Introduction:
For nearly seven decades, HARDI has been providing high-quality, precise, and efficient sprayers for farmers. Whether it’s trailed, mounted, or self-propelled sprayers, our machines are reliable to build an entire farm around, as demonstrated by the Hungarian company, “Bőnyi Mezőgazdasági és Szolgáltató Kft.”, who have been doing so for many years.
The company operates in the Bőny area, about 15 kilometres from Győr, near Hungary’s eastern border. Their primary focus is crop production, with their own and contract farming areas totalling approximately 1500 hectares.
“We grow corn and winter wheat on 600 hectares each, sugar beets on 150 hectares, and sweet corn and green peas on 100 hectares each, and the peas are processed in a cold storage facility. This year, we also have spring barley, potatoes and onions on a smaller scale. Additionally, we engage in small-scale beef cattle farming as a supplementary activity,” says Mészáros Márton, crop protection sector leader at ‘Bőnyi Mezőgazdasági és Szolgáltató Kft’.
They also have a drying facility and significant storage capacity, so handling and storing the harvested crops is not an issue. Bőnyi’s farmlands are quite diverse, with varied terrain. While cultivation is easier on the flatter areas, they also have a few gravelly plots on the Sínai Hill near Bőny.
Mészáros Márton, the head of the crop protection sector, joined Bőnyi two years ago when they already had three HARDI sprayers, and since then, they have purchased 2 more HARDI sprayers. Bőnyi has relied exclusively on HARDI sprayers for a long time and has not regretted this decision for a single moment, as per Mészáros.
Different HARDI sprayers for different tasks
Why does Bőnyi own so many different types of HARDI sprayers?
Due to diverse crop rotations and varying field sizes, having a range of sprayers enables Bőnyi to select the best HARDI sprayer for each crop and task.
“We have a separate sprayer for the plants sown in the grain row spacing, wheat and green peas, and a separate one for row crops. We maintain a dedicated sprayer for sugar beets with 45 cm raw spacing because we use split post treatments. Moreover, the HARDI RANGER’s spray pattern is very narrow, which makes it easy for us to manoeuvre, and it also reduces trampling damage, resulting in crop loss,” explained Mészáros.
Mészáros added, “Although onions and potatoes are now planted in smaller areas, we need smaller capacity NAVIGATOR for these crops.”
The main tasks (treating winter cereals and green peas) are handled by a larger capacity 4000-litre NAVIGATOR and the 3300-litre COMMANDER TWIN FORCE with air-assisted spraying. All their sprayers are equipped with 18-meter booms.
“We choose the HARDI COMMANDER because we experience more windy days in their area than the national average during the main crop-care period of late April-May. So, having air-assisted spraying was a good choice.”
COMMANDER with TWIN FORCE boom because...
Earlier this year, Bőnyi bought a new HARDI COMMANDER with an air-assisted TWIN FORCE boom.
Mészáros says, “We choose the HARDI COMMANDER because we experience more windy days in their area than the national average during the main crop-care period of late April-May. So, having air-assisted spraying was a good choice.”
The COMMANDER models are designed for continuous operation, with tank sizes ranging from 3300 to 7000 litres and TWIN FORCE booms with widths of 18 to 36 meters (the DELTA FORCE version can be 24 to 39 meters).
The COMMANDERs are equipped with automatic intelligent functions (AutoWash, AutoFill, AutoAgitation), DynamicFluid4 for rapid and precise fluid control, AutoTerrain for boom stability (with fully automatic height, tilt, roll, and side-to-side movement adjustment), and SafeTrack for safe and precise track-following, ensuring they perform well under all conditions.
Read more about COMMANDERThe air-assisted TWIN FORCE boom
TWIN FORCE boom uses an adjustable air curtain to guide the spray, reducing drift by 80%* and ensuring better coverage. As a result, there is at least a 50% reduction in water use and up to 30% savings on plant protection products.
Since the air and spray direction can be adjusted simultaneously, the TWIN FORCE provides more control options for the operator. The air curtain speed and angle can be adjusted continuously from no air to full airflow. This is achieved by high-performance blower units on both sides of the boom, which can be adjusted from 2000 m³/h maximum output to 35 m/s maximum airspeed.
Mészáros says, “We make daily adjustments to match the necessary settings. For more sensitive applications, we make adjustments field by field, of course, considering the given wind direction and strength. Typically, we use the air curtain at 5-10% strength to avoid drift.”
Find TWIN Test results
“Based on our experience, the application cover is much more optimal because of the airbag blower units. It is particularly more noticeable in cereals.”
Significant Savings
The air curtain helps to better penetrate the crop, leading to more uniform application on both the top and underside of the leaves. Mészáros Márton estimates a 10-20% saving in plant protection products.
Their new COMMANDER with TWIN FORCE boom will be extensively used for high-tech crops like sweet corn and green peas. Controlling weeds and pests is crucial for sweet corn, while green peas are treated up to five times (including foliar feeding). For sweet corn, Bőnyi only performs weed control, and for cereal grains, 2-3 treatments are required. During the season, they may have up to three sprayers working simultaneously.
Bőnyi sourced their sprayers from Agroázis in Bábolna, Hungary, a long-standing and reliable partner offering fixed-price services and excellent service and parts supply. They also rely on Agroázis for seasonal preparations, and up to now, only minor issues have arisen, with no disruptions to their operations. Bőnyi also relies on Agroázis to inspect all their HARDI sprayers, thoroughly prepare the machines, check pumps, nozzles, and filters, and replace parts as needed.
Find your nearest HARDI dealer