Nutrient applicator premiers at MAGIE

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — A new nutrient applicator with the ability to spread fertilizer at wider widths, higher rates and faster speed debuted at the Midwest Ag Industries Exposition.

The New Leader NL720 on a Case IH Trident 5550 was featured at the Jenner Ag booth during the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association’s event Aug. 21.

The applicator was the winner of the ShowStopper Award from CropLife IRON and IFCA at this year’s MAGIE.

“The Case IH Trident 5550 with the dry flow option on it basically doubles our hydraulic capacity to run dry applicator equipment. The NL720 was built specifically for this bed,” said Darren Dalenberg, Jenner Ag director at Harristown.

Key features of the new NL720 include:

• High Productivity — A new delivery system and spinner design combine with the 120-foot spread width to provide a 33% increase in productivity over previous models. This means operators can cover more acreage per hour of operation, increasing profitability.

• Low-Maintenance Design — Tool-free components, a positive-drive straight belt, a fixed feed gate, an operator inspection platform and simplified spread-pattern testing make the NL720 easier to operate and maintain, reducing parts costs and downtime during the spreading season.

• Versatility — The NL720′s integrated control module offers push-button spread width changes, allowing the operator to swap between the full 120-foot swath width and a 70- to 90-foot option perfect for windier conditions or when spreading challenging fertilizer products. Auto-adjusting chutes make changing swath width simple and reliable.

“We’ve jumped up our hydraulic capacity so that we have the capabilities of using this bed to spread fertilizer, including urea, up to 120 feet accurately in one pass,” Dalenberg said.

“It gives us two-belt, multi-section shutoff in a new innovative spinner disk assembly that can be adjusted for product density, product quality, to maintain that spread pattern.”

Meeting Customer Needs

Dalenberg was asked what were some of the characteristics customers are looking for in applicators.

“A lot of things that we for years have tried to strive at and that is trying to increase their profitability, increase their efficiency. In fact, we’re doing a demo here showing how we can increase efficiency 20% to 40% in a spray applicator by using RTK and some boundaries,” he said.

“Also, making it easier for the operator. As the labor challenges continues to grow, making it easier for that newer operator and giving them the technology that just makes the job more understandable. That really is a benefit, we believe, to our customers.”

The MAGIE outdoor show uniquely offers numerous opportunities to ride and drive the latest equipment and network with peers.

“Attendance to the show last I heard was up 600 and we’ve seen that in the interest coming through. There’s been a lot of interest and a lot of engagement with the beautiful weather we’re having here today,” Dalenberg said.