Knight Farm Machinery’s has introduced its new Active Rinse system that it claims is a next-generation step in the battle against wasted chemical. It also helps reduce the threat of spillages and leaks.
Active Rinse supplies fresh water to key parts of the machine, helping to ensure totally efficient use of chemicals by eliminating spray solution in certain parts of the sprayer and actively cleaning other parts during spraying.
Knight offers Active Rinse as an optional on its entire sprayer range, and expects it to further reduce the environmental impact of plant protection products.
It operates independently of the chemical system and automatically tops up the sprayer’s on-board clean water tank during main tank filling. It can also be used to reduce filling time of the main chemical tank by diverting excess clean water to it.
When loading powders or other difficult-to-mix products, the sprayer can be operated in dual agitation mode, continuously circulating the chemical tank while filling with the Active Rinse system.
At the end of each tank load, “Active Rinse” can be set to flush the boom and pipework with clean water and deliver the washings back to the main tank ready for the next load. This keeps the system as clean as possible and makes it safer for road transport.
If required, the optional air-blow-out can evacuate all liquid from the pipework and boom to offer an extra level of protection during road transport.
When filling the sprayer with chemical, clean water is continuously available for container rinsing at the sprayer induction hopper. Tank rinsing can be carried out using the Active Rinse system, even when the sprayer is working.
This is particularly useful at the end of a job, when the sprayer is close to empty, as a measured flow can be used to rinse the sprayer tank, and application rates are adjusted accordingly.
As the sprayer approaches the end of a job, the boom can be fed from the Active Rinse system to displace chemical before spraying finishes.
“The new system meets an urgent need,” the company’s Brian Knight said. “The NSTS sprayer testing scheme continues to report leaks and drips from the spray boom as a leading fault when testing sprayers, and unlike many other issues that have been identified – such as failure to adequately clean filters – the number of incidents is not reducing.
“We believe our new system, which can clean and flush the sprayer at the end of each tank load, will help prolong the life of sprayer components and reduce the environmental impact of leaks and drips.”
