Productivity

In many areas, a conventional anhydrous application is a pass through the field at 8 km/h to 12 km/h (5 mph to 7.5 mph). To increase productivity, a few options are available:

• Increase the operating speed, which is not always possible due to horsepower limitations, and at the same time keep the knife from tripping up or soil disturbance at faster speeds
• Operate a wider applicator, which also requires more horsepower

The 2510H’s single-disk opener design has a lower draft requirement and allows an operator to apply anhydrous up to 16 km/h (10 mph).

For example, an 8530 Tractor coupled with a 15-opener 2510H can cover up to 40 acres per hour at a 16-km/h (10-mph) operating speed.

Low soil disturbance

Fall application in soybean stubble

The single-disk opener on the 2510H utilizes a 559-mm (22-in.) blade that is angled 4 degrees to open a narrow slot for the anhydrous placement.

Reduced soil and residue disturbances provide a better way for producers to place anhydrous:

• In highly erodible land areas
• With no-till/min-till practices
• Looking to save money with sidedress anhydrous

Sidedress opportunity

Sidedress in soybean stubble

Productivity and low soil disturbance are two of the three ingredients for a successful sidedress application. The third is clearance under the frame and around the wheel modules.

What challenges exist with sidedressing using a conventional applicator?

• Very short window
• Soil disturbance
• Crop clearance

Early sidedress application with a conventional applicator can cause too much soil throw and damage/bury small corn plants. With a single-disk opener, soil disturbance is very low for early sidedressing, as early as right after planting!

As the season progresses along and the corn gets taller, underframe clearance becomes vitally important to sidedress anhydrous. The underframe clearance on the 2510H is 762 mm (30 in.) and there are no tandem wheel axles with low clearance. The 2510H increases the sidedress window by nearly 300 percent.
 
The 2510H High-Speed Applicator is truly a three-season machine: fall, spring, and sidedress.

Traditional thinking is that anhydrous ammonia must be placed 203 mm (8 in.) deep in the soil. The 2510H High-Speed Row Unit places anhydrous at 114-mm (4.5-in.) depth, which is quite a difference from traditional thinking.

John Deere has tested this placement across the Corn Belt in real-world field applications and plot-size treatments. More than 10000 acres of spring pre-plant anhydrous ammonia application yielded no reports of seedling damage.

To further evaluate shallow placement, plot-scale studies were initiated with three university cooperators that put the concept to the test by planting right over the anhydrous application track seven days after application.

To avoid seedling damage with the 2510H, the same recommendations apply as when using a conventional shank applicator:

• Allow a window of opportunity
• Apply to the rows at an angle
• Soil moisture conditions

Retention at a shallow depth

What about retention at a shallow depth? John Deere has gone to great lengths to verify the anhydrous retention provided by a 2510H is equal to that of a shank.

Three methods were used to measure retention.

The brick soil sampling method entailed extracting a brick of soil in the injection zone 24 hours after application and then sent off to a lab for analysis. A side-by-side comparison of the 2510H with a conventional shank revealed equal retention.

The other two methods were the litmus paper test and the chamber technique to collect emissions.

All three methods revealed equal retention with a shank applicator.

The 2510H is equipped for safe operation and safe transport with the following base equipment:

• Slow-moving-vehicle emblem
• Hitch safety chain
• Implement warning lights
• Reflective decals

The three-year warranty on the 2510H covers:

• All frame members including wheel modules (weldments and tubes), wing-fold components, and the front hitch

All other components (disk standards, hydraulics, electronics, safety lights) and attachments, such as rear hitches, are under warranty for one year as the warranty definition has not changed. The same exclusions and administration as defined in the Warranty Administration Manual applies.

The following items are not under warranty:

• Wear items such as blades, pins, hinges, hitch link, and hub
• Breakage due to rocks
• Abuse or lack of maintenance
• Use of unapproved attachments such as tanks and rear hitches by other manufacturers
• Failure to follow operator's manual recommendations