Spray More Acres For Less The 3,300-gal. capacity on a Horsch Leeb 12 TD pull-type sprayer means fewer stops to refill. Spray boom working widths that start at 120 ft. and top out at 160 ft. mean more acres with every pass. A superior suspension system, boom design and boom control ensure a smooth and precise application, all for less money. “You get the same or greater boom width at 40% the cost of a high-clearance sprayer,” says Mike Wasylyniuk, Horsch Canada. “It can be pulled with an older, lower-cost tractor, and with the high capacity, spraying becomes a one-person job.” “Fill up in the morning and spray till noon,” he says. “Eat lunch, refill and spray the rest of the day. You can have 1,500 acres done without a second guy hauling water.” Wasylyniuk sees the Leeb 12 TD as a complement to high-clearance sprayers. He notes that one of the first customers was also running a Deere 616R sprayer. “It can do the same job, but at a lower cost.” He notes that bigger booms, like those on the Horsch Leeb 12 TD, are common in Europe; however, they travel at slower speeds. Horsch took this into account and designed the Leeb 12 TD to handle North America’s higher speeds and terrain deviations. Ultrasonic sensors mounted on the outside of the boom ensure the boom height adjusts as needed. “You can drive right through a drainage ditch,” says Wasylyniuk. “The Leeb 12 TD center rack is independent of the rest of the machine. Boom suspension is aided by hinge points halfway down the booms. Two hydraulic cylinders take the shock off the rack, while the gyroscopic sensor automatically levels out the booms, so the tips don’t hit the ground.” While the crop height is limited by back axle height, the pull-type sprayer is multi-purpose. “Use it pre-emerge and when the crop is low and again post-harvest,” suggests Wasylyniuk. “In corn country, you can also use it to put down high rates of liquid fertilizer.” The high-capacity sprayer features two tanks, front to back. They’re positioned to maintain weight on the tractor hitch for maximum traction with the back axle. The rear tank empties first, followed by the front tank, to maintain weight on the hitch. “This allows smaller tractors to be used without additional ballast,” says Wasylyniuk. “This reduces cost and soil compaction.” The tandem axle design includes an axle steering system, which ensures the sprayer’s front axle follows the tractor’s rear axle, while the sprayer’s rear axle follows the tractor’s front axle. This minimizes compaction and improves maneuverability. On-the-go tire inflation lets the operator hit a switch for road pressure or a lower field pressure. As the tanks empty, tire pressure automatically increases. Horsch continues to look for ways to improve the design. “Our biggest tires have been 650s,” says Wasylyniuk. “We just got approved for 900s. They will put more rubber on the ground for better flotation.” Contact the company for the nearest dealer and pricing. Horsch Canada also distributes equipment to the U.S. “We’re signing up new dealers every week,” says Wasylyniuk. “We started our sprayer program in Canada with our self-propelled sprayers, and now we have added our pull-type. We’ll be introducing it in Canada and the U.S. wherever we think it’ll work. There appears to be a lot of demand for it.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Horsch Canada, 3703 Millar Ave., Bay 7, Saskatoon, Sask., Canada S7P 0B3 (ph 877-350-4715 or 306-978-1316; sales.ca@horsch.com; www.horsch.com).

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