THANKS for posting those pic's Kraig!
Some people wanted to know about the new sprayer I built this spring. I had been using a 14 gal. ATV sprayer with a small 12V diaphram pump to run the 4-nozzle spray boom all attached to this old cart with good results for many years, but three years ago I bought a new crabgrass spray that was only available in a wettable powder at the time. I didn't think the 5 oz. plastic bags of powder would dissolve properly in only 14 gal. of water. So I started getting parts gathered for a BIGGER sprayer.
The little blue pump is a HYPRO # 4101C available @ Blains Farm & Fleet for about $85. It runs at up to 2600 RPM @ 7.2 gal. per minute and 100 PSI compared to about 7/10 gal/min @ 50-55 PSI for the old pump. This lets Me run much bigger nozzles, 1/2 GPM each @ 50 PSI verses .17 GPM each with the old pump. But the diaphram pump shuts itself off if exceeds it's max. pressure. The roller pump basically destroys the nylon rollers and eventually the case if it runs too long at max PSI. I also needed excess flow to agitate the spray solution in the tank while spraying to keep the powder in solution. The tank is a 55 gal. rated tank avail. from Northern Tools for $99.99.
I run the pump at about 1600 engine rpm which is 2450-2500 pump RPM which is about 1 mph in 1st gear with a GD CC, Boom is 80 inches wide, so I cover right around 600 square feet per minute and spray 2.0 Gal. over those 600 sq. ft. Makes for easy mixing of the solutions.
Toughest part was trying to create the pressure regulating system with a little help from HYPRO's website. Just a week ago I came up with the right solution to this problem. The second pic shows the hitch on the cart attached to the tractor, the hoses run under or inside the channel, the supply hose from the tank to the pump runs from the sump on the bottom of the tank through the floor of the cart up under the rearend of the Cubbie, up to the inlet of the pump, (right side of tractor, S/G side) and the pressure hose runs back under the tractor, inside the channel and up the front of the cart.
The pressure hose runs to a TEE, and then to a pair of pressure regulators, One set to about 60-70 PSI to the bypass lines into the agitation nozzles at the frt & back top of the tank. The other end of the hose from the TEE runs to the boom regulator set for 50 PSI, then a 1/4-turn valve to shut off the boom, then to another TEE to monitor pressure in the boom, the gauge is mounted at the top front of the tank for easy monitoring.
I sprayed the yard last Thursday with the crabgrass herbicide using this sprayer. After a couple small showers in the early AM I got the first batch mixed about 9:30 AM and had two batches down and the sprayer cleaned & rinsed by NOON. The pump is easy to turn on/off with the frt PTO, with the larger nozzls plugging & poor spray patterns are a thing of the past, I'm still using the same extra fine mesh nozzle screens from the old small nozzles. I put one bag of powder per tank of water, add 20-25 gal. of water, throw the whole water-soluable bag in, hit it with the spray gun on the garden hose, and by the time the tank had the correct 48 gal. of water in it the solution was well mixed. The tractor & pump ran the whole time I was filling the sprayer and driving to the point I started spraying at. I'd shut the pump off for a few seconds, turn the boom valve on, start the tractor moving and turn the PTO on and I was spraying.
FIMCO makes a similar sized sprayer that BLAIN's sells for around $1300 that powers the Customer-supplied pump with a second 5 HP engine. I have right at $350 invested in this sprayer including the pump, tank, psi regulators, hose, fittings, new nozzles, clamps, and the pump drive belt. I could duplicate My spray boom for $20-$30 for the hose, clamps, & fittings.
I don't like to control weeds with fertilizer, makes the grass grow too fast in spring and also makes it too susceptable to drought in the summer. I wish I could say My yard has no crabgrass but this is a pre-emergent spray so I had to get it down before the crabgrass sprouted. I'll know how it worked by mid July. I'm going to use this sprayer to apply My broadleaf herbicide this summer for dandelions, Etc. The "Roundup-Ready" version of this pump is over $200 so I will not be using this sprayer with any Roundup. The old 14 gal. 12V sprayer will still get that job.
Anyone has any questions just ask! Once again, Thank's for posting these pic's KRAIG!
Some people wanted to know about the new sprayer I built this spring. I had been using a 14 gal. ATV sprayer with a small 12V diaphram pump to run the 4-nozzle spray boom all attached to this old cart with good results for many years, but three years ago I bought a new crabgrass spray that was only available in a wettable powder at the time. I didn't think the 5 oz. plastic bags of powder would dissolve properly in only 14 gal. of water. So I started getting parts gathered for a BIGGER sprayer.
The little blue pump is a HYPRO # 4101C available @ Blains Farm & Fleet for about $85. It runs at up to 2600 RPM @ 7.2 gal. per minute and 100 PSI compared to about 7/10 gal/min @ 50-55 PSI for the old pump. This lets Me run much bigger nozzles, 1/2 GPM each @ 50 PSI verses .17 GPM each with the old pump. But the diaphram pump shuts itself off if exceeds it's max. pressure. The roller pump basically destroys the nylon rollers and eventually the case if it runs too long at max PSI. I also needed excess flow to agitate the spray solution in the tank while spraying to keep the powder in solution. The tank is a 55 gal. rated tank avail. from Northern Tools for $99.99.
I run the pump at about 1600 engine rpm which is 2450-2500 pump RPM which is about 1 mph in 1st gear with a GD CC, Boom is 80 inches wide, so I cover right around 600 square feet per minute and spray 2.0 Gal. over those 600 sq. ft. Makes for easy mixing of the solutions.
Toughest part was trying to create the pressure regulating system with a little help from HYPRO's website. Just a week ago I came up with the right solution to this problem. The second pic shows the hitch on the cart attached to the tractor, the hoses run under or inside the channel, the supply hose from the tank to the pump runs from the sump on the bottom of the tank through the floor of the cart up under the rearend of the Cubbie, up to the inlet of the pump, (right side of tractor, S/G side) and the pressure hose runs back under the tractor, inside the channel and up the front of the cart.
The pressure hose runs to a TEE, and then to a pair of pressure regulators, One set to about 60-70 PSI to the bypass lines into the agitation nozzles at the frt & back top of the tank. The other end of the hose from the TEE runs to the boom regulator set for 50 PSI, then a 1/4-turn valve to shut off the boom, then to another TEE to monitor pressure in the boom, the gauge is mounted at the top front of the tank for easy monitoring.
I sprayed the yard last Thursday with the crabgrass herbicide using this sprayer. After a couple small showers in the early AM I got the first batch mixed about 9:30 AM and had two batches down and the sprayer cleaned & rinsed by NOON. The pump is easy to turn on/off with the frt PTO, with the larger nozzls plugging & poor spray patterns are a thing of the past, I'm still using the same extra fine mesh nozzle screens from the old small nozzles. I put one bag of powder per tank of water, add 20-25 gal. of water, throw the whole water-soluable bag in, hit it with the spray gun on the garden hose, and by the time the tank had the correct 48 gal. of water in it the solution was well mixed. The tractor & pump ran the whole time I was filling the sprayer and driving to the point I started spraying at. I'd shut the pump off for a few seconds, turn the boom valve on, start the tractor moving and turn the PTO on and I was spraying.
FIMCO makes a similar sized sprayer that BLAIN's sells for around $1300 that powers the Customer-supplied pump with a second 5 HP engine. I have right at $350 invested in this sprayer including the pump, tank, psi regulators, hose, fittings, new nozzles, clamps, and the pump drive belt. I could duplicate My spray boom for $20-$30 for the hose, clamps, & fittings.
I don't like to control weeds with fertilizer, makes the grass grow too fast in spring and also makes it too susceptable to drought in the summer. I wish I could say My yard has no crabgrass but this is a pre-emergent spray so I had to get it down before the crabgrass sprouted. I'll know how it worked by mid July. I'm going to use this sprayer to apply My broadleaf herbicide this summer for dandelions, Etc. The "Roundup-Ready" version of this pump is over $200 so I will not be using this sprayer with any Roundup. The old 14 gal. 12V sprayer will still get that job.
Anyone has any questions just ask! Once again, Thank's for posting these pic's KRAIG!
