# What size Sprayer Would I need



## davang (Apr 7, 2010)

I have 10 -15 acres of hay/ pasture to spray for weeds etc. What size and brand of sprayer would anyone recommend? I'd like to get one that mounts on the three point. I've seen some by FIMCO.

Thanks


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

You can probably get by with a 100 gal. unit. I'm doing a little over 50 now and mine is fine because it's multiple fields. I put a 1 1/2" hose off one of my wells to fill it with so turn around is pretty quick. I also added a boomless nozzle in addition to the boom that I can switch over to on those few days that I don't have wind. Whatever you get, just make sure it has a real stout frame. I got a good deal on mine and I have to weld something back everytime I use it.


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## Steve Wilson (Oct 17, 2009)

It depends on how many gallons of spray you will have to apply per acre, and different situations call for different amounts. I do most of my weed spraying at 14 gallons per acre and don't like going much below that. I finished my pasture spraying about a month ago; the goldenrod was almost knee high but the ragweed was only a couple inches tall, way down in the weed and grass canopy. Dropping down to a 10 GPA rate wouldn't have provided sufficient wetting to reach the ragweed, in my opinion.

If I am faced with a heavy population of tall weeds, there is no choice for me but to switch tips and up the rate to 20 GPA. On the other end, I've sprayed RoundUp to kill everything that sprouted after disking for pasture renovation at 10 GPA by using my small set of tips. I only spray in one gear, at one RPM, that I know gives me those rates based on my sprayer calibrations. Three sets of tips that deliver 10, 14 or 20 GPA at my set speed and RPM.

So a lot is going to depend on your particular situation, but even at the minimum of 10 GPA it will take between 100 to 150 gallons for your 10 to 15 acre field. And don't forget to allow for some overlap, which further reduces the number of acres your tank capacity can cover. Best to realize you will probably run out of spray before you finish the field and have a plan already in hand. If you are spraying broadleaves, they will quickly respond to the herbicide and take on a noticably different look.....you will begin to see the difference in as little as an hour but by the next day the ones you sprayed will look like they've been in a train wreck. Or you can carry a marker of some kind (plastic bucket, white rag or anything you can easily carry and see) with you and simply place it in the field so you know where you left off and can continue after refilling. Either way allows you to easily see where you need to pick up spraying again.

FIMCO has a pretty nice 50 gallon 3 point sprayer that I looked at this spring for some smaller spraying tasks. I think it was about $500 or so, but didn't come with a pump, spray tips, pressure gauge or seperate valves for its 12 foot, 3 section boom. You can pick up a cast iron roller pump for $150 to $200, if memory serves correctly. But realize that the roller pump is probably only going to last a few years before the rollers wear out and/or the seals start leaking and has to be replaced or rebuilt. Keeping it clean and filled with RV antifreeze while not using it will go a long way to providing longer service. Follow whatever cleaning and storage methods the pump manufacturer recommends.

I have a 200 gallon trailer mounted sprayer with a 30 foot, 3 section boom that I've been inproving over the past few years. This year I added a 15 foot coverage Extenda Boom nozzle at the end of each of the two wing booms. The nozzles are sized to match the GPA rate of my 14 GPA tips and I use them to spray corners or ditches, they also allow me to drive further away from fencelines and eliminate the chance of the boom catching the fence. They are also really handy when spraying along the brush/tree edge of fields. Again, it keeps the boom from hitting brush along those irregular edges.

I also went with electric valves for each boom section and Extenda Boom nozzle, 5 in all. Each has its own toggle switch and one more master toggle switch for the entire system. I use a small ammunition box, secured to the cab dash with a tarp strap, to house the wiring and toggle switches. You simply flip toggles on or off as the situation dictates. But I would never consider turning on both Extenda Boom nozzles while making my main passes in the field. If you don't think it's hard enough to spot your tire tracks from your last pass when they are only 30 feet away, trust me....it happens all the time. 60 feet would be next to impossible.

The roller pump was shot when I got the sprayer and I didn't want to face having to replace or rebuild it yet again in a few years, so I bought an ACE centrifigul PTO pump instead. The pump cost $500 but should last a very long time. Electic valves run about $57 each and are available in a 3 bank set. Don't forget to add a liquid filled pressure gauge if the sprayer doesn't have one. And a hand gun comes in mighty handy for spraying fencelines and the odd thistle, locust tree or multiflora rose bush you come across.

FIMCO makes some decent, basic stuff, don't rule them out. You might wish to contact Dultmeier Sales for advice in selecting which type of pump to go with and offer suggestions on how to set up your sprayer, they also have competitive pricing and are very pleasant to deal with. I realize that you probably aren't going to be able to afford all the goodies and have your ideal spray rig the first year and only mention everything I have done to mine to give you an idea of where you might be headed in the future. Add the goodies as you go along. I'm afraid if I punch up the website for Dultmeir Sales now I might lose this entire post. So I will either edit this or include it in a seperate one.

Sorry that I got off on this long winded rant but I love spraying weeds and wanted to let you know how my rig has evolved and why.

www.dultmeier.com

Thanks for reading.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Steve Wilson,

Thank you for this great information that can be used by anyone who is considering purchasing a spray rig for the first time.

Another option to consider on a sprayer might be an adjustable height boom???

What about a foam marker to be used on each end of the booms to mark the previous spray pattern for the next pass? Is there a system that can be used on a spray rig and also be transferred to a 10 ft wide JD Model 8200 drill?

vhaby


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## Steve Wilson (Oct 17, 2009)

With a 3 point rig, you control the height with the 3 point controls. Most any trailer sprayer has a height adjustment on the boom carrier. The best coverage will be at 20 inches above the target plants, though you can get by well at lower heights if you use 110 degree tips instead of the standard 90 degree ones. Foam marker kits will run at least $500. They consist of a seperate small electric pump and a switch to turn it on and off, smallish tank for the foam marker solution, hose and foam marker drop nozzle bodies. Plus maybe seperate electic valves to control which side is dropping the foam blobs. Obviously, switching all of that over to another piece of equipment would take some time.

Last spring I demo'd one of the GPS guidance and mapping units for exactly the reason you mentioned. Because I no till drill wheat into the pastures in August. Even with very short grass then, following those little knife marks in the sod is terribly difficult, especially on turns and when you are going back to pick up odd ball shaped areas that got left behind. Only need one guidance unit and it's in the tractor cab. I spread fertilizer with a buggy to try it out and found it even more confusing than just gauging the widths of my passes. Watching the mapping screen and trying to steer accordingly kept me from paying enough attention to where I had been in the field already. The unit cost $2000. I felt if that is the way I was going to go it would have been better to buy the steering module for it also....a total expense of around $5000 but it would drive the tractor for you. I didn't buy it.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

WIth only 10-15 acres you might want to consider hiring someone else to do it until you get up to enough acreage to justify a sprayer.


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## Dolphin (May 21, 2010)

If you have a pretty good sized ATV you may be able to get the job done with that. It's not the best way, but it will get the job done on the smaller acreages.

I managed to get rid of the willow that had taken over a field with a FIMCO 20 gallon boom sprayer that cost about 200 bucks mounted on the back of an ATV. The machine I had at the time gave me some problems, over heating and running down the battery. It took a trip back to mix with a 20 gallon tank for each acre but it only cost the time, 200 for the sprayer with the bigger pump and the chemicals. I put an underground survey flag in where the mix ran out and used a GPS, but the tracks were clear enough on their own.

I traded the sprayer off with the ATV when I upgraded to the Arctic Cat 700 Diesel so I'm going to need a replacement solution eventually. Not sure whether to go with another mounted tank unit, a tow behind or three point.

Arctic Cat makes a speed rack accessory sprayer that would go on and off in seconds, but it is only a 18 gallon tank, 1.8GPM pump and quite spendy and even more so when you add the boom.

Northstar has a USA made 26 gallon 2.2GPM ATV setup for 200, a 26 gallon 5.5GPM ATV setup for 300 and a 55 gallon 2.2GPM three point for 350. The agitator kit is optional for 20 bucks more.

Broadcast + Spot Sprayers | Sprayers | Grounds Maintenance | Northern Tool + Equipment

I think I will wait for a bit now that things are knocked back and try to keep up with a manual spot sprayer, then build up a custom trailer unit like Steve's when I get another field started or if this one goes downhill. Thanks Steve!


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

I would keep an eye out for a used one at auction. They sell pretty cheap. One of the best items you can have on a sprayer is foam markers. When I rebuilt a sprayer over the winter, I added the foam markers by Crop Care. They are well worth the money.


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## Steve Wilson (Oct 17, 2009)

Looking for a used one is a very good idea. Hayman is right, they sell pretty cheap at auctions. I always just assume that the pump is shot, since you never get to see them spray at the sale. I see them listed on Craigslist now and then too; where they are also priced reasonably.

That Crop Care foamer kit is pretty snappy looking. Field Sprayers, Trailer Sprayers - CropCare Foam Markers and 3pt Sprayers for Agriculture and Farm I think I will be adding one to my sprayer. Can you control which side is dropping foam or are they both either on or off?

I used spray pattern indicator this spring in one tankful, hoping that the dark blue dye would show me where I had sprayed. But I couldn't see it on the plants at 14 GPA. Maybe it would have at a higher spray rate. Oh well, I've always wanted to have a foam marker system.


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