BX23 dandelion killer

[Berniep]

Got my sprayer out last weekend so I thought I would post a few pics in case anyone else is interested in doing this.
I Made an atv sprayer into a pull behind sprayer in a utility trailer to be pulled behind my lawnmower.
Then I got my BX so I decided to build a 3ph carrier for it.
Here is the frame made from some old chain link fence posts and scrap metal I had laying around. The only thing I had to buy for the frame was the pins.

 

[Berniep]

Here are a few pics of the sprayer setup.

 

[Berniep]

another

 

[Berniep]

another view

 

[Berniep]

Now to properly calibrate a sprayer you need to be able to duplicate ground speed. I have a little bottle thingy that I hang under a nozzle and drive a specified distance and it gives me gallons per acre. A tachometer would be best but I don't have one yet and I was walking through Wal-mart one day and saw a 10 dollar elecronic bicycle speedometer and thought that I could get it to work.

 

[Berniep]

I put the magnet around the front drive shaft and the sensor is attached to the skid plate.
It only works to 4mph or so because the little computer in it is not made to update so fast. And it tends to get out of alignment pretty easy. But it served its pourpose.

 

[RonR]

Great job!

If I were doing it, I'd add a deal to allow stands at four corners, and you could sit it down easier, but it looks great as is!

Other thought: Tiny Tac--I put one of my 2200. Works Great and was $60 (IIRC). You might have to do some ciphering to match ground speed w/ engine speed, but you could easily do low range/full pedal forward at different RPMs to have a good idea of ground speed.

Hope this helps.
ron

 

[Seon]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( A tachometer would be best but I don't have one yet .. )</font>

A car tach from the auto parts store like AutoZone sells for about $25-$30. It'll have it's own housing, mounting brackets and only two wires to hook up /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.

 

[Berniep]

Yeah I want to get a tiny tach for it. You are right I just need repeatable settings.
I would set an rpm for full pedal travel in low range.

The tachs at auto supply houses won't work(wish they would) they need an ignition system which I don't have on this diesel engine.

I was going to put some casters on it or maybe a coulpe of runners but it's very light and I haven't had a need to remove it when its full

 

[KubotainNH]

I tried a bicycle speedometer on my dirt bike. The vibration from the motor was too much for it and made it inaccurate. Most are adjustible for wheel size but you'd have to try different settings to get it accurate seeing you have a differential to contend with.

 

[dholly]

Bernie - looks great! Is that a quick-coupler on the hose line to the boom? I'd be curious where you found that, particularly if it has an internal diaphram to stop flow when disconnected. Also, do you have any problems with your pump when reducing nozzle pressure by closing your in-line shut-off slightly? Thanks.

 

[RonMar]

BernieP, that is a good looking setup(and a good looking lawn. Great idea using the bicycle speedo. I was using a stopwatch to time a paintmark on my tire to set a speed I calculated based on tire diameter, but since the speed changes with terrain, I have to keep checking it and adjusting. Your way looks far less difficult to work with

I have basically the same 25 gallon Fimco sprayer except mine has a "Y" gate to control spray pressure by allowing you to send excess pressure back to the tank. This "Y" also allows you to mix the tank contents with the pump. So far I have kept it in the trailer behind the garden tractor. I am going to put it on it's own smaller cart so it is a little easier to maneuver in tow. I use mine with a 2 nozzel boom kit also from Fimco that has 80" coverage. I am planning to add a third nozzel to get 120" as the pump will handle it. Where did you get your spray boom/nozzels and how wide is the coverage?

 

[TennFire]

On the speed and calibration issue, I use a handheld GPS to calibrate for speed. Works great.

 

[Berniep]

KubotainNH
On the bicycle speedo: It is programable in millimeters traveled per revolution of the bicycle tire. What I did was hang a plumb bob off the tractor, rotate the drive shaft one turn and note the distance traveled. 137 mm if I remember right. Now again if I remember right this thing was set from the factory for around 2200 mm, so you can see it is going to get a pulse from the sensor much more frequently in my application than on a bicycle and the little computer can't keep up past about 4mph

dholly
that is a brass quick coupler made for garden hose, there is also a male coupler attached to the top left of the frame so I can click it on there when the boom is off. I found some adaptors at tractor supply that have a barb end for the hose and a threaded end that match hose end threads, no check valve. With 4 nozzles I get 20 psi so I haven't needed to reduce nozzle pressure.

RonMar
That lawn is not that good when you walk over it and look down/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I saw that tank at Tractor Supply( or one of those stores around here I have been to all of them lately) That would be a nice setup
I just stick the boom hose into the tank to mix.
The tank just came with a wand and pump and I built the boom and plumbing myself with parts from Tractor Supply. It would have been cheaper to buy a boom setup but they didn't have them when I bought this tank except the ones that came with a trailer. The boom is a little more than 6 feet because thats how long the square tubing was /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif The nozzles ended up about 24 inches apart. I wanted to be able to keep it relatively close to the ground to help keep the drift under control. I was thinking about building a new folding boom and upgrading the pump but it seems to work fine as is. the dandelions are dying as well as some of the other broadleaf weeds in the yard. I have something that looks like ivy except without the vine growing all over and the tramec899 didn't seem to touch it.

TennFire
Wow thanks, that's the excuse I have been looking for.
What brand/ model do you use?

 

[jdgreg]

Very nice setup!! I did something very similar for my Simplicity Legacy.

What do you put down to control dandelions?

 

[Berniep]

I used tramec(sp) 899
It's 2-4-D based I think