Sprayer 3 pt Sprayer Advice

[rmonio]

Interesting thread - how does one know what the best weed killer / mix is for their yard? And if I rent a sprayer unit (cheaper than buying for me now), where do I get the materials to do the spraying and how much should I get?

(I imagine it depends on the size of the yard - but figure a acre or two..)

Thanks!

-Bob

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I farm for a living, so I get about 8 oz of dicomba (Banvil, Clarity, etc.) per acre, mix with about 18 gal of water, & that should cover about an acre. This kills most broadleaves, does not harm most grasses.

You could more easily find 2,4D which does the same thing, slightly less effective. I'd use maybe 16 oz of 2,4D per acre per 18 gal of water.

You really get hosed for price in the lawn stores on this stuff, look in the ag section of farm supply stores, or go to an ag coop. The problem is, you will buy at least a gallon, more likely a 2 gallon jug of the concentrate, but the 2,4D is cheap, under $20. Dicomba will be more, $90 or so.

If you look at all the dandylion & broadleaf weed killers, these are the 2 most popular ingredients. You pay 3-5 times as much tho.

Know what you are doing, there are laws for mixing & handling this stuff, more isn't always better, there are different concentrations so read the label for mixing instructions, and I don't want to mis-type & cause you to kill your lawn over a typo. My comments are just a general idea of what might work....

--->Paul

 

[OkieG]

Minneapolis probably has at least one outlet for chemicals that the professional yard care guys use. "Estes" is one such company here in OKC. They also sell to homeowners and are very experienced re: advice on what to use, how much, how often, etc.

Also, the products are sold in gallons or more, and work out cheaper than buying smaller containers at WalMart, HomeDepot or Lowes.

OkieG

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Personally I like Trimec for the lawn and a mix of Banvel and 2-4-D for the pastures. The best time to spray in the NE is in September. The booklet that comes with the product will tell you the amount per acre to put down for the particular type of weeds. It's important to calibrate the sprayer for volume per acre, and larger droplets are better than a fine spray. You can buy a calibration bottle (inexpensive) that you put over a nozzle and drive a premeasured distance. The amount of water in the bottle tells you how much you are putting down per acre. You can adjust the volume by either adjusting the pressure valve or by changing your ground speed. Be careful not to calibrate the ground speed of your tractor faster than you can safely navigate the area to be sprayed. Also be careful of drift around plants, shrubs etc., so pick a very calm day.

 

[rmonio]

Thanks for the information. I'm going to rent a sprayer this year and give my weeds and lawn hell. I've got both pasture and lawn that I need to treat so I'll have to make sure that I handle it right. Are there any issues with kids, dogs, or others going near this stuff once it's been sprayed - and if so, what's the duration?

Thanks again!

-Bob

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Most of the stuff mentioned has a 7 day no graze for livestock, 21 days for milking animals. But check the labels.

I'd give the stuff 24 hours before letting the critters play on it, your choice on the kids - might want to not let them graze for a week either, but it's not required. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

--->Paul

 

[Kelvin]

Bob,

I am going to try and re-activate this post from last year to see if I can get some more advice.

I, too, was going to rent a sprayer, but the local rental company told me that they have quit renting out the sprayers because they were concerned about the EPA rules and not really knowing what chemicals the customer had used. Did you have any success renting a sprayer? If so, was it a boom sprayer or a wand/spot sprayer?

Because renting appears to not be an option, I am now looking for some type of boom sprayer to purchase. I saw a 3-point hitch model (10' boom and 60? gallon tank) for $419 without a pump. Do the members on this board recommend a PTO pump or an electric pump? I anticipate applying 2,4D with or without fertilizer mixed in (up to 5 acres). Would there be any advantages to a tow-behind model over the 3-point hitch model?

Are there any sprayers that can be both a boom sprayer and a spot sprayer by a simple changout of plumbing?

Thanks for any advice,
Kelvin

 

[EastTexFrank]

Kelvin, sprayers and chemicals are a really big subject. Firstly, I wouldn't rent a sprayer for the reasons you mention, mainly, you never know what's been in that tank before you use it and cleaning it can be a chore.
The easy part to answer is that you can plumb a wand or a gun into any system. Many sprayers come with it already done and on some it is an add-on.
I have a small 25 gallon, 12volt, tow behind sprayer with a short 6' boom that I use for herbicides on the lawn. I find a 10' boom , although it gets the work done faster, a little bit unwieldy to use around the lawn, trees, shrubs and flower beds. It's not really made for bouncing around pastures although I have used there a couple of times. It's not robust enough and the coverage area isn't big enough. The 12 volt pump works well, is simple to use and reliable. I also have a 60 gallon, 3-pt, boomless, broadcast sprayer that I use mainly for insecticides around the house and pasture and occasionally for herbicides in the pasture. Of the two, I think the 3-pt is my favorite because of the bigger tank and the area it covers. I like the broadcast sprayer for insecticdes because of the coverage that you get but it's not really suitable for herbicides unless you are working in wide open spaces because of the drift even on calm days. Both work well. It's just a case of personal preference and what will work best for you in your particular situation but I think I like my particular set up with the electric pump on the small tank and the PTO pump on the larger tank especially if your tractor has a hydro transmission. Otherwise you need a pressure regulator on the tank although most I've seen have a regulator as standard.
As for the chemicals, the cheapest place to get them is undoubtably the local feed store or co-op, especially when you buy them in 2-1/2 gallon lots. I know that it sounds like a lot of chemical but you will use it over time and the shelf life is usually around 3 years+ for most of them. 2-4-D is especially cheap when compared to the local garden store but you need to do some research because there are a multitude of chemicals you can use, some of them restricted, depending on the type of weeds you are fighting and the type of grass you have. 2-4-D is good but it often works better when used in combination with some other chemical. Again, it just depends on what you are trying to achieve ... and kill.
I hope this hasn't been too confusing and has helped some but as I said at the start, sprayers and chemicals are a big subject especially when you want to use them safely, effectively and get the biggest bang for your buck.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Kelvin, I'm in the process of building my own 3pt hitch spray rig.

I think the disadvantage to the tow behind units is that they bounce around on anything other than a nice smooth flat lawn. My "lawn" is relcaimed farm land and is nothing remotely close to as smooth as a suburban lawn. I don't have a lot of spraying to do, but if you have any uneven terrain then consider a 3pt hitch mounted unit, unless the tow behind unit you are consider is one of those really big and really heavy units. I think the little 15 to 25 gallon tow behind units sold by Northern Tool, TSC and others would simply bounce around. JMHO.

 

[MikefromMI]

Hi,
Bob Skurkas thread has alot of the answers to questions I'm reading here.
One thing I never thought about when I purchased my 3pt was that I won't ever be able to pull the sprayer behind the mower and spray while I cut. You have to have an electric setup to support that or another motor...