John Deere is revolutionising spraying applications on amenity turf with its new GPS PrecisionSprayer, available exclusively for use with the ProGator heavy-duty utility vehicle.
Launched at BTME 2019 in January alongside the 2750 greens mower – the first time new golf products have been launched by Deere in Europe ahead of the Golf Industry Show in the US – this advanced technology system offers golf course managers and other amenity turf professionals a proven, off-the-shelf, integrated John Deere solution for precision spraying.
With features such as AutoTrac satellite guided automatic steering, a full-colour in-cab touchscreen display and individual nozzle control, the easy-to-use GPS PrecisionSprayer increases application accuracy and consistency, lowers input costs through reduced overlaps and misses, helps protect the environment and increases productivity by reducing operator fatigue.
“The GPS PrecisionSprayer offers an innovative solution that allows our customers to be more productive and accurate when maintaining turf,” says John Deere’s European turf sales & marketing manager Carlos Aragones.
“John Deere boasts over 20 years of GPS experience, which was vital when creating this new sprayer. We were able to take advantage of our industry leading knowledge of satellite guidance technology to develop a solution that supports our customers by increasing productivity and accuracy while reducing labour and material costs.”
One of the most notable features on the GPS PrecisionSprayer is AutoTrac, which helps to spray predetermined areas in less time with greater pass-to-pass accuracy. Another important benefit is individual nozzle control, which minimises application errors and reduces fatigue, as the operator does not need to focus on manually turning boom sections on and off.Individual nozzles can be paired with AutoTrac guidance to limit wasted product applications caused by pass to pass overlaps and misses.
The GPS PrecisionSprayer utilises advanced satellite technology and mobile RTK(real-time kinematic) navigationdown to accuracy levels of 2.5cm to ensure the reliability of boundary maps and allow users to create spray coverage maps, which also eliminates overlaps and increases productivity.
Another major benefit is the ability toelectronically capture all spray data and analyse the results, which streamlines the documentation process and provides robust analytics for recording and legislation purposes. Automated documentation also removes the need for manual records and increases accuracy when recording details of all spraying applications.
- Visit deere.comfor further details and videos – search for ‘GPS PrecisionSprayer’.
Advanced technology is also featured on John Deere’s range of professional fine turf mowers, based on extensive feedback from greenkeepers and other golf and turf industry professionals.
Common features across the A Model range include a brand new TechControl display, LoadMatch from the company’s compact tractor range, internal wet disc brakes and improved operator stations – all engineered to provide users with greater control of the machines, easier operator training and first class cut quality.
All A Models also feature OnCourse Technology, which intelligently integrates electronic controls with the mowers’ mechanical features to deliver improved performance, better diagnostics, more uptime and increased reliability, productivity and operator comfort.
The simple to use, password protected TechControl display enables turf managers to quickly set or change mowing, turning and transport speeds, for example, to limit variations in performance by different operators and provide a more consistent, quality finish. On-board visual diagnostics and the ability to set regular service times also help to maximise productive time.
John Deerehas also recently announced an exclusive agreement to develop autonomous mowing solutions for the golf and sports turf industry with Precision Makers, a Netherlands based company that specialises in autonomous technology for various types of equipment.
“The turf industry is looking for more sustainable operating models to maintain precision turf, and expanding the use of technology will be critical to the future success of turf managers,” says John Deere’s global golf director Manny Gan.
“With labour costs and availability becoming an increasing concern in many parts of the world, customers are eager to introduce autonomous equipment into their operation to ensure tasks can be completed with consistently excellent results and precision.”
Precision Makers is an affiliate of Dutch Power Company(DPC), which already has an ongoing supplier relationship with John Deere.
- Visit deere.co.ukto see a short video – search for ‘Precision Makers’.
