Advancements in technology continue to increase at an exponential pace within the agricultural industry. When large-scale updates are required, especially when considering purchases of completely new machinery, it can diminish the returns on investment that these upgrades are supposed to provide. It is also increasingly hard for farmers to ensure that they are maximizing their opportunities and producing the largest yields while simplifying operations as much as possible. 

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Rethinking options when upgrading

The aftermarket parts industry can often help to better bridge this gap between investments and returns for farmers who currently have operational, but outdated machinery. 

For example, a farmer may consider upgrading an older sprayer system due to the difficulties they are experiencing with managing drift control and constant plugging.   Instead of a new system, they may simply need to replace the spray tip they are using within their setup with an upgraded version, such as the Wilger Combo-Jet.  Upgraded spray tips like these can help to minimize plugging through a longer design and reduce drift by up to 90 percent¹ when compared to standard spray tips, so this may be an easier solution to the problem. 

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A boost to both quality and utility

Aftermarket parts can also offer durability and efficiency advantages over the original equipment manufacturer counterparts that can quickly offset the costs of making the switch. 

Iowa grower Roger Woodruff started using USA-made Herschel Tiger Shark knife sections and quickly noticed the difference after this change.

“I cut over 1000 acres of soybeans with the same Herschel Tiger Shark sections.  They stayed sharper and lasted longer than any section I have used,” Roger said².

Herschel sections are heat-treated and made with boron steel, so it makes sense that Roger saw this improvement in the lifetime of the sections as the higher quality manufacturing provides the extra durability for top performance in the field.  These sections also cut equally well for soybean, alfalfa, grass hay, and wheat crops, so this diversity can mean fewer configurations are required for large-scale operations, saving both time and money.

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For more information, email us at [email protected] or visit topqualityparts.com to see how to make Top Quality Parts your source for North American aftermarket agricultural parts.