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Sprayer scheme goes from strength to strength
Jun 26, 2009 #552
In 2008/09 the National Sprayer Testing Scheme (NSTS) tested machines that cover 82.6% of the sprayed area, comfortably beating the scheme's target of 80%. That equates to the testing of more than 13,200 machines by 554 examiners at 330 test centres. “This year is the most successful in the five years of the scheme’s operation,” says Duncan Russell, NSTS manager. “When the scheme started in 2004/05, we tested less than half the number tested this year. There’s been a steady increase every year as more and more people have recognised the importance of the scheme, and the benefits of using a fully tested, functional sprayer. It’s a complete vindication for the scheme, and a demonstration of how important it has become in satisfying various crop assurance and retailer protocols.” Among the most common faults identified this year were leaks and drips: Diaphragm check valves were found to be critical in one quarter of sprayers tested, while static leaks were identified and rectified in one-fifth of tested machines. Other key critical trends were faults with the contents gauge (24.9%) and more general safety-related items such as incomplete or missing PTO guards (9.8%).
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