Driveway weed clearing

[oldballs]

Harbor Freight has a 15 gallon sprayer (no trailer) for $100. I wonder how hard it would be to make a mount to go on my lawn tractor's grass catcher mount. Hmmm....

That sounds like the best solution....for now and years to come.....TractorSupply might be another source. They run off of your tractor battery......never had one myself. My big ole 55 gallon sprayer runs off of a gasoline engine...which is more expense and maintenance issues. It works great for other projects.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[bkenobi]

I'll check other sources too. It looks like my local Lowes may have a similar 15 gallon unit for $75 so that may be a better option. Neither have a boom off the back, but I'm thinking a bit of hose, a couple sprinkler heads, and a splitter would get me pretty much the same thing once mounted to some kind of dowel.

 

[bkenobi]

I just saw that some of these units have 2 tanks so the water is clean and the concentrate is mixed on the fly. Is that something common or I have to look for? Not sure it matters that much but seems like a really nice way to not waste too much chemical!

 

[dodge man]

Some of those smaller sprayers may not have a big enough pump to really do a good job of broadcast spraying.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

OP,

As far as rear CUT attachment, I'm thinking a land plane would work pretty well.

If you're still thinking about a sprayer, this one has been doing fine for me, it's got a wand with hose, and also has a small rear spray boom with nozzles at each end. The boom will spray 6-8' wide. 30 gal tank, 12v pump. I wired it to a rocker switch I mounted in the dash of the riding mower.

 

[bkenobi]

I wasn't sure about the spec on the pumps but yeah if it can't provide enough pressure and flow to add a rear broadcast it wouldn't work that well for my needs. I liked the idea of a ~15 gallon tank mounted to the rear of the lawn tractor because I could easily maneuver around without having to deal with jackknifing the trailer. It's not a huge issue, but being able to back up right to the planters so I could walk around and spot spray sounds really appealing. A trailer style would work just not quite as convenient. Also it seems a bit easier to store a tank than it does a trailer.

I have a tow behind aerator that I've used maybe 2x (and should sell really) that simply takes up space. I'm trying to avoid adding to my corner of shame. At this point though, a sprayer of some kind (trailer or rear LT mounted) looks like the best option. I just wasn't expecting the prices that TractorSupply wants close to $500 for what seems like a pretty simple sprayer. I guess inflation and all but ouch.

 

[boomer1025]

I just mow my drive when I mow the lawn. The grass and weeds help keep the stones in place and helps to keep the drive from washing.

 

[bkenobi]

That's what the guy at one of the tractor stores said today. He then followed by saying "yeah it looks pretty redneck, but who cares..."

I don't think the WAF would be very high if I turned the reasonably well maintained gravel driveway into a grass/weeded over one.

 

[Tomtint]

I've considered tow behind before because walking back and forth to spray ~3 tanks takes forever. I'm a little concerned about wind getting the stuff on the lawn or plants right next to the driveway which has been the main reason I haven't gone any further with it. I've been here for almost 13 years and I've kinda thrown in the towel doing it that way! I usually spend a whole day a couple times a year walking the driveway complete coverage and all of the planters spot spraying. I'm ok with the planters, but the driveway takes FOREVER. The other thing is, doesn't cleaning the tank on those tow behinds take a while and if not done correctly the seals will be eaten prior to the next usage?

I think that if you used a weed and feed concentrate, It wouldn't harm the grass. ..Tenacity is a great product

 

[Hay Dude]

Anyone use a weed torch?
I was thinking about picking one up instead of continuing to spray Herbicides.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I only tried a weed burner once, many years ago in AZ. I had a serious influx of "goat's head" weed (don't know the "proper" name, we always called it goat's head) in my back yard. I decided to use a weed torch, thinking it would burn off the thorns on the seeds. It resulted in an explosion of weed growth in the yard that took forever to get rid of. I think the heat from the torch instantly germinated every weed seed in the yard simultaneously.

I never tried it again, lol.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I tried a weed torch last year. Not worth messing with for me. The few it did kill came back prettier almost immediately.

 

[oosik]

My mile long gravel driveway has weeds - both sides and middle - for the first 150 feet. I cut them down with my riding lawn mower. I do it twice a year. Because it's so very dry here - they don't grow back after the second cutting.

 

[bkenobi]

I tried burning when the cottonwood came down. That's really just for fun though. I don't think its particularly effective.

I used crossbow one year on advice how well it kills weeds (not knowing what it was). It did a fine job on those but half of the growth is grass so had to spray again with roundup.

 

[5030]

I use a small 16g Northern Star weed sprayer. 1 nozzle covers 8-10 ft. I have fit on a Craftsman mower. It currently goes in a golf cart cargo box and connects with alligator clips when needed.

I recently switched to Roundup Ultra Max 3. quicker knock down.

 

[nyone]

How big is your driveway? I have a 400ft driveway not including parking for 6 vehicles, a circle at the end and a RV pad. My 2gal pump sprayer does nearly the whole driveway.

Maybe you need to rough up the driving surface, wait a week then spray?

 

[Panik]

I'll check other sources too. It looks like my local Lowes may have a similar 15 gallon unit for $75 so that may be a better option. Neither have a boom off the back, but I'm thinking a bit of hose, a couple sprinkler heads, and a splitter would get me pretty much the same thing once mounted to some kind of dowel.

I know you mentioned that you're not a huge fan of herbicides.... but I gotta say getting a small wand/boom sprayer was one of the best investments I ever made for maintaining my property. I purchased something similar this model a couple of years ago for my bx2360. I'm pretty sure I bought in winter when there was some discounting going on with prices.

I already had a 3pt carryall so I built a slip on deck out of scrap wood for the sprayer and when I need to spray I pick it up with the carryall and strap it down with ratchet straps. The wand is super handy for spot spraying beds and the side of the road. The boom makes spraying the 600' gravel road to my shop so ridiculously easy that it feels like I'm cheating. A nice plus for me with having a jerry-rigged 3pt sprayer is that I can vary the height of the spray boom and account for wind drift.

 

[Panik]

Anyone use a weed torch?
I was thinking about picking one up instead of continuing to spray Herbicides.

I've got one and use it, but for pretty limited areas.... pretty much the couple places where I've used river rock to create drainage leading away from my house. They work, and they're fun to use in cooler weather... because, well fire. However, if I was looking do something beyond just spot treating, and I had the money, I'd be looking into some type of multi-head unit mounted on a hand dolly, or something I could tow behind an atv/utv.

 

[jyoutz]

The worst thing you can do with gravel driveway weeds is to do any disturbance to the road surface. That just loosens the road bed and encourages more weed germination. Cut the weeds first, then spray roundup. Then consider adding gravel to deepen the road bed.

 

[ultrarunner]

A also give it a few pumps to close the little diaphragm vent otherwise it leaks when tipped...

If you have a truck, place the backpack sprayer on the tailgate and slip your arms through the straps. I never spill weedkiller down my back that way. I also wear rubber gloves.