The German Agricultural Society, commonly referred to as DLG, has awarded the 15m Vogelsang BlackBird trailing shoe boom fitted with two ExaCut ECQ precision distributors a five-year seal of approval.
DLG said it was particularly impressed by the machine’s functionality and quality of work, while its handling, ease of operation, service, and maintenance were also lauded in the final report.
The applicator was tested according to the DLG test framework for slurry application technologies at the DLG Test Centre for Technology and Farm Inputs, operated by DLG TestService in Gross-Umstadt, Germany.
In summary the DLG noted that the BlackBird presented good distribution quality for both cattle and pig slurry, as well as rapid achievement of full working width.
Also noting that operation and maintenance were characterized by simple work steps that can be completed without the need for dedicated tools.
Spreading accuracy
This was performed on a test bench where lateral distribution is determined in accordance with DIN EN 13740-2 standards using two flow rates.
The slurry is collected separately under each outlet and then weighed. From these values, the mean deviation (MD) and coefficient of variation (CV) are calculated. The smaller these values, the better the distribution.
The tested product showed excellent distribution quality for both cattle and pig slurry at both flow rates. In three out of four tests, the mean deviation was well below 2%, earning the highest possible DLG rating (++) in all test results.
The tested BlackBird applicator reached full distribution in a maximum of two seconds ensuring that even application across its whole width is rapidly achieved
Ease of use
In this section, the BlackBird also performed well with the typical working and maintenance tasks being assessed by experienced machinery operators.
The time required for such tasks as greasing the boom and replacing the macerator blades was recorded, and an average was derived. It was these figures that finally swayed the DLG into recognising the machine with its award.
