Broadcast Sprayer

[tcbusch]

I have an RV water pump and a 4 gallon tank. I am going to try and make a broadcast sprayer. Has anyone here tried this before. Are there any gotchas? I would like to spray while I mow to kill 2 birds with one stone, so to speak. I have some nasty weeds to get rid of. I need the tips to for the sprayer. Is there a source out there for tips?

Thanks in advance,

 

[jgeorg]

Terry, try Northern, Northern Tool, Northern Hydraulics, or whatever they are calling themselves this month. They sell a unit like your making and have a good selection of replacement sprayer parts.

 

[dtiernan]

Terry,

Mills Fleet Farm, Tractor Supply or someone like that should also have the holders and nozzles with different spray patterns.

I made one out of an 55 gal plastic barrel, sprayer pump, tubing and nozzles I got from TSC.

I don't know if you want to mow and spray at the same time. I think the spray needs to get on the leaves of the plant to do it's job. ( If the leaves aren't cut off they might catch more killer.)

<FONT SIZE="-2">IMO, FWIW, YMMV, My $0.02, Yada, Yada, Yada...</FONT>

 

[dfrisk]

I built a broadcast sprayer from an ATV sprayer like Northern sells in their catalog about 8-9 yrs ago. I used full size Ag spray nozzels from F&F, smallest size they had avail., .17 Gal./minute/nozzel@ 50 PSI. My boom has four nozzels 20" apart so covers 80". Like Denny says, I wouldn't try spraying while mowing..... Depending on what Your spraying for weed killer (like Roundup) You'll have Your hands full anyhow just spraying. 5 gallon may be a bit small for a tank. My ATV sprayer is 14-15 gallon, and sometimes I wish it was much bigger! Remember to plumb in as many strainers & filters as You can. Those small tips plug REAL easy.

 

[tcbusch]

I will have to ask the Fleet Farm and/or Northern Tool for help picking out a nozzle. Wish me luck. I have looked for the nozzles and have seen a few items on the shelves that look like what I need, but I am not sure if they are the right type.

I am trying to get rid of Creeping Charlie (no relation to our own

). This weed is a bit tough. You need to spray every two weeks for a long time. If you stop and you didn't get it all it comes right back. This weed also is very short so when I mow it doesn't cut the weed at all. A 54" spray pattern would be perfect. I have a wand type sprayer on the 4 gallon tank now but I have to hand crank to pressurize the tank. My arm feels like its going to fall off after a hour. That why I am going to try the RV water pump. The wand by itself might be an option if drive slow and wave it back and forth behind me. But two broadcast tips would be better.

Do any of you have pictures, part numbers, or descriptions of what type of tip I need?

Thanks again,

 

[sblunier]

T-Jet (possibly Tee-Jet) makes a majority of the sprayer tips. etc. stocked at ag stores.

 

[dfrisk]

"Shameless Plug for another Division of My Employer" HYPRO has a good selection also. Just do a search on either. Steve's suggestion of "tee-jet" is correct.

 

[F12Mahon]

Terry Busch

I have a 25 gal. Fimco sprayer that came only with a hand wand. I made a boom out of a 2X4 and 3 TeeJet nozzles spaced at 30 inches. The nozzle number is TT11003-VP. I used 3/8 ammonia hose and the appropriate nozzle holders for the plumbing.

My pump runs constantly so you might want to check the pump for over heating if you spray a lot since mine says it's not for continuous use. I sprayed a half acre nonstop with no problems. YMMV.

Here is a link to a picture. It's kinda dark but you can still get the idea.

http://groups.msn.com/GatewaytothePines/gardentractorstuff.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=28

(Message edited by emcmahon on May 04, 2005)

 

[hsimon]

Terry- another source for a pump and nozzles and all the supplies you need to make your sprayer is L&D Ag in Heartland MN. They also could aid in the design if need be, they are a very knowledgeable bunch of guys there. And they deal in sprayers all year round so they know what would work best.

 

[kmcconaughey]

I recently got a catalog from this place Agri Supply the first 13 pages of the catalog is nothing but sprayers and sprayer parts.

 

[tcbusch]

Thanks everyone, great information.

Eugene, In the catalog that Kraig posted there is a TT11003-VP TeeJet nozzle. Is that all I need or is there something else, like a holder or something that I would need. I realize that I would need to plumb the system and everything so I am not talking about anything I can buy from a hardware store.

Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks again,

 

[F12Mahon]

Terry,

You'll need some of these. http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=4&paID=1034&sonID=164&page=1&productID=1721

 

[tcbusch]

Thanks everyone for their advice. I built and finished the sprayer project today. I picked up a 18 gallon barrel from a farmer buddy yesterday. I had my wife stop by the local Farm and Home store to pick up 3 spray nozzles and filters. She also picked up some barbed fittings and 3/8" hose. The bill came to $9. Today we went to Menard's and picked up a 2 wheeled cart and a 2" piece of angle iron for $30. I used a piece of 1" square tubing i had laying around for the hitch. I still need to paint the hitch, but I wanted to wait until I used it a bit to make sure no modifications are necessary. I used it to spray the boulevard across the road today as a test run and it worked better that I expected. Excellent coverage with little effort. Just flip a switch to turn it on or off. Total price tag was about $50 Which is much less than the $270 for a factory built unit.

 

[dfrisk]

TERRY - On the spacing of Your nozzles the package the spray tips came in should have the recommended spacing between the nozzles and the height from the ground required. Mount them according to these directions. My nozzles are supposed to be spaced 20" apart and 20" off the ground. And when I spray straight water on My driveway the entire spray pattern evaporates off at one time assuring even coverage. This is how I check for plugged or worn spray nozzels....If one is plugged it concentrates the water and takes longer to evaporate. AND YES, They DO wear out. Also may be a good idea to plumb a pressure gauge into the hose running from the pump to the spray boom. The package the nozzles came in will have a gallon per minute rating for different pressures and in order to get proper coverage You need to know how much spray Your putting on, how much coverage You have..width is the spacing from the outside nozzles only, The nozzels have to over-lap to provide proper coverage, at least My FAN nozzles do. To get good results from Your spraying You have to apply it precisely. My sprayer only puts on 1/5th the amount of spray per 1000 sq. feet the labels require so I mix the spray five times stronger than called for. And when I spray Ortho Weed-B-Gone I get excellent control of the broadleaf weeds in My yard. There's a reason why Farmers who spray their own weed killers have to go to school and be Certified to spray and even buy herbicides now days. I see the time coming when residential users have to be certified too.

 

[tcbusch]

Dennis,
My nozzles are designed for 20 inches part and 12 inches off the ground. I bought them that way planning for my design. The only thing I don't know as of yet it the gpm coverage. I am spreading TriMec which requires about 15 oz per 15 gallons. Before I spray the yard I will put a coffee can under each nozzle and run for 5 minutes to make my calculations. This should be accurate enough. I did do the "spray the driveway" test and it passed. There is some overlap to compensate for taller lawn grass.

BTW, The weeds in boulevard across the street are already wilting.

 

[dfrisk]

TERRY - Sounds like Your just about all set! Guy on the RedPower Magazine forum posted pictures of His sprayer yesterday. Looks almost identicle to Your's except His boom has four nozzles and is designed to fold up for storage/transport. I suggest a Gear Drive CC for spraying. I tried My 129 ONCE when spraying around trees & bushes and I ran out of hands to run everything. They also normally hold a constant speed better when broadcast spraying. And I spliced a rocker switch into the power line from the battery to the pump motor so I don't have to reach behind Me to turn the pump off/on. And also be sure to rinse the tank, hoses, & nozzles out at least three times when putting the sprayer away. Some chemicals attack the rubber the diaphram in the pump is made from and they last much longer when You clean them really well.

 

[rosen]

Terry-
Use this calculator from Spraying Systems Co., Teejet Support, to determine the volume that should be in, one, of your coffee cans, for a given period.
http://www.teejet.com/MS/TeeJet/support2.asp?ID=75
Determine your groundspeed to plug in, by timing yourself across a meaured distance, such as a hundred feet.