With December and January being the most popular months for machinery maintenance, Corteva Agriscience has produced an updated best practice advice video highlighting the benefits of good sprayer hygiene.
The video is presented by independent spray application specialist Tom Robinson who visits Stowell Park Estate farm foreman Andrew Myatt to see how his robust winter servicing programme optimised sprayer performance in 2023.
Mr Myatt, a former Sprayer Operator of the Year, demonstrates how he uses the time to focus on servicing components which most frequently come into contact with chemicals, He considers the spent in the workshop last winter was well worth it as it meant a busy spring of spraying was uninterrupted by repairs or servicing.
Alongside scheduled maintenance, Andrew followed Corteva’s best practice application advice relating to sprayer hygiene and spray concentration rates when applying UnivoqTM, Corteva’s fungicide containing InatreqTM active. It followed problems in 2022 where Mr Myatt had minor issues with his sprayer’s check valves after applying Inatreq.
The full video is published now at www.corteva.co.uk/inatreqadvice for users in the UK, and at www.corteva.ie/inatreqadvice for sprayer operators in Ireland.
Mr Robinson said: “Mr Myatt is a very knowledgeable and experienced operator and in this new video he is able to show the practical steps he took to look after his machine as well as the positive impact it had on operational performance.
“The video has been made with operators in mind, showing in detail how to dismantle, replace and reassemble wearing parts on the sprayer which need attention during winter maintenance.”
Additional material is the servicing of a Ramsay pressure set – more commonly known as a Ramsay box – and Mr Myatt’s approach to replacing the pistons in the nozzles of his sprayer.
He also shares how to service his machine’s pump by replacing its diaphragms as well as explaining how chemical residues can cause them to wear, distort and split if not replaced annually.
Out in the field, there is a demonstration of Mr Myatt’s post-application washout procedure, rinsing, and a general inspection of the key parts of the machine.
