Farmers were amazed at the efficiency of the new Syncrospread double axle spreader that Casper van Zyl from Rovic introduced at their stand during this year’s Grain SA NAMPO at Bothaville in the Free State.

Casper is the engineer responsible for the design of this larger unit in the series.

The new Rovic Syncospread (RSS 13-18) has a stainless steel hopper of 13 cubic meters with a capacity of 18 tonnes.

Iron alloy containers are also available, but the advantage of stainless steel is that it lasts longer.

The Syncrospread is an excellent precision spreader. The drive belt and spreading discs are controlled, as well as the disc speed to adjust spreading width.

It is a Isobus spreader. Currently there is a Raven system on the spreader, but this can be replaced with a Topcon or Greenstar system.

There is also a valve controller from Hidec that precisely controls the oil flow to the spreading discs and drive belt.

The valve regulator is equipped with charge sensors that are connected directly to the oil pump and not through the wiring on the rod (SUV).

As the spreader needs oil, a signal goes to the tractor indicating exactly how much oil to send to the spreader.

The spreader’s chain floor is driven by two motors on either side which can be controlled separately to feed material to the discharge opening and the spreading discs.

Spreading discs

According to Casper, the spreading discs are the most important components of a spreader.

The spinning discs are suitable for spreading different applications such as lime, fertiliser, manure, and gypsum.

The discs are subjected to a lot of vibrations as the product falls on them, therefore it is equipped with a double bearing and a sleeve that cancels the vibration between the discs and the hydraulic motor.

The stone separator at the back was designed and patented by Rovic. Its purpose is to separate stones that may be present in the product and prevent the turntables from being damaged. The spacing of the stone separator’s grooves can also be easily adjusted depending on the diameter of the material to be spread.

According to Casper, Rovic had to go through a process of accreditation. “We are very proud to say that we can offer you an accredited precision spreader.”

On this large spreader with its capacity of 18 tonnes, two axles are required, with an axle coupling in the middle which distributes the weight evenly between the two axles.

The rear axle is a steering axle which ensures that the axle turns with the spreader when it is necessary to make a sharp turn in the field. The front axle is a braked axle that can be connected to the tractor’s braking action.

Rubber blocks under the drawbar make it a spring drawbar that absorbs impact over rough terrain.

The spreader is equipped with a double bearing and a spider sleeve that eliminates the vibration between the spreading discs and the hydraulic motor.

Drawbar

The pull rod is equipped with a BullPull connector to accommodate different diameter pull pins. It also helps to reduce feedback from the spreader over rough terrain on the tractor drawbar.

Everything on the drawbar is adjustable in height. The BullPull can move up and down and the drawbar mounting can be changed to perfectly fit any tractor.

On the inside of the spreader is a grid that separates stones from the product.

There is also a stainless steel bridge that is modular so that the sections can be easily lifted by a single person to, for example, load onto a pick-up.

The spreader is equipped with weighing cells that can be calibrated. As the machine spreads, it processes the application program and the amount of product already spread. The precision system compares the quantities and adjusts the calibration automatically.

Contact www.rovic.com for more information about the spreader.