Spraying 40' trees

[tbwamp]

I would like to put together a setup to spray pine trees for the Mountain Pine Beetle up to 40' high; I have 30 wooded acres.

I plan on getting a 50-70 gallon tank to minimize the number of times I have to refill it. Will probably jimmy up some sort of carryall to mount it on my 3 point hitch.

I do have a lot of hills, and won't be able to reach all my trees on my MF 135 tractor without killing myself. So, I would like to attach a good 300 feet of hose to extend the area I can cover.

I'm wondering if it is reasonable to try to do this with a PTO-powered roller pump. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[radioman]

First off- You mentioned you have hills. are there areas where you will be driving on a hill with water ? I am thinking you might want a wagon type in stead of on 3 pt. With water on 3 pt on hills can slosh over to low side offsetting the COG of the tractor causing a flip. building a wagon with tank as low as you can would be better and if wagon does flip, it wont take tractor completely.

Anyway how how can you make a spraying boom ? I was thinking if you had a single spring loaded tapered boom with 2 spray nozzles on top of the boom spraying out to the trees. The spring is for letting boom go down if hit any branches. If you plan on spraying manually on the steeper hills, a hose attached seperately ready on a wind up wheel on tank?

 

[zzvyb6]

I use a pressure washer. Its electric, so I throw on the pto generator, put a 150 gallon horse watering tank in the front bucket, and go to town. No problem reaching the top. Never had a problem with chemicals in the PW either (its a Stihl). But, a roller pump can do the same job if its fed right. If you have a gas PW, then you could haul it around with a lawn mower carrying the tank or a PU truck bed is a nice platform to run from, especially if you have someone else to drive it for you while you spray trees. My PW has enough jiuce to knock the gypy moth worm nests out of any tree around here, too.

 

[tbwamp]

What are the specs on your power washer? What lengh of hose are you using, and what kind of wand are you using at the end of it?

Thanks!

 

[tbwamp]

First off- You mentioned you have hills. are there areas where you will be driving on a hill with water ? I am thinking you might want a wagon type in stead of on 3 pt. With water on 3 pt on hills can slosh over to low side offsetting the COG of the tractor causing a flip. building a wagon with tank as low as you can would be better and if wagon does flip, it wont take tractor completely.

Anyway how how can you make a spraying boom ? I was thinking if you had a single spring loaded tapered boom with 2 spray nozzles on top of the boom spraying out to the trees. The spring is for letting boom go down if hit any branches. If you plan on spraying manually on the steeper hills, a hose attached seperately ready on a wind up wheel on tank?

Good point about the COG. I wouldn't want to use a boom at all. Just a long hose with a triggered wand at the end.

 

[brin]

Whatever way you choose wear some kind of mask...do not inhale any of the chemical you spray...be aware of the wind direction. I remember many years ago here in Ga. a landscaper was on the TV news and he was on his death bed and he leaned forward and asked the Doctor if " Paraquat " would be his end...that was the chemical he had been spraying and the wind changed and he breathed it in...and the doc said yes and he died shortly after that...Be careful !

 

[charlz]

Hmmm 30 acres of up to 40' trees? Have you checked into any local crop dusters? Seems like it would be a much easier way to get it done.

 

[beenthere]

tbwamp
A PTO roller pump should work fine, and a 50 gal tank mounted on your 3 ph will not cause a problem with your tractor (for sure not the MF 135), if kept low and vertical (like a 55 gal drum upright). Also, the hose and nozzle would be similar to those wands used in orchards to spray trees. Getting up 40' shouldn't be a problem if you have the pressure regulator on and crank it up.
And the pressure washer trick might work well too. I only know that the PTO roller pump will do it.

 

[tbwamp]

Hmmm 30 acres of up to 40' trees? Have you checked into any local crop dusters? Seems like it would be a much easier way to get it done.

I sure like the idea, but...I guess the MPB hasn't gotten to Meridian yet. You have to saturate the trunks, specifically, just getting all the dust on the needles wouldn't do much to the little bastards.

 

[charlz]

I sure like the idea, but...I guess the MPB hasn't gotten to Meridian yet. You have to saturate the trunks, specifically, just getting all the dust on the needles wouldn't do much to the little bastards.

We are mostly farm land around here, not a lot of pine trees. That sucks. How often do you have to spray for them? 30 acres sounds like a lot of trees... are you going to use a paintball gun or something to mark them after you spray them so you can keep track?

 

[forester2]

I'd sure look at a piston pump over a roller for that kind of heighth.

 

[tiger9297]

Most timber land is sprayed via helicopter. My dad has been in the tree business for 40+ years. He mostly clears power line right of ways, but has done quite a bit of tree spraying in the past. A pressure washer will not do it. You will need a true tree spraying gun if you really want to get adequate coverage. They are expensive, but it's really the only option. Honestly, that would only be feasible for a few trees. If you are spraying 30 acres, then I'd have it done with a helicopter.

 

[Renze]

Start by taking a look at orchard spraying rigs. They jet the spray and air, high up so it gets everywhere between the leaves and branches. They dont just spray it up into the trees but use air swirls to get the stuff where its needed.

 

[tbwamp]

Trust me, the pesticide has to be sprayed directly on the trunks, to saturate the trunks, to foil the mountain pine beetle. That's how the forest service has to do it when there are select areas they are trying to protect. If it could be done aerially, the epidemic would have been easy to stop and we would not be looking a losing every single ponderosa and lodgepole pine trees over 8 inches in diameter in the Western US in the next 10 years. I want to save the trees, not kill them (as I assume one would want to be doing if they're spraying rights of way for power lines).

An update: I was able to buy a cheap diaphragm pump from the scratch and dent section of Rittenhouse, will give me 580 psi and 8.5 gpm.

As far as I can tell, what I am doing here is unique on this forum, so I will post updates as I get this built and post pics, etc, when I'm done for future reference.