An unusual approach
The development of the Leeb Xeric dates back to 1994. Not only did the great market potential became evident at the Agritechnica, the fertiliser spreader also was awarded a prize.
The topic of pneumatic fertiliser spreaders is nothing new for HORSCH. The company was already working on it in 1994. The objective was to be able to spread fertiliser very precisely and to achieve 24 m over four sections. At that time, two prototypes were built – for that time the technology was very state-of-the-art and worked well. However, they remained prototypes as the GPS technology at that time was too expensive and the conditions with regard to application maps were not as favourable as they are today.
New standards
"We took up the fertiliser spreader project again because we heard from some farmers that they wanted more output and larger working widths," Theo Leeb explains. "We didn't do any market research beforehand to see how much potential there was for a pneumatic fertiliser spreader. Instead, we had a solution and a technological approach to meet these requirements and built a prototype. This is an unusual approach. We are all the more pleased that we have already been able to gather good experiences and cover a lot of hectares with the Xeric."
Due to the climate change, the application windows for spreading fertiliser become shorter and shorter. A disc broadcaster requires optimum conditions. In this respect, the Xeric is more flexible as it ensures a precise distribution across the entire working width even in windy conditions and in hilly terrain. With a capacity of 14 m3, working widths of up to 48 m and high operational speeds of up to 20 km/h with up to 400 kg/ha, it sets new standards. The concept is completed with the boom control system BoomControl from the sprayer sector as well as with curve compensation and a variable application rate.
Farm Machine Award
The Farm Machine Award, formerly Machine of the Year, has been one of the most coveted awards in the agricultural machinery industry since 1997 and is awarded every two years during the Agritechnica by the trade magazines traction and agrarheute. Due to the participation of media from all over Europe, the award has an international appeal.
© dlv, Philipp von Rössing
Enormous interest
The experiences gathered at the Agritechnica show that there is potential for the spreader especially on larger farms. "Due to the exchange with our customers, we realised that there is a great deal of interest, and we are convinced that we can keep our promise with regard to larger working widths and higher output. The issue of fertiliser quality also plays a major role in a global context. With our metering concept, we can precisely meter and apply even low-quality fertilisers. This provides the farmers with a wide range of opportunities."
The unique metering concept (PrecisionCalibrationSystem) minimises wear and the air flow requirements for fertiliser transport as it takes place in an almost straight line. "We will certainly have to make adjustments and come up with further ideas in the future, but in principle we are on the right track," Theo Leeb summarises.
At the Agritechnica, the Leeb Xeric 14 FS was awarded the Farm Machine Award in the category population management. The jury classified the metering concept as particularly innovative: "We are very happy that we received the award for a machine where the focus of the developments was not on market potential, but on the agronomic benefits for the user," Theo Leeb says.