Flexi-Coil & Liquid Systems Deliver Solution For Aussie Farmers

A partnership between two trusted brands has simplified liquid applications

Flexi-Coil has a long history in the Australian market and last year the company added a new configuration to its Flexi-Coil 60 series offering. The 60 series is fitted with three tanks and thanks to the partnership with Liquid Systems, one of the tanks can now be configured for liquid products. CNH APAC product and portfolio manager for crop production and crop protection Andrew Kissel said Flexi-Coil’s 60 series carts have been available in Australia since 2016.

“When they were first introduced one of the things we did not have at that time was the ability to do liquid and granular products in the same machine,” Mr Kissel said.

“In Australia there are certain conditions and practices that tend to favour a machine that can do both.

“Typically those conditions are non-wetting sands, which you tend to see a lot in WA, northern Victoria and across from the SA border.”

The 60 series is an ISOBUS compliant implement and with its FlexRate Modular Metering System it delivers industry leading performance and best in class accuracy. Last year the new variant was shown at the Dowerin Field Days in Western Australia, where Mr Kissel said it was met with a positive response.

“We’ve seen a good response when it comes to ordering; we have sold every machine available and have orders for seeding 2025 coming in,” he said.

“About 10 per cent of the carts sold this year had a liquid tank and we expect take rates will continue to ramp up.”

Mr Kissel said Liquid Systems were the experts in liquid application in Australia. He said one aspect that makes Flexi-Coil’s offering unique is that they did not have to change the design of the machine or add on additional components. A CNH engineer based at the company’s manufacturing facility in Mannum, SA, led the project to develop a pump module and its attachment to the cart.

Mr Kissel said every module built is assembled and fully tested in Adelaide before it gets fitted and tested on machines. He said the product is factory supported, validated, and designed to last.

“By integrating a liquid tank from factory, we avoid some of the issues aftermarket offerings face,” Mr Kissel said.

Liquid Systems was founded in 2002 and specialises in in-furrow liquid application systems. According to its business manager Patrick Whitfeld, in-furrow liquid application has evolved from a fringe farming practice to something that is now mainstream.

“It has evolved from just being fertilisers to now being any kind of liquid input, such as fungicides, trace elements, inoculants, biological agents, liquid lime and soil wetters,” he said.

Mr Whitfeld said the benefits and opportunities of using an infurrow liquid system were becoming more well known. He said these benefits included stronger emergence, reduced spraying requirements, healthier crops and better yields. However, he is quick to add that Liquid Systems does not prescribe what people should be doing, that’s a matter for growers, their agronomists and chemical companies to decide. Mr Kissel said the new product had created opportunities beyond what the company had anticipated.

“We’ve sold them in places we didn’t expect to sell them, with our first unit going to Pinnaroo in South Australia,” he said.

“We are starting to see an expanded opportunity because of offering this, whereas before we would have been ruled out of the decision.”