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36m Weedit

16K views 45 replies 17 participants last post by  ausmac 
#1 ·
Looking to put a Weedit on a 36m self propelled Goldacres, just wondering if anyone has done this or seen this done before?
Would still be very interested in seeing it on any type of self propelled machine at 36m. Just seems a little bit primitive going back to a tractor and trailing rig, just want to weigh up the options for a self propelled I already have.
Cheers.
 
#3 ·
We had a weed-it on 24 meters on a boom that we had for the Nitro , just had to unhook the 36m one and hook the weedit on , used to take a while to change and because of that we didn't always use it too the full advantage , also had a bit of trouble on Sandhills with keeping the wings at the best height even with height controllers, so the spray shop has offered a good deal on a 4000L 30M trailed "ground glider" Weedit which will also have a "normal" boom line as well which will be also a back up if/when the Nitro breaks down as we rely almost too heavily on it
 
#4 ·
A few weedit users here. I have looked into one a little bit and like the idea of investing in one as I have not been able to get away from fallow. Question, how often do you use it in fallow? 100%? The cost to buy one and get it to the states with no local support has stopped me from looking into it very hard.
 
#10 ·
I plan to put a 24 metre weedit system on my 4930 JD next summer. I haven't nailed downthe exact cost but it should be around 130 grand. I don't like the ground glider style booms that croplands sells, they probably resolve height issues in hills but it brings a 24 metre machine well over 250 grand and you still need a tractor to pull it and an astronaut to drive it. The JD boom is very solid and stable and should do the job. The other reason for going with the SP instal is I can chop and change in the paddock. If we have nearly a full profile like we have now but it hasn't rained for ages we can spot spray but also blanket spray on other parts of place that might have got a storm. Going to weedit will be a game changer for our business.
 
#12 ·
Apart from boom height there are a couple of other reasons why weedit on trailing rigs isn't a bad option. The biggest we found was depreciation. At only 15-18km/he at 24m you run up a lot of hours on a SP. They depreciate in value a lot more than a tractor. It is a bit early to tell but I don't think a stand alone rig will depreciate as much per ha. Another reason is a lot of money to hang on a boom when doing in crop spraying. People talk about taking them off but not a lot do. Finally it runs into more money than you think to retro fit one well! Ausmac looking back I thought you were buying one for this summer??
 
#13 ·
Didn't happen this year a new header got rid of those plans. I'm not against a trailing weedit it's that I can't stretch the budget to add another 100 grand plus on top of the 130k for the camera system. I think depreciation is certainly a consideration but the only reason for going down this path is to reduce chemical costs, target hard to kill weeds and to reduce useless expensive tillage. We use offsets, Kelly chains, verticaltill/ speed tiller in some paddocks and so do most of the district but we don't have too if we did this smarter.
 
#14 ·
That's why we went down the path of buying the 12m linkage weedit, it's not the quickest at covering hectares but it sure beats using a chisel plough or offsets. If money was no object I'd love a 24 or 36m setup on our SP but after having one for a while I think I'd go to a tow behind suspended boom mainly because of boom stability and depreciation, the new Hayes Baguley weedit booms look awesome a ground glider type boom copes a fairly harsh time in our black soil, it gets pretty rough at times.
 
#15 ·
I'm told that robot sprayers are 2 years off release. One is coming down to this area this year so it will be interesting to see how it goes. They have an 8m boom and will be around $110k. We are getting damage on sand rises which we think is due to chemical building up in a soil layer and not breaking down because of our low organic carbon levels (.5-1%) so we need to reduce chemical usage. With direct drilling we seem to be left with hard to kill weeds which need high chemical (glyphosate/24D) rates so IMO its either the plough or weedit type technology
 
#17 ·
I think the $4500 per metre doesn't include controller and fabrication and installation of camera brackets. That's a rough figure I got at Agquip last year. There is a few 12 metre toolbars in area and a spray coupe getting done and I talked to a contractor at Moree that has a system on a Rogator.
 
#19 ·
I have plenty of Hayes gear, but am shying away from their 36 mt weedit because I don't have confidence that a suspended boom has the stability required. The ground glider pivots at the last section like a planter but the Hayes have big fixed booms. And I'm afraid of the forward and back wopping of a suspended boom. So, I'm closing my eyes to the cost (~320k) and getting a croplands weedit.
 
#20 ·
I wouldn't buy the croplands boom. I looked at a 24 metre WeedIT system mounted on a spray coupe today down the road from me. It's been on there since Christmas and it's working excellent with no height control jut a jockey wheel other than that bulletproof. I plan to install a system on my 4930 next summer. You can't compare the quality of a croplands boomspray to a Hayes. I had one, and my brother has a new one on the way. There's a massive amount of shock going through everything with a ground glider boom that will bust most things. Don't believe the croplands sales BS about boom height they will work on other booms and save you a packet.
 
#35 ·
We have a 36m croplands weedit - 7000. It's definitely not 'BS' about height being critical. When you're trying to save chemical and hit small targets ACCURATELY, height, speed and nozzle type are all critical to maximise your investment. Because of the sensor setup any variation from the specified height WILL result in misses. Yes, it is slow. We don't go over 14km/hr when using the cameras, but accuracy is king. Having operated JD self propelled sprayers for the last 8 years, I would advise strongly against fitting a weedit setup to them (or any self propelled for that matter).

We have moved away from JD and now run 2 x Goldacres SP rigs. A G4 and a G6. Both 36M. The Croplands Weedit 7000 gives us a backup or additional rig in busy times as it comes with dual spray lines. (A blanket line and the camera line). It's not the quickest rig in the world, but we've found it to be especially useful on the part of our farm where we have contours or undulations as it flexes well and follows the ground.
 
#23 ·
Having a dedicated WeedIT boom would definitely have some advantages if you had the money and labour to run one. Maybe I might go down that path if having it on the SP doesn't work. The little spray coupe easily handles the sensors brackets and extra plumbing, it looked quite simple. It wouldn't hard to remove cameras when your not using it. If I went with a dedicated boom it would be a Hayes.
 
#25 ·
Just a thought.
You get drone technology now, with cameras that can record all kinds of things with green leaves on them.
Most people use gps with section controle.
Wouldn't it be grate, get someone with a drone, fly over the field, it creates a spray grid, upload to gps and spray selected spots.
Wouldn't be as accurate, but I assume it will be a lot cheaper.
 
#31 ·
There's a lot more leaf area in grapevines vs weeds poking through on bare ground hence my question about resolution, sensitivity, pixel size and speed.

I love the concept of it though!

Like I said...just a thought. Throwing a rock into the bush. But if it could work..will be a nice alternative, compared to a expensive weedit
 
#34 ·
Boggabilla can't you just drop into Hayes and have yarn about your concerns think and they might even find a machine they have built operating in the area? I plan to put a 24 metre system on a 4930 SP this summer spraying. The croplands boom is ****. I know someone who has a ground following croplands WeedIT and is view is the weed detecting tech is faultless but the boom is rubbish.
 
#38 ·
My WeedIt on my Nitro 5333

Here's one for you Nitro - a WeedIt fitted to a 5333 as a 32m boom.

We bought a 100' Miller boom and had the brackets built to suit the fold, runs a five sensor Raven AutoBoom that runs surprisingly better than my 120' standard unit in that response is a lot more accurate with the lighter boom.

You Tube Nitro WeedIt and you should find it.

We removed this system from an older home made 26m self propelled unit and fitted it to the Nitro for a better more comfortable ride. Purchased hardware and additional sensors and solenoids through Total Precision.

(I can't post links yet)
 
#40 ·
Here's one for you Nitro - a WeedIt fitted to a 5333 as a 32m boom.

We bought a 100' Miller boom and had the brackets built to suit the fold, runs a five sensor Raven AutoBoom that runs surprisingly better than my 120' standard unit in that response is a lot more accurate with the lighter boom.

You Tube Nitro WeedIt and you should find it.

We removed this system from an older home made 26m self propelled unit and fitted it to the Nitro for a better more comfortable ride. Purchased hardware and additional sensors and solenoids through Total Precision.

(I can't post links yet)
No chance!
 
#46 ·
If you can get 50 cent size weeds then the technology must work. Every summer fallow is at least 3 blanket sprays plus sowing knockdown, that's if there's no problem weeds. But there never is. Then your double knocking then maybe giving up on the odd paddock and ploughing, Kelly chaining or the latest useless fad speed tillers.
 
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