One of the largest machines on display at the Hannover Fairgrounds this week is a self-propelled slurry pump made by Canadian company Cadman.
Called the Continuous Manure Applicator (CMA), power to the three models comes from a 375hp, 9.0-litre John Deere engine. The reel of the largest version, the CMA 5500 on show at EuroTier, contains 853m of 139mm diameter hose.
The slurry applicator on the tractor is fitted with a swivelling arm which ensures that the hose remains in the same spot on the ground when the tractor turns at the headland at the opposite end of a field.
The CMA is synced to the tractor using GPS and when it returns towards the slurry pump the hose is automatically wound onto the monster reel as the same speed of the tractor. When the tractor reaches the headland and turns into the next field pass then the CMA automatically shifts to a new position.
With the capacity to pump 200m³ per hour, the big benefit of the technique is that it can be used in row crops without damaging the plants and the company says that the technique has successfully applied slurry in 1.0m tall maize crops.
A 350-450hp tractor is recommended to tow the 3.5m-wide, nearly 14.0m-long and 35t machine on the road.
Tested for five years and at the patent pending stage, two machines are working in North America and a third in Russia. The EuroTier machine (number four) is off to the east Germany after the show.
It depends on the level of spec, but prices range from €500,000-€600,000, which includes one of the firm’s slurry applicators (12-18m).
