Sam Calameri & Charlie Blogna talk about the benefits of the HARDI Navigator
Growing premium quality potatoes & carrots for local and export markets is a serious business for horticultural produces Sam Calameri & Charlie Blogna on their 150 acre Baldivis Market Gardens, situated 30km south of Perth.
“Spraying is one of the more important tasks involved in being premium producers. We practice a preventative approach so timing with good coverage ensures we stay in front of weeds, pests and disease control” said Sam.
Sam & Charlie recently took delivery of their new HARDI NAVIGATOR 4000 litre trailer sprayer with IntelliTrack through Wattleup Tractors in Welshpool, to replace their old HARDI TX 2400 trailer.
“The 4000 NAVIGATOR gives us the increased capacity we need to keep spraying”, explained Sam. “With our land spread out and only one filling station, 4000 litres is enough liquid on board to do the job and reduces the number of trips back to refill”.
Our decision to upgrade after almost 12 years to another HARDI was an easy one, due to the fact that we had such a good run from our old TX 2400,” said Charlie. “It served us well, and when you consider our experience, buying another HARDI was an obvious one”.
The NAVIGATOR is logically designed and built to last, and backed by the dealer and manufacturer service and support teams. There are a lot of differences from the TX 2400, which will make spraying easier and the application more precise.
The NAVIGATOR is designed for row-crop with the tank and chassis completely integrated and a front platform makes for easy access to the main tank. Excellent crop clearance with low centre of gravity and the 500L rinse tank is positioned over the axle for extra stability.
“We used have to jack knife our old sprayer to get in and out of the runs” explained Sam. “Now with IntelliTrack drawbar, the sprayer tracks directly behind the tractor. Even though the NAVIGATOR is physically longer than the old sprayer and with our short headlands we don’t have the turning difficulty”
“Because of
our short headlands IntelliTrack allows me to concentrate on folding one side of the boom in and I don’t have to worry about where the sprayer is, as it follows my tractor wheels precisely.” Added Sam. “I know I am not running over valuable crop, and it saves us time and money”.
Sam and Charlie chose the Z-Fold PRO boom because it allows spraying with only one wing folded, giving them more versatility in their fixed irrigation and on headlands. A wide, stable paralift gives effortless boom height control from 0.4m to 2.2m.
Smooth ride axle suspension means a much better ride and more accurate product application. Road travel is more comfortable for the operator and takes care of the sprayer.
Two SmartValves provide control of all the primary operating functions, and the fluid system is driven by robust grease-lubricated cast iron diaphragm pump. A high capacity EasyClean suction filter is monitored by an external gauge. Chemical transfer with the Granni Pot uses a vortex inside the hopper for rapid mixing.
Sam also added that this is the first sprayer they have owned with a full rate controller. “The HC5500 has been very easy to use and we now wonder how we did without one for so many years” he said. “With quality assurance playing a major part in our business and to ensure the continued quality of produce it was necessary for us to have a rate controller”. The HC5500 is a compact design providing full fingertip control over all the sprayer functions.
To out more about the HARDI NAVIGATOR talk to your local HARDI DEALER.