- PHASE 1
SWEDEN IN-LAB - PHASE 2
GROWER IN-FIELD - PHASE 3
CANADA IN-LAB
PHASE 1 TESTING
Väderstad research and development labs are home to farming’s most advanced metering technology. In our state-of-the-art Swedish facility, seasoned engineering staff exposed the Fenix III Meter to conditions intended to replicate real life extremes.
Their job was to prove that the Fenix III Meter will deliver exceptionally precise seeding, reliable performance and easy maintenance, year after year. This is what they found.
TESTED. PROVEN.
Our engineers brought decades of metering knowledge to test a variety of inputs – including products that often cause problems.
VIBRATION & STRENGTH
PURPOSE
To ensure the meter housing — including the new 40 watt motor unit and fittings — will handle real life shock and vibration from field work and transport.
PROCESS
- Shock and vibrations from typical transport and in-field work were recorded using accelerometers.
- The recorded data was used as input in a hydraulic test rig. Shock and vibration spectrum was applied continuously for 12 hours.
- The unit was inspected for damage.
RESULTS
No weak points in the motor housing.
COMPARE OFFSET ROLLERS TO NON-OFFSET ROLLERS


PURPOSE
To demonstrate that Fenix III offset rollers eliminate pulsing of products through the meters, preventing jamming and ensuring even seeding rates.
PROCESS
Compared the metering of an NPK fertilizer blend through offset rollers vs. non-offset rollers.
RESULTS
Flow of product is consistent (no pulsing) in the offset roller design used in Fenix III Meters.
PRINCIPAL DIFFERENCE IN PRODUCT FLOW
OFFSET ROLLER

NON-OFFSET ROLLER

HEAR THE DIFFERENCE
HOUSING WEAR TEST
PURPOSE
To verify wear resistance of Fenix III meter housing, roller and motor unit.
PROCESS
To simulate real life use in a test situation, fertilizer was continually circulated. As the fertilizer wore down, it was replaced.
RESULTS
No wear on housing, roller or motor unit, even with abrasive fertilizer.

RATE VALIDATION
PURPOSE
To show that the Fenix III can consistently handle a variety of products, including problematic seeds and abrasive fertilizers.
PROCESS
Tested a range of products at different rates and speeds.
- Crops tested to date are corn, canola, soybeans, wheat, rye, barley, oats, chickpeas, peas, fava beans
- Fertilizers tested to date are phosphate (banded and seed placed), S, S15, PK blend, NS, NPK, NPKS, urea, ESN, MESZ
RESULTS
Consistent flow and precise metering of a wide range of products, including problematic seeds and abrasive fertilizers.
SEED | ROLLER DISPLACEMENT | SEED RATE MINIMUM | SEED RATE MAXIMUM |
---|---|---|---|
(CC) | AT SPEED 4 MPH lbs./ac |
AT SPEED 5 MPH lbs./ac |
|
CANOLA | LOW (18) | 1 | 8 |
CORN | MEDIUM (120) | 5 | 49 |
SOYBEANS | HIGH (400) | 23 | 252 |
OATS | HIGH (400) | 19 | 201 |
RYE | HIGH (400) | 24 | 246 |
BARLEY | HIGH (400) | 23 | 237 |
WHEAT | HIGH (400) | 25 | 266 |
CHICKPEAS | ULTRA (500) | 28 | 273 |
PEAS | ULTRA (500) | 23 | 241 |
FAVA BEANS | ULTRA (500) | 26 | 230 |
SEED: CANOLA
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- LOW (18)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 1
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 8
SEED: CORN
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- MEDIUM (120)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 5
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 49
SEED: SOYBEANS
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- HIGH (400)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 23
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 252
SEED: OATS
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- HIGH (400)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 19
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 201
SEED: RYE
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- HIGH (400)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 24
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 246
SEED: BARLEY
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- HIGH (400)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 23
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 237
SEED: WHEAT
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- HIGH (400)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 25
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 266
SEED: CHICKPEAS
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- ULTRA (500)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 28
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 273
SEED: PEAS
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- ULTRA (500)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 23
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 241
SEED: FAVA BEANS
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- ULTRA (500)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 26
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 230
FERTILIZER | ROLLER DISPLACEMENT | SEED RATE MINIMUM | SEED RATE MAXIMUM |
---|---|---|---|
(CC) | AT SPEED 4 MPH lbs./ac |
AT SPEED 5 MPH lbs./ac |
|
PHOSPHATE - SEED PLACED | MEDIUM (120) | 9 | 90 |
PHOSPHATE - BAND | HIGH (400) | 30 | 294 |
ELEMENTAL SULFUR | MEDIUM (120) | 10 | 97 |
S15 (13-33-0-13) | HIGH (400) | 30 | 289 |
BLEND FERT (PK AT 4:1) | ULTRA (500) | 40 | 356 |
ESN | ULTRA (500) | 40 | 356 |
UREA | ULTRA (500) | 30 | 292 |
BLEND FERT (NS AT 5:1) | ULTRA (500) | 40 | 356 |
BLEND FERT (NPK AT 8:3:1) | ULTRA (500) | 40 | 356 |
BLEND FERT (NPKS at 5:3:1:1) | ULTRA (500) | 40 | 356 |
MESZ | MEDIUM (120) | 10 | 107 |
FERTILIZER: PHOSPHATE - SEED PLACED
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- MEDIUM (120)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 9
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 90
FERTILIZER: PHOSPHATE - BAND
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- HIGH (400)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 30
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 294
FERTILIZER: ELEMENTAL SULFUR
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- MEDIUM (120)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 10
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 97
FERTILIZER: S15 (13-33-0-13)
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- HIGH (400)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 30
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 289
FERTILIZER: BLEND FERT (PK AT 4:1)
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- ULTRA (500)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 40
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 356
FERTILIZER: ESN
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- ULTRA (500)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 40
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 356
FERTILIZER: UREA
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- ULTRA (500)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 30
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 292
FERTILIZER: BLEND FERT (NS AT 5:1)
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- ULTRA (500)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 40
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 356
FERTILIZER: BLEND FERT (NPK AT 8:3:1)
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- ULTRA (500)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 40
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 356
FERTILIZER: BLEND FERT (NPKS at 5:3:1:1)
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- ULTRA (500)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 40
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 356
FERTILIZER: MESZ
-
ROLLER DISPLACEMENT
(CC)
- MEDIUM (120)
-
SEED RATE MINIMUM
AT SPEED 4 MPH
lbs./ac - 10
-
SEED RATE MAXIMUM
AT SPEED 5 MPH
lbs./ac - 107