This model of four wheelled 300hp high floatation applicator equipment was first introduced in 1998 but the the Jackson Minnesota company, Ag-Chem Equipment had begun developing field application equipment in 1963.

Though there are many adaptations of trucks to high floatation field applicators there are only a few companies to design and build machinery dedicated to that purpose. Ag-Chem's three wheel machines are well known and several operate in this part of the province. They also have a monster five wheel model with a single nose wheel with tandum rear wheels.

Though high floatation field applicator machines have lots of work in normal conditions this past three years with extraordinarily wet conditions have really made those commerical custom operators of this type of equipment in very high demand. Last spring seeding in the Porcupine Plain to Weekes area was only up to about one third of the available land because the fields were simply to wet to venture into with tractors and conventional air seeding equipment.

With the price of oil seeds up last spring there was a push toward the end of the possible planting season to finish up and get some fields planted and many farmers turned to high floatation operators to broadcast the seed and dry fertilizer onto the water soaked fields.

Though things are drying up nicely here around Tisdale and farmers are anxious to get into their fields with conventional equipment in those areas still under water or where the flooding has just subsided will be once again faced with the same problem they had last year and that was getting on the land with conventional equipment. These high floatation machines can function on wet land and get the job done even though it adds considerable to the costly process of seeding. With so many fields left unseeded last year there is pressure this year to get a crop and this may be one way of getting the seed on the ground.