Pre-owned RB35 is a step up

Iain Robertson is Sprayer Operator for a mixed farm in South Gloucestershire. Covering approximately 4,000 acres (1,618 hectares) as a total, the business grows combinable crops – wheat, barley, peas, beans, maize, and also grass for animals.

What Bateman sprayer do you run?
We’re running a 2015 RB35. It has a 4,000 litre tank, 36 metre boom, we retrofitted PWM, it also has Bateman Boom Levelling and the Yara N-Sensor. So, it’s pretty well loaded with tech.

Why did you want a Bateman on this farm?
When I arrived here, I knew I would be driving a different make of sprayer, which was fairly new on an 18 plate with four and half thousand hours on the clock. I did my best to get along with it, however, it wasn’t overly enjoyable. It did the job but I knew we could do it more precisely and efficiently.

Geographically, we’re spread around 20 miles from top to bottom. Our old sprayer would only do circa 40kph road speed, it didn’t have a brake pedal, which I’d been used to. For the distances we were trying to achieve both safely and responsibly, we needed something different. My first and only thought was a Bateman!

I’ve been driving Bateman’s since I passed my sprayer test, which is longer than I care to remember. Bateman machines are superior to anything else on the market. Rather than trying to convince the business that we needed a brand new sprayer, I felt confident that a well maintained and looked after second-hand Bateman would be a step-up in terms of spraying duties on this farm.

We spoke with Bateman, they put us in touch with a farmer in North Yorkshire, who had ordered a new Bateman. We bought his outgoing 2016 RB35 which had done 8,500 hours and set about specifying it to our needs.

What difference has Bateman made to the business?
It is more suited to the job that we were trying to do. We’ve increased the tank capacity to 4,000 litres, so that’s already got you 10 hectares, a hundred litres a hectare more. We’re now at 36 metres compared to 24, so that’s better. We’ve got more horsepower, faster road speed and that all-important brake pedal!

But there’s much more besides. For example, now we can adjust the track width much more easily. We might be spraying maize in the morning then go and do other crops during the day and then back to maize in the evening when it’s cooler. Previously, we’d have to turn the wheels around, which meant jacking the sprayer up, unbolting the wheels and turning them around to get it to fit the widths. Whereas in the Bateman there’s a digital readout in the cab, you just press the button, the wheels adjust and thank you very much, let’s keep farming.

Using GPS, we’ve got all fields mapped and PWM has made a saving on chemical and liquid fertiliser. Because we’re spraying sometimes with individual nozzle control, it would be fair to say we’ve saved in the region of 10% on input costs overall. The PWM serviceable parts are good for thousands of hours. Previously, we’d be changing all the chemsavers, diaphragms and O-rings every year. Also the new pump, new diaphragms and the main spray pump are doing two years now where before you’d change them annually. All of this is because the system is so simple and easy to use, that simplicity is what sets Bateman apart and that’s the clever part about it.

Which features do you particularly like?
There’s a lot to like on a Bateman. Let’s start with the cab which is the only cab that’s designed specifically for self-propelled sprayer. The latest cab is amazing, I’m in the previous Panoramic 2 cab and that’s also amazing.

The seat is very comfortable, it’s heated, the air conditioning is very good. The controls are exactly where you want them. The suspension of the chassis works in harmony with the suspension that’s built into the cab. It’s like putting on a pair of comfy slippers.

Capstan PWM, is fantastic. You can tailor the application to where you want the product to go, the effectiveness of PWM to hit the target and reduce drift is phenomenal. Then you add in the chemical savings from individual nozzles. So, we were at six metre sections and now we’ve gone down to 50 centimetre sections because you’re using individual nozzles.

The variable geometry boom ride is fantastic, before you factor in Bateman’s boom levelling system (BBL). With BBL the job is even better, you can follow the contours with a level of accuracy that is quite incredible. The beauty of the variable geometry boom is that you can fold down individual sides. On other makes of sprayer, the machines will only fold the boom down equally, on a Bateman you can have 18 metres out your left-hand side and only six out the right. I’ve helped our neighbours when their sprayer’s broken down. They’ve got 24 metre tram lines, I’ve got a 36 metre sprayer, but I can fold the geometry round to go and spray their 24 metres.

When I finish at night, I don’t have to get out the cab to turn a tap to put a clean water tank rinse through. I can do it from the cab. Also, I can isolate the tank and put the clean wash tank through the spray booms to make sure that I’m not going to have any residue in the boom, and I can rinse it out and clean it. I can make sure that the nozzles and the solenoids and the boom hasn’t got any spray residue in there that can settle out or corrode something. You’ve actually got all the systems at your fingertips.

How has the Bateman performed when spraying on difficult ground conditions?
Even with the larger wheels and Michelin 710 tyres fitted it weighs only 10 tonnes empty. Some of the other manufacturers in the same category weigh 13 tons empty, so I’m already three tons lighter. I could put 3,000 litres of water in it and I’m the same weight as they are empty.

The weight distribution is fantastic. Because you’ve got a good chassis that’s designed to carry that load safely, you’ve got a stable platform to work from. It travels very lightly for what you’re covering. I’ve got four-speed wheel motors; I can adjust the wheel motors to suit the conditions that I’m driving in. Going up and down hills you can adjust them so that you get the best performance. We’re very happy with the footprint that it’s leaving and the Michelin 710 tyre does a fantastic job.

The weather windows at the moment are getting shorter, you need confidence that the machine’s going to work when you get in it. The beauty of a Bateman is the power and the stability is available, so you can go out spraying when conditions are less than favourable
with confidence.

What do you think of the back up from Bateman?
Firstly, our RB35 now has over 10,000 hours on it, they’re built to last. However, most things break at some point, it’s a fact of life. If and when this does occur it’s all about how you get it going again. If something goes wrong, you pick up a phone and the team know how to get you running again, it’ll be: “Ah, right, if you just take that from there and bolt that there, then that will keep you spraying”. Nine out of ten times it works!

It’s not just the parts of the sprayer, it’s the tech on the monitor or the phone too. You might phone having lost the signal or something. Again it’s: “Ah, right, press that button, press that button, do this, do that.” You’re sorted and wonder why you couldn’t remember this for yourself.

Parts are easily replaceable and sourced, because they are manufacturered by Bateman. You phone them up and it’ll be next day delivery guaranteed before nine o’clock. If they haven’t got any on the shelf, then they can make one for you. I can’t speak highly enough of their service.

What difference does driving a Bateman make to your day?
It’s an enjoyable place to sit, you feel comfortable and confident that you’re going to have a good day. You are applying plant protection products properly, responsibly, as safely and precisely as you can. At the end of day, we’re growing food to feed the public, it is quite a responsible job. To have the confidence that you’re doing that to the best of your ability, the mattention to detail, precisely, safely protecting people and the environment, then that’s got to be a good thing.

What 3 words sum up Bateman sprayers?
Honest, Reliable, Refined.