Sprayer and bowser setup benefits from engine remap

A specialist spraying contractor has added an Avon Tuning HD professional engine remap to his frontline sprayer to provide consistent power delivery when working on slopes, and tow a 4,000-litre bowser to field edges to improve logistics.

“The difference since having the remap has been exceptional,” says David Morton. “I can now comfortably tow the bowser behind the sprayer up some of the steep hills to carry out two spray tanks from one journey.

“The remap has also helped deliver a smoother performance from the sprayer, with less gear changes in the field.”

David is a partner, alongside his dad, Crawford, in Crawford Morton Contracting (CMC).

David believes his the remaps have helped him maintain a consistent output and speed for spraying © Avon Tuning HD

The business is solely focused on crop spraying and operates a pair of 24m Multidrive self-propelled sprayers to cover a 7,200ha annual arable and grassland workload from its base in South Petherton, Somerset.

CMC provides the contracting service alongside NSTS sprayer testing for 150 machines a year, as well as repairs and servicing for sprayers.

David Morton explains why the business has chosen to remap the Multidrive machines.

“We’ve always favoured mechanical transmissions as they are better on the hills. A large part of our business involves travelling between different farms and working independently, with the towed bowser providing support.

The flexibility of towing a bowser behind the sprayer has led CMC to increase the power of its two frontline sprayers through ECU remapping © Avon Tuning HD

“The Multidrive 6185 and 6195 sprayers now deliver greater power on the roads where previously we’d drop down gears to climb hills. They’ve both been vastly improved by the remaps.”

The work spans between Sherbourne, Wiveliscombe and Bridgewater in Somerset, which means there are plenty of unforgiving hills to negotiate when fully loaded.

The 6195 has a 3,400-litre Landquip spray tank, while the 6185 has a Chafer spray unit with a 4,000-litre capacity.

The bowser can carry 4,000-litres of water, mixed up chemical via the onboard induction hopper, or liquid fertiliser, and there is also a separate storage area for spray cans and the onboard pump for filling.

The Multidrive 6185 is the latest machine to receive an ECU remap from Avon Tuning HD to increase work efficiencies © Avon Tuning HD

The latest bowser is fitted with load sensing brakes to reduce the impact on the sprayers when towing fully loaded.

“Some farms we contract for don’t have high-capacity water facilities, so turning up with two tanks of water can keep us running independently.

“We can tow the bowser to remote fields to reduce shunting between yards, or leave the bowser in the yard filling from a hosepipe while we are spraying.

“The remaps have allowed us to maintain road speed when loaded to avoid a negative impact on performance.”

The latest 4,000-litre bowser is towed behind either of the Multidrive sprayers © Avon Tuning HD

Consistent application 

A further benefit has been when the sprayers are working on the many slopes across their contracting area.

Both David and Crawford used to struggle to maintain a consistent speed when climbing hills, which would affect spray uniformity, and the large flotation tyres also took additional power.

David explains: “In the spring and autumn, we use large diameter flotation tyres.

“These allow us to spread the weight across the machine, but they do require extra power as there is more surface area in contact with the ground.

Remapping has improved performance on hills when towing the bowser and maintained a constant speed in the field © Avon Tuning HD

“Since the remaps, we’ve noticed there is more power on field work, especially when the fields are a bit wet. The larger tyres mean we can cross fields when others can’t, which is great for application timings.”

David says the ability for sprayers to climb hills has been a benefit and hasn’t increased fuel use.

“Maintaining a consistent output and speed for spraying is essential to do the best job possible. We aim for 12kph in third gear, which means we are around 1500-1700rpm regardless of hills.

“Before the remaps, we’d drop down to second gear on hills and the engine would be screaming by the top. We haven’t noticed an increase in fuel use, but operating at constant, lower rpm will help keep costs low and is better for the engine longevity.” 

Since David joined the business after a rugby career, he has learnt how to retrofit Trimble guidance software to all machines to improve application accuracy with section control and map fields.

Staying with remaps

Before the Multidrive sprayers, the business had run several different spraying setups with MB Trac and Househam previously used.

The Multidrive’s have now been part of the business for decades and are favoured for their simplicity, reliability and longevity, with upwards of 10,000 hours easily achievable.

CMC has a Fastrac 2170 with a Gem demount sprayer in the fleet. This received a tuning chip modification, but David says the ECU remaps offer them more options.

“The remaps give us much greater control and we can add more power in small increments, if required. There is safety and flexibility that we think isn’t possible with a plug-in chip or box.”

© Avon Tuning HD

The Avon Tuning HD remap was installed by local engineer, and Avon Tuning HD authorised agent, Mark Baker. He is part of a country-wide network of agents that install remaps onto machines in under two hours.

Remaps are carried out on farm and are now available for a wide range of plant, forestry and construction machines, alongside tractors, sprayers, foragers, combines, telehandlers and pickups.