AMAZONE makes history

LEADING european farm machinery manufacturer, AMAZONE, has announced the sale of its 750,000th ‘ZA’ series twin-disc centrifugal fertiliser spreader.

AMAZONE Product Manager, Craig Hopkins, says the feat is probably unmatched by any other manufacturer.“AMAZONE has now sold in excess of one million spreaders, with three quarters of these being from the ZA series, which is an impressive figure by any standard,” he says.

The first ZA model – which boasted a 330 litre capacity and a 10 metre working width – was released in 1958, soon after Professor Heinz Dreyer and his cousin, Klaus Dreyer, had taken over as third-generation owners of the company. In comparison with existing full width box spreaders, it was unique in its larger working width and, compared to single disc and pendulum fertiliser spreaders, offered a much higher precision.

The ZA series – short for the tongue-twisting zentrifugalstreuer-anbaumaschine – quickly developed into a global success story. AMAZONE has since refined the concept into numerous models, each with even greater capacities and wider working widths.

“Today’s models have 10 times the capacity and five times the working width of the first ZA model,” Craig says. “With operational speeds of about 20 km/h, they can easily achieve work rates of up to 50 ha per hour.”

Now in its seventh generation, the latest ZA models retain the same fundamental design principles featured in the very first model: a twin hopper with two contra-rotating spreading discs running at a constant speed, creating a mirrored spread pattern and even spread on both sides of the implement.

Improvements over the year have included the introduction of swivel blades for late top dressing, interchangeable disc system for wider and variable working widths, boundary spreading technology and the ‘Soft Ballistic System’, which ensures gentle fertiliser treatment during spreading.

“Every component of ZA machines has been designed to ensure even and precise spreading pattern on both sides of the tractor,” Craig says. “Today’s ZA-TS mounted and super capacity ZG-TS trailed models continue to set industry benchmarks for precision, efficiency and operational ease. This is not about precision for precision’s sake. Field trials have shown AMAZONE’s ‘soft ballistic’ system can increase yields by 15 per cent compared to conventional spreaders. Productivity aside, improved accuracy has an important role to play in quality assurance, environment sustainability and risk management.”

More recent innovations include the addition of integrated weigh-cell technology, electronically-controlled hydraulics, GPS automated part-width section control and headland systems and easy-to-use ISOBUS-compatible terminals.

“Today’s models even incorporate tilt sensor technology that achieves even, three dimensional spreading patterns, regardless of the terrain,” Craig says. “The operator simply enters the desired spreading rate and drives off. The two weighing cells detect any deviation between the desired application rate and the amount being discharged. In addition, the on-board tilt sensor measures any deviation in the centre of gravity, both front to back and left to right. The processor then automatically adjusts the electric metering shutter slides to ensure an even spreading pattern.”

AMAZONE is Europe’s largest manufacturer of spreading, spraying and cultivation equipment, with annual sales fast approaching €500 million. Owned and operated by the fourth generation of the Dreyer family, the 130-year-old company employs more than 1700 staff across seven manufacturing facilities in Germany, France and Russia.