# Selenoid maintenance on sprayers



## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

My sprayer has four selenoids like the one below to control spray flow to each of three booms and a cluster nozzle

http://agsprayerparts.com/monitors-controls/solenoids/2500b

Each time I use the sprayer, I have to open these selenoids and completely dry the internal components and oil the metal parts. If I don't do this, the internal metal parts rust and prohibit the selenoid from working. Do any of you use similar selenoids, and if so, how do you maintain them without having to open them and dry and oil the internal parts?


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

I no longer have a sprayer that uses those solenoids. But 45 foot sprayer I sold to my neighbor last month and used about 10 years had those exact solenoids on and I never had any trouble with those solenoids. I do know those particular solenoids are very sensitive the ground problems. I also use them back a ways on some of my home brewed concoctions when I thought I was going to spray and apply herbicide with the corn planter. Does the ground wire 4 East solenoid go directly to the battery of the tractor or is it attached to the frame. Make sure you have the proper size wire going directly to the battery. I have also heard it said that the selenoid should not share the same ground the motor on your foam marker uses. On all out sprayers we always had a big filter in the main line and smaller 1 inch inline filters just ahead of the solenoids and all the screens are of the Caged design.... We have gotten away from solenoids and used motorized ball valves


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

My suggestion would be to try a different brand of solenoid. We never had internal corrosion problems but instead fought corroded connections.

We've been using the motorized ball valves on both the spray boom and when we still sprayed with the planter. Three on the spray boom, two on the planter, again bad connection were more of an issue than internal problems wit the motorized ball valves.

So far best set up we have found is using a plastic terminal box like on heavy trucks for light connections, spray the inside of the box with fluid film, mount it somewhere where it straight 28 or 32 can't drip on it then silicone all the grommets shut.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

My Hardee N210 sprayer solenoids no workee 
Power to cab control box is good from battery. 
Power comes out of box and all boom switches work.
Connection plug from tractor cord to sprayer cord plug is good and solid. 
All 3 solenoids have the plastic caps on them and appear clean underneath caps.

Sprayer works ok just using PTO to turn off/on, but electric controls are all dead.
Any suggestions?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

JD3430 said:


> My Hardee N210 sprayer solenoids no workee
> Power to cab control box is good from battery.
> Power comes out of box and all boom switches work.
> Connection plug from tractor cord to sprayer cord plug is good and solid.
> ...


Yep, sprayers and electricity equals migraines sooner or later.

I almost miss our old one, lean back off the seat of the Super 88 and grab the handle to shut it on and off, then rotate to select boom sections.

It comes down to either your not getting juice to the solenoids, or the solenoids have burnt coils or are stuck.

Easy way to check for stuck solenoids, flip the switch to em then see if something metallic will stick to em, I do this all the time to check for bad coils on valve stacks for the combines.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

So pull plastic covers off solenoids, give them juice and hold a magnet to them?
Hard to believe all 3 went bad at once. 
Almost seems more like a fuse issue.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I've had problems just recently with Teejet 144 solenoids. Seals leak internally allowing liquid to get inside the plunger; plunger corrodes and rusts up.

Taking them apart to get them working is a major hassle!

Ralph


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

JD3430 said:


> So pull plastic covers off solenoids, give them juice and hold a magnet to them?
> Hard to believe all 3 went bad at once.
> Almost seems more like a fuse issue.


So they did work but don't now?

Needed that info first young padawan.

Check for a blown fuse first, our Hiniker controllers have a fuse inside the box, piss poor design.

If fuse good then check to see if the solenoids share a common ground.

If something metallic sticks to the coils when they are turned on, and it sticks to all three, then yes, all three are stuck.


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## valleyforage (Apr 28, 2015)

Before I unhook my sprayer I run some heavy soapy water thru it, it has seemed to help the solenoids not stick near as much, especially after using liquid N.

Also electrically like enrow said, don't share the ground with the foam markers, weird things can happen...


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

My sprayer has Raven selenoids and valves. Sealed with weather pack connectors. 12 seasons and about 250,000 gallons of liquid thru them and haven't failed once. Raven is probably double the money of tee jet or other cheaper brands. Old sprayer had teejet 144's and after about 2 seasons became a constant migraine to keep working.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

The other common problems whether it be solenoids or electric ball valves, once the smoke escapes they quit working. This works in proportion to the amount of smoke that escapes, let enough smoke escape and nothing will work.

http://hdabob.com/the-vehicle/electrical-system/smoke-theory/


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

mlappin said:


> The other common problems whether it be solenoids or electric ball valves, once the smoke escapes they quit working. This works in proportion to the amount of smoke that escapes, let enough smoke escape and nothing will work.
> http://hdabob.com/the-vehicle/electrical-system/smoke-theory/


 My dad and mom did a lot of complaining in my younger days it seemed a lot of smoke would escape from my tires


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Caught a photo of my son going through some wheat beans. All ball valves open


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

endrow said:


> Caught a photo of my son going through some wheat beans. All ball valves open


How wide of a boom you running?

Keep looking at getting a 40 foot John Deere air drill, but then need an 80 foot three point for the tractor. Demco makes a very nice one but its forward fold, wider than our tractor even with the duals on when folded and I'm pretty sure when folded forward turning could become a serious issue being its an articulated tractor.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

mlappin said:


> How wide of a boom you running?
> Keep looking at getting a 40 foot John Deere air drill, but then need an 80 foot three point for the tractor. Demco makes a very nice one but its forward fold, wider than our tractor even with the duals on when folded and I'm pretty sure when folded forward turning could become a serious issue being its an articulated tractor.


 the Boom is a 60-foot . Would like a little bit more width, but I have to admit when we get in a Rolling Land it is a handful you're constantly lifting one boom and lowering the other. I spray close to two Hundred Acres of Fungicide on small grain, and you're driving tall grain down,
So because it was only a fungicide what I did was at either end of the Boom I have a fence row nozzle and I replaced the fence row nozzle, with a boomless nozzle the kindest guys use on your ATVs I could pick up an additional 15 foot on each side so I was taking 90 foot that worked pretty good for fungicide application. The Rate controller on this sprayer, has the capability of using GPS signal to tell how fast you are going so I can adjust application rate. The tractor now used for the sprayer needs one GPS antenna for the signal for the controller and one for the navigation of the tractor. We also run the foam marker so we can double-check things a little bit at the end of the field andn on steep hillsides. 
.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

mlappin said:


> How wide of a boom you running?
> Keep looking at getting a 40 foot John Deere air drill, but then need an 80 foot three point for the tractor. Demco makes a very nice one but its forward fold, wider than our tractor even with the duals on when folded and I'm pretty sure when folded forward turning could become a serious issue being its an articulated tractor.


 Can't help but Wonder, spraying Post'emergence beans with an articulated tractor with duals? Are the beans in 30 inch rows? I guess it's just different for you farm and I'm thinking you wouldn't want to see our fields


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

endrow said:


> Can't help but Wonder, spraying Post'emergence beans with an articulated tractor with duals? Are the beans in 30 inch rows? I guess it's just different for you farm and I'm thinking you wouldn't want to see our fields


We plant tram lines, remove the duals then move the tires out on the tractor to get more stability. Dad just resprayed some waist high beans today and by tonight you can barely tell he drove thru the field. When spraying burndown or corn the tires are moved in with the duals on. Get all the corn sprayed first, drop the spray boom, grab the 28 applicator and get all the side dressing done, then drop the duals and move the tires out, takes me and father about two hours to drop four duals and move four tires.

Planting thirty foot now, the left end of the Hiniker has the rows narrowed up a bit to leave one line, always plant so your turning in such a way the left end plants two tram lines in one round. Whence the need for a 80 foot boom with a forty foot planter. We gain several bushels an acre by never having to drive over the majority of the beans, started out with tram lines with a 20 foot Great Plains drill and a forty foot boom, did the tram lines as Dad didn't want to spent money on GPS.

And yah, I finished up on a rolling field that even when one end was all the way down, was probably ten foot off the ground and the other side I had raised high enough it actually started to fold the boom.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

White 4-175 with the tires out, 750 gallon stainless steel tank we had custom made, can be removed and mounted on either 4-210 if the 4-175 has problems.

We used to rotate the tires all the way out but cracked two rims over the course of a couple of years, leave em one hole in and no cracking problems, go figure.










First field of beans planted, Dad resprayed parts of it today. Picture is a little dark but you can see the tram lines.










On the home farm yet but one of the last fields planted being its the cows winter pasture. I sprayed it about a week ago. This had about 6 inches of water running across it over a month ago, didn't stand long as it all runs across the buffer strip to the ditch a few hundred feet away.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm not finding a fuse anywhere on the Hardee N210
Does anyone know where it is hiding?

Young padawan?? Lol


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