• New Red Line of entry-level 600-1,800-litre/12-28m mounted sprayers
• Trailblazer trailed sprayer range extended with new 7/8/10/12,000-litre models
• Non-powered tillage offering grows with new Red Line Terradisc compact disc cultivators
• Knight enters powered cultivation market with Red Line Arterra power harrows
Knight Farm Machinery has announced a number of developments for its sprayer and cultivation machinery lines, with an extension of the Knight trailed sprayer range into new capacity territory, the addition of a new Red Line range of entry-level mounted sprayers, and the broadening of the Knight tillage range to include compact disc cultivators and power harrows.
While the new larger Knight trailed sprayers are a full in-house development, the Red Line sprayers and cultivation equipment result from Knight’s partnership with Belgian manufacturer Beyne, which like Knight is a family-owned business. Knight has, for a number of years, supplied Beyne with self-propelled skid units to which the company fits its own spraypacks. To benefit from synergies and share expertise, the new range has been outsourced to Beyne, allowing Knight to focus on its own full-technology larger sprayers.
The aim of adding the new Red Line sprayers to the Knight range is to offer a new sprayer option to those farms of up to 800ha who are facing rising cost pressures but are seeking to keep their machinery reliable and up to date, says Paul Harrison, sales and marketing consultant at Knight.
“Knight’s own range has moved away from this sector to the larger, higher technology end of the business. The replacement market represents a huge opportunity for our distribution partners, but justifying the investment and time needed to develop new models is a challenge. This is an ideal solution, as we know the quality of the manufacturer very well, and work with them to incorporate Knight technology where required.”
The new mounted sprayers span 600-1,800 litre capacities and 12-28m boom widths, and larger models incorporate Knight’s MAXImizer E fluid control system, which maximises the flow of fluid but keeps plumbing volume to a minimum, for fast nozzle response.
The 12-18m/600-1,000-litre PA range features manual folding booms and a simple switch box to control pressure and boom switching, suiting businesses running smaller farm/groundcare tractors and UTVs. The 600-1,000-litre/18-21m PLH range, meanwhile, features hydraulic boom-folding and, if required, a more advanced controller.
Further up the scale are two Gecko model sprayer versions, the PLK (1,500 litres/21-28m side-folding) and the RF (1,800 litres/18-28m rear-folding). A basic control switch box is standard, as is Knight’s MAXImizer-E fluid control, with the SPRAYMAT 2 controller, ISOBUS, auto-boom height sensing and rate control all optional.
At the opposite end of the Knight range in terms of capacity, the company has developed new versions of its 3,500-6,000-litre Trailblazer trailed sprayers to meet demand from farm enterprises growing in size and seeking to cover more area per day with a tractor-based sprayer.
With rotomoulded tank capacities of 7,000 and 8,000 litres, new Trailblazer 7000 and 8000 models are single-axle machines with the option of a second air-suspended support axle to meet road regulations, particularly suiting those operating between farm and field with full loads of liquid fertiliser. As with smaller Trailblazer models, the machines can be ordered with booms of 24-40m, all equipped as standard with Knight’s 4D boom suspension system and single-nozzle switching.
The larger 10,000/12,000-litre Trailblazer 10000 and 12000 differ primarily in the fitment of a stainless steel tank and a standard tandem axle arrangement. A Müller automatic control system governs the steering of both axles to minimise crop damage on headlands. All the new Trailblazer models are ISOBUS-compliant and are available with a full range of nozzle technology. They benefit from a lower and flatter boom park position to lower the machines’ centre of gravity, plus a revised induction area and air-braked uprated axles.
Introduced alongside the new models is MAXImizer Pro, an update of the established Knight MAXImizer circulation technology, with its live induction hopper, booms fed at multiple points to ensure even spray-line pressure, and continuous circulation of fluid through the complete plumbing of the machine. The MAXImizer Pro development sees boom pipework reduced by 21% for further enhancements to efficient spray-line circulation. As an example, on a trailed Knight TB5200 sprayer with 36m boom, the development reduces sprayer retained volume by 7.5 litres.
Knight has a proven history in producing non-powered cultivators such as the Triple Press and Raven to suit the needs of UK farms, and is now expanding this via its relationship with Beyne by introducing a new range of Red Line TerraDisc compact disc cultivators. This comprises 2.5-4.0m mounted models and 4.0-6.0m Pro trailed versions, all with 510mm cutaway rubber-cushioned discs. Working depth is set via integral aluminium spacers, and there are multiple rear roller options.
A further result of the connection with Beyne is the launch of a new line of Knight Red Line power harrows. The Arterra models, again built by Beyne in its cultivation factory in Austria, come in two versions, with the MS suiting 130-180hp tractors and the MG matching 170-230hp models, the key difference being the use of 50mm rotor shafts in the former and 60mm units in the latter, both double-sealed. Both versions are offered in a 3m width which features 12 rotors and has a double-skin trough. With 1,000rpm PTO drive, rotor speed is 340rpm.
Related news:
