# Need practical advice for a new-to-me boom sprayer



## Edd in KY (Jul 16, 2009)

OK...looking for some very basic practical advice. I just bought a used 3pt ,150 gal., 20ft boom sprayer ,3 section manual valve, with a roller pump to do pastures and hay fields. Previously I hired my spraying of bigger hay fields , but I used a small 10ft, 12v, 25 gal sprayer for small paddocks. So I have been through the basic calibration process.

I plan to spray 2-4 d, or Crossbow or Grazon Next HL ...depending on the field.

I got the manual for the sprayer on-line (not very good) , But here are my very basic questions.

I don't want to run the pump dry so how does it prime with a full tank? What valves do I need to open? My previous sprayer did not have aggitation so how much should that valve be opened?

Can I run at low RPM or do I need higher RPM to make the pump get up to the proper PSI?

What PSI do you try to use for spraying? What boom height with 20" nozzle spacing?

How many gallons per acre do you suggest as a target to get good coverage?

What else do I need to know to run this sprayer? What is the best clean out/ draining and winterization process?

I know these are very basic questions, but you have been down this road and I would like you experienced advice.

Thanks,


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## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

Can I run at low RPM or do I need higher RPM to make the pump get up to the proper PSI? Try it and see what it takes to get 30psi

What PSI do you try to use for spraying? What boom height with 20" nozzle spacing? 20-40psi, 20" above the target plant.

How many gallons per acre do you suggest as a target to get good coverage? 20-30

What else do I need to know to run this sprayer? What is the best clean out/ draining and winterization process? Fill it with plan water and dive it a try, you will need to figure out your travel speed vs the amount of liquid applied.. calibration is knowing how much liquid you are applying per ac. winterize with RV type antifreeze or auto antifreeze either will be fine..


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

You should be able to get specs on the pump from their web site. Of course the specs are based upon new pump and worn pump.

Pump should be lower than the tank so it primes by gravity.

Get help on selecting correct nozzle and the nozzle specs will give you spec on ground speed and pressure for gallons per acre. Read all of the specs such as spacing and be sure you do not miss anyone of the specs.

On the pump but sure it has the capacity needed for all nozzles...


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

I use the following method (see link below) to calibrate my sprayer.

https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2016-05/calibrate-your-sprayer-now-here-easy-way-do-it

My sprayer has nozzles spaced 20" apart so I record the time that it takes to drive 204 feet. Then I park the tractor with the sprayer partially full of water by the shop. I run the parked tractor at the rpms used in the timed distance test and with the sprayer pressure at the same psi. Set the sprayer to spray and catch and measure the ounces of water caught in the time it took to drive 204 ft. Ounces caught = gallons of spray nozzle output per acre. If ounces caught are 20, your 150 gal sprayer can cover 7.5 acres per tank full of spray solution.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Edd, I used to apply 20 gallons per acre of herbicide.....but I did a good bit of research and in most instances you can apply 10 gallons per acre and a surfactant and get the same results. That way you can cover nearly 15 acres with a 150 gallon tank and get more done without stopping to refill as often. You can adjust this change in gallons per acre(gpa) by using a different size nozzle tip. And you can also help yourself by getting low drift nozzles so that your herbicide decreases its chances of going where you don't want it to go(drift). The low drift nozzles generally put out a coarser droplet and are not affected as badly by wind or atmospheric conditions(volatilization).

Tee Jet is a very good nozzle tip and they offer great charts for general information on speed, gpa, psi, etc. You will probably just need the small basic low drift tips. The tips that come with your sprayer are probably a general use type tip. If they happen to be Tee Jet, you can look up the number that is on the tip on Tee Jet's website to find more info on them.

Edd, you might want to see at what speed you can safely navigate your tractor and boom sprayer at.....as this will need to be a factor in your nozzle selection also. Your spraying rig completely full of liquids is probably going to weigh 1500 pounds or more hanging off the back of your tractor which can affect your safe running speed especially upon hills and hillsides. Flat land is not so much a consideration.

You could run the tips that are with your sprayer for awhile until you get used to your spraying rig and tractor operation.....and then later tweak your operation with a more specialized spraying tip. Just calibrate and spray something cheaper (2-4d amine) before you try the more expensive herbicides like Grazon etc.

One other thing, the higher the spraying pressure the higher the chances of drift and volatilization. As a general rule, around 30-40 psi is a good pressure in many instances for less drift problems and good coverage on the average sprayer. Some more specialized rigs will need a different pressure.

I like the common DG TeeJet tips for general field and pasture spraying for weeds.....they are called Drift Guard flat spray tips.....I use the 110° tips.

Regards, Mike

https://www.teejet.com/index.aspx


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Ed, you asked about the valve that goes to the agitation.....that valve is very rarely adjusted, once set, it usually stays there. It's a balance between that valve and the pressure adjustment valve that achieves the desired pressure to the tips. There is not a set rule, just get it where it's bypassing fluid to the take for agitation and adjust the other valve for required pressure. A lot of the chemicals I use are dry flowables so I like to have plenty of agitation, I don't think I've adjusted mine unless I changed tips. 
What type of system are you using to navigate the field? This spraying deal can get expensive in a hurry......
I spoke with my duster yesterday and we are going to go to aerial applications for our dreaded insect pests next year. I don't really like to spray, it's a PITA......I can see why large guys have dedicated spray rigs.


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## pede58 (Oct 27, 2015)

Usually the sprayer MFG has good info in regards to most of your questions, nozzle MFG should fill in the gaps. Product label will tell you gpa and psi.


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

Handy guide for mixing glyphosate

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-7902/PSS-2783.pdf

2-4-D (not a catch all label.....concentrations vary with manufacturer)

http://fs1.agrian.com/pdfs/24-D_Amine_4_Label4a.pdf

Everything you need to know about pumps, including things you don't wanna know 

http://sprayers101.com/pumps-for-applying-crop-protection-products/

My little 200gal tow behind sprayer just gets drained, and the pump disconnected at the outflow with a few spins to eject any liquid, then it's ready for winter.

You might consider the blue dye instead of GPS for spraying if you don't do a lot of acres. I just picked one at random.

https://www.tampaagriculturalproducts.com/surfactants/spray-indicator-dye/


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

Speaking of sprayers :lol: My little sprayer has been sitting on blocks for the past 2 years  Bought some new tires for the seed drill (IH 150 hoe drill), and got the WRONG SIZE, so I had to do a quickie swap for the sprayer tires/wheels, and the quickie swap has turned into a permanent swap  I will get that taken care of, I will get that taken care of, I will get that taken care of...&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;...


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

farmersamm said:


> You might consider the blue dye instead of GPS for spraying if you don't do a lot of acres. I just picked one at random.
> 
> https://www.tampaagriculturalproducts.com/surfactants/spray-indicator-dye/


A good reason to read every dang thread on this forum; never know when you'll learn something. I didn't know they made a dye for that. I have a light-bar, but that would be nice too.



farmersamm said:


> Speaking of sprayers :lol: My little sprayer has been sitting on blocks for the past 2 years  Bought some new tires for the seed drill (IH 150 hoe drill), and got the WRONG SIZE, so I had to do a quickie swap for the sprayer tires/wheels, and the quickie swap has turned into a permanent swap  I will get that taken care of, I will get that taken care of, I will get that taken care of...&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;...


The old saying goes "There's nothing more permanent than a temporary fix". Boy, there's a lot of truth in that'n!

Mark


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Just don't get it on you Mark, you'll look like a smurph for a while......worse than a fountain pen 
(Do folks today know what those are?)


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

somedevildawg said:


> Just don't get it on you Mark, you'll look like a smurph for a while......worse than a fountain pen
> (Do folks today know what those are?)


Are you talking the Smurfs or the fountain pen as I'm sure there's lots of people that don't know what either of those are!


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I know what a fountain pen is. As a matter of fact, I'm writing this post using one. I prefer blue ink and the pens that use cartridges with a fine nib, but what is a Smurf?

Ralph

And now back to our regularly scheduled post.....


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

Smurf....................


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

somedevildawg said:


> (Do folks today know what those are?)


Ya I do, it's next to the phone (with holes to put your finger in even) on the wall (you know, you keep it beside the phonebook, for the phone numbers that you don't remember in your head ). 

Larry


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