It’s the sort of thing that you would have been expected to be fixed as soon as it was identified, but clearly the demands of self-propelled sprayer design made this impossible until the whole concept could be revisited from the ground up.
And that’s exactly what Berthoud has done (at least for growers and contractors that are happy with water tank capacities of 3,400 or 4,200 litres – the Boxer remains in 5,000-litre form). The company has taken a clean sheet of paper and designed a sprayer for the 21st century and beyond.
The complexity of the Boxer has been replaced – as far as possible – with clean lines and simplicity of construction and use. A perfect example of this is the chassis, which now consists of two straight, parallel beams rather then the Boxer chassis that saw the chassis rails rise and fall to accommodate components.
Sitting on top of the chassis is a new, large, air-conditioned cab that is accessed from the rear via a ladder that folds up into the bodywork when not in use. As well as offering good, all-round visibility and improved access, the cab now features sound-proofing glass to ensure minimal noise levels.
A pneumatic, 180-degree swivel chair helps ensure operator comfort while the machine is at work, while the offside glass panel on the cab can now be opened to let air through the cab while the engine is stopped an the air conditioning is turned off.
Power for the Berthoud Raptor is provided by Tier 3 diesel engines from Deutz. The 3,200-litre model gets 180hp, while the larger 4,200-litre machine has 20hp more. Both provide traction via two Rexroth hydrostatic pumps that drive four variable-capacity wheel motors. These motors can regulate themselves to provide more torque if it is required for climbing hills or if there’s a sticky patch in the field.
Hydro Pilot cruise control is fitted as standard, as is two-wheel, four-wheel and crab steering. A hydraulic differential lock is also fitted to both models. Another development on the Raptor is a new control mode that allows the driver to control the forward speed with the foot throttle rather the joystick.
In practice, the operator selects a speed range and pushes the joystick all the way forward with the engine at tickover. Then, when the foot throttle is pressed, the Raptor starts to move and will pick-up speed all the way to the maximum available in the speed range chosen. This not only makes the machine more instinctive to drive, but means that you no longer have to sit at road junctions with high engine revs as you wait to pull out.
It goes without saying that the Raptor features straightforward access to all parts that need to be inspected or serviced, with many of them mounted on the outside of the chassis under large side panels that are easily opened. And naturally the positioning of all these elements has been designed to provide high ground clearance and a smooth under-belly. Depending on the tyres fitted, ground clearance is a minimum 100cm and can be as much as 160cm.
The Raptor design also incorporates an active air suspension system on both front and rear axles for excellent stability. The rear axle has a triangular design using a forward pivot for impressive manoeuvrability.
So far, so good; but anyone that follows these sort of things will tell you that as a member of the French-owned Exel Group – which also includes Tecnoma, Matrot, Hardi and many other sprayer brands – the chassis on Berthoud’s Raptor is far from unique. And that’s absolutely true, but then you’re not buying a sprayer for the chassis and the engine under the bonnet; it’s the spraying equipment that matters and Berthoud’s offering is unique to the brand.
Central to the system is the company’s Omega pump, which was introduced and has been proven on the Tenor trailed sprayer. Based on the old Delta pump, the Omega has a capacity of 550 lit/min through a twin-turbine system that provides water pressures up to nine bars.
Designed, developed and exclusive to Berthoud, the new pump features a revolutionary design that eliminates diaphragms and valve springs and, consequently, much time consuming maintenance. The pump is also suitable for use with liquid fertiliser.
| The operator work station in the Berthoud Raptor including the Berlogic control panel, joystick and manual boom section control. |  |
The main water tanks on the Raptor are diamond-shaped with the water outlet at the very bottom of the tank so that almost every last drop can drain out. The Omega pump and Dualmatic control valves have been placed as close as possible to the tank outlet to keep the amount of pipework to a minimum, which also reduces the amount of chemical residues in the system.
The advanced Dualmatic controls include a smart double-position control lever that has a possible 17 different valve position combinations that cover everything from tank filling and agitation to spraying, although only 11 are used on the standard Raptor set-up.
The choice of booms for the Raptor includes the 20-33m steel Axiale, the 30-36m steel Kondor and the 36-42m aluminium Ektar. The Axiale boom, according to the company, will beat just about anything on the market. Built in triangular sections and finished in a powder-coat paint, each half of the boom folds in two using carbon-steel rams.
The Axiale boom is mounted on a central pivot very close to its centre of gravity. Its outstanding axis-to-axis balance and alignment is ensured by shock absorbers and heavy-duty springs between its fixed and mobile frame. Highly effective dampers minimise the yawing effects when turning on headlands, all helping to maximise.
As standard the Raptor comes with the easy-to-use DP Tronic spray control system. This can be upgraded to the Gestronic system that includes field management, while GPS-based precision farming system that allow automatic steering and variable-rate application are also easily integrated.
First seen in prototype form at this year’s Lamma Show, the production version will have its first public outing at Cereals 2009.
With prices starting at £115,000, Berthoud UK’s Martin Shackcloth says the company is going to be chasing market share here.
“We know we have a good product that can take on all comers, including other machines from the Exel stable,” he told Farmers Guide. “We have already sold and delivered two Raptors – a 4,200-litre machine with a 36m boom and a 3,200-litre, 24m sprayer – and they are both working well, so we’re looking forward to getting the sprayer in front of more customers so that we can fully explain the benefits.”
For more information visit: www.berthoud.co.uk.
