Today’s sprayers are full of bells and whistles which makes spraying a whole lot easier, comfortable and efficient

It’s easy to forget what the end goal is. Precise chemical application.

Boom control can be the difference between a good spray result, and no result at all. Goldacres understand this and it is why all our sprayer designs are centred around the boom first and foremost.

Strength, Stability, Reliability & Control

The TriTech boom range is designed for operators who demand the utmost performance, reliability and control. Time and time again the TriTech boom has been named No.1 for boom stability*, which at the end of the day, results in a superior spray result. Features such as hydraulic yaw which precisely controls the forwards and backwards movement of the boom wings to minimise the under and over applying of chemical is now standard on all widths.

The strategically placed centre section suspension links help isolate the sprayer chassis movement over rough terrain. Combined with the tuned damping characteristics allows precise roll control enabling an optimal and consistent nozzle height to be maintained, even without the use of electronic height control systems**.

All TriTech booms are constructed using lightweight trussing techniques, which allows for a stronger design without weight, the enemy of boom agility.

Why do Goldacres booms ride so well?

Goldacres pioneered the use of lightweight aluminium in the outer boom wings over two decades ago. The philosophy was, and still is today that mass on a boom is fine so long as it is as close to the centre as possible. Reduced mass on the boom extremities reduces boom forces in both yaw and roll. This combined with the unique boom suspension results in a very stable boom ride, regardless of the terrain.

TriTech booms are contour following, meaning that the boom level will be referenced to the sprayer chassis and not purely on gravity such as a pendulum boom. This allows the sprayer to transverse the sides of hills and contours whilst keeping the boom level to the ground at all times. This results in placing the nozzle at the optimum height above the target.

*Kondinin group’s Farming Ahead magazine 2012 and 2014

**Height control systems may be required in some extreme situations

With the boom out the back you’re miles in front

Some manufacturers claim that by placing the boom out the front of the sprayer the job is made easier. But is it really? There are many reasons why rear mounted booms are better.

• The sprayer is always moving away from the chemical spray, meaning the chemical ends up on the plant, not on the sprayer.
• Access to the sprayer cabin is at the front, free from chemicals. Front mounted boom sprayers have access at the rear which could have chemical residue due to driving into the spray.
• A boom at the rear allows the sprayer to backup and then spray out of a corner.
• When travelling down the road forward visibility is not hampered by the boom centre section.
• A front mounted boom by its nature must have a relatively clear centre section so the operator can see through when folded. This means the boom suspension system must be quite basic, or non existent, resulting in poor boom performance and ride. A rear mounted boom is not constrained by this and can therefore feature very sophisticated boom suspension systems, which result in superior boom ride.

Boom centre

1. Hydraulic yaw

2 hydraulic cylinders are mechanically connected together either side of the pivoting boom centre section. As the centre yaws one cylinder is retracted, the other extended. This results in oil movement which compresses in a nitrogen charged accumulator. The result is precise boom yaw control.

2. Delta links

The key to the superior boom ride is the strategically placed delta links. In all there are 4 links. Each link features spherical ball ends which allow the centre to move in all directions.

3. Roll centre point

The roll centre point is the location at which the boom pivots around, both in roll and yaw.

4. Roll dampeners

Reduces high frequency oscillation of the boom roll.

3D breakaway

The end breakaway section protects the boom from stress damage if a ground, fence or tree strike occurs. The end section can break forwards, backwards and upwards. The spring mechanism uses an eccentric mounted sprocket and chain to provide maximum breakout force in the neutral position, then reduces the force the further the breakout.

Wing tilt

Handle undulating terrain with ease by adjusting the left or right wing with individual hydraulic tilt. This feature allows the wings to be raised or lowed to clear obstacles and maintain a consistent spray height

RapidFlow / RapidFire

Boom stability is only part of the chemical application story, optimum droplet sizing, pressure, nozzle flow rate and spray uniformity across the boom width are all critical to accurate chemical application

RapidFire

Over the last several years there has been a greater shift to precision farming technologies, such as auto steering and automatic boom section control. Both of these technologies are aimed at reducing spray overlaps and unsprayed areas, the former potentially causing crop burning and overuse of chemical. Depending on the field size and shape the wastage can be quite substantial. Goldacres have developed these practices further by introducing RapidFire air controlled nozzle shut off capability.

Traditional systems use motorised boom section valves to control water flow to the nozzles. Wider booms in conjunction with increased number of spray sections means a substantial amount of plumbing is required, thus increasing the delay in spray on and off times. In addition, the further the nozzle is from the centre of the boom the longer the delay becomes. RapidFire overcomes these problems by putting the switching capability right at the nozzle.

Small air lines at each nozzle switch the flow on and off in a fraction of a second, and more evenly across the boom width. Boom line plumbing is also greatly reduced, which quickens line priming and flushing as well as simplifies plumbing.

RapidFlow – Boom Recirculation

RapidFlow – Boom Recirculation* allows the sprayer boom lines to be fully primed without spraying a single drop. This reduces wastage at the start of a tank load or when switching chemicals. RapidFlow can also be used to thoroughly flush out the boom lines without the need to physically spray on the ground.

*RapidFire is not compatible with Direct Chemical Injection (DCI)

3TS – 3 tier system

Nozzle technology has advanced in leaps and bounds over the years and a strong emphasis on drift control has influenced many nozzle designs, including air induction (AI) technology

The spray nozzles operating pressure range and size determine the application rate and speed band at which the driver must adhere to. This band is usually quite narrow. To overcome this Goldacres offer a 3 tier system (3TS) which effectively gives the driver a much wider operating band whilst still maintaining optimum droplet size. Think of 3TS as a three step gearbox. Each nozzle type has an operating pressure band for a given droplet size. As the first nozzle reaches the top of the pressure band it switches off and the next larger size nozzle switches on. When that nozzle reaches the top of that pressure band the first nozzle will switch on again, effectively giving three operating bands.

Boom height control

The system will keep the boom at an entered, preset height, allowing chemicals to be applied in an optimum spray pattern maximizing your inputs through consistent application and reduced spray drift.

Bi-fold

Spray with a boom folded into a narrower width when conditions are not suited to a wide boom.

Parallelogram

The boom parallelogram lift provides 1200mm of boom height adjustment as well as the vertical boom suspension. The system is constructed of three heavy walled torque tubes and diagonal bracing to ensure less flexing which increases boom roll and yaw stability.

TriTech booms are available on these sprayers