PROFILE EC FARM CONTRACTORS
Bespoke build for sprayer specialist Crop spraying contractor Edward Crocker has just taken delivery of a new sprayer. Judith Tooth reports.
Edward Crocker with his new Lite-Trac LT 350 self-propelled sprayer.
E
dward Crocker sits in the cab of his new sprayer as final checks are made on its wheel angle settings and auto-steering sensors. There are no mechanics or electronics engineers in sight: the adjustments are being made in real time by a software specialist in Australia via Edward’s phone. The new Lite-Trac LT 350 self-propelled sprayer replaces Edward’s previous model, the SS2400. But it’s by no means an off-theshelf machine: it’s a bespoke build, with no two machines exactly the same, and, while its computer system originates down under, the design and wengineering has taken place just 20 miles from home, at Coates, near Peterborough. Having it made to his own specification has taken a bit more time, but the result is exactly what he wants for his contract spraying business. “This latest model is the result of two years of development and testing,” says LiteTrac’s design engineer, Jason Robinson. “New emissions regulations forced a redesign from scratch, which we based on feedback from older machines – including Edward’s – while
maintaining the original concept and dimensions. In this way upgrades of engines, gear boxes and so on, as well as electronics, are possible because the models are physically compatible.” “It’s a heavy duty contractor’s machine, with a stronger chassis and a Volvo engine with increased horsepower,” says Edward. “At 320hp, it’s quite high for a sprayer, but being a two-pack unit, you can take the spray pack off and put on a fertiliser spreader or a slurry tanker, or even use it as a flatbed trailer. And everything above the wheels tips up. “Even with a bigger engine, fuel efficiency has been improved by 30 per cent, which is worth about £5000 a year to me.”
Flexible design For Lite-Trac, building flexibility into the design means reaching sectors beyond agriculture, too. “It’s really a multipurpose tool carrier,” says director, Paul McAvoy. “It can be used on construction sites, in railway applications and in the sugar cane industry, for example.” For Edward, though, spraying is his >>
