3-pt sprayers? What's good and what's junk?

[Sid Post]

I'm initially looking at a Fimco 40 gal. 4-Nozzle 3 Point Hitch Sprayer commonly seen at Tractor Supply and similar big box stores. I don't want junk but, I also can't afford $3K for sprayer.

I don't want to spend ~$600 on something that won't work in the long run or that is problem prone. I would rather spend more to get something reliable, dependable, and durable. I need to spray multiple ~10 acre patches of heavy weeds and some vines.

What should I look for? What should I avoid? Being able to use it with my B2601 would be nice but, isn't a requirement. Initially, I'm looking for something in the 40~60 Gallon range.

Is Boomless better for not getting hung up in weeds and general ease of transport since it lacks booms? Or will I get a better application with ~12' boom?

TIA,
Sid

 

[JohnnyMX]

I have a 30 gallon Fimco from TSC and purchased a 5' boom off Amazon which came with a 120 degree spray pattern or so. I pull my tank in the back of the RTV. I heard tons of horror stories in reviews about the sprayers there too and took a shot. I've had no real issues to date. I did put some pipe dope on the connections to avoid any chance of leaks or pressure loss and fixed one of the plastic/rubber pump mounts in the last 6 years. Replacement parts can be found at TSC if needed. I made a rig that gets the mini-boom down about 18" from the ground to keep from fogging everything and spray after cutting for my application. The larger boom seems like it would be better if you are doing multiple 10acre plots, but have never run a true boomless system. I wouldn't worry about the reliability from what I've seen.

 

[dodge man]

I got this one from Northern Tool. I mount it on one of those racks that you put on the back of a hitch on a truck or SUV. I already had the rack. For what ever reason I feel you pay to much for one setup already for a 3 point. it costs $369 today, I paid $319. it’s 26 gallon. It works well, has a separate wand, and you can control the pressure of the pump. The bad, it leaked. It took me less than an hour to fix it but the assembly was poor. I don’t know if this is a fact or not but I think it was designed in the US but made in Asia. The pic is where I was playing with the spray pattern with water. It sprays maybe 24 foot wide.

 

[oosik]

I have a Demco with a 25 gallon tank. I use it to spray thistles. I got it with a 25 foot hose and wand. Demco makes all sizes and with any method of application you want. I've had it 32 years now and it still works fine. I paid $385 for it 32 years ago.

Wife would drive the tractor - I'd walk behind and spray the bull thistles.

 

[3gunr]

The booms will give you a more accurate spray path and not get on other vegetation as much, Most booms will fold up or back out of the way for transport, Fimco is a widely distibuted brand and is easy to get parts for , I had one and really liked it until it was stolen.

 

[Hay Dude]

Check out Paul B Hardware.
Excellent sprayers
Small or large very reasonably priced

Sprayers & Applicators - Agriculture Supplies

paulbhardware.com

 

[scootr]

I have been using the North Star brand 16 gal sprayer with battery power pump for years.
Are there advantages to a bigger PTO powered unit besides the obvious larger tank?

 

[Cougsfan]

An important question is how big of an area are you going to be spraying. That will determine the size of the tank and width of the boom. Doing a large area with a small tank and narrow boom is difficult. I have owned and used everything from the expensive big 100 gallon tank, 30 ft break-away boom set-ups to my cheap little Northern Tool battery powered 15 gallon 2 nozzle set-up I use on the back of my UTV. All sprayers seem to be fragile and require care to use and maintain. Don't expect any of them to stand up to abuse. Unless I am spraying a 20 acre field, I prefer my cheap little Northern Tool unit. It gets used 90% of the time and has been relatively trouble free and is of better quality than I really expected. The biggest down side is the last 2 gallons are difficult to utilize unless you are on perfectly flat ground.

Small 3 point pto powered sprayers are, in my opinion, a bit of overkill until you get over a 12-15 foot boom width.

Dodgeman posted a very good set-up for small acreage. He could fabricate a wider boom fairly easily if he needed it.

Bottom line, just buy whatever size you need and learn to live with it.

 

[Needville]

looking at a Fimco 40 gal. 4-Nozzle 3 Point Hitch Sprayer commonly seen at Tractor Supply

I have this exact model bought at Tractor Supply 4 years ago. I've used it a lot and it works great. Although believe the reviews that say it starts leaking where the screws hold the plastic tank to the frame. Happened to me. If I had to do it again I would just use straps to hold the tank to the frame.

I took a can of spray seal as sold on TV to fix the leaks. That has been working for about a year.

 

[scootr]

Thanks for the replies - I have been using the 15 gal North Star rig for years. I blow through 15 gallons pretty fast - I do have a spare 15 gal tank
I suppose I could rig a double decker tank ? 30 gallons and then mount it on a 3pt deck of sorts.