Spray bar advice for those with tractors, yard sprayers

[SouthLake]

Looking for some advice on building a yard sprayer. I know guys here have some pretty sweet toys like tractors and stuff so maybe someone here has already done this.

I plan on using the HF 20 gallon electric pump sprayer, then I would like to plumb it to a spray bar. I plan on using this on a John Deere Gator. The tank, and pump are easy. Assuming 20 gallons is ok for small 16,000 sq feet of grass, I live rural. A few fill ups per application isnt a problem.

What I'm having a hard time with is finding a spray bar itself. Need something like 4 feet wide that can apply fertilizer ect.

I dont want to spend a ton of money because the set up is only going to be used maybe 3-4 times a year, residentially. I only found one spray bar on amazon, and it looks like ****.

I can do some light welding... if I found a bar I was going to try to fab something up to hold the bar from the rear trailer hitch on the gator.

a guy at work mentioned to just use misting nozzles from water misters used in hot places like Arizona but i dont think that is the right tool for the job. Plus id have to make a entire bar ect. looking for something a little more pre-packaged ready to go, that i can tweak for the gator.

 

[Higgins]

Try looking at Farm and Fleet, Green Leaf 2 Nozzle Sprayer Boom Kit .
They use to have kits that would allow you to adapt to anything you would like to do!

AL

 

[SouthLake]

never knew that website even existed, thank you!!

 

[kd3pc]

the easiest "bar" is a piece of 1/2 copper tubing cut, with "T"s where you want to solder in a nozzle (caps can be drilled for the nozzle) of your choice or you can you just use an awl and poke a small hole in the copper tube. Add a feed connector and two caps on the end.

Use a spring clamp to see where you want it, then fab up a mount.

easy peasy.

 

[SouthLake]

Thank you guys, i will get to these websites and start searching, thanks for the direction

 

[kj_mustang]

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200646314_200646314

I bought this one in the spring and sprayed a couple acres with roundup. Worked fine.

 

[SouthLake]

I bought this one in the spring and sprayed a couple acres with roundup. Worked fine.

the only problem with that is I would have to store it outside. If i could drop a tank into the bed of the gator, slap a bar on the hitch and go... i could store easily in the shed. I dont think i could keep a unit like that outdoors without it getting screwed up.

 

[stingry]

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200326933_200326933

This is what I use. No need for a spray bar. Width can be adjusted up to 16 ft wide

 

[SouthLake]

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200326933_200326933

This is what I use. No need for a spray bar. Width can be adjusted up to 16 ft wide

is that easily adjustable though? if i want to switch to pesticide or fertilizer? seems like it would dump out a LOT of application

 

[SouthLake]

Farm and Fleet

this website has a ton of stuff! i think i'll find what i need here. lots of choices. do you guys think 25 gallons for 15,000 sq feet of yard is big enough? thats not that much grass... just need a size that could cover that with a few fill ups.

 

[larry_g]

I put 25 gallons on 5 acres. You have .33 acres. Spraying is not a simple thing to do if you want to do it right. You have to figure dilution rate, ground speed, GPM of the sprayer, the correct application rate of the spray your using, know the weed or weeds your trying to control and the time of year to apply.

On edit this is the one I have, https://www.spotlyte.com/27gallon.html , The DL model. It comes with heads to spray right, left, or center. The right/left heads are great for spraying fence lines. https://www.spotlyte.com/broadcastspraying.html The tank agitation feature is important.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[stingry]

is that easily adjustable though? if i want to switch to pesticide or fertilizer? seems like it would dump out a LOT of application

No different than a spray bar. Once you know your application rate, you can vary the dilution rate of what you are applying. I have used this nozzle for many years and it has served me well.

 

[Flatland Dave]

I agree with Larry g. It isn't just dump it in and let it fly.
Spray.com. Wil get you started with ideas of what you need.

Speed, pressure, gallons per acre, tip size, fan width, boom height etc.....

 

[Keith_MN]

I have one like this: https://m.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200578572_200578572

No need for a boom with this kind of broadcast sprayer. And no risk of hooking a boom on a tree or something.

I just made a mount for it on the back of my garden tractor. Works great.

 

[gnpenning]

As mentioned there is a little research needed for correct application rates. Online calibration is available for correct application rates.

You can easily make your own spray bar. If you noticed in the tow behind sprayer the hose they used can be purchased at farm or box stores. Then buying the correct fittings to adapt to your pump and what ever nozzles you pick. Then just a matter of fabbing up a support bar.

You will need a surfactant and depending on the PH of your water a PH adjuster. Then deciding what your target weeds are and the best herbicide to use. If you didn't know, fall is the best time to spray the weeds while they are taking in everything they can, to get through the winter.

 

[marineman]

I have one of these at the hunting land for maintaining food plots. It's designed for ATV's but would probably be just fine strapped in the bed of a Gator. If you already have the HF sprayer it's not a terrible deal to make your own bar. I've seen anything from factory looking bars to a pvc pipe with some holes and they all work. The hard part is the rest of the math behind the bar but you really only have to do that once. Figure out your coverage and flow rate at a specific speed then just dilute your mix to match. The good thing about a store bought unit is generally the owners manual already has that math done for you.

 

[HenryAZ]

I have about two acres to spray twice a year (pre-emergent+glyphosate). It is too irregular in shape to use a spray bar, so I bought one of those Northern 26 gallon sprayers with 12v pump. Since I have a pallet fork frame for the FEL, I just built a base out of 4x4's and 2x6's to mount the sprayer. The pump hooks up with the same type of connector as my Battery Tender, which already has a pigtail on the tractor battery, so I just plug it into the tractor battery for smaller areas. For larger areas, I built a battery holder on the fork frame and use a 100 amp-hour aux battery for the pump. To do everything at one time, it takes about 7-8 tankfuls. I just use the wand (not the one that came with the sprayer), rather than the boom. Bought 50' of hose from McMaster-Carr, use marking die, and with a good wand I can cover a large irregular area very quickly. I replaced the cheap ineffective wand that came with the unit with Fimco pistol grip wand with an excellent brass nozzle. It covers lots of ground quickly. Agri-Supply is where I got the wand.

In between spray times, the tank on its "pallet" frame just lifts off and stores in the shed.

 

[bugnut]

I used cheap scrap bed frame rail saw to length drill holes make it fold up so it stores easier. Rubber hose to Tractor Supply Nozzles, enjoy.

 

[billspit]

I used to make up spray booms using regular old angle iron. Buy the better quality sprayer parts even if you have to go on-line to get it. I used to use Delavan and Teejet stuff. It is possible to use a single nozzle setup, but I don't know how consistent it is across the pattern. It should be fine for fertilizer. Spraying 20gpa is considered a pretty good application rate.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

A frame made out of light gauge steel, unistrut to hold the boom, PVC boom and sprayer parts from Tractor Supply. The PVC is good as a boom so nothing breaks if you hit something.

 

[SouthLake]

cant thank you guys enough for all the good info here, much appreciated

 

[McFarmer]

Haven’t read all the replies but you don’t want your bar to carry the spray. Any old pipe will do and then use rubber hose for the spray. You can then vary the spacing as you wish.

Adding nozzles is easy. Get flat fan type, with drip stop bodies, and screens.

 

[SouthLake]

I have to thank you guys for saving me a trip to HF and saving time having to fab something, since ive learned these come as complete units...

I found this one at Northern tool I think it's the best fit. $260 and done. I like that the spray bar is low to the ground, and will be narrower than the rear wheel width of the gator.

The product I am going to apply is only a gallon per 1000 sq ft.. I think I will attach a much longer hose to the wand for treating areas close to the house.

NorthStar Broadcast and Spot Sprayer with 2-Nozzle Boom— 26-Gallon Capacity, 2.2 GPM, 12 Volts
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200726349_200726349

I'll just set it right in the back of the gator (without the wood)

 

[SouthLake]

Wanted to update this thread...
So I ended up purchasing this 26 gallon 2-boom tank sprayer from Northern Tool. It was packaged very poorly, I had to replace a pickup tube which NT took care of. I removed the short spray wand hose, and replaced it with this 3/8th x 50' of pneumatic hose. The spray wand is pretty bad. Even though it's all metal with brass tip, I dont like the spray pattern or stream. I feel like you can't reduce it enough, that it's always putting out too much product. I will prob swap the wand out. The other thing is the pump pressure adjustment is facing outward on the right side, so adjusting the pressure / rate on the fly is impossible. To keep it in the bed, just simple rubber straps on the handles pulling the tank towards the front of the bed does the trick to keep it stable. It comes with a hand toggle switch so running the quick clamps to the battery is easy, and you just toggle it for start / stop.

In my particular case I needed 1 oz of product per 1000 sq feet, I mix an ounce to a gallon. The nozzles are supposedly pre-calibarated and a chart is included. In this case I run 20 PSI at 2 MPH from 20" nozzle height and that's 1 gallon per 1000 sq feet according to the chart.

Storage: its kind of big and bulky, I hooked up pulleys from the inside of the shed roof, so I just back the gator in, hook the lines up to the tank handles, and it hoists out and hangs out of way from the roof until its needed again.

It's not perfect, but it's pretty cheap by sprayer tank standards. For occasional residential use this system seems to get the job done. It's only the first time ive used it so I cant speak to longevity. And its my first experience with any tank sprayer so I had a bit of a learning curve trying to figure out the product application.

 

[RPH]

Before replacing the wand look at replacing the spray tip. Many different styles for pattern and flow. Tsc carries them, I suspect you can get them at most farm stores.

 

[SouthLake]

good idea! but the tip on the included wand is permanently attached.

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

I'll add a few things....Look at the "TeeJet Technologies" web site for tons of information on spraying lawn/farm chemicals.

Even though I have several mowers and tractors with hydrostatic drives, I always use the one left with a manual transmission. When putting down chemicals, it is very important to know how fast you are traveling, and to maintain that known speed. Holding an exact speed with hydrostatic drives is very difficult. If you let the speed creep up, you are going too fast, and the chemicals will, or may be, spread too thin to do what they are supposed to. If you go too slow, you are putting down too much chemical, and may get undesired results, plus, since many of these chemicals are expensive, you are wasting money.

All that said, once you get it sorted out, write down the amount of water in the tanks, the ounces of chemicals added, and the speed you traveled at, and next year will be a breeze.

An added advantage of tank sprayers is that you can apply multiple chemicals at the same time. I spray a broad-leaf herbicide and a lawn fertilizer at the same time. Works great. I add a dye to the tank, which allows me to see where I've treated, so i don't hit places twice.




.

 

[SouthLake]

Thank you! I calculated the speed by time distance and referenced the engine RPM. I keep a cross check with a gps.

Can you tell me about this dye? It was hard to see where I was. How long does the dye stay down?

 

[larry_g]

Another thing to do is clean, clean, clean the sprayer and the spray buggy after doing your spraying. Some of the chemicals are highly corrosive and will rust your buggy in short order. The dye should be available at any farm store the chemicals are sold and can discolor your spray buggy so beware if your one to keep things pristine.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Bent Handle]

If you’ve got a road or parking lot, mark off x 1000 square ft and calibrate the tank with just water.

 

[lonejacklarry]

Can you tell me about this dye? It was hard to see where I was. How long does the dye stay down?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049I2FPM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

This is what I use. Be careful with the stuff. Don't mix or spill on concrete because it will be there forever. Same with painted items.

It fades on the grass after a couple of days. It's a little pricey but will pay for itself by preventing double application of whatever you are spraying.

 

[sberry]

Look at this example of fine craftsmanship. Folding spring suspension boom, zone spray, row shield, switch to fresh for clean out, wand or boom spray.

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

LoneJack had most of the scoop on the dye, It does fade quickly, and it is expensive, but worth it. I buy the dye where I get the chemicals. The place used to be called Lesco, but that was bought by John Deere Landscaping, and it is now called "LandPro". Typical accountants ploy.... keep selling the company, changing the name, but not much else changes. Same employees, same products, but each time they sell the place, they put new labels on all the packages.

I had a buddy who is in charge of the grounds for a local school district tell me about a device which has a small tank which is filled with dish soap. There is a small pump and nozzles which mount on each end of the spray bar. As he sprays, the device leaves a trail of soap bubbles on the ground, so he knows how to position the sprayer on the return trip. It works great, but was WAY out of my price range. My tax dollars bought his, but I couldn't afford one of my own.

The only disadvantage was that on hot days, the bubbles didn't last very long; on long fields, they were gone by the time he got to the end, turned around and got back to his starting point. Luckily, we don't get that much hot weather here.



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