At SurePoint Ag, we strive to be the experts in precision fertilizer application. That means not only providing expert advice to our customers, but also real-world solutions that are applicable to a wide range of liquid application scenarios. In this series of articles, we will be exploring the three Distribution Systems available for our Liquid Application Systems.
LiquiShift Gen 3
As farmers in the U.S. try to cover more acres ever year, high-speed planters have become a helpful advancement in planting technology. However, with planters capable of running up to 12 mph, it is necessary to have a fertilizer system that is capable of that level of high-speed precision as well. This means having the capability to make rate at speed ranges from 3 mph all the way up to 12 mph, while maintaining reasonable pressure on the system. A reasonable pressure is important as excess pressure can put strain on components and potentially cause a blow or broken fitting. But on the other hand, a lack of adequate pressure causes for uneven flow, resulting in the fertilizer being unevenly distributed to each row.
Maintaining reasonable pressure with precision is possible with LiquiShift Gen 3, with a process very similar to the dual metering tube setup that is popular from SurePoint Ag. LiquiShift again utilizes a set of dual metering tubes at each row, giving you the rate range of either individual tube, or both tubes open simultaneously. However, instead of controlling which tube is open and shut by manually twisting the cap on a check valve, the tubes are opened and shut by a LiquiShift controller that automatically opens and closes the metering tube to maintain system pressure between 20 and 70 psi. This is better illustrated in the example below:
If the customer is running the blue and green tube combination, the green is the larger tube. The customer can start through the field at 5 mph with a pressure of 25 psi, running through the blue tube. As speed increases to 10 mph, the pressure climbs to 70 psi, at which point the system automatically switches to the green tube, reducing the pressure to 30 psi once again. When the customer slows to 5mph again to turn at the end of the field, the system will once again detect that the pressure has dropped, say to 20 psi, and it will automatically switch back over to the blue tube to keep a consistent pressure, and by extension, a consistent rate.
There are also no check valves on LiquiShift Gen3, as it offers positive shutoffs at every row in the form of a zip valve. This zip valve is also used for section control as a typical LiquiShift Gen3 section configuration allows for 8, 12, or 16 sections, depending on the rate controller being used.
In short, this system offers full rate and speed capacity with minimal adjustments by the user. It is also capable of prescription rate application. As with any SurePoint system, LiquiShift can be run with most major rate controllers and can utilize Sentinel Row Monitoring as well if the producer desires it.
Learn more about SurePoint's other distribution system options here:
Or, explore our Liquid Application Systems products here.