Part of a large fleet of sprayers at Crop Services (Scotland), the McConnel Agribuggy provides an important service for customers requiring a lightweight machine.
Crop Services (Scotland) has been meeting farmers’ needs for agronomy services, products, and applications since 1962. The family enterprise is based in Kelso, with a second depot in Cupar, Fife and covers an area stretching from the Tyne to the Tay, employing 50 people.
Spraying totals 40,000ha per year with a number of sprayers. A small, lightweight machine is an essential part of the armoury, extending the season and allowing work to progress in a wet year, and this is where the Agribuggy comes in.
Mr Stephens has run a number of Agribuggys in the past but comments that the latest V300 model is much better suited to the demands of contract work.
“This machine covers 4000ha – as much as the larger machines. We can get on earlier and go later with it when the others are parked up. We need modern technology, but also flexibility to tailor a machine to our needs, which is why we use British manufacturers.
“The Agribuggy has clocked up 1000 hours in the first year and we’ve hardly laid a spanner on it. The main improvement has been the new transmission.”
Drive from the 148hp Cummins Stage V engine is via a 50kph variable mechanical transmission, which uses OMSI drive axles and heavy-duty reduction hubs with locking differentials. The slightly longer chassis necessitated by the new engine and transmission has the added benefit of allowing taller row crops to be fitted.
“It’s much more robust and can put down the power from the engine: there are no gearboxes or transfer boxes to fail. The previous model was unable to use the engine’s power on steeper land. It’s also more capable of handling the high road mileage that we have to cover.”
Mr Stephens notes that the light weight of the sprayer is important – it is 6400kg unladen.
“Liquid fertiliser is a significant part of the workload, and a full 3000 litre tank adds nearly four tonnes to the weight. Its low ground pressure is especially appreciated on grass, and we spray a lot of silage ground.”
He adds that the Agribuggy is relatively low to the ground, giving it a low centre of gravity and helping with stability on more difficult terrain. While the current machine was specified with a 24m boom, Mr Stephens says the next will be upgraded to 28m, with the option to work at 24m to accommodate increasing use of wider tramlines.
Crop Services has invested heavily in PTx Trimble control technology, with all machines connected to the office and mobile devices, sharing field boundaries and using prescription maps for variable-rate applications. The Agribuggy is also fitted with a Yara N Sensor for variable-rate nitrogen application on grass.
However, it is important to balance useful technology with practical simplicity.
“The Agribuggy’s fluid system retains simple valves to avoid adding weight and unnecessary complexity.”
Nozzle choice also targets simplicity and cost-efficiency. The retail side of the business offers a wide choice of nozzles, but the straightforward Hypro Guardian Air nozzles are the usual choice.
“This isn’t a big black-grass area, so we can’t justify the more costly nozzles, plus drift is a challenge for us. We also need to be able to spray from 150l/ha to 500l/ha for Fazor on potatoes.”
Hypro Stream Jets handle liquid fertiliser, and manual dual-nozzle holders allow easy swapping between jobs.
Another big advance has been the Category IV cab, which Mr Stephens points out offers excellent all-round visibility and more space for the operator.
It’s all in a day’s work for this multi-tasking little sprayer.
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