Many farmers use injection fertilisation to ensure that maize, potatoes and wheat grow well. This involves the use of ploughs that open up the soil so that liquid nitrogen fertiliser flows close to the plant roots. J&M Manufacturing is one of the manufacturers of these agricultural machines. The US company has developed the NitroGro applicator. It works as follows: A tank for liquid nitrogen is mounted in the centre of a tractor trailer. Two booms can be folded out to the right and left, either nine or 18 metres long depending on the model. The centrepiece of these wings: up to 37 so-called para-linkage coulters, which bring the nitrogen into the soil in a targeted manner and with a low loss rate.
In order to design the new applicator for nitrogen fertilisation more economically than competitor models, the engineers at J&M Manufacturing decided to use an alternative to classic bronze bushes for the system's pivot points. In doing so, they have tackled a problem that many farmers are concerned about: greasing the plain bearings. Despite grease nipples, which continuously supply the bearing points with grease, relubrication involves considerable effort. Austin Franz, design engineer at J&M Manufacturing, estimates that it takes up to 52 minutes to apply grease using a 25-row applicator with five grease nipples per row. Almost an hour is lost every day before work can even begin in the field. A loss that translates into lower yields and profits. "In this time, not even including the additional time for changing grease hoses and other things, a farmer could work a large area," Franz is convinced. "A farmer driving 13 kilometres per hour with a 25-row applicator can fertilise around one hectare of land per minute." Without lubrication, he could therefore manage 52 hectares more per day. 520 additional hectares in ten days. "Far more than the nitrogen application of one day."