When Case IH's new Patriot 50 series sprayers start rolling out into paddocks across Australia, the first thing farmers will notice is the incredible ride experience.
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That's according to Case IH crop protection global product manager Brent Bast, who travelled from South Dakota to attend the Australian launch of the machine at the Aon AgQuip field days at Gunnedah, NSW.
Mr Bast has lived and breathed the Patriot redesign process since joining the team in 2018.
"When people start operating the Patriot everybody notices how quiet it is in the cab and now with the updated suspension on this sprayer the ride is phenomenal," he said.
Mr Bast said the self-propelled sprayer had been redesigned from the ground up and 80 per cent of the machine was new.
However, he said farmers wanted to make sure the Patriot's cab-forward, rear-engine design was maintained in the DNA of the new product.
There are three models in the 50 series range - the 3250, 4350 and 4450 - with the 4450 on display at the Case IH site at AgQuip last week.
Case IH ANZ Patriot product manager Jason Wood echoed Mr Bast and said the new suspension was probably the biggest selling feature on the latest models.
Mr Wood said the machines had a four-link air bag suspension and, coupled with the new chassis, this delivered a substantially better ride.
"When I do a general walk around on the new sprayer I like to point out what's new rather than what we've got in the past," he said.
"We've got direct injection we can fit on this new machine, so we can get that from factory, which we haven't been able to do in the past.
"It's also got the all new cab on it with the new screens, so we've got the AFS Pro 1200 and the Viper 4+ screens in the cab for product control."
Mr Wood said the 4450 was available in two boom widths - 36 metres and 41m - and was the main machine they sold in the range.
He said they had fitted as many sensors as possible on the machine to streamline boom height control, including one on the chassis that can predict boom movement before the machine reaches an obstacle in the field.
It takes just 30 seconds for the boom to fold out and the Patriot can reach a ground speed of just under 60 kilometres per hour.
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The 4450 has a 6057 litre product tank and a tier two engine rated at 390 horsepower (291 kilowatts).
Mr Wood said a reversible engine fan had been fitted as standard to make life easier for customers.
He said those familiar with the Patriot would be pleased to see its wonderful weight split had been maintained.
"The Patriot has always been known for its balance in field, a lot of our competitors are too heavy in the tail and they get bogged and things like that," Mr Wood said.
"So with our Patriot we're unique in that we've got the engine at the rear, tank in the middle, and cab and fuel tank at the front.
"The other bigger benefit of the engine at the back is it is really quiet in the cab."
Mr Wood said the response to the new Patriots had been unbelievable and the machines were "selling faster than we can produce them".
Considering multiple sprayers will be able to be produced in a single day at the factory in Benson, Minnesota, the demand is clear.
"At the moment the plant is tooling up to build the 50 series in August and the first production run 50 series Patriots will start being built in September, so we'll see them Q1 hopefully next year," he said.
