There’s a new spreader in town
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| The 6-foot, 6-inch tires on this New Leader lime and fertilizer spreader even towers over the head of John Williams, owner of McHenry Machine in Princeton, who stands 6 feet 4 inches tall. With an average fertilizer buggy, the spinner frame is 26-30 inches off the ground, while the spinner frame on this spreader is 48-50 inches. The overall height will allow the applicator to achieve a wider spread pattern. (BCR photo/Barb Kromphardt) |
PRINCETON — Farmers and others driving down a country road might be tempted to stop and do a double take at a new fertilizer spreader that should be appearing in some area fields this year.
The spreader is the creation of John Williams, owner of McHenry Machine in Princeton, and has been adapted from a New Leader 2000 lime and fertilizer spreader.
“It is designed to go over row crops which actually will be in the growing stage, anywhere from 10 inches to 2 feet tall,” he said. “We’re going to use it as a side-dressing tool.”
Williams said year after year fertilizer is always put on either in the fall or in the spring, or the farmer has used a liquid product. The new spreader is going to add some flexibility, in addition to other benefits.
Williams said the trailer has adjustable axles on it, so it can be driven down the rows.
“We’re going to put on part of our nitrogen as an application with about 32 percent in the spring, which is a liquid form, and then we’re going to come back over the top and we’re going to side-dress it with the dry during the growing season,” Williams said. “When we’re done with it in the spring, we’re actually going to push the wheels back in, so that we can load it and do limestone in the fall.”
Williams said with the spreader, farmers can variable rate their fertilizer for their prescription for the actual crop they’re growing that year, not just a straight 200-pound application.
Williams said this kind of spreader hasn’t been used much around here.
“They’ve made different types of what we call fertilizer buggies before that they’ve tried to adapt to this,” he said. “This unit has a patented spinner assembly on it that actually allows us to broadcast our fertilizer in 80-foot driving centers, which means overall we’re going to throw 110- to 120-foot wide. This will allow us to follow our planter tracks and achieve the desired spread width, so that we’re not driving over the corn in different spots.”
In some states, this kind of spreader could become a necessity. Williams said some states have banned farmers from applying all their nitrogen in one pass application, instead requiring three separate passes.
The new spreader was designed for Obery Chemical and Fertilizer in Metamora. Williams said he has seen similar spreaders, but never before with a New Leader spreader.
“This will be the first one that we’ve taken and spread over the top of the crops in our part of northern Illinois,” he said. “We put it all together; we made up the trailer frame, installed the hydraulics, did the variable rate technology on it, and tied it all together, so when you plug it in with the tractor, we’re ready to spread.”
Williams said he has worked with Obery for a number of years, and they’ve been testing the concept.
“Not in theory, but through our testing, we were able to grow a better crop by applying the nitrogen when it was needed,” he said. “Our yields are better, and the overall product has come out better.”
The new spreader will head into the fields soon, and when the crops are in, Williams said they will continue with the spreading testing.
“It’s just one more product, basically, that’s going to enhance the value of the Global Positioning System and a way to potentially achieve better yields,” he said.
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