Ask Our Experts Video Series - Hybrid Mode
My name is Michael Boyenko Business Development Manager at NORAC and I’m here to speak with you about hybrid mode, NORAC’s newest spraying mode, that offers a level of performance currently not offered by any other boom height control product on the market. NORAC’s patented hybrid mode is exclusive to NORAC and is available on UC4.5 and UC5 boom height control systems. Unlike other boom height control systems on the market, NORAC uses an ultrasonic sensor that is specifically designed for agriculture applications and not only is it able to see the top of the crop and the soil at the same time, but multiple targets in between. This unique capability of NORAC’s ultrasonic sensor is what allows our boom height control systems to offer three spraying modes: soil mode, crop mode and hybrid mode. Hybrid mode is the combination of the function of two spraying modes: soil mode and crop mode and is most useful in difficult crop conditions such as washed out areas, thin or lodged crop or wheel tracks. Normally in these conditions boom controllers will allow the boom to drop when the crop canopy is interrupted. This can result in sections of the boom coming into contact with the crop, damaging the crop, and in some situations also damaging the boom. I’ll now put it into hybrid mode. Hybrid mode solves this problem by both controlling to the top of the crop as well as the soil surface simultaneously. When the crop canopy is interrupted the controller continues to track the soil surface and creates a virtual crop canopy. Therefore maintaining the correct target boom height and reducing the need for the operator to put the controller into manual mode. The result is a stable, reliable, height control in all crop conditions. As you can see the system is not just turned off, it is still running and actively controlling to the crop canopy. For more information on hybrid mode, as well as other technologies from NORAC, please visit us online at www.norac.ca.