Sprayer for PT422

[BobRip]

We have had a lot of ticks this year. I talked to a friend and they are using nemotodes to kill ticks and fleas. They are a microscopic worm which eat the insects from the inside out. I decided to get a sprayer and mount it on the PT422 to feed this material
I found a 26 gallon one at Northern. I at first mounted it on the back with the tank sitting on a carry all mounted on the 2 inch receiver. I realized this was a pain to get on and off the tractor. Also I had to keep looking back to see if it was still spraying.

I decided to leave the nozzle in the back and put the tank on the forks. I got some 1/2 inch automotive heater hose (about 12 feet) and ran it between the pump at the front and the sprayer nozzles at the back.

 

[BobRip]

I originally supplied power to the motor through my cigarette lighter outlet. I found the outlet wires got hot. I then got a heavy duty triplet outlet from NAPA and mounted it on the side of the engine cover and ran the wires along the inside of the cover over to the battery cables where they connect to the engine and the starter. I installed the wiring in a flexible blue conduit. I put a 20 amp fuse where I take power off of the big wire on the starter. The pump pulls about 8 amps while running with both nozzles open. It is rated at 17 amps. The plug is only rated at 10 amps.

With this setup I can easily remove the tank and nozzles, and I can see the tank level and pressure guage while looking forward. Since the pump is rated at 5.5 GPM is does not take long to empty the tank.

 

[ponytug]

Dear Bob,

Nice job! What kind of nematodes are you spraying? Until I saw the photo, I thought you had drilled a socket into the engine cowling, but I now see what you have done.

This is nearly what I have done with my sprayer. I put in the 4N1 bucket, in front, where I can see the pressure gauge. Due to the slopes, I used the small bucket rather than the forks, as it improves the manoueverability. I ran the wires back along the FEL to a heavy duty socket that I wired up with 12 gauge wire.

The sprayer has worked great for three years. Almost the only thing it is used for is glyphosate (Roundup) to remove noxious weeds. (Poison hemlock, poison oak) With the high pumping rate, it has dramatically speeded up up the process.

I have fire supression agent on hand that I plan to use with the sprayer when the need arises, which may be this year.

All the best,

Peter

 

[BobRip]

Peter these are Steinernema carpocaspsae (whatever than means). I got them from ARBICO Organics in Tucson.

The connector had 14 gauge wire coming out of it and it was sealed so I cut those short and ran 10 gauge (I was out of 12). Voltage drop on 12 volts can be a big problem. I did not want to drill a large hole, so the 3 outlet unit was a good choice for easy mounting. I used double sided tape and tyewraps.

I am told I should not use this tank for anything else since it could harm the nemotodes. Of course plain water is OK.

Can you describe your foam setup. I might like to keep some around just in case.

This unit seems like a workhorse for my application. I will spray as soon as it rains.

 

[BobRip]

I just had the unit blow the 10 amp fuse mounted in the cigarette lighter plug. I now have two plugs paralleled. Hopefully this will make a difference.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Bob, I am pretty sure my sprayer (which is yours I think Fimco 35 gallon with boom at 4.5GPM) pulls more than 10 amps.

 

[ponytug]

Dear Bob,

What I keep around is
a) drench, a surfactant that makes water "wetter" and more effective at fire fighting
b) a mix of ammonium phosphate/ammonium sulfate (brand name is Phos-Check) that can be sprayed on dry vegetation prior to a fire. It causes the dry brush to char rather than burn. When you see the tanker planes dump retardant, this is what they are dumping.

I looked into foam, and while it is great for fire fighting, it doesn't have much of a lifetime, especially out here in the dry west. Rip put me onto all of this, and he has an instant whole house foam setup that is really slick since it activates by UV flame sensors when the fire is very close.

There are also spray on gels, again for wildfire, with more of a lifetime, but still not great for my area.

All the best,

Peter

 

[woodlandfarms]

So, I am familiar with the whole house foam stuff. Lifestyles of the rich and famous but if you live in a burn area and have a house you don't want to loose it seems effective...

That said, I heard a story of some poor guy who was having a bbq at his fancy house and had a flame up on the grill... Well,,, the system discharged and the costs were pretty huge.

 

[ponytug]

I have to admit that I don't BBQ with charcoal any more due to fire concerns.

The trouble with foam is that it has a 1/2hr to 3 hour lifetime, so you want it to go on just as the flames arrive.
There is a video of an autospray system here
Fire retardant system saves home? | Video | abc7.com

If memory serves me right, Rip's is an automatic foam system from Fireveil.

All the best,
Peter

 

[3238dpw]

Bob, so you know a lot of those nemotodes do better if you spray them in the rain. They like it where it is moist. That keeps them happy and washes them down into the soil where they live. I also know that the preasure is hard on them. Especially the impact when they hit an object after coming out of the nozzle. Also don't wait to spray them once you get them. They are living things and will die pretty quickly if you don't get them in the soil. The ones I am fammilar with are the ones for grubs so if the package says anything different go with the package.