Best Way to Provide DC to Sprayer?

[Suburban Plowboy]

I have a little Fimco sprayer. I also have a cargo carrier on the back of my tractor for chainsaws and such. I would like to put the sprayer on the platform and use it to kill weeds.

Ordinarily, I use an EZGO, but using a sprayer is not good for the paint. The sprayer can connect easily to the EZGO's battery because it's under the bed where the sprayer sits.

What's the best way to get DC to the sprayer, maybe 15 feet from the tractor's battery?

 

[tacticalturnip]

Provide the sprayer with a dedicated battery, in a box, attached to the rear of the machine. Perhaps the fender or ROPS. Charge the battery before use.


Or, install a cigarette lighter port, change the wiring on the sprayer to a plug, and just make it super easy.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Thanks. I want something connected to the tractor's electrical system.

The sprayer takes a 15-amp fuse, so whatever I use has to be able to supply a fair amount of current.

 

[sixdogs]

I ran a 65 gallon Fimco boom sprayer with an eyelet on the positive battery clamp and an inline fuse. I run the wire along the frame to toggle switch in the wire and temporarily zip tie it to the grab bar on the fender. Then it goes along the frame to the sprayer. Ground anywhere.

It takes just a few minutes to install and less to take it off. If any risk of battery drain I pull the fuse. Works slick and no hours of running a permanent installation with drilling holes and related drama.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Maybe I'll do that. Thanks.

 

[JWR]

Most tractors have at least one wire in the back end of the sheet metal which stays hot anytime the engine is running. My various older Kubotas do. You might find the hot wire at a rear fender with a meter and crimp into it with a new wire leading to a plug. Buy a plug to mate with the existing wiring on your sprayer. Most of the sprayers have some kind of wiring harness you should be able to crimp-splice into (if not cut off and put on the new mating plug.)

I use a tank sprayer that sprays a path about 10ft wide very nicely for grass killer in gravel driveways. On a Kubota B2150 with front end loader I put the tank and spray arm in the FEL bucket, set it the way I want, and run the sprayer wires (which include an on/off switch and the wire clamps that look like ones on a battery charger) to the battery which is under the seat. I am lucky enough to have the stock wiring from the sprayer long enough and nicely made to reach from my FEL to the battery. Depends a lot on how permanent you want to make the rig and how much you use it.

 

[Topzide]

I would wire some Anderson Power Pole connectors on a relay to the back of the tractor. That way it's switched and not hot all the time. Change sprayer ends or make adapter

 

[jyoutz]

I have a sprayer that I mounted to a pallet, then also mounted a battery box and a deep cycle battery it makes a self contained spray unit that can be mounted to a carry all in the rear or on forks in the front. For boom spraying I use the rear carryall mount.

 

[rgr33]

I did a combination of ideas listed above. I attached the wires permanently to the battery in front of the tractor, using crimp on eyelets and heat shrink tubes.
That goes to a rocker switch in the dash (easier than it sounds)
From there to the back of the tractor, zip tying it tucked up underneath, where it won’t get snagged by brush or field debris
The rear connection is a 2 hole plug in, like you see in trailer wiring, same on the sprayer wiring.
The nice part of this is you can turn the sprayer off and on from your seat.

 

[j13smiley]

I did a combination of ideas listed above. I attached the wires permanently to the battery in front of the tractor, using crimp on eyelets and heat shrink tubes.
That goes to a rocker switch in the dash (easier than it sounds)
From there to the back of the tractor, zip tying it tucked up underneath, where it won’t get snagged by brush or field debris
The rear connection is a 2 hole plug in, like you see in trailer wiring, same on the sprayer wiring.
The nice part of this is you can turn the sprayer off and on from your seat.

This is what I have on my ezgo.

 

[RjCorazza]

Once you decide where to get power from, consider a wireless switch. Fimco makes a plug and play wireless switch with SAE connectors.
I run my sprayer from the bucket, so it's only a few feet from the battery... The wireless switch makes it a compact install.

 

[dlctcg]

I would wire some Anderson Power Pole connectors on a relay to the back of the tractor. That way it's switched and not hot all the time. Change sprayer ends or make adapter

This is basically what I did for the front & rear of our NH... Wired up some Anderson Powerpole SB50 connectors using the Trailer Vision mounts / housings. The power is controlled by a dash mounted switch that controls a relay that sends fused power to the Powerpole connectors. I made a couple of different harnesses, Powerpole to implement connector, which allows me to run different equipment on either the front or rear of the tractor.

The switch is nice to have as it allows remote activation when using things like the boom sprayer.

 

[RayIN]

My tractor battery is in front of the radiator, behind the grill. instead of messing with that, i put a Packard connector on the battery terminal of starter solenoid w/ring terminal and ran ground to frame, then put a Packard connector on the sprayer motor wiring too w/inline 10a blade fuse.

 

[ranchito]

I tow a sprayer and spreader with a linear actuator behind a ZTR. Two switches wired to a 4-wire trailer connector, ground, pump, open and close hopper.

 

[David Wayne]

I just unplugged a rear light and made a small jumper wire to hook the sprayer to, then just use the light switch to turn the sprayer on and off.

David

 

[Fallon]

I would wire some Anderson Power Pole connectors on a relay to the back of the tractor. That way it's switched and not hot all the time. Change sprayer ends or make adapter

Was going to post that. PowerPoles for dry, Deutsch connectors if you need sealed for possibly wet areas. Metripack/Weatherpack would be the 2nd choice for a sealed connector.

https://powerwerx.com/150-piece-anderson-powerpole-connector-case

Been using Deutsch connectors for a while, but Big Clive just did a review of them & some Ali Express kits

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I never thought about putting the sprayer in the bucket. I guess there is no reason not to.

The battery is behind the grille.

 

[Tx Jim]

Here's a wiring harness that JD offers to operate their round baler monitors. When I attached my rd baler monitor to my Kubota M7040 I used that type harness attached directly to tractor battery. Part # is AFH210360

 

[j13smiley]

I never thought about putting the sprayer in the bucket. I guess there is no reason not to.

The battery is behind the grille.

FEL? Regardless of what you're spraying, I'd want it behind me not in front of me.

 

[chim]

I have "flat two" connectors on the tractors for powering 12V stuff. They are two wire versions of the flat 4-wire trailer light connectors. With these ends on the tractors and the equipment that plugs into them, correct polarity is automatic.