Spraying in a new direction: Redball adds first self-propelled agricultural sprayer; Tier 3 engine; mechanical drive; 1200 gal. capacity

Diesel Progress North American Edition, April, 2007 by Dawn M. Geske

Redball LLC has announced its entrance into the engine-driven ag equipment market with a new 1200 gal. self-propelled sprayer. This is the company's first self-propelled machine in a product line that extends from high-clearance trailer sprayers to fertilizer applicators.

"We started this project with a tremendous base of in-house knowledge and experience about self-propelled sprayers and the factors that make them productive and cost-efficient to operate," said Steve Claussen, president of Redball. "This sprayer takes a fresh approach at integrating features that maximize infield productivity and reduce downtime with components and systems engineered and built for longevity and serviceability."

In addition, Brian Nelson, engineer at the Benson, Minn.-based Redball said, adding the sprayer to the Redball portfolio, which consists of high-clearance, row crop and utility trailer sprayers, fertilizer applicators and strip till equipment, is an opportunity to grow the company. With a history that began in 1984, Redball has consistently integrated new products into its lineup, aligning itself with farming trends, said Nelson. "We started with row crop, moved to trailer sprayers and then moved to self-propelled to keep the company growing."

To date, full production on the self-propelled sprayer is scheduled to begin in September at Redball's 140,000 sq.ft. Willmar, Minn., facility where the company will install the sprayer's 6.8 L six-cylinder John Deere PowerTech 6068-HF485 diesel engine rated 275 hp at 2400 rpm. This Tier 3 engine is equipped with a Donaldson air cleaner and a rubber-mounted AKG cooling package, which is specifically designed for installation into the Redball sprayer by Federal Components Pte Ltd.

The radiator, oil cooler, air condenser and air-to-air aftercooler are vertically stacked into a single plane, which Redball said minimizes cooling, simplifies cleaning and reduces dust and debris buildup.

The drivetrain of the sprayer consists of a five-speed Allison 3000 automatic transmission with rear support, locking torque converter and Muncie PTO. Designing the sprayer from the ground up allowed Redball to opt for a mechanical drive on the machine, which Claussen said provides optimized power-to-ground performance, lower operating speeds and greater efficiency. Claussen also said, "A mechanical drive is simpler, more reliable and less expensive to maintain and operate."

Power from the mechanical drive is transferred through a JCB heavy-duty hydraulic on-the-go locking differential. The adjustable sliding axles (120 to 152 in.) lead to Fairfield gear-driven drop boxes with mechanical final drives and feature an automatic axle-leveling air bag with sway control. Heavy-duty disc brakes are mounted at all four of wheels, which are equipped with 14.9 x 46 tires front and rear. Top ground speed on the sprayer is 35 mph.

The sprayer's ProAction Flex boom was designed by Knight Farm Machinery Ltd. using a lattice-truss pendulum design, which is available in 80 and 90 ft. lengths. The center section has a hydraulic-controlled full boom tilt and lock powered by an Eaton load-sensing pump, driven off the transmission, to Monarch cylinders. All the plumbing on the wet boom is stainless steel and driven by a 2 in. Hypro 9306-HM5C centrifugal pump with control valves grouped at the center of each boom section, which Redball said provides for faster shutoff. The boom is supplied from a baffled 1200 gal. stainless-steel tank with 140 gal. rinse tank at the rear.

Construction of the sprayer's chassis uses a bolted flex-design frame using 0.375 in. 110,000 psi C-channel steel with heavy-duty open-section cross members. A John Deere extended view operator cab is fitted to the chassis featuring standard equipment such as an air-suspension operator seat, buddy seat and air conditioning. Inside the cab, a foot pedal controls engine throttle with electronic cruise control system to steady engine rpm vs. ground speed. The instrument console features an analog gauge cluster complete with Beede controls for voltage, fuel, hours, oil and engine temperature and an EngiMeter display for Can errors. Raven and Raven Viper controllers are also available as an option as well as a GreenSeeker variable application and mapping system. Redball is an authorized distributor for the GreenSeeker mapping system.

Dimensions on the Redball self-propelled sprayer include a 23 ft. length, 48 in. crop clearance and 15 ft. turning radius. The sprayer is 25,500 lb.

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