The latest versions of Fendt’s self-propelled Rogator sprayer are now available with new features to improve boom stability, reduce cleaning times and maintenance, while increasing component longevity.
Central to the upgrades is a redesigned plumbing system featuring a separate clean water pump allowing a new ContiRinse system to cut overall tank cleaning times after spraying. The system works on two adjustable liquid volume thresholds, with the first initiating cleaning of plumbing lines that contain chemical residues whilst the operator continues spraying, without affecting the spraying process. The second threshold is closer to the end of the tank load and activates the remaining part of the cleaning cycle as the tank empties, reducing the need to transfer water and flush the system after spraying.
Sam Treadgold is sales engineer for sprayers at Fendt and explains the benefits of the new feature: “ContiRinse is designed to reduce the downtime spent cleaning and rinsing the plumbing system after spraying, making it quicker to change between products and crops. The additional clean water pump allows the pre-rinse cycle to begin whilst spraying and there is now an auto pump shutoff, which switches off the main 785l/ min pump after cleaning to prevent it running dry.”
New nozzles and valves
All Rogator models are now fitted with new Altek electro-pneumatic nozzle bodies as standard, which replace the fully electric Arag versions. These are compatible with Fendt’s OptiNozzle automatic nozzle selection system which uses different nozzles to maintain pressure and reduce drift, while allowing increased forward speed. Also using the new bodies are a single line Hypro five-way rotary, an Altek twin-line, and an Altek quad-line setup. The valves on the Rogator are now supplied by Banjo.
Mr Treadgold continues: “The changes to our spray systems will increase longevity and reliability of the machines. The new nozzle bodies don’t have diaphragms and feature no dead volume areas, so liquid or chemical residues can’t sit inside the bodies after use. The electro-pneumatic design also provides increased reliability compared with our old units.”
Boom stability has been improved with six OptiSonic height sensors – previously four – to keep the booms automatically adjusted in uneven crops, increasing application accuracy. The central sensor has been repositioned away from the rear axle to keep it free from debris. In the VisioCab, the Rogator now gets the option of a dedicated fridge, keeping contents chilled down to 0°c.
The cab comes with category 4 filtration as standard, so the operator is well protected. There is an improved handsfree system with a centrally located gooseneck microphone to improve call clarity, while stronger mirror mounts reduce vibrations on rough terrain.
Single piece chassis
The self-propelled Rogator machines are all underpinned by the same onepiece chassis and driveline setup, as Mr Treadgold explains. “The tailored single-frame chassis design has several key advantages in the field. When the sprayer is loaded and the booms are unfolded, the machine registers a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, with the positioning of the engine and spray tank key to allowing the weight to be spread across the whole machine.”
Benefits of the design include reduced soil compaction and ability to travel in less favourable conditions, and, as all the machines use the same layout, servicing and maintenance is also made easier. Mr Treadgold continues: “The design of the tank has further advantages as it allows the Rogator to achieve a steering angle of 35 degrees and an inner turn radius of 3.14m, which increases manoeuvrability. This means that crop damage is kept to a minimum, with tighter headland turns achievable to reduce the need to reverse into tramlines on awkward shaped short works.”
Rogator range
Fendt’s Rogator machines are the sole offering from the brand in crop protection machinery and the range consists of three models – 645, 655 and 665 – all feature Pommier aluminium booms in widths from 24-39m. Tank options start with the 3,850-litre model and finish with the 6,000-litre unit, which is the only option on the largest Rogator 665. Power comes from a six-cylinder AGCO Power engine with outputs varying from 210hp up to 307hp, depending on the model.
Fendt’s HydroStar CVT transmission powers all models and, as Mr Treadgold says, the integrated Control Drive System (CDS) only uses the power the Rogator requires, helping to trim fuel use. “The drivetrain consists of a variable displacement pump and wheel motors to deliver the exact amount of oil depending on the ground speed and torque at any given moment, controlled via the CDS. This allows the speed of each wheel to be adjusted independently for automatic traction control and, when run with the automatic engine RPM, which works like Fendt’s TMS system, it can help keep fuel consumption to a minimum,” concludes Mr Treadgold.
