Spring marks the beginning of the spraying season. While crops need to be protected from weeds, insects, fungi, and diseases, agricultural vehicle operators also need to be protected from potentially toxic pesticides and liquid fertilizers when working in the fields. Reliably keeping dust, gases, aerosols, and vapors out of the cabin is critical for their health and safety.

Freudenberg Filtration Technologies offers cabin air filters of all categories to ensure that necessary precautions are taken in keeping with the European norm EN 15695. When applying pesticides, category 4 filters, which offer the highest level of protection, are required.

In the Northern Hemisphere, spring is just around the corner, and usually marks the beginning of planting, and spraying crops. Since many agricultural products such as fruits, vegetables and grains need protection from weeds or diseases, pesticides are and will remain a necessity until sustainable and reliable alternatives are available.

Agricultural vehicle drivers can be exposed to a potential health risk when spraying pesticides. In Europe, the norm EN 15695 is intended to ensure the purity of cabin air for tractors and self-propelled sprayers used in agriculture and forestry. The goal is to limit the operator’s exposure to hazardous substances when applying plant protection products (PPPs) and liquid fertilizers.

The importance of effective category 4 filtration

EN 15695 includes specific requirements regarding cabin filter classification. It defines four categories – with category 4 offering the best protection.

“We recommend that farmers and operators themselves check to see if they are sufficiently protected with their current cabin air filtration solution,”

Giacomo Menzio, who is responsible for the agricultural filter product and service portfolio at Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, emphasizes.

Especially when rounding the bend in a field, the cabin can be exposed to a very high concentration of pesticide “fog”; the same is true when the vehicle slows. Moreover, critical situations can arise on windy days, when the pesticide cloud follows or even engulfs the vehicle cabin.

“Only a high-quality category 4 filter can provide reliable operator protection in such high-risk situations. However, it must be installed in a properly certified category 4 vehicle cabin,”

Menzio explains.

Reliable protection from dust, gases, aerosols, and vapors

The premium micronAir category 4 cabin air filter from Freudenberg Filtration Technologies is designed with a coordinated multi-stage filter system, which adds a unique, high-performance, activated-carbon layer in the final filter stage. These highly efficient filters, which offer excellent protection from dust and aerosols, can even block vaporous contaminants that could be extremely harmful to the operator’s health. They are now original standard equipment for the most important agricultural vehicle manufacturers.

“Cabin air filters with activated carbon have been on the market for some time. However, these filters’ status must be carefully and regularly checked in order to truly protect the operator inside the cabin from outside hazards. In many cases, the quality of the activated carbon is lacking, or the quantity of activated carbon in the filter may be insufficient to guarantee proper performance,”

Menzio adds.

Using the right equipment

In Europe, all new machines are now designed in accordance with the formal standard requirements of EN 15695. To be homologated, they have to fulfill both the cabin requirements (EN 15695-1) and cabin air filter requirements (EN 15695-2). In order to consistently ensure operator safety inside the cabin, it is essential that the cabin air filter’s performance, quality, and certification are examined during maintenance and replacement. To ensure optimal air quality inside the cabin, using original parts and checking the machine’s instruction manual to verify the category of the cabin and filter are recommended.

Freudenberg’s micronAir cabin air filters are tested in accordance with EN 15695 by trusted external institutes. The filter category, depending on the filter application, is indicated on the filter label. After design, development, and performance testing, the filter first undergoes the vehicle manufacturer’s internal approval process followed by the machine’s formal approval process.

Regular maintenance and retrofitting older machines

In newer vehicles, a warning appears on the dashboard display when the category 4 filter needs to be replaced. Filter replacements should always be done according to the recommendations in the machine’s instruction manual, and the actual hours of operation should be checked.

Generally, filter replacement is recommended at least once a year, usually at the start of the new spraying season. Basically, every agricultural vehicle cabin can be equipped with the necessary filter and ventilation system. Since agricultural vehicles can only be operated with a closed cabin to ensure adequate protection, upgrading older models with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for additional protection is also recommended.

Both the cabin and filter components have to meet the performance requirements of the EN 15695 norm.

“Safeguarding operators’ health at their workplace isn’t optional – which is why properly labeled, high-performance filtration and air purification systems are an absolute must, especially at this time of the year,”

Menzio concludes.

The post Freudenberg Presents Filtration System to Protect Agricultural Vehicle Drivers appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

This is a text originally written by the AG Leader media center. Here is the full-text.

SureForce is a hydraulic downforce and uplift system that automatically adjusts the right amount of force on each row to achieve optimum and uniform seed depth in the field. While the optimum depth for corn is generally universal no matter where you are located, your ground and farming practices can make a big difference in what you need to do to achieve that depth – especially tillage practices.  

So we set out to answer – How does SureForce perform compared to springs in a no-till environment and a conventional tillage environment. While there are many factors at play- we found some trends in a recent trial conducted in Ohio.  

Trial 1: No-till field 

The soil conditions in this no-till field were hard and compact, requiring higher amounts of force to place seed at the proper depth. For this field the factory springs were set at their highest downforce setting, which provide about 300 lbs. of force to the row unit. In Figure 1, shown below, SureForce (blue) operated mostly around the 200-300 lb. range. This means that the white areas of the map that had conventional downforce springs set to their heaviest was right where they should be.  

However, SureForce still operated a significant portion of the time in the 100-200 lb. range, and even dipped into the 300-400 lb. range. While SureForce is able to react to changing ground conditions throughout this 11–acre field, the factory springs are often applying too much downforce, causing compaction. At other times the factory springs are applying too little downforce, causing shallow planted seeds. 

Preventing Uneven Emergence

Spring of 2020 provided exceptionally dry weather, which allowed planters to hit the fields in a timely fashion. While dry planting conditions are generally preferred over wet conditions, there are some pitfalls to be aware of. The most widespread issue this spring was planting too shallow. 

Incorrectly planting seeds too close to the soil surface exposes them to varying moisture levels compared to seeds planted deeper in the soil. This creates more issues when some seeds access more or less moisture than the others, eventually leading to uneven emergence. 

In Figure 2, the seeds were planted with the factory springs, applying about 300 lbs. of downforce, whereas the SureForce system was applying 350 lbs. on the adjacent rows. Uneven emergence was found on the half the planter equipped with springs.  

Here, uneven emergence is caused by a difference in moisture levels indicated around the seed. With less than a ½” depth variation, this is a painful example of how just a slight difference in seed placement can reduce yields and profits. 

Next, let’s take a look at other areas of the field that didn’t require as much force to achieve depth. In those areas, the factory spring system was still applying 300 lbs. downforce, while the SureForce system had automatically reduced the downforce to 100 lbs.  

What happens in these areas where the springs are applying 200 lbs. too much of downforce? This next picture (Fig.3) illustrates what happens. 

Roots that can’t penetrate the wall of a compacted seed trench are forced to grow along the trench, which is the path of least resistance. When roots can’t grow downward, they can’t access moisture and nutrients resulting in reduced yield and profit. 

Trial 2: Conventionally Tilled Field

Next, this planter moves to a conventionally tilled field (Fig. 4) to continue planting. The factory springs are left at a heavy setting. Since the SureForce system automatically adjusts itself to current ground conditions, we see a stark difference in applied downforce. Within this field, SureForce values range from 200 lbs. of uplift on the row-unit to 400 lbs. of downforce. That is a 600 lb. range across this field. 

We went to an area of the field where SureForce was providing uplift, thus reducing compaction. On the other hand, in the adjacent rows the factory spring settings are fixed and are not capable of adjusting automatically, which caused some compaction damage.  

SureForce Proves Advantageous to Plant Development

Visual plant health differences were observed at V3-V4 growth stages on June 10, 2020. Below in Figure 5, the rows to the right were equipped with SureForce. The rows to the left were equipped with factory downforce springs. 

To better understand the “root” cause of these health differences seen above ground, we took a look below ground.

In Figures 6 and 7 above, it is obvious the rows equipped with SureForce provided the best root development. In every case, SureForce provided: 

1. Deepest radical and seminal roots 
2. Widest branching of nodal roots 
3. Great root hair development 

On June 10th, it was clear the rows planted with SureForce were off to a much better start. From seed to soil contact these rows were positioned to provide increased yield and profit. 

A return trip on August 11th, 2020 continues to show not only greater root development as seen in Figure 8, but also larger ears are observed with less tip-back as seen in Figure 9. 

Source: AG Leader

The post AG Leader explains SureForce in No-Till and Conventional Till appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.