The width and weight of the boom creates a problem of load transfer, significant instability linked to unlevel terrain, and therefore imprecision in the application of inputs.
The solution is choosing the right tyres for the whole combination vehicle, tractor and sprayer.
This is definitely the most important point for boom stability.
It can be altered by the movement of the liquid in the tanks if the tyres do not sufficiently absorb the vibrations. The size of your tyres in relation to your sprayer, and their type will be decisive.
The specific case of self-propelled sprayers is a bit different as the machine is designed specifically for spraying. It will generally be automatically equipped with narrow wheels. It will still be advantageous to replace the standard tyres with VF tyres to really protect your crops.
However, if your sprayer is towed behind your tractor, it is vital to adapt the tyres of the combined vehicle to product your crops and your productivity. The sprayer is one of the machines that you use the most during around 8 months with 4 to 20 passages per field depending on the crops, this is the machine which will have the most influence on your productivity.
The stability of the booms and their nearness to the crops allow you to improve the application of the product to the crops, to spread it evenly and thus reduce the volume/ha with a direct impact on the cost of inputs (fertilisers, insecticides, fungicides, growth regulators...).
The stability of your sprayer depends on the even equipping of narrow tyres for the tractor but also for the sprayer. The ideal tyre must have a steel band to strengthen the tread and increase the load capacity, the sidewalls must enable the steel band to act as a shock absorber providing increased flexibility and stability to your combined vehicle, whatever the type of terrain.
For spraying: the tractor must be as light as possible, strictly no weights either in the wheels or on the front of the tractor. For spraying, what we want is not the tractive force but the rolling speed to spray correctly. By reducing the global weight of the tractor, we reduce fuel consumption, but more importantly we reduce its rolling resistance, and therefore protect the crops by avoiding excessive soil compaction.
The tyre pressure must be adjusted between road transport and work in the fields, depending on the load carried and the rolling speed.
To take it a step further and increase your farm’s profitability, the Tractor tyre experts have prepared a very detailed free eBook which explains the essential role of the agricultural tyre on your productivity.
The Bridgestone-agriculture.eu blog is written and administered by agricultural tyre experts who are available to provide you with the advice you need on the subject of your tyres. They can help you to maximise your productivity with information on all aspects related to tyres: Technical data for agricultural tyres - Agricultural tyre performance - Air pressure advice - Solutions to avoid soil compaction - Sprayer tyre pressure – Why and how to ballast your tractor tyres - The 6 principal mechanical causes of abnormal wear to your tractor tyres – etc….
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