SILVAN Australia’s recently introduced TurboSCRAM vineyard sprayer has received a strong uptake by vineyard spraying contractors and a number of medium to larger scale vineyards and corporate wine companies.
The Silvan TurboSCRAM is available in tank sizes of 2000, 3500 and 4000 litres and comes with an extensive range of features.
Research and development involved vineyard owners, managers and viticultural consultants as well as spraying contractors using existing sprayer choices.
Most of the new features reflected a demand for a sprayer that helped to contain input costs, applied chemicals to maximum benefit, with comprehensive penetration and coverage of the vine canopy with minimal downtime.
Simple and effective control options that provided operator safety and benefits like shorter turning circles at the headlands or end of rows have further enhanced the adaptability of the new TurboSCRAM.
Silvan combined its existing Turbomiser spray technology with new features including 320 mm (13in)-diameter, German-made, high performance hydraulic drive centrifugal fans.
Each of the fans operates at low noise levels and with high efficiency powered by the hydraulic power pack that can be disengaged during tank fills and spray agitation for increased operator safety.
These fans draw their air from a height of two metres with one fan at each end of the air tubes..
The specially-designed spray tube wrap is supported by an anodised marine-grade aluminium exoskeleton with its wrap-around design creating air turbulence in the vine canopy.
With the high velocity air streams, shadowing in the rows is avoided giving maximum spray coverage.
A key benefit is even air distribution and the elimination of leaf blockages or fruit damage by a sand-blasting effect.
Built on a rectangular steel chassis, the spray boom has hydraulic opening and closing plus rollers that allow varying vine row widths to be served.
The chassis also has a tandem axle for a smooth ride behind the tractor with the tow hitch design enabling tighter turns at the end of rows.
The Turbomiser technology provides individual spray nozzle rate control from the tow tractor cabin; with low nozzle wear and a narrow droplet spectrum for target spraying with excellent coverage and efficient chemical use.
Based at Wilyabrup, Margaret River, WVC Viticulture services vineyards in the local area spraying about 100 hectares each season.
WVC Viticulture’s owner Russell Oates is currently in the second season of using a Silvan TurboSCRAM.
Mr Oates purchased his ‘SCRAM’ from local Silvan dealer Nicholls Machinery, Busselton.
He upgraded from an older-style vineyard sprayer seeking the added features and flexibility that the TurboSCRAM supplied.
Russell also sought the option of hydraulic row width adjustment to suit the varying row width configurations in the vineyards he services.
Key features of the ‘SCRAM’ include the static PTO and auto rate controller.
“A lot of the time we are able to run the ‘SCRAM’ in economy mode with the choice of low rate or high rate spraying giving us the ability to meet individual vineyards requirements,” Mr Oates said.
“The Silvan TurboSCRAM has been a good choice for us as we tend to do a lot of different things for different vineyards.
“We have been well supported by Nicholls Machinery in sorting out a few minor issues as we became more and more equipped to use all the features of the SCRAM”.
More information:1300 745 826 or info@silvan.com.au
