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AGCO: New Brand, Greater Advantages

Having transitioned to AGCO equipment, this farm family is seeing the benefits.

By Tharran E. Gaines | Photos By Colin Hackley

Up until a few years ago, nearly every piece of equipment on the Williamses’ farm in Lenox, Georgia, was green. That began to change, though, when Joey Williams traded his John Deere sprayer for a 900B Series RoGator by Challenger.® 

Now, even though it’s just a little more than 2 years old, Joey Williams already has made a deal with Atlantic & Southern Equipment, his AGCO® dealer in Tifton, Georgia, to trade it for a new 900C model. It’s not that Williams is having problems with the current RoGator. On the contrary, it’s done everything he’s asked of it. 

“One of the biggest reasons for making the trade is to get the new LiquidLogic™ recirculation system,” he says. “I was particularly interested in the chemical recovery system, which uses air to force product from the booms and reload station back into the tank for easier, more thorough cleanout.

“We have to spray cotton seven to eight times and peanuts at least 10 times,” Joey explains about his annual application routine. “Peanuts don’t like some of the cotton chemicals and vice versa, so we really have to get the system cleaned out before switching crops.” 

In addition, Joey says the new RoGator C will allow him to control every nozzle via GPS. As it does when cleaning out leftover product, such precision also will save him money by eliminating unnecessary application and prevent crop damage by eliminating overspraying on headlands and point rows. 

He’s also excited about the RoGator C’s turn-compensation wheel speed. “We have more than 100 fields, with the average field size being just 24 acres. One field is just 0.8 acre. The 4-wheel steering is particularly valuable,” explains Joey, because it will allow the sprayer to make tight turns with all four wheels in the same track, thereby minimizing crop damage and enhancing navigation in his small, irregularly shaped fields.  

Joey says he has been equally pleased with his other piece of “yellow” equipment, a Challenger 1042 tractor bought two years ago. “Not only does it handle the peanut combine and our 12-row bedder with little effort, but it has the best seat I’ve ever ridden in of any kind—and that includes tractors, pickups and automobiles. Dad has a bad back from an injury several years ago, yet he can ride in that Challenger all day without pain.

“It also gets better fuel economy than any of my John Deere tractors,” he concludes, noting that the 32-mph transport speed further boosts efficiency when traveling to distant fields.