Buying Advice Which ATV sprayer to get

[KenB2920]

Looking to get a liquid sprayer for ATV with BOOM for spot spraying.


I think I'd like to stay between 15-30 gallons. My main concern is leaks, functionality without clogs. I had a 2 gallon pump and I spent more time fixing and replacing tips rings seals etc than actually using the darn thing.

I will be using this to spot spray my pond, fertilize areas of the lawn, herbicides and whatever else liquid I can use it for. I will probably use this once a month or so.

I've read a tad about these with pumps burning out, different leaks etc. I just want a decent quality one. What are your suggestions, experiences etc.

A spray wand is a must.

 

[Sportsman762]

There are lots of sprayers out there, and I am sure others will chime in as to what is the best sprayer. I would avoid boom-less sprayers. They allow the chemicals to drift far more than a boom sprayer. A droplet can travel a long distance away from where it was sprayed if it is the wrong size, a boom sprayer provides better consistency on droplet size. A boom sprayer allows more control over droplet size reducing drift. Also a boom sprayer will provide coverage that is more consistent than a boom-less sprayer.
Depending on your use these disadvantages might not be as important.
Advantages of boom-less sprayers is that they are less expensive to purchase, and there is no boom to break off on trees.

 

[F3506]

Skip the one from Tractor Supply Co. I picked up a 25 gallon model from them last year for spot spraying in the UTV. Hose sprang a big leak during the first use and the regulator doesn't cut the pump off till 80 psi (non-adjustable). That's way too high a pressure to consider rigging up any type of boom for. Too high for spot spraying in my opinion too, but I guess that's open for debate.

 

[KenB2920]

Ok, how do the TSC and FFH etc compare to the northstar from northern tool.

It seems all of these are vary close visually but it seems the pumps all differ is GPM ....

Is a 5.5 GPM to hi of a rate?

I really am attracted the the 26 gallon North Star boom less. I seem to like this better than the 5.5gpm model. I like not having to take the ball off my hitch and attach a separate piece.

I also think with the hose on this boom less model I could simply make my own boom out of PVC.

What I do like about the 5.5 model is you can shut one side off.

With the 2.2gpm can the Nozzle be turned to only spray one side?

 

[franklinute]

I purchased a 30 gallon sprayer from TSC about 5 years ago. I have it mounted on our 4 wheeler. I rigged up a dry boom and use 3 nozzles
across the back to spray weed killer. If I remember correctly the pressure is set at 40psi. The higher pressure pumps are better suited for spraying trees such as in an orchard. I don't remember the flow but it would be nice to have a pressure adjustment like the larger sprayers.
One can be rigged up but most inexpensive tanks don't have connector for a return or agitator. My biggest gripe is the line that comes out of the tank to the pump has a little screen in the connector. If it gets clogged then to remove the screen the chemical runs out until you cap off the line. It really needs a shutoff valve. We use this to spray several tanks every day so we are sure to use clean water and clean the screen every other tank when it is empty. We also put in a little bleach everyday to cut down on algae.

 

[crackerjack222]

I have a Fimco 30 gal sprayer from TSC on my ATV. It has worked well for about 10 years. I have broken the hose several times by getting it caught under a wheel, but that is my fault. The 12v electric pump is adjustable. There is a phillips screw in the center of the pressure switch (between the electrical connectors) on the pump that will adjust the pressure at which it will cut off.

 

[nova3930]

I bought a FIMCO 15 gallon spot sprayer from TSC that I'm well pleased with. The addition of a boomless nozzle and some fittings for another $25 or so and it makes a decent broadcaster sprayer too. Little bit on the small side at 15 gallons but refills aren't hard...

 

[JimHam]

I bought the 26 gal. North Star sprayer from Northern Tool and I am very satisfied with it. Mine does a wierd thing though. When the pressure drops as the tank gets low and the pump cavitates the rear boom starts spraying. I have the valve set for the wand but if pressure is low the boom comes on. Not good when spraying glyphosphte. That should be a straight cut off valve that controls which spray is on so I can't figure this little problem out. Other than that it's good.

 

[KenB2920]

I bought the 26 gal. North Star sprayer from Northern Tool and I am very satisfied with it. Mine does a wierd thing though. When the pressure drops as the tank gets low and the pump cavitates the rear boom starts spraying. I have the valve set for the wand but if pressure is low the boom comes on. Not good when spraying glyphosphte. That should be a straight cut off valve that controls which spray is on so I can't figure this little problem out. Other than that it's good.

Ok good to know. I just pressed the submit button and also purchased the northstar 26 gallon sprayer. Looks like all the tanks are generic. They clay to be thicker plastic but I can't find specs on the thicknesses. They seem to have the best pump and I wasn't able to determine if the other brands pumps were on demand or constant.

It should be here in a few days and I have many uses for it. What I hope is that I can spray in one direction with the boom. When I circle the pond id like to just spray to the right or left. I may try and water the garden the way too.

I look forward to weed control. I also look forward to taking my 2 gallon pump sprayer and punting it to the curb. What a PIA it has been.

Oh well. Thanks for all the help. I will leave a review here in time.

 

[JimHam]

When you assemble it make sure you don't over tighten the plastic hose nipple that threads into the pump outlet. I broke mine. Read the instructions and it tells you how much to tighten it. I think you can rotate the sprayer head on the boom so it would only spray to one side but the coverage would be uneven with more right below and less the farther out from the boom.

 

[KenB2920]

When you assemble it make sure you don't over tighten the plastic hose nipple that threads into the pump outlet. I broke mine. Read the instructions and it tells you how much to tighten it. I think you can rotate the sprayer head on the boom so it would only spray to one side but the coverage would be uneven with more right below and less the farther out from the boom.

Ah very good points. Thank you

 

[Rhinohio]

I've owned a Fimco from TSC for ten plus years and it still works... sometimes. What you need to keep in mind is all of these kind of tools are high maintenance. That is, you'll have leaks, fittings will break, slime clogs everything and the pumps are not that robust and can fail prematurely.

It's not a complicated machine regardless of what badge they wear, fix it when it breaks and put in better parts than you took out. All of my hose fittings have been replaced with stainless components which solved many of the issues I struggled with over the years. I worried that the metal fittings would cause some weaker link to fail but so far so good. Not a cheap solution but certainly a long term one. The replacement pump is from Shurflo which is much higher quality than the OEM Fimco (IMHO).

It seems like I have to work on mine before every use but I always manage to get it going with a little TLC. Buy the best one you can afford and accept the fact it won't work every time you strap it on your four wheeler but it will get the job done after an unplanned trip to the hardware store. Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[coobie]

Looking to get a liquid sprayer for ATV with BOOM for spot spraying.


I think I'd like to stay between 15-30 gallons. My main concern is leaks, functionality without clogs. I had a 2 gallon pump and I spent more time fixing and replacing tips rings seals etc than actually using the darn thing.

I will be using this to spot spray my pond, fertilize areas of the lawn, herbicides and whatever else liquid I can use it for. I will probably use this once a month or so.

I've read a tad about these with pumps burning out, different leaks etc. I just want a decent quality one. What are your suggestions, experiences etc.

A spray wand is a must.

Look on gemplers website they have about ever type of sprayer you can imagine from big bucks to small buck outfits.

 

[ArmyPair2]

We have a Brinly-Hardy 25 Gal .sprayer but use caution when you first use yours if it has booms. The first time I used my sprayer I deployed both booms and drove 1/4 mile up to the front yard to kill the grass in the gravel. Ten days later not only did the grass killer killed the grass in the gravel but an extra 2 feet all the way up on both sides of the road. Next time I will make adjustments and bring the booms in.

 

[TomSeller]

I have a Fimco that I use for spot spraying. Has anyone added a retractable reel like you have on a compressed air line? It sure would be nice not to have to clean off cow poop from the hose. Also, anyone know if there us a bladder tank that would tolerate the chemicals like on your home water system so the pump does not come on and off at each spray?

 

[Rhinohio]

I have a Fimco that I use for spot spraying. Has anyone added a retractable reel like you have on a compressed air line? It sure would be nice not to have to clean off cow poop from the hose. Also, anyone know if there us a bladder tank that would tolerate the chemicals like on your home water system so the pump does not come on and off at each spray?

I added a Shurflo accumulator tank to the wash down pump on my boat to prevent short cycling and my camper also has one. The tank is nylon and the bladder is butyl rubber. You would need to confirm compatibility with the chemicals you are spraying but it would minimize the pump hammering.

Accumulator Tanks

 

[bigballer]

lots of choices, I use a 26 gallon northstar from northern tool. sometimes the hoses leak a bit around the plastic barbs but 1/4 turn usually takes care of it. I like the rear wand fan tip it works good and gets about 12-14' coverage.

 

[KenB2920]

lots of choices, I use a 26 gallon northstar from northern tool. sometimes the hoses leak a bit around the plastic barbs but 1/4 turn usually takes care of it. I like the rear wand fan tip it works good and gets about 12-14' coverage.

Just an update ... This sprayer works fantastic and I've had it a couple years now. All the hand carry nonsense is long in the past. Great purchase that is do all over again

 

[loumoral]

Saw your post and wanted to see if you're still pleased with the northstar sprayer. Am in the market to purchase the same. Did you get the 2.2 or 5.5 GPM. If you did get the 5.5 how was the drain on your ATV battery?

 

[Wakey]

Saw your post and wanted to see if you're still pleased with the northstar sprayer. Am in the market to purchase the same. Did you get the 2.2 or 5.5 GPM. If you did get the 5.5 how was the drain on your ATV battery?

Did you get a sprayer?

I just picked up a Fimco 30 gallon boom sprayer on a trailer that I pull with my ZeroTurn. (Tractor Supply) It also has a wand and although I've only sprayed water thus far as a test, it seems to be a decent unit based on tractor mounted PTO units I've used in the past.