Sprayer operators looking for extra capacity from a mounted set-up have a new high-spec. option on the table from Berthoud. Tagged the Heracles Evo, the 1,500-litre front and 2,000-litre rear tank combination provides close to self-propelled capacity and has the potential to be a much more nimble arrangement than a trailed unit of equivalent volume.
According to the French firm the computer controller is what sets this new machine apart from anything that has gone before. At the filling station there are no lever valves, just a single touchscreen display. This works in conjunction with any in-cab ISObus monitor to provide automated filling and a system that regulates how fast front and rear tanks empty to maintain even weight distribution over the tractor axles.
A continuous transfer system means liquid is recirculated between the two to ensure tank mixes remain uniform. Alternatively, the two tanks can be used separately, one filled with one product, the other with another. This allows the operator to apply one agrochemical to one crop, wash out the lines and then start on the second mix without having to return to base. As you’d expect there are a range of different pump and boom options – all steel up to 30m. Different width section control options are on offer right down to individual nozzles.
Berthoud also had news on its new self-propelled Spectre range. Officially unveiled at SIMA last November, it is the company’s first true forward control machine. With the Claas-sourced cabin hung right out forward of the front axle, it lowers to the floor to allow the operator to get in. Full details aren’t confirmed but expect tank capacities of over 5,000-litres, booms up to 38m and a Deutz engine married to a Bosch-Rexroth hydrostatic transmission. We’re told the first demonstration/evaluation unit will arrive in the UK shortly so watch this space…
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