Sprayer 3pt Hitch Sprayer
- Thread starter Luremaker
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texasjohn
Super Member
Like anything, there are pros and cons:
Pros: one spray point, no boom out there to hang up on brush or break, you can spray areas you cannot get to.. along fences for example,
Cons: sprays up into the air, thus more drift than with a boom, more evaporation, more sensitive to wind velocity, coverage is a little less even than with a boom.
Net: They work fine. I have both a boom and single point nozzle sprayer like you are talking about. In reality, there are several nozzles on that single point. They point in a fan so that the spray droplets are sized for the distance they are going to travel. Bigger for farther travel to the side, smaller for closer in.
Pros: one spray point, no boom out there to hang up on brush or break, you can spray areas you cannot get to.. along fences for example,
Cons: sprays up into the air, thus more drift than with a boom, more evaporation, more sensitive to wind velocity, coverage is a little less even than with a boom.
Net: They work fine. I have both a boom and single point nozzle sprayer like you are talking about. In reality, there are several nozzles on that single point. They point in a fan so that the spray droplets are sized for the distance they are going to travel. Bigger for farther travel to the side, smaller for closer in.
mjncad
Super Member
I like the price since it includes the roller pump. All the 3-point sprayers I've looked at are roller pump extra...which ticks me off.
I don't know anything about the magic of boomless sprayers; but I would guess wind drift would be a big issue.
I don't know anything about the magic of boomless sprayers; but I would guess wind drift would be a big issue.
I use both....a 3pt boomless sprayer in my horse paddocks and a towed field sprayer w/boom in my fields. For ease of use, the 3pt boomless is easier to use and a whole lot easier to haul around. You just have to watch the wind and spray drift. The 3pt is also better with high weeds as it's a real pain to raise the boom on the field sprayer.
Most don't have valve extentions but they're easy to rig up. Just make sure you can reach the valve from your seat so you can turn it off when the wind is to your back. Otherwise you'll get more on you than on the ground.
Most don't have valve extentions but they're easy to rig up. Just make sure you can reach the valve from your seat so you can turn it off when the wind is to your back. Otherwise you'll get more on you than on the ground.
OP
Luremaker
Veteran Member
These sprayers are on end of season clearout for $599 so I will pick it up tomorrow and see how it runs on the weekend. I want to spray fertilizer, roundup and weed killer with it. Any idea how far 55 Imp gal will go before refilling?
texasjohn
Super Member
How far 55 gal will go depends on pressure used.... but at a usable pressure, it won't go as far as you want it to. You need to experiment with WATER when you get it... fill it up and drive at various speeds to see how much ground is covered at each speed..... speed is the critical factor since you have much less control over the flow rate... thus, all you can do is adjust your ground speed to get the desired coveage per acre.
There's math involved...
I'd be VERY RELUCTANT to spray ROUNDUP with this rig... unless you want everything in the area to be killed... except mesquite... it won't kill mesquite!
There's math involved...
I'd be VERY RELUCTANT to spray ROUNDUP with this rig... unless you want everything in the area to be killed... except mesquite... it won't kill mesquite!
OP
Luremaker
Veteran Member
jayhaitch
Silver Member
Ah, Princess Auto. Everything industrial anyone ever needs, including a few auto things. They took over an empty Safeway store in Winnipeg, Manitoba: awesome! The variety of things they have is amazing. Hope it works well for you. Let us know once you've used it a bit.
mjncad
Super Member
Ah, some assembly required Luremaker...that helps to explain the nice price compared to what I've looked at.
I'll be curious as to whether the 55-gallon tank is big enough. I borrowed my friend's "Weed Wagon" as we call it, which consists of a 4-wheel nursery wagon and a 15-gallon ATV spot sprayer inside it. It's light enough to yank around the yard by hand; but I ran through 45 to 50 gallons of total vegetation killer & water mix and I could have done still more if I hadn't run out of weed juice.
I know if I get a sprayer for my tractor, it will be 50 to 100 gallons in capacity.
I'll be curious as to whether the 55-gallon tank is big enough. I borrowed my friend's "Weed Wagon" as we call it, which consists of a 4-wheel nursery wagon and a 15-gallon ATV spot sprayer inside it. It's light enough to yank around the yard by hand; but I ran through 45 to 50 gallons of total vegetation killer & water mix and I could have done still more if I hadn't run out of weed juice.
I know if I get a sprayer for my tractor, it will be 50 to 100 gallons in capacity.
OP
Luremaker
Veteran Member
Well I assembled my new sprayer. Took about an 1/2 hour for the frame and and hour for the plumbing part.
Mike120, Yes the price was in Canadian Loonies.
Jayhitch, you gota love Princess Auto. My wife loves the fact that the closest store to me is in London -a 3 hr drive .
mjncad, I hope 55 gallons is large enough. From what I have been reading here 10 to 20 gallons per acres is about right. I have never used a sprayer before. Up to now I have always used a hand sprayer connected to my garden hose - and what a pain that is when spraying almost 4 acres.
Mike120, Yes the price was in Canadian Loonies.
Jayhitch, you gota love Princess Auto. My wife loves the fact that the closest store to me is in London -a 3 hr drive .
mjncad, I hope 55 gallons is large enough. From what I have been reading here 10 to 20 gallons per acres is about right. I have never used a sprayer before. Up to now I have always used a hand sprayer connected to my garden hose - and what a pain that is when spraying almost 4 acres.
patrick_g
Elite Member
LureMaker, I started out years ago with a single nozzle pasture sprayer and knew so little that I didn't know the nozzle was partly missing till I couldn't figure out why it sprayed a powerful thin stream straight back 150 feet!
Got the rest hooked up and it worked OK (but wind drift is a BIG consideration.) So... I went to a popular mfg outfit in OKC and bought an add on boom accessory. It has three sections. One is fixed in position in the center the unit as wide as the sprayer. the other two are articulated spring loaded arms with flexible joints at an angle. If one of the movable arms touches the ground or some brush it swings back and up and returns to positioin via gravity. The spring detent tends to keep it in the normal position unless you hit something.
I have it plumbed so I can use the single original nozzle, or the boom sprayer. I added some ball valves so I can spray left, center, or right independently or in any combination or even booms and center nozzle if you want. For traveling and not spraying the outer booms swing back and up and touch where you can tie them together. I welded square tubing to the original frame and to the booms. The boom attachment can be dismounted from the sprayer frame like disconnecting two small receiver hitches (the square tube on the booms is a telescopic size smaller than what I put on the frame.)
If you don't have a wind problem you may never need a boom. I find the boom allows getting the spray down where you want it with minimum drift and gives a much more uniform distribution of chemical. The single nozzle gives very spotty coverage, double or tripple dose on some areas and no dose on some areas when there are winds of variable direction. Another plus, even though I have a cab on my Kubota, is that the boom while delivering its chemical closer to the ground with less wind drift, doesn't put as much spray on the tractor and the operator.
You might make a couple passes, carefully turning so as to not get the tractor AND YOUR EYES, SKIN, AND LUNGS in the chemical plume and then the wind shifts or you drive into an eddy... I'm thinking of adding adding a 12 volt solelnoid valve to kill the spray from inside the tractor. You don't have time to reach for manual levers on the sprayer. Unfortunately with the single nozzle sprayer there is a lot of mist fairly high in the air and even if you turn the sprayer off a flaw in the wind can get you and the tractor well covered with chemical.
Pat
Got the rest hooked up and it worked OK (but wind drift is a BIG consideration.) So... I went to a popular mfg outfit in OKC and bought an add on boom accessory. It has three sections. One is fixed in position in the center the unit as wide as the sprayer. the other two are articulated spring loaded arms with flexible joints at an angle. If one of the movable arms touches the ground or some brush it swings back and up and returns to positioin via gravity. The spring detent tends to keep it in the normal position unless you hit something.
I have it plumbed so I can use the single original nozzle, or the boom sprayer. I added some ball valves so I can spray left, center, or right independently or in any combination or even booms and center nozzle if you want. For traveling and not spraying the outer booms swing back and up and touch where you can tie them together. I welded square tubing to the original frame and to the booms. The boom attachment can be dismounted from the sprayer frame like disconnecting two small receiver hitches (the square tube on the booms is a telescopic size smaller than what I put on the frame.)
If you don't have a wind problem you may never need a boom. I find the boom allows getting the spray down where you want it with minimum drift and gives a much more uniform distribution of chemical. The single nozzle gives very spotty coverage, double or tripple dose on some areas and no dose on some areas when there are winds of variable direction. Another plus, even though I have a cab on my Kubota, is that the boom while delivering its chemical closer to the ground with less wind drift, doesn't put as much spray on the tractor and the operator.
You might make a couple passes, carefully turning so as to not get the tractor AND YOUR EYES, SKIN, AND LUNGS in the chemical plume and then the wind shifts or you drive into an eddy... I'm thinking of adding adding a 12 volt solelnoid valve to kill the spray from inside the tractor. You don't have time to reach for manual levers on the sprayer. Unfortunately with the single nozzle sprayer there is a lot of mist fairly high in the air and even if you turn the sprayer off a flaw in the wind can get you and the tractor well covered with chemical.
Pat
OP
Luremaker
Veteran Member
Here are a few pictures of assembling my new boomless sprayer.
sprayer-3.jpg - the frame assembly almost complete. Still a few bolts left to tighten.
sprayer-4.jpg - bolts tightened and 55 gal tank strapped in place.
sprayer-5.jpg - With the plumbing complete and remainder of the frame in place ready to test for leaks.
sprayer-6.jpg - here is a closeup of the boomless stainless steel sprayer nozzle and check valve. It should spray between 20 and 30 feet depending on pressure and the height of the sprayer.
sprayer-7.jpg - here is a closeup of the manifold - pressure relief valve which controls the spray pressure and flow control valve which turns the spray off and on. I find the location of these valves a little inconvienient. I must raise the 3-pt to maiximum heigth in order to reach them while on the tractor.
sprayer-8.jpg - The sprayer included a Delavan 6 roller pto pump and quick coupler. After reading the pump instructions I see the pump must be cleaned and oiled after each use so I am going to have to come up with a better way of attaching the pump to the sprayer hoses.
sprayer-3.jpg - the frame assembly almost complete. Still a few bolts left to tighten.
sprayer-4.jpg - bolts tightened and 55 gal tank strapped in place.
sprayer-5.jpg - With the plumbing complete and remainder of the frame in place ready to test for leaks.
sprayer-6.jpg - here is a closeup of the boomless stainless steel sprayer nozzle and check valve. It should spray between 20 and 30 feet depending on pressure and the height of the sprayer.
sprayer-7.jpg - here is a closeup of the manifold - pressure relief valve which controls the spray pressure and flow control valve which turns the spray off and on. I find the location of these valves a little inconvienient. I must raise the 3-pt to maiximum heigth in order to reach them while on the tractor.
sprayer-8.jpg - The sprayer included a Delavan 6 roller pto pump and quick coupler. After reading the pump instructions I see the pump must be cleaned and oiled after each use so I am going to have to come up with a better way of attaching the pump to the sprayer hoses.
Attachments
OP
Luremaker
Veteran Member
Thanks for the insight about the boomless sprayer and wind drift. A boom should be easy to make and attach to the sprayer frame if I decide one is needed. I just tested the sprayer with water and have yet to calibrate it.
sprayer-9.jpg - sprayer ready to be tested on my tractor.
sprayer-10.jpg - filling the tank with water and checking for leaks. No leaks good to go...
sprayer-11.jpg - testing the sprayer on the lane way. Sprays a width of about 20 feet at 30 psi. Just as my son and I started testing it started to rain. I'll have to wait for the rain to stop before I can check for how even it sprays.
sprayer-9.jpg - sprayer ready to be tested on my tractor.
sprayer-10.jpg - filling the tank with water and checking for leaks. No leaks good to go...
sprayer-11.jpg - testing the sprayer on the lane way. Sprays a width of about 20 feet at 30 psi. Just as my son and I started testing it started to rain. I'll have to wait for the rain to stop before I can check for how even it sprays.
Attachments
texasjohn
Super Member
If you wish, there is something I use that shows me where I have sprayed.
It's a blue solution from Tractor Supply (others have it also) that solely colors the liquid. It fades in sunlight after a couple of days. However, it shows you where you have sprayed the same day.
I use it with my spot sprayer for brush and mesquite.... can see where and how complete the liquit coverage is. I think it saves me product by not over or under spraying something. I don't use it for broadcast spraying... but might be useful for learning the spray pattern of a new sprayer such as yours.
Just an idea... and, clearly, it will be useful if you ever get a hand wand and use it with your rig...
It's a blue solution from Tractor Supply (others have it also) that solely colors the liquid. It fades in sunlight after a couple of days. However, it shows you where you have sprayed the same day.
I use it with my spot sprayer for brush and mesquite.... can see where and how complete the liquit coverage is. I think it saves me product by not over or under spraying something. I don't use it for broadcast spraying... but might be useful for learning the spray pattern of a new sprayer such as yours.
Just an idea... and, clearly, it will be useful if you ever get a hand wand and use it with your rig...
mjncad
Super Member
I'll give the sprayer manufacturer brownie points for supplying a liquid filled gauge to dampen needle vibrations.
