F.E. Myers Air Blast Orchard Sprayer Information

[Seven Gables]

As it sits right now, my FMC has a 30" fan and the tractor moves it right along. I am sure adding a lot more weight and a larger pump and larger rotating mass may change that. I do not have 6-10k. I am a bottom feeder. We have an 18 acres and a relatively small operation. I work full time as a teacher and the trees are only 7 years old. We are just getting marketable fruit and if it wasn't for 2 years of drought we would probably have opened to the public this last year.

I would love to get a decent machine that I can use for a couple years and pass it down the road to another young farmer who needs a cheap machine to get started.

We are in southern Wisconsin, 33 kinds of apples. We grow lots of heritage varieties, Ashmead Kernal, Harrison, Wolf River, Orleans, Arkansas Black, Macomb.... to name a few.

That sprayer kinda reminds me of the sprayer I started out with, a old John Bean 300gal probably from the 1960’s . Wasn’t a pto drive but a engine drive, used a Wisconsin air cooled 4cyl. Pulled it with a open station 3400 ford with a loader, only tractor we had or could afford. Both were well used, remember the old ford was quite trouble free but seemed I was always wrenching on that old sprayer trying to get sprays on in a timely manner.

 

[r8f1k]

Well, I won the auction. For $7.50. I think that is a decent enough starting point, might be worth a little sweat equity

 

[masseyrider]

Well, I won the auction. For $7.50. I think that is a decent enough starting point, might be worth a little sweat equity

worth getting if only to flip it for scrap value.
Good buy.

 

[r8f1k]

Any advice on what to start with? I was thinking, pull off all of the nozzles, blow it out with compressed air, vacuum any debris out of the bottom of the tank, rinse the tank out, disconnect any hoses and blow them out.

The pump, I'm not sure.......I'm afraid to tear into it without a diagram or manual. I think I would disassemble one pump valve at a time, record it with my phone while I do it on a bench. Clean it all up and put it back together. I have a feeling that a number of the o-rings in there will be replaceable with generic sizes.

I can use the belts and hoses that are on it for its first test with just water. I figured that I would run 2 full tanks through before I replace any more serious parts like belts, hoses, nozzles, bearings, etc.

Thoughts?

 

[Seven Gables]

Sounds like you bought it right for 7.50 . I’d say you’re on the right track with cleaning everything up . It’s got to have a strainer on the inlet side of the pump, I’d open that up and have a look. Hopefully the strainer housing isn’t cracked from freezing. I’d also seriously try to figure out what model the pump is and see if rebuild kits are still available, hopefully there isn’t freeze damage to it.
Is the fan housing made of sheet metal? If so is it still in decent shape? Before hooking your tractor to it I’d try turning the pto shaft over by hand, maybe use a pipe wrench on pto shaft for this.
What type of pump is it ? Probably a piston but could be centrifugal also. If you could take some good pictures of everything and post them would help to diagnose the situation.

 

[r8f1k]

Ok, I was able to pick the sprayer up today and take some more photos of the unit. Everything is there, someone did open all the valves and remove the strainers, there is a repair on the fiberglass tank that isn't the best, but I have repaired fiberglass before. There is a little rot on the steel chassis, primarily on the strapping that holds down the tank. Nothing that can't be easily fixed with 1" wide strapping.

I have a number off of the pump itself:
F.E. Myers Co. Division of McNeil Corp.
Catalog No. 6125 1180
Serial No. 136
Engineering No. 6087E2

Any idea how to find parts/catalogs on the pump?

 

[r8f1k]

I should add that it has the cable actuated controls with the 'joysticks'. I would like to convert to 12VDC solenoids, any recommended solenoids for this application?

 

[Seven Gables]

Ok, I was able to pick the sprayer up today and take some more photos of the unit. Everything is there, someone did open all the valves and remove the strainers, there is a repair on the fiberglass tank that isn't the best, but I have repaired fiberglass before. There is a little rot on the steel chassis, primarily on the strapping that holds down the tank. Nothing that can't be easily fixed with 1" wide strapping.

I have a number off of the pump itself:
F.E. Myers Co. Division of McNeil Corp.
Catalog No. 6125 1180
Serial No. 136
Engineering No. 6087E2

Any idea how to find parts/catalogs on the pump?

I’d look up some FE. Myers pump dealers and see what they can tell you about that pump and parts availability. Also as I mentioned before you could call Phil Brown Welding and see what they can tell you about it.
As far as electric valves I like the TeeJet series motor driven ball valves, I’ve got 9-10 years on a set in present sprayer and no issues. They make a lot of styles.
they’ve got a 46page PDF of all there options to choose from, very informative.

 

[r8f1k]

I will try to reach out to F.E. Myers and Phil Brown next week, might be tricky with the holidays, but I will get into that ASAP.

I was able to remove the pump today, most of it looks good at first glance. The pump turns with no unusual resistance. Some the oil is clean and no evidence of water intrusion. The belts are worn and need to be replaced, no doubt.

As I tore into the machine to remove the pump, the lines in and out had a fair amount of scale and rust in them. I'm concerned going forward with the existing galvanized pipe that is currently in the sprayer, but I am also hesitant to replace the old galvanized pipe with new galvanized pipe. Eventually there will be rust again. I have considered copper, but it is expensive when you get to the larger sizes like 1" to 1-1/2". I was thinking of replacing the piping with PVC. Any reason to not do that? It seems cost effective and immune to corrosion and chemicals. Thoughts?

 

[Seven Gables]

Not sure what pressure that sprayer is designed to run at , probably in the 150-200 range . I pretty much run my turbo mist diaphragm pump system at 150psi with occasional spikes to around 200. Years ago I had a FMC sprayer with piston pump that as I recall I ran at 300 working pressure. As long as the pvc pipe is rated to handle the sprayers working pressure I guess I don’t see why it couldn’t work, don’t think I’ve seen it used in sprayers though. Is that Myers pump a piston pump? and do you know what pressures the system is designed to run at ?