Superior liquid system delivers accuracy and uniformity!

After seven straight years of using Liquid Systems (SA) equipment, southern Alberta crop producer Richard Vasselin is a huge proponent of the company’s liquid delivery pump and control module.

With 2,500 acres (approximately 1,000ha) of wheat, barley, canola and field pea in rotation, and a relatively short window in which to seed each year, accuracy means improved handling of his liquid fertilizer, and time savings.

Prior to his using Liquid Systems (SA) equipment, Vasselin had been applying UAN 28-0-0 by a gravity system with a ground drive pump. But, he says, it was a messy system.

“The manifolds, when you folded the drill, would leak liquid fertilizer all over your drill,” he says. “Also, with the gravity system, it would take a fair time before the liquid would hit the openers. So you’d have to time yourself. I don’t know if we ever turned it off, we just let it run because we’d have a miss if we turned it off.”

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OUTCOMES

• Quality, accuracy, uniformity
• Convenience, reliability, cleanliness
• Time savings, improved handling of the liquid fertilizer

It was at an equipment show in Red Deer, Alberta. – Agri-Trade – in November 2011 that Vasselin first became aware of Liquid Systems (SA). His equipment dealer Pat Smith, from Jay Dee Ag Tech in North Battleford (now Pattison Agriculture, John Deere Dealership), was at Agri-Trade speaking with Liquid Systems (SA) owner Peter Burgess, who established the company in 2002 in Australia.

“Pat Smith worked pretty hard with Peter to get this system into Canada,” he notes. “My system arrived by boat in January 2012, and I had it going for that 2012 season.”

One of the initial reasons Vasselin chose the Liquid Systems (SA) pump and control module was the availability of it to interface with his John Deere GPS, and section control and flow control for variable rate. Vasselin runs a 50-foot drill with 10-inch centres; a four-inch paired row Bourgault opener with liquid between the paired row.

According to Vasselin, the integration was seamless.

“Peter was here when I was installing it on the drill, and he went through to make sure all the check valves were adjusted right. We didn’t have any hiccups, we just fired it up and it worked, it didn’t require calibration, it was accurate,” says Vasselin.

We didn’t have any hiccups, we just fired it up and it worked, it didn’t require calibration, it was accurate

“Then once we got into it, we realized the quality of the system and parts. There is no plastic, there is no black iron. It’s all stainless steel. It’s just meant to work.”

 

Pictured Left: Mounted on the bar is a 6 Section Swath Control “Stacker” Kit. Pictured Right: LQS custom tooled “Stacker” Manifold.

Vasselin has been applying liquid fertilizer for 20-plus years, and over the years, he has sometimes mixed in micronutrients such as copper and boron with the 28-0-0. He’s currently in talks with Smith and Burgess about putting a second system on, the LQS70 a compact, entry-level single liquid auto-rate pump and control module, which would handle the micros, seed treatments and inoculants in a separate line.

“This second system would be a lower rate system that would go in-furrow with the seed,” he notes. “Then I would be able to do some of that at seeding time, rather than relying on the sprayer.”

Vasselin’s adoption of the Liquid Systems (SA) equipment was relatively easy; it has improved application accuracy and uniformity. “With Liquid Systems we get on the right amount in an even manner.” He can’t say enough about the system. “The pluses are many. One, it’s hydraulic drive, not ground drive. Two, this is the only system we’ve had on section control, so it prevents overlap. And three, it’s accurate.”

The pluses are many. One, it’s hydraulic drive, not ground drive. Two, this is the only system we’ve had on section control, so it prevents overlap. And three, it’s accurate.