Sprayer ATV sprayers

[rswyan]

Sure, you bet !

Might some of the problems experienced with such pumps come from the trash that finds its way into the tank when it is being assembled? I took the time to run my hand around the inside of the tank and pull out the fine plastic shavings from tank being drilled, etc. Sure, the intake hose has a filtering screen on the end of it, but these shavings were nice and fine. I would image that they could cause a good deal of damage if they enter the pumps impeller.

I suppose it's possible, although I didn't do anything other than rinse mine out before I started using it (but then the pump did fail after that - but I suspect that the check valve was dicey from the factory)

The replacement pump has been functioning fine for about a year now (knock on wood)

 

[3RRL]

HRS,
You bought the same unit we have. My wife (Mrs 3RRL) uses the heck out of it. She runs roundup, pre-emergent, fetilizer etc. through it. She's had it for over 2 years and the only thing wrong with it when SHE ran one of the nozzles on the boomles sprayer against a tree, it broke off. Other than that, she uses it everytime we're at the property. Here's a picture of the hand held spayer attachment.

 

[HRS]

3RRL
Nice picture. Looking at all that brown grass above the dig, it looks as though she enjoys working with it.

 

[1bush2hog]

I purchased a Fimco 25gal unit two years ago and the pump went out on me this year. It would run, just would not pump. Not sure what the problem is, as I haven't had time to deal with that yet, but I did pick up a new pump at TSC, installed, and am back in biz now.

I only use the wand with my sprayer, and mount to my atv rear rack. I put out about 175 gal of Remedy mix a few weekends ago.

A handy unit indeed.

 

[WooPigs]

I got my replacement pump for my sprayer. We are getting some much needed rain, so I haven't tested it yet.
I am looking forward to using it for long periods at a time and only stopping the pump during the tank refills.
After taking the bad pump in, TSC quickly sent a request for another pump. It took about a week to get it. I am very pleased with TSC. I plan on making another purchase this weekend from TSC.

When using only one nozzle or the wand, is it better to open the bypass some so the pump runs all the time or does it matter if the pump cycles on and off during long periods of use?

 

[HRS]

1bush2hog, Wow! 175 gallons all through the wand. Now that's keeping at it. Glad to hear that it all worked out.

WooPigs,
Looking at the Rate Chart For Boomless Nozzle in the manual, it shows gallons per acre at 20, 30, and 40 P.S.I. Now the only way to realize 20 or 30 P.S.I. is to open the bypass valve. So, with that realization, I would think that the pump should be fine at running continuously. I personally would find the cycle pulse irritating when using the wand, so opening the bypass valve is something I will do.

 

[1bush2hog]

HRS -

Yep - it took me almost 2 full days as I had to spray around seedlings I planted in the spring, lots of multiflora rose, oriental bittersweet, poison oak and ivy, greenbriar, etc. I'm reclaiming land that was used as pasture. Unfortunately the cattle were also allowed to use some of the wooded areas. I pull into these areas as far as I can with my atv and spray my way back out. Most of the areas I am spraying are too overgrown to walk thru and too steep to get my bushhog into. Once I spray and the stuff dies back, I then go in with chainsaw and weedeater and grub the remnants out by hand.

I am headed back up this weekend and will get to see the results. It is a slow process and lots of hard work. Most of the time I feel like the tortoise.

I use my trailer tie downs to attach my tank to the back of the atv. When the tank is full it the front end can get a little light when backing off my truck and on the steeper hills, but I use my 260lb to counterbalance. I did invest in some heavier duty ramps this year (don't ask me why).

I have considered attaching a boom, but don't want to kill all the native species, so I end up using just the wand. I can spray about 30ft vertical and horizontal with it though, which gets me that much closer to my end goal the next time I attack.

Remedy is the best all around herbicide I have found. It can be used for broadleaf control, as well as, cut stump treatments on the russian olive trees I am eradicating. My atv and 25 gal sprayer have definitely earned their keep. I also have a 125 gal tank I bought at TSC that I fill and haul to my property. Use gravity feed to refill my atv sprayer and mix herbicide on site.

 

[HRS]

Nothing wrong with that. Sounds like quite an operation. Watch those hills. I bet that additional 250 plus on the back of the ATV does make for some "fun" moments. Have fun this weekend.

 

[L_Nicholson]

So do you think it is worth the extra money for the boomless sprayer vs the 15 gal wand sprayer? I have a new farm and lots of fence rows. I also plan on spraying a few food plots down too. I bought the 15 gal sprayer and am considering taking it back and getting the boomless 25 gal.

I was wondering if you thought the wand was better for the fence rows or if you thought you could turn on one of the boomless spray heads and just run the fence lines with that instead if using the wand.

Thanks

 

[HRS]

L Nicholson,
I think you have your answer. To spray a food plot with a wand, though quite possible, would be a chore. For doing such a job I considered the atv boomless, the atv sprayer with the boom, and a small 55 gallon 3pt tractor sprayer. Each have the wand. My concern was whether or not the atv unit hold up. But we've already addressed that concern.

Since I would be using the sprayer for light work, spaying a few 1/4 to 1/2 acre food plots, I considered the tractor sprayer to be a bit much. Having to drag the tractor out to the property just for a little spraying would be expensive with fuel $3 plus a gallon, not to mention that I'd be saving $200 off the top of the 3pt hitch sprayer. The atv unit with the boom was tempting, but after playing around with the boomless, I'm quite satisfied. Here I figured that if the thing would give me a consistent spray pattern of at least 5 feet or more then it would be no more of a chore than running over the food plots with the tractor and 5 ft implement. However, even if I adjust the nozzles for a very tight fan, I'm still given a 17 ft spray pattern, and it only goes up form there. In all of this, I never considered the wand only sprayer, because of my desire to use it on food plots or garden spots in addition to brush spraying. Spending as little as $300 for a sprayer that delivers with wand or rear nozzle is quite a bargain when you consider that some sprayers easily run up into the thousands.

 

[anojones]

I'm looking at the Fimco sprayers with a boom- both have a 140" boom, one with a 2.1 GPM pump and the other with a 3.8 GPM pump. I'm not sure what the disadvantage is of the smaller pump. The plan is to apply herbicde to the lawn and fileds-I have to trees to spray so I don't think I need the higher pressure- can anyone explain the advantages/disadvantages of GPM?

 

[fastpat]

I just bought a FIMCO 25 gallon boomless sprayer, and want to confirm something about using them, namely, I see many using them to spray herbacide. Should you avoid using them to spray any other type of chemical after using herbacide in them, or is there a sure fire way to clean them out between uses for other types of chemicals, such as liquid fertilizer or insecticides?

 

[deerhunterf350]

TSC has a Tank detergent , for cleaning the Tank and Equipment after using Heavy Pesticides.

I am sure they have a detergent that would be used to cleanse after Herbacide use, but most Herbacides are easily diluted , and a few rinses with fresh water should take care of any residue.

For years I have rinsed the Hand held Garden sprayer after using it for Herbacide, then mixed a batch of Insectiside , sprayed the Beans, or Tomatoes with no ill effects.

 

[PineRidge]

You may want to read this

 

[HRS]

Just used the sprayer with a mix today, and I had this bright idea. On the bottom left side of the tank is located the drain plug. Now, before I mixed the chemical, I was considering what I would do If I did NOT use all of the solution. Having worked with sprays before, I knew better than to allow the mix to remain in the hoses, nozzles, pump. This stuff can gum up and cause all kinds of problems. I really messed up a steam vac before by being lazy and not cleaning the lines after use, took forever to clean it out.

So, to the drain port, I removed the cap and connected a three foot length of garden hose. Here I have a female connection on one side and a male on the other. To the male end I placed a cap, much like the one that goes to the tank. This hose I will leave on the tank. I just weave it through the rack when tank is in use. When I finished, I quickly removed the cap while inserting hose into a can of appropriate size to hold the excess. On the next use, I'll simply add back to the tank. Following this, I was able to rinse the tank without wasting my mix or causing a problem by dumping.

 

[marimus]

Hi,

I have a 70 litre silvan rackpack ATV sprayer. The manufacturer specify the use of alkaline laundry detergents for tank cleaning. They list brands, but i'm not sure if the australian brands would be the same as the US brands. basically any powdered coldwater laundry detergent that is biodegradable.

Cran

 

[L_Nicholson]

Thanks HRS and others for the info. I ended up taking back the small sprayer and getting the 25 gal boomless. I managed to get the last one in the store since they are having their "end of the summer" clearance. Thanks again!

Lee

 

[fastpat]

You may want to read this

Thanks, that's an excellent article.

 

[HRS]

L Nicholson,
Great! I'm sure you will enjoy it. Yesterday, I took the 4-wheeler to the property. The heat and humidity nearly killed me. I ended up spraying three tanks on food plots and some bushes that I'd like to kill permanently. After all this work was done, I tried your suggestion on turning off all back nozzles except one. Here I kept the left nozzle on. I held the O/I switch in my hand. The left nozzle I set to about 24 degrees or two clicks above horizontal. Then I'd drive up to a bush in the pasture and turn on the tank. I found this much easier that trying to handle the wand, spray, and drive all at the same time. Next time out, I'll cut and add some wire between this switch and the tank, so that I will be able to use a little electrical tape and fasten the switch to the left handle grip for easy operation. I also found that using an end nozzle for spot treatment to be cleaner than the wand. Here I did not have to worry over wearing gloves, nozzle adjustment, etc.

 

[fastpat]

I finally got a chance to try my 25 gal. sprayer last week. Sprayed about 15 gallons of Thruicide (Bt) on trees infested with tent caterpillars. The spray from the wand reached to about the 30 foot level, not too bad.

I'm thinking of turning up the pressure relief valve to about 50 psi to get a little more distance.

Also, I'm going to figure out a method of installing some sort of "cruise" throttle for the atv so I can get a consistant speed. I'll need that when I begin to spray the orchard and the grapes next winter.