it is not a good thing to do as you start getting MUCH coarser garden-hose spray at those kind of pressure drops. At that point, it'd be time to use a dual-stacked body (or on the 50 series sprayer monitor - it is selected as 'High Flow Mode' in the monitor, so you use a single pulsing nozzle + your bypass nozzle as well, so you'd kind of be using 2x 10GPA nozzles instead of a single 20GPA nozzle through your PWM solenoid)
So, in my mind it is usually a cost vs. benefit of a few key things:
1. Turn Comp Savings - if my fields are mostly turns or non-straight passes, might be saving 3% of my chem bill.
2. Efficacy/Crop Savings - If I am damaging my crop less into turns and out of nasty bits, what might I be leaving on the table in potential crop damage.
3. Nozzle Efficiency - Not the hugest cost, but might be some actual true savings in nozzles. Might not be much, and only if it actually saves a set of nozzles.
4. Convenience/Comfort - Being able to just get into the sprayer and 'drive' is nice. For how much of the year we are using the sprayers, it does take a load off.
5. Rate adjustments - Much easier to adjust the rate while keeping pressure. E.g. if you are going to have X gallons left in the tank, but only 20 acres to spray, increase rate X to get empty(er) near the end.
6. Operator Experience - Overall, the system is doing more, so easier to have a less experienced sprayer operator in the cab as you know the system is going to compensate for speed fluctuations. Again, just a bit more peace of mind.
So, some really like it for sure. I find most within 2-3 years of having an PWM machine, probably 85% of them wouldn't really want a sprayer without it again. There are ALWAYS lemons in equipment, and there is enough shift in the capabilities of the sprayer (as well as electronics/software) that naturally some will have bad times or lemons or bad dealers that will set them off the system as well.
Some find its not worth it much. but some might honestly buy it for the more comfortable experience and peace of mind.
Just a few things to consider on the broad side of things without having to get a sales-shpeal from a dealer.
| |
|
Case patriot 4350
