Centrifugal broadcaster spreaders have been a breakthrough technology in the application of solid materials in agriculture because they have a high performance in field operations and are able to apply a broad range of rates. However, this equipment has some disadvantages, such as the difficulty in homogenously applying the material although adjusting is a relatively simple task. The objective of this study was to compare treatments of operational adjustments in order to balance and uniformize the transversal pattern of distribution, aiming a higher field operational capacity, for different solid products. The machine evaluated was a centrifugal broadcaster for solid material. Results showed that medium and high speeds of the conveying chain for lime distribution and the low speed for oat distribution give a large and enough sufficient range of application rate by varying the opening of the metering device. Increasing the flow and advancing the impellers position gave a higher field operational capacity because of the possibility of a larger effective width as well as a higher travel speed. The maximum application width recommended is 13.5 meters for both lime and oat.
broadcaster spreaders; uniformity of distribution; coefficient of variation
