Ballarat-based Goldacres is a proud Australian-owned and operated sprayer manufacturer.

Adding to its emphasis on being locally made, the company recently signed up to use the Australian made logo.

Goldacres is the only manufacturer in Australia to produce a full range of self-propelled sprayers,and the company sees this as a major advantage for Australian farmers. For many years its tagline has been: ‘Australia's world-class sprayer'.

The self-propelled sprayers Goldacres designs are ideal for operators who demand the best in performance and comfort.

G Series self-propelled sprayers are high capacity, high clearance and high performance machines suited to largescale, dry land farming and horticultural enterprises.

Designed and built to stand up to Australian conditions, G Series sprayers deliver exceptional power-to-weight ratios, industry-leading boom ride, unmatched fuel efficiency and the latest spraying technology.

Goldacres sales and marketing manager Stephen Richards says today's farmers and contractors must evaluate capital equipment purchases carefully to ensure that the return on investment is maximised.

"With all the models and options available today the choice has never been greater. Look past the sticker price of the initial purchase, dig a little deeper and substantial variations in sprayer design can make all the difference," Stephen says.

"The operating costs are where so much money can be saved. This is where our Australian-built Crop Cruiser mechanical driveline system offers advantages over its hydrostatic drive competitors."

Stephen says a mechanical drive sprayer provides a number of benefits. These include lower maintenance costs, less noise, significant fuel reductions, less heat generated, lower engine rpm, lower horsepower demand, more torque at the wheels, and longer component life.

"All of this adds up to substantially lower operating costs. Our customers tell us that the Crop Cruiser uses up to a third less fuel than some hydrostatic drive sprayers in the same conditions.

"Australian spraying practices vary substantially from that of North American and Europe. We work at higher spraying speeds, use lower water rates and generally work in harsher weather. Goldacres sprayers are designed to operate at maximum efficiency and reliability in these conditions."

Goldacres' flagship trailed sprayer- the Prairie Pro - is built on the philosophy that to build the best sprayer you have to start with a solid platform.

The Prairie Pro incorporates many elements from the transport and earthmoving industries to ensure maximum strength, longevity and performance.

Features include fully-bushed pivot points, air ride suspension components and dampeners, and the best corrosion proof painting systems.

These sprayers are welded in rotating positional jigs to ensure accuracy, repeatability and quality.  Pasture and horticultural growers can opt for the Prairie Special trailing sprayer.

"The Prairie Special gives you all the features and capacity you need, plus the strength and durability you can depend on," Stephen says.

"We build the Prairie Special to a standard, not a price. It is available in two frame configurations, the popular 1500-3000 small frame and 4000-6500L large frame."

All Goldacres self-propelled and trailing sprayers can be fitted with industry-leading booms. The Prairie Special has the Delta boom and the Crop Cruiser and Prairie Pro have the Tri-Tech boom.

"The operating costs are where so much money can be saved.

This is where our Australian-built Crop Cruiser mechanical driveline system offers advantages over its hydrostatic drive competitors."- Goldacres sales and marketing manager Stephen Richards

These booms feature three-way suspension systems for better contour following. This suspension system isolates the spray boom from the tanker or cab chassis. This allows the boom to follow the contours of the paddock and maintain an accurate spray height.

Delta and TriTech booms also feature yaw control suspension, which controls the forward and backward movement of the spray boom. Booms without yaw control constantly over and under apply as they move forward and backwards over the target.

The final piece of the three-way suspension system controls the boom pitch (its up and down movement) to maintain a consistent nozzle height from the target and protect the spray boom itself.

As well as a full range of broadacre, horticulture and pasture sprayers Goldacres also caters for home and garden markets with a massive range of smaller trailers, tray mount and three-point linkage sprayers. There are about 65 models in the full range.