BURANDO Hill Geraldton branch manager Jonathan Moss said he had met with a positive response from farmers during recent demonstrations of the new Bredal 105XE spreader.
"We've had it operating in a range of wind conditions and it has stood up well to farmer expectations," Mr Moss said.
Irwin cropping manager Nick Shehan, Willow Glen, said his initial thoughts on seeing the XE model was that there were too many moving parts.
"I'm a mechanic by trade and I was a bit sceptical comparing it with other spreaders," Mr Shehan said.
"But after using it, I've reserved my opinion, particularly when you look at the productivity gains.
"To me it's just a matter of staying on top of maintenance so you don't accelerate wear on things like belts and rollers."
According to Mr Shehan, he tested the XE in 15 knot easterlies travelling north-south.
"It was quickly apparent you didn't need a curtain with the spinners six metres apart and easily making 18 metres spreading lime and 36m with urea," he said.
The XE features a new disc spreading assembly, comprising two large 70 centimetre spreading discs, with each fed by a short lateral belt from the floor conveyor in the hopper and the use of hydraulic drive - instead of the belt drive used on other Bredal spreaders.
According to Bredal, this enables spreading width to be determined by disc speed and down-chute adjustment.
An automatic drop point is standard and operated via an electronic actuator.
Bredal said this new configuration enabled the XE spreaders to broadcast lime to 30m using four-vane discs and granular fertiliser to 48m using a six-vane design.
The two discs rotate towards the centre to build the required application rate in four layers to help mitigate any variations in the spread pattern.
The left or right-hand disc speed is adjusted for headland spreading to deliver a level distribution with a sharp cut-off to the field border.
The model is ISOBUS-compatible, which automatically sets the machine once the product bulk density, application rate and spread width have been entered.
A full section control model is available - 105XESC - for auto on/off at headlands and variable rate ready for use with prescription maps.
According to Mr Moss, the XE is equipped with 750/35R Trelleborg tyres to ensure its floats over deep ripped country
"It is built strong and has a capacity of 13,400 litres and with the Trelleborgs it's easier to tow," he said.
"It has basically been designed as a low maintenance machine with a simple calibration procedure and adjustable spread pattern via automatic adjustment of the drop point."
This is one feature Mr Shehan liked, along with the fact that he could see the spinners in operation.
Mingenew farmers Braden and Justin Bagley, who own a Bredal 105XE model, also tested the demo unit fitted with the new Z disc and were very impressed with the results in the tray test showing a spread of 48m.
Recently, Bredal Australia claimed the XE broke new ground for controlled traffic farming systems.
Earlier last month, it was independently tested by the Australian Fertiliser Standards Association in New South Wales, for spreading urea and achieved a spreading width of 50m, a barrier never before achieved.
According to Bredal Australia director Ben Nichols, the test was carried out in "six metres a second wind" equivalent to 20-22 kilometre an hour.
"It was not ideal testing conditions but it turned out to be ideal for the XE," Mr Nichols said.
"It gives us confidence to advise customers they can spread urea to 48m widths."
According to Mr Nichols, a lot of development of the XE occurred in Western Australia.
"But now it will be a world-wide product for Bredal," he said.
"We see a big market in Australia, particularly WA, South Australia and Victoria, where there are a lot of 45m and 48m boomsprayers used in controlled traffic farming.
"It did seem that guys would be stuck with 36m forever but now they can upgrade to wider widths to match the spreads the XE can achieve.
"This has never been done before (achieving 48m) with 42m being the best until now.
"There are plenty of people making claims about spreading widths but nobody else is accredited beyond 42m."
p More information: contact your local Burando Hill dealer.