Boost Grass even on Wet Ground!!

January 23, 2014

With the Spring approaching, landowners must plan ahead to get the most from their grassland, especially if they want to benefit from a valuable ‘early bite’, and maximise their grazing potential throughout Spring. Most agricultural soils contain too little, naturally occurring plant-available nitrogen to meet the needs of field grass throughout the growing season. Rather than leave the grass to fend for itself, take action now.  Northern Irish manufacturer Quad-X, design and manufacture a host of ATV equipment to help with your grassland which is essential when ground conditions make access with a tractor impossible or unwelcome due to the ground compaction and damage it would cause.

The only way to carry out early sowing on many areas of pasture will be using an ATV, given the incessant rainfall over the winter months.  Urea is an excellent source of Nitrogen that can be applied now, even while soils are damp, wet and cool.  According to Deirdre Hennessy, Teagasc, optimum date for initial spring nitrogen application is mid-january.

The Quad-X plastic coated sower has the lowest fill height of any ATV fertiliser spreader and saves those back-breaking stretches to reach the hopper with 50kg bags balancing on your shoulder.  An average man can fill the Quad-X 7 bag sower with the bag lifted to between waist and chest height.

With 350kg capacity and optional extension sides to carry 500kg or 600kg the Quad-X sower is ideal for using with large half ton or 600kg bags of fertiliser.  This machine is ground driven and has an unrivalled spreading width, which is easily adjusted by regulating the towing vehicles speed.  The steel frame and hopper is strong and sturdy and avoids any problem of cracks that can appear in plastic hoppers.  A plastic coated finish ensures excellent resistance to the corrosive nature of fertiliser making the sower superior than galvanised versions.

In response to the request for a stable sower that can work in wet conditions, the Quad-X spreader has an extra wide axle which coupled with the low height of the hopper makes for a sower that is very stable.  Flotation tyres make the sower suitable for softer ground.

Quad-X have also recently re-engineered their handy 6 bag sower to comprise 12 product improvements, including knobby tyres, wider wheel base and dished spinner for excellent spread widths.

The Quad-X Electro-Broadcaster is designed to sow a wide range of seeds, granular fertilisers and slug pellets.  The motorised spreader is the ideal size to sow a 50kg fertiliser bag, with a 25kg model also available. The Electro-Broadcaster is fitted with a low-profile powerful 12 volt motor attached to the spinner.  It comes complete with a universal easy-mount system, with a revised lower mount position for optimum spreading up to 24m.  The Electrobroadcaster can be easily fitted to your ATV and connects directly to the battery, yet it can also be fitted to a tractor with an optional remote shut off.  The plastic hopper is UV stabilized and durable while the stainless steel spinner and shutter plates help reduce corrosion. Variable shutter settings suit the application rate required, to minimise wastage and save money.

The spinner speed is independent of driving speed and is therefore a benefit over ground driven spreaders, where slowing down can cause a significant reduction in coverage. The hopper itself has an agitator inside which helps eliminate clumps making sure that there is a continuous flow and even spread.  A salt-spreading kit can be added to turn the electrobroadcaster into a handy salt spreading device for the winter months.  All these features make the Quad-X Electro-Broadcaster an essential piece of equipment for many including farmers, landscapers and green keepers.

If you would like to find out more about the Quad-X range, request a brochure or DVD please call from ROI 048 2587 2800 or NI 028 2587 2800, or visit www.quad-x.com where you can browse the range and view video footage of the machines.