A STAINLESS steel, air-assisted boom and unparalleled vision in the cab are just two of the benefits growers can take advantage of thanks to the launch of Mazzotti sprayers in Australia.
Mazzotti technical service support officer Simone Fanelli was kept busy showing growers the features of the Mazzotti Ibis 2530 on Wednesday during the national launch at Gatton.
The machine displayed was set up on a 3.2-metre wheel spacing and had a 24m stainless steel air-assisted boom spray with 50cm nozzle spacings.
The Mazzotti Ibis 2530 features a 2500-litre main tank and the solution pump runs up to 335L/minute.
"You can choose where to source the water from; from the main tank, from the washing sequence, which is a small tank inside this big tank to keep the water clean, and from fill in, which means the pipe can be plugged into the connector and source the water from a tank or river," Mr Fanelli said.
"You can then choose where to send water so you can send it to the boom or to the mixer to add chemical product."
Mazzotti Ibis is available with automatic, manual or hydraulic axles, which can be adjusted to suit different row spacings. Weight is evenly dispersed between the two axles.
The four-wheel steer and four-metre turning radius was another plus for growers, Mr Fanelli said.
Lockyer Valley grower Steve Kluck, Limit Farms, bought a Mazzotti sprayer 18 months ago and hasn't looked back.
Mr Kluck said the self-propelled sprayer had been reliable, easy to use and delivered great results for pest control.
Limit Farms mainly produces brassicas on their 174 hectares of country between Helidon and Gatton.
In the current weather conditions, they were spraying almost weekly to control pests like the diamondback moth.
Mr Kluck said there was a lot of chemical resistance in the Lockyer Valley, with some growers shifting back to products with older chemistry, which required better coverage.
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That's where the turbulence and angle of Mazzotti's air-assisted boom comes in to play.
"In the vegetable industry, the air-assisted boom is the biggest feature for sure," he said.
"The other thing is the four-wheel steer; there's not really any machines available in Australia that are set up the way this one is.
"It's a compact machine, it's light on the ground. We've come from tractor based sprayers for years and it's actually a lot lighter on the ground than our tractor based machines because it is balanced, it's not all the weight on the back."
Mr Kluck also praised the independent side-fold feature and the unparalleled vision from the cab.
Vanderfield regional manager Jeff Jaques said they decided to investigate the product further after John Deere bought Italian-based company Mazzotti a couple of years ago.
"We could see there was a gap in the market with our existing range, that being John Deere primarily, and we felt that the horticultural industry needed a smaller, lighter machine," Mr Jaques said.
"One that could handle smaller fields, one that had features like four-wheel steer, one that had the air boom technology and could marry up and be compatible with our technology - be it John Deere GreenStar or other John Deere technology products."
Mr Jaques said there were a lot of models in the Mazzotti range to suit the needs of Australian growers.
"I think once we get a better understanding of what the model range is suitable for, I think we'll find growers of other industries will adopt it," he said.
"We are in a learning phase but we are pretty confident about its future."