Modified 3PT sprayer

[Gittyup]

I purchased a fimco 40 gal 3pt sprayer with a small folding boom and wand. I wanted more sprayer hose and auto recoil of the longer hose. So I welded together some scrap and mounted an air hose reel on the top. I painted the welded up assembly green. Reworked the plumbing to use the reel and added a pipe to hold the wand (the Fimco factory clips are junk).

What I didn't account for is that where I mounted the reel made it wanted to fall over toward the hitch when the sprayer was empty. I had some 10 lb sand-filled rectangular weights laying around. I bolted 2 of those under the front to counterbalance the hose reel. Nice and stable now.

It'll have to sit until May before I'll put any fluid in it and try it out.

 

[J35]

Looks like it will be real handy.

Won't the top link keep it up right when empty?

I think I would be happy with just a swivel or two on the wand hose on mine. I never think about it until I am using it.

Two years old and the wand clips are still in one piece, I figured they would be toast quick.

Good luck-------J

 

[Gittyup]

Yes the top link would keep it upright. But what happens when you take it off and the tank is empty? I used a smaller tank and a 25' hose that just wrapped around the tank for several years. The hose was always a PITA when riding around spraying from the tractor seat. I actually ran over it once and ripped the hose off the tank. I also wanted 50 feet of hose so I could get to places I cannot take the tractor. That's way too much hose to wrap around anything and expect to keep it safe and neat.

 

[MNBobcat]

I modified my Fimco too. I added shut off valves so that I could control each nozzle on the boom so that if I wanted to spray with just the left side, or just the right side or just the center that I could. I also increased the length of the hose to the spray wand.

One thing that I hate about the fimco is the bottom of the tank isn't smooth. Mine has raised areas for the mountings, etc. And stuff gets caught in those pockets making the tank really, really hard to clean. Also, mine has no valve for draining the tank. I have to remove a hose from the bottom of the tank to drain it.

I'm selling mine and will find one with a smooth bottom and a sump area for collecting the last bit of water and draining.

 

[super55]

Nice set up. I been looking long and hard at the Fimco 40 gal non-pto pump sprayer and the 25 gal ATV boom sprayer. Im still on the fence as to which one I am eventually going to end up getting. I really like the reel setup you fabbed for it. Looks like it should work quite nicely.

I have an older sprayer and it didn't have a drain either. Went to a boat supply store and bought a cheap threaded boat drain plug and it works quite well now.

 

[MNBobcat]

Nice set up. I been looking long and hard at the Fimco 40 gal non-pto pump sprayer and the 25 gal ATV boom sprayer. Im still on the fence as to which one I am eventually going to end up getting. I really like the reel setup you fabbed for it. Looks like it should work quite nicely.

I have an older sprayer and it didn't have a drain either. Went to a boat supply store and bought a cheap threaded boat drain plug and it works quite well now.

The issue with cleaning the Fimco tank was the deal breaker for me. I spent 2 hours hanging over that tank with a water hose and paper towels trying to reach in and scrub behind all the nooks and crannies (and there are a bunch) in that tank. I had sprayed a pre-emergent that had an orange color to help with application and it formed a sort of scum that would come off by spraying with some water pressure. However, as soon as the scum stopped moving it would cling a bit. So in that stupid Fimco tank you would get the scum to break loose and would go to another pocket and cling.

The particular pre-emrgent was pretty harmless but I will never again get a tank that can't be cleaned by simply washing and draining.

I absolutely hate the tank design. Why on earth would anyone in their right mind mold a spray tank with anything but a smooth bottom? Some engineer was smoking grass that day!

 

[Gittyup]

The issue with cleaning the Fimco tank was the deal breaker for me. I spent 2 hours hanging over that tank with a water hose and paper towels trying to reach in and scrub behind all the nooks and crannies (and there are a bunch) in that tank. I had sprayed a pre-emergent that had an orange color to help with application and it formed a sort of scum that would come off by spraying with some water pressure. However, as soon as the scum stopped moving it would cling a bit. So in that stupid Fimco tank you would get the scum to break loose and would go to another pocket and cling.

The particular pre-emrgent was pretty harmless but I will never again get a tank that can't be cleaned by simply washing and draining.

I absolutely hate the tank design. Why on earth would anyone in their right mind mold a spray tank with anything but a smooth bottom? Some engineer was smoking grass that day!

I think it is non-smooth so they can use thinner plastics. Then the press in threaded fasteners, and they have to have enough depth around them to hold. This sprayer will not be used for herbicides. I only plan to use it for insecticides and liquid fertilizers. Liquid weed and feed at the worst. No roundup type products.

I'll have to develop an efficient clean process. My initial thoughts are to turn it on the side where the drain plug is located and pressure wash the inside. Clean the strainer. Then run some veg. oil/antifreeze mix through it for the winter. These are pretty simple. Can't be that hard to care for.

 

[super55]

Sounds like you were spraying Prowl bobcat. It didn't take me long to figure out why the stuff comes in a yellow jug. Pretty good herbicide but will stain anything. The rough bottoms is a serious concern. Any chance it could be smoothed out by using a dual action sander with some 200 grit?


Right now the sprayer I have is an older 30 gal that runs off a weedwacker size gas motor. I have the fimco boomless setup on and it sprays Ok but 1. it's loud and smokey and 2. It puts out larger droplets than I like causing sporadic burndowns

I thought about putting an electric demand pump on it and buying a 10' boom for the sprayer but after pricing out what those parts go for Im practically at the price of the 40 gal or 25 gal sprayer. Maybe I will end up making my own boom for it and go this route if the fimcos have that issue with the course bottom and no drains on them.

 

[Gittyup]

Sounds like you were spraying Prowl bobcat. It didn't take me long to figure out why the stuff comes in a yellow jug. Pretty good herbicide but will stain anything. The rough bottoms is a serious concern. Any chance it could be smoothed out by using a dual action sander with some 200 grit?


Right now the sprayer I have is an older 30 gal that runs off a weedwacker size gas motor. I have the fimco boomless setup on and it sprays Ok but 1. it's loud and smokey and 2. It puts out larger droplets than I like causing sporadic burndowns


I thought about putting an electric demand pump on it and buying a 10' boom for the sprayer but after pricing out what those parts go for Im practically at the price of the 40 gal or 25 gal sprayer. Maybe I will end up making my own boom for it and go this route if the fimcos have that issue with the course bottom and no drains on them.

My Fimco 40 has a drain cap on one side and the connector/strainer on the other. Could be drained from either or both. I don't forsee any problem with being able to drain it clean it out.

 

[J35]

My Fimco 40 has a drain cap on one side and the connector/strainer on the other. Could be drained from either or both. I don't forsee any problem with being able to drain it clean it out.

I adjust the side link so the tank tilt's towards the strainer and flush the tank a couple of times, then put a few gallons H2O in the tank and flush the boom and wand.

For winter storage I run a couple qts of RV antifreeze thru it, so far so good.


I have used a lot of Round-up and 2-4D thru mine doing small pasture renovations and weed control.

For 3 hundred bucks I have been satisfied with what it does.

---J