How many nozzles can my home made boom accommodate?

skobydog · Mar 28, 2016

Hi,
I'm building a small ATV sprayer. I am spraying primarily 24-D for now. The pump is rated at 3.0 GPM.

Nozzle type on the sprayer will be TT11004 Flat Fan Nozzles

Glyphosate recommended application volume 20 GPA

I still have to measure sprayer speed but am thinking 5 MPH

Nozzle spacing is 20"

FORMULA: 20 x 5 x 20 / 5,940 = 0.337 GPM

According to TT specs if I set my PSI to 30 psi then nozzle capacity is .35 GPM

(I believe height is suggested at either 18 or 20 Inches but not sure).

How many nozzles could (or should) I use? If the pump is rated at 3 GPM does this mean I could have up to (3GPM/.35) up to 8 nozzles? I don't want this to be excessively large due to tight areas. BTW I'm working on clearing 1.5 acres of rocky and some very steep areas.

Does this make sense? Am I way off with this because I'm still a bit confused. Thanks

teg · Mar 28, 2016

skobydog said:
....BTW I'm working on clearing 1.5 acres of rocky and some very steep areas.

Your thinking of doing it at 5 mph is off base with the above comment. You might even snap off the boom, depending on how long.

You mentioned Glyphosate with 20 gpa... but you plan to spray with 2-4-D. What does that label say?

How rough of terrain are you really looking at?

art · Mar 28, 2016

You are correct with 1/2 or 5/8 hose with a piston type pump. To do more you would need a centrifical.

rgr33 · Mar 28, 2016

I am running 7 of the wide spray pattern nozzles on a 10 foot boom with a similar outfit. I agree, the speed sounds too fast, I'm guessing closer to 3 mph when I spray, but have never checked that. Also, I recommend some in line filters to avoid spray tip blockage. Just fill the tank with water, and run over some dry pavement to get an idea of coverage at different speeds, and time how long it takes a full tank to empty.

skobydog · Mar 28, 2016

I haven't figured out my speed yet. 5 MPH may be too fast in some areas but this is an ATV and as long as I'm not trying to cross the side of the hill I can go up and down without issues.

teg said:
You might even snap off the boom, depending on how long.

I'd actually rather only run two or three nozzles tops because of the this.

teg said:
You mentioned Glyphosate with 20 gpa... but you plan to spray with 2-4-D. What does that label say?

It's 41% glyphosate which I dilute to 2%. I've read 20 gallons per acre is good with this type of nozzle.

teg said:
How rough of terrain are you really looking at?

Again, steep but ok if I go up and down and not sideways. A couple of areas I'd have to spot spray.

art said:
You are correct with 1/2 or 5/8 hose with a piston type pump. To do more you would need a centrifical.

I'm not looking to do more so that's good.

rgr33 said:
I am running 7 of the wide spray pattern nozzles on a 10 foot boom with a similar outfit. I agree, the speed sounds too fast, I'm guessing closer to 3 mph when I spray, but have never checked that. Also, I recommend some in line filters to avoid spray tip blockage. Just fill the tank with water, and run over some dry pavement to get an idea of coverage at different speeds, and time how long it takes a full tank to empty.

That's a good way to make sure I'm putting down the correct amount. I've read anywhere between 15 and 20 GPA for glyphosate but the more I'm reading the less GPA I see people are using. Again, I'm diluting to 2% but I'm seeing so many different suggestions I'm not sure now.

Can I run only two or three nozzles without any issues? I would have a return line to the tank so I can bring my psi down anyway. I just wasn't sure if there was any considerations I need to figure out when running with less nozzles.

teg · Mar 29, 2016

You can run as few or as many as you like (well, until the pump can not provide enough pressure). It will take more time to cover the area with fewer nozzles. There are many ways to calibrate the sprayer. Once you know how many GPA you can determine how much chemical goes in. Usually, the spot sprayer uses 2% but for broadcast sprayers it's usually listed as a pint to a pint and a half to the acre.

Deezl Smoke · Mar 29, 2016

GPM = gallons per MINUTE. So we need to convert MPH, which is per hour to a per minute value. 5mph = 440' per MINUTE.

On the nozzle tips, the only part of the number you need worry about is the 04. It does not matter the 110, or 80, or 60 degree, as they all are the same gallon rate, just a wider pattern.

8 nozzles on 20" is 160" or 13.3' in width. An acre is 43,560 SQ/ft. So 43,560 divided by 13.3 is 3,275' of travel to get one acre at 13.3' width. 3275 divided by 440 will take you 7.4 minutes to do an acre at 5mph, 13.3' wide. You'll get .13 acre per minute at 5mph, 13.3' wide.

If your target max is 20 GPA, then 20 times .13=2.6gpm required pump flow at 5mph, at 13.3' wide.

How's that?

skobydog · Mar 29, 2016

.....

Deezl Smoke · Mar 29, 2016

skobydog said:
.....

Oh, so now you can use whatever tip at pressure to get the job done. Sorry, should have finished the setup. 8 at 30psi of the given .35gpm would be 2.8gpm. So you'd have to go lower in pressure or go to 03 tips and up the pressure. An 03 tip at 45psi should be right close to .32gpm. 8x.32 = 2.56