The importance of boom height control

Keeping the nozzle at the optimum distance above the target ensures the best coverage and so the best bang for your buck when it comes to making the most of chemical application.

As taught in every NRoSO update course, increasing the boom height by a mere 20cm above the optimum 50cm target height, when spraying on 50cm nozzle spacing, can double the drift.

Chemical companies supplied a cable tie to add to the end of the boom giving operators a guide to where the boom height should be, whereas, in the Amazone world, the hockey stick dangling from either side of the boom is there as a means of gauging boom height. Boom height control systems go back decades with the use of sensors under the boom giving audible feedback as to whether the height was correct or not. Amazone introduced its DistanceControl system back in the early noughties.

Continued boom height innovation

Fast forward 20 years or more and Amazone says it is still at the forefront of that technology, keeping ahead of the game with its innovative design and development. Booms are getting wider and so the need to control boom height has become harder and more important still.

On Amazone UX trailed sprayers and the Pantera self-propelled, the Super-L3 boom is available up to 48m and, at widths of 39m or more, the highly-sophisticated ContourControl and SwingStop pro come as standard.

With ContourControl, the ultrasound sensor count has now gone up to six with two taking care of the centre section on the chassis parallelogram and the outer four looking after crop height across the boom width.

Readings from these sensors are received by the Canbus electrics and a signal given to alter the boom height. This then triggers the on-board oil supply, stored in accumulators under pressure, providing an immediate oil feed to that specific hydraulic ram giving an instantaneous response at the boom.

The result? Perfect contour following all the time – even at higher forward speeds. The boom knows the nozzle spacing selected and sets the boom height accordingly without the need for any operator input. Additionally, if one side of the boom is folded in to go round a pole, then the boom is kept level automatically.

Now this technology is available on the UF02 mounted sprayers in boom widths from 24m and above so, for those farming on undulating terrain with a wraparound 3,500-litre front and back tank unit, all the benefits are available here as well.

One such customer making the most of the system is Hugh Murrie of John Murrie & Sons, who invested in a 27m UF 2002 with the new ContourControl system last year. With 200ha of arable land just outside Forfar, Angus, the farm previously ran on a 21m tramline system but the move out to 27m pushed them towards embracing this new technology.

“We have some heavily rolling land where, at times, each side of the boom needs to be able to go both above and below horizontal. Even on 21m, there were parts of the farm where we had the boom height right on one side and the other end of the boom dragging in the crop or up in the air. Now, with the addition of ContourControl, we can ride the undulations knowing that the boom height is always at its optimum,” comments Hugh.

Take the sprayer brake test

Poor spray application is not only just down to the wrong height; horizontal boom movement, such as boom tip sway, also results in over- and under-spray. This is where SwingStop comes in to iron out any to and fro movement generated by driver behaviour and tramline conditions.

Acceleration sensors on the boom ends sense the speed and direction of movement and more on-board live hydraulics are used within the boom pendulum system to constantly counteract these negative movements. To check it works, take the sprayer brake test. At normal spraying speeds, jump on the brakes and see the boom tip stay in its optimum position.

Individual nozzle shut-off – new level of reliability

Although AmaSelect offers the ultimate in nozzle control with its unique blend of individual shut-off and on-the-move automated nozzle size selection, a simple individual nozzle shut-off system on a 24m boom offers 85% less overlap than standard section control and so can generate up to 5% savings on your ag chem bill by reducing overall chemical usage as well as preventing crop lodging through overlap during liquid fertiliser applications and preventing yield penalties caused by spray over-application, Amazone claims.

AmaSwitch has offered all these benefits at an affordable price. Individual solenoid valves sit on the nozzle holder which can be specified either as a triple or quad body. The quad body can also be used to spray at 25cm spacing, as and when required. Now 2025 sees the launch of AmaSwitch plus.

AmaSwitch plus features new components that have been extensively tested in the harshness of a marine environment and in purpose-built climate stations and so is built to a whole new level of durability giving all the benefits of individual nozzle switching, yet with much improved reliability.

AmaSwitch plus comes with a four-year guarantee as standard via your myAMAZONE account.  For all your spraying and fertiliser application needs, go to www.amazone.co.uk or visit your local Amazone dealer for more information and a chance to do the brake test on your farm.

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