HARDI Australia has just completed the first customer delivery of its new HELLIOS lightweight self-propelled boomsprayer.
Its destination is a mixed cropping property in Victoria, growing potatoes, lucerne, wheat and other crops.
The owners are long-standing users of a HARDI NAVIGATOR trailed sprayer, but felt ready to move onto the turn-key efficiency of a self-propelled unit.
HARDI’s national product manager (self-propelled sprayers) Steve Lancaster said the installation and operator training went without a hitch.
“We spent a lot of time getting the machine right in Adelaide, before we sent it across to Victoria,” Mr Lancaster said.
“That paid off in the long run.
“We were able to get it set up quicker than a more complex sprayer like our Rubicon and concentrate on training.
“The operator is only 17-years-old and he picked up the HELLIOS and its systems really quickly.”
Featuring a 3000 litre capacity and front-mounted HARDI PARAGON AL boom, the HELLIOS is priced to please row crop and small broadacre farmers like its new owners.
“Part of the work we were able to do in Adelaide was tailoring the 36 metre boom to suit this owner’s irrigation layout,” Mr Lancaster said.
“We also installed AgLeader steering and the wide track for their row spacings.”
HARDI Australia offers HELLIOS with 3 metre, 2m and 1.8m track width options, making it a perfect fit for row cropping.
A low tare weight of 6300 kilograms helps alleviate soil compaction in frequently cultivated and irrigated paddocks.
The front-mounted boom and centre have been tuned by HARDI to ensure smooth and precise height control, while the comfortable Category 4 cab gives a commanding view of the spray job.
Four-wheel steering makes the sprayer very agile as well, with a turning radius of 3.60m.
But the real secret of HELLIOS is its power train.
A combination of hydro-mechanical rear axle transmission and front-wheel hydraulic-assist, means the sprayer only needs a 103 kilowatt (138 horsepower) Deutz diesel to perform well on wet, soft and sloping ground.
Making more use of a smaller engine cuts down on weight and day-to-day fuel consumption.
READ MORE:
By combining self-propelled productivity with excellent value for money, HELLIOS has already proven very popular in Europe.
HARDI Australia is confident local growers will be quick to appreciate its advantages here as well.
“I’m sure it will be very popular,” Mr Lancaster said.
“It’s not a complicated machine, but it’s everything a lot of growers want.”