Amazone receives ‘best of booth’ MAGIE honors

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Mounted and trailed dry fertilizer applicators with automatic adjustment for lateral distribution, including wind compensation, were featured at the annual Midwest Ag Industries Exposition.

The Amazone exhibit was recognized with the “best booth display” honor during the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association’s MAGIE show that attracted 80 exhibitors.

“Amazone is famous for having the most technology and high-tech fertilizer spreaders globally. It’s a German company that’s been around for over 140 years and we have a lot of technology to really improve the bottom line for the farmers,” said Samuel Bailey, Amazone North America product manager.

The exhibit included Amazone’s ZA-TS spreader that mounts on the back of a tractor, the ZG-TS trailer fertilizer spreader and the ZG-TS truck spreader for carrier vehicles.

The spreaders add efficiency to help the bottom line, including 120-foot-swath capabilities for urea and up to 177 feet with heavier products.

“With that 120 feet, we have a double overlap. So, we’re in a ballpark of, depending on all the conditions, a double overlap of 240-feet width. That means that we have a lot less streaking than competitors have and, when you have side winds and things, because of the double overlap it helps to minimize any streaking issues with the wind carrying the fertilizer,” Bailey said.

Wind Compensation

The influence of wind on the spread pattern can be constantly monitored and automatically compensated for with the Amazone WindControl system.

A frequency wind measuring sensor mounted on the machine registers both wind speed and direction. The system uses that information to calculate new settings for the delivery system and the spreading disc speed.

In a crosswind, the disc speed is increased on the side into the wind and the delivery system is rotated outwards. At the same time, the speed of the downwind side is reduced and the delivery system is rotated inwards.

“You can keep running your spreader in the windier conditions. Other manufacturers will say they have wind control where you go read the wind outside and then it’ll tell you if it’s too windy. Ours will automatically adjust it. Ours will automatically adjust it on the fly for you, so it’s easy for the operator. A lot of the key things with our machine is there’s a lot of technology, but it’s very easy to use,” Bailey said.

Spreader ‘Eyes’

The dry applicators are able to “see” what the operator may not with its ArgusTwin system that maintains optimum lateral distribution of the fertilizer.

The Argus system, which checks the spread pattern and automatically regulates the lateral distribution, uses radar technology that is less affected by dust and other particles to provide reliable results.

Seven sensor monitors are mounted on both sides of the spreader to constantly monitor the left- and right-hand spread patterns simultaneously and readjust the electric delivery system independently on each side if necessary.

Any Brand

John Deere and Fendt tractors were on display at the MAGIE show with the Amazone ZA-TS mounted dry applicators.

“These can be installed on any brand as long as the chassis is not too small. Our dealers do the installation on new chassis or used chassis. We have the ZG-TS spreader body on carrier vehicles such as Rogators, Terragators and John Deeres,” Bailey said.

“We have a lot of dealers. This continues to grow and we’re big on sales and service. That’s a very critical point for us that we have. We have local service guys and we have a spare parts facility in Kansas.”