Australia’s first HARDI HELLIOS delivered
HARDI Australia has just completed the first customer delivery of its light and economical HELLIOS self-propelled sprayer.
The new machine has gone onto a mixed cropping property in Victoria, growing potatoes, lucerne, wheat and more. The owners are long-standing users of a HARDI NAVIGATOR trailed sprayer, but felt ready to move onto the turnkey efficiency of a self-propelled unit.
The 3,000 litre HELLIOS is already a favourite with European growers and has proven itself on difficult terrain, soft soils and tight headlands.
The local configuration includes a front-mounted HARDI PARAGON AL boom of 24 to 36 metres, and track widths from 1.8 m to 3.0 m to suit different crop spacings or irrigation systems. Four-wheel steering makes the sprayer very agile, with a turning radius of just 3.60 metres.
Then there’s the panoramic view over the boom, HARDI’s sophisticated AutoHeight control and ActivAir nozzle control system, which maintains pressure in the fluid system for instantly accurate spray rates.
However the sprayer’s main point of difference is its surprisingly low 6,300 kg tare weight which helps minimise compaction in the highly cultivated and irrigated soils of crop paddocks.
A combination of hydromechanical rear axle transmission and front wheel hydraulic assist means the sprayer only needs a 103 Kw Deutz diesel to perform well on wet, soft and sloping ground.
Making the most of a smaller engine means HELLIOS cuts down on weight and fuel consumption without compromising on performance.
The result is an exciting combination of self-propelled productivity and value for money, that is within reach for many medium sized farms.