USED MACHINERY: Knight Farm Machinery trailed sprayers: Some six years ago we took a look at buying a pre-owned Knight trailed sprayer, concluding that even the earliest examples were a sound used purchase. Time has moved on, so it’s now perhaps better to consider machines that are a bit younger. The key point, however, is that even 10-year-old Knight models can still be updated to a spec that should match most of today’s user needs, as James de Havilland discovers
Referring back to our original article on buying a used Knight trailed sprayer (profi 06/04), you’ll note we went right back to the company’s original tracking drawbar models. First built in 1984, these early 2,000-litre models had a maximum boom width of up to 20m.
As time went on, the sprayers progressively evolved, with 1998 marking the arrival of the first EU model. It’s now these units that make a sensible starting point for a used buy. From 2000, the mechanical tracking ES was introduced, which, in all other respects, was identical to the original EU.
The way in which Knight names its drawbars can initially seem a little confusing. So perhaps a slight backward step may help unravel some of the detail differences that can bewilder those less familiar with what Knight has to offer. In broad outline, all trailed Knight machines have incorporated a tracking drawbar from the outset, the design adopting the Universal drawbar name from 1996.
The original 2,500-litre trailed sprayer had a hydraulically adjustable drawbar. Badged as the Hillmaster, this design was manually operated and aimed at providing improved tracking control on gentle slopes in slippery conditions. It could also be used to steer the machine in/out of tramlines. An electronically controlled version was introduced at a later date.
Running alongside the Hillmaster was the Universal Tracking Drawbar, which is mechanical with a pivot half-way between the rear axle of the tractor and the sprayer axle. With the EU’s launch, the Hillmaster was dropped, the Universal drawbar then being supplied in both mechanical and electronic tracking versions.
To further complicate matters, the electronic control of the Universal drawbar was named Track 2000 when the ES was introduced alongside the EU in 2000. The mechanical Universal tracking drawbar was only sold on 2,500-/3,000-litre units. In 2004 a steering axle model (the EUA) was launched to complement the existing ES and EU.
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