Agrifac’s Condor Endurance set two new world records on March 2. First, it completed 2,638ha (6,516 acres) of summer spraying working 24 hours non-stop. And during one hour, the machine sprayed 150.7ha, setting a second record. Working on the farm of Karolyn, Tony and Brendan Mason, about 20 miles east of Perenjori, in Western Australia, the Condor Endurance averaged almost 110ha/hour.
The Masons, who own a 51m Condor Endurance, farm at the edge of the Midwest region, with nothing but bush and salt lakes beyond them. It’s a very efficient operation, and while few people would allow spraying during the day at this time of year with high temperatures, the Masons have always achieved good results even at 40C and low water rates with the small. early-growth stage plants they’re targeting.
“Initially we were going to use 50 lit/ha, but Tony and Brendan decided to drop back to 40 lit/ha with the added benefit of the HighTechAirPlus (HTA) system and conditions on the day,” says Mark Slater, who runs the Agrifac business in Australia.
Agrifac did little preparation leading up to the event. The demonstrator 48m HTA Condor Endurance was close by a week before, and after a few phone calls, the date was fixed. The timing was right, and the Mason’s were keen to support Agrifac in attempting a new world record for 24hr spraying. The target was to beat the previous record of 1,032ha.
Mark Slater and his brother Ben set off from Perth at 3.00am to arrive at the Mason’s farm before 7.30am. Mark prepared the machine, while Ben started mapping the boundaries of the fields before a quick team briefing. To make it official they invited Jim Gilmour, a local JP, to adjudicate. Jim was delighted to be involved, and dropped his arm to start the clock at exactly 12.00pm on March 1, 2017. By 12.00am they’d done 1,376ha, and after the full 24 hours, 2,638ha had been covered.
Facts and figures:
• 48m Agrifac Condor Endurance with HighTechAirPlus (HTA).
• 2,638ha (6,515.86 acres)
• 110ha/hr average
• Best hour 150.46ha
• 105,520 litres applied
• 40 lit/ha, medium droplet size HTA
• 15 fields
• 13 and a bit fills
• 11 minutes total stopped time per fill
• Average spraying speed 25km/hr
[mom_video type=”youtube” id=”flnwinV8Yss” width=”525″ height=”300″][gap height=”20″]
The record is even more special when because the fields weren’t all smooth going and regular shaped.
“We’d a bit of everything from trees, power poles, tight corners, gradual slopes and some bumps too,” Mark said. “We wanted to make it as real as possible! In total there were 15 fields with a 10-minute drive between the two blocks. I did drive into the wrong field in the middle of the night which cost us a little time!”
Brendan Mason and Drew Fraser were responsible for running the nurse truck to keep the sprayer running. They did a fantastic job and the operation was seamless.
For more information visit: www.agrifac.com.
