Boom sprayer project

[Exflyboy]

OK this is badass on a couple of fronts, first the story.

We have 5 acres that we lease out to horses.. brings in income plus we get a farm deferall on our RE taxes.. Over the last couple of years we have been infested with a weed known as Tanzywort or something (I'm not an expert farmer). It chokes out the grass and the horses can't eat it.

Two years back the neighbour farmer brought over his spray rig with 30 foot booms and treated the weed.. all well and good. I tried to pay him for his time and he refused, being as it was helping him too by not having the weed fertalise HIS fields.

So anway the nasty little bugger is back after a year and a half (the weed not the farmer) and my Wife ran into said farmer at the store.. "Oh hi, say that weed is back can you come over sometime and spray it for us".. Much mumbling, shuffling of feet.. He doesn't want to do it.. I don't know why?

Shoot!.. Now what? Wife mentions she can get out there with the hand sprayer, completely impractical.. You'd be out there for weeks!

I call around, $300 mimimum to get someone to bring a machine to do it and buying that kind of equipment is insanely expensive.

So what if I built my own?.. Well it turns out there are some REALLy fancy nozzles out there and building a rig to go on my tractor is probably pushing 4 to 500 bucks.

So I keep searching on the web and it turns out there are some simple spray nozzles out there for less than $3 each.. But you have to search and search for them. Now they don't come with the fancy auto shut offs.. so they will dribble when the pump is disengaged.. but heck we are only wanting to spray one pasture probably once per year tops!

Bottom line I have just ordered the PTO driven pump, nozzles, strainer and pressure reduction valve for just over $200 including shipping (I have a 55 gallon drum I can use for a tank).

Here is the best part though. Another friend and neighbour  was using the tractor on Saturday and he forgot to latch the side engine cover panel, which drops off and he runs over it making it look like a pretzl!.

He feels terrible and tells me he will find another one and make it right. I'm looking at it and saying.. "well I'm sure I can straighten this one out.. Won't be pretty but its a tractor for heaven's sake!.. I's meant to do work.. Not look like a new BMW...:)

"No, no I have to make it right.. I will find one".. Yeah well a grey import Yanmar tractor is not easy to find parts for and it won't be cheap but if you insist.

Then I got to thinking about it and I called him up and said "Hey James, I know you feel bad but how about I straighten the panel and you simply contribute say $150 to the boom sprayer project.. then you'll have access to a boom sprayer as well if you ever need one..:)

We agreed so I'm thinking I should be well under $300 for a 25ft wide boom sprayer ( I have all the needed steel to fabricate the arms and a quick hitch that it will all mount to) and half of it will be paid for by said neighbour.

I will have to put in a couple of days of welding and fabricating.. But I'm retired now.. I can do this stuff.

How badass is that?..:)

Frank

[arebelspy]

Having the ability to DIY on stuff like that is so awesome.  Those are the ER stories I love to hear.  Well done.  :)

[Greg]

Tansy Ragwort is an invasive weed around here, we pull it by hand (gloved).  You have to do it right when it flowers, otherwise the pulled flowers will still go to seed and spread the little bastards.  Easy to spot, the yellow flowers have 13 petals.  I've gotten so I can spot the greenery before it flowers.  We usually burn ours once they've flowered a while.

Free tip: Don't let the chickens get to it if you pile it in your fire pit, they'll get really sick (and could die).

Also, it grows for one or two years before flowering, so it's best to get to recognize the plant leaf pattern.

[Milspecstache]

Awesome story!  Would love to hear more about the fabrication part.  Had to google the weed as I had never heard of it.  Very pretty but it says that it will even poison goats...

[Exflyboy]

Thanks for the heads up Greg,

I guess thats why my Wife wants to spray every year with 2,4D. That seemed to take care of it pretty good when we sprayed it last time

It didn't come back last year but theis year I have an acre of yellow flowers overnight.

I just hope the parts show up quickly so I can get out there and spray soon.

The steel fabrication is probably the part that will take the longest (1 to 2 days), the plumbing is easy, then I have to set the thing up to get the correct spray pattern and calibrate the speed of the tractor/application rate. Will have to do some experiments with water first.

Frank

[Exflyboy]

Awesome story!  Would love to hear more about the fabrication part.  Had to google the weed as I had never heard of it.  Very pretty but it says that it will even poison goats...

Yes nasty stuff.. We had the horses in it for about a month before we sprayed the first time.. so I guess they either don't eat it or are resistant to it.. Nasty stuff though.

Frank

[zolotiyeruki]

I envy you, frankh.  Not only are you ER, but you've got land around you!  That sounds like just the kind of project I'd take up in your situation.

[Exflyboy]

Haha.. Thanks, I have always been handy, I've rebuilt several cars (including my 99 Dodge Neon Sport), built two airplanes, rebuilt the tractor engine etc. Plus My Wife and I doubled the size of our house all by ourselves, built a barn and extended our shop

My cars have never been to a mechanic and I like to Gas and wire feed weld and use machine tools, although I only have a small model lathe.

So yes having a bit of land, a couple of rentals leads easily to a lot of DIY projects...:)

Frank

[Roland of Gilead]

My cars have never been to a mechanic and I like to Gas and wire feed weld and use machine tools, although I only have a small model lathe.

Frank

The ultimate badass of course would be to turn your own nozzles on that lathe.  :-)

[Exflyboy]

My cars have never been to a mechanic and I like to Gas and wire feed weld and use machine tools, although I only have a small model lathe.

Frank

The ultimate badass of course would be to turn your own nozzles on that lathe.  :-)

Hehe.. But for a buck a nozzle, sometimes one has to know when to quit..:)

[Roland of Gilead]

Hehe.. But for a buck a nozzle, sometimes one has to know when to quit..:)

Yeah I hear you.  A buck a nozzle is not even worth the electricity to spin up my 3 phase converter for my lathe.  I would buy those instead of building them as well.  Take some pics of your finished sprayer though, it sounds cool!

I did turn a nozzle for a homemade fiber laser cutter I have been using to cut stainless steel.  The nozzles were thousands new and I turned one out of $0.25 worth of copper.  I cut some gears with it that were 0.03" in diameter.

[Exflyboy]

Ok then I HAVE to ask.. How does one make a laser cutter?.. How think steel will it cut.

I have been hankering after a laser cutter for years but of course could never justify one.

[Exflyboy]

Score..

The local car wash company gives away 55 gallon drums for free, really high quality!.. I just scored three of them for various projects.. including the tank for the boom sprayer of course...:)

Frank

[Exflyboy]

I have now scored all the materials for the steelwork for the boom sprayer project.. Amazing what you can get at Home Depot these days.

Off to start welding...:)

Frank

[Exflyboy]

Ok well getting sick in the middle of a project is not fun but so far I have finished the steel fabrication and all the plumbing has arrived.

This morning I rigged up the tank and pump and took some pics, will post them later.

My biggest thril was adding a bulkhead fitting to the side of the 55 gallon drum at the bottom for the feed to the pump.. Seeing as the drum only has a 2" opening at the TOP of the drum it took some head scratching to figure out how to feed the large nut thru the hole in the top and thread it onto the bulkhead fitting at the bottom on the side... Then hold said large nut still while I tightened the fitting.

I nailed it first time.. And no you cannot get a wrench big enough to fit the large nut through the hole at the top...:)

Frank

[zolotiyeruki]

So.....how'd you manage it?  Also, we need pics!

[Exflyboy]

Yes I have pics on the camera.

Well the big nut JUST passes through the 2" bung hole at the top. you first off drill the 1-3/4" hole at the bottom.

Then I made a dip tube (the bulkhead fitting has to be on the about 4" above the bottom to avoid the curve) that screwed into the drum side of the fitting that curved down to the bottom of the drum...

Then if you rotate the bung at the bottom this dip tube points upwards.. thats part of it because as you lower down the big nut you use the dip tube to guide it to the bulkhead thread (simply use a 1/4" long rod to go in the hole of the dip tube.. then drop the big nut down the rod. lowered on a piece of wire as described below).

Then I simply drilled a 1/8th hole through the flats of the big nut and inserted a 3 foot length of safety wire that the big nut hung from...

i simply guided the big nut down on the wire, over the rod. onto the inverted dip tube and then turned the bulkhead fitting from the outside until the thread engaged.

Kept tightening the bulkhead and gripped the wire with pliers to stop the nut from turning...:)

The trick was to have the nut tight when the dip tube was pointing downwards.

Pretty simple really.

Frank

[Spork]

So.....how'd you manage it?  Also, we need pics!

YES!  PICS!

[Exflyboy]

A few pics showing the progress.


I just have to braze the brackets for the nozzles to the booms this morning ans it will be ready to spray liquid.

Frank

[Exflyboy]

It works.. a few leaky nozzles but I can see what the problem is..:)

Frank

[Spork]

This is cool.

My MIL gets some little magazine that basically is nothing more than a bunch of farmer's hacks where they cobble stuff together and make something new out of nothing.  I can't remember the name of it, but it's really fun to read/look at.

[Milspecstache]

frankh, you have some serious fab skills!  Thank you for the updates and pictures.  Definitely what I would love to do after FI...

[Exflyboy]

Really none of this is very hard.. The way I approach things is anybody who does something I can't.. well, they have a brain and a pair of hands.. the rest is just training/experience.

I learned to weld and run machine tools in my first year of college (the sponsoring company gave us 6 months of "shop" so we could at least talk the same language as the techs.

i thought welding was pretty cool so I always found something to make.. be it an airplane, a car or anything else.. anything mechanical needs these skills eventually and tools are not that expensive so why not?

Anybody who lives in Western Oregon is welcome to come learn to weld with me in my shop.. Then they are set as long as they go practice.

Frank

[Exflyboy]

Ok so I sprayed the field today and the boom sprayer (since modified to include a hose reel and a spot sprayer wand) performed perfectly on its maiden voyage..:)


Frank

[Greg]

Good news.  Nice fabrication!  What exactly are you spraying?  I probably don't want to know...

[Roland of Gilead]

What do you weld with? I am impressed with your build.  I just started welding last year with a Miller 211.  It is a good starter machine and runs on 110/220.

After some practice with a bottle of 75/25 I managed to get what looked like acceptable welds.  The trick seemed to be tack welding and then jumping around on the full welds so you limit the heat and prevent warping.  No formal training though so I could be FOS.

[Exflyboy]

Greg 2,4,D is the material at 5 pints per acre. I hate spraying chemicals but sometimes there really not much choice.

[Exflyboy]

What do you weld with? I am impressed with your build.  I just started welding last year with a Miller 211.  It is a good starter machine and runs on 110/220.

After some practice with a bottle of 75/25 I managed to get what looked like acceptable welds.  The trick seemed to be tack welding and then jumping around on the full welds so you limit the heat and prevent warping.  No formal training though so I could be FOS.

I have a small mig (130Amps) buts its too small for the thick guage steel.. The non structural welds are done with mig using a self fluxed wire.. They are a little scrappy looking as a result but plenty strong.

My structural welds are done with oxy-acetylene.

Your welds look fine (and using a sheild gas rather than fluxed cored means they will always be more pretty). As long as you are getting good penetration (your 211Amp machine is more than capable of welding 1/4 to 5/16ths steel with ease) and you do a tack like you have to prevent distortion you'll do great.

Frank

[Milspecstache]

Great post that I contacted Exflyboy to get more info so that I can replicate on my own small farm:

Plastic nozzeles.. the yellow ones. Yes they are colour coded would you believe. Everything I got from www.agrisupply.com They seem to have everything.

http://www.agrisupply.com/green-leaf-spray-tips-standard-flat/p/74867/

Pump and PTO hookup (the actual pump needs to pump more than your combined nozzel flowrate of course. http://www.agrisupply.com/delavan-rollerpro-roller-pump-kit/p/75434/

Also get these filters for the speay tips.. I didn't but you will get clogs from dried crap in the spray lines.. This would have saved me a lot of time and I will be adding these to my rig.

http://www.agrisupply.com/nozzle-strainer/p/22698/

Adjustable pressure relief... the pump is positive displacement and needs a relief http://www.agrisupply.com/pressure-relief-valve-nylon/p/22737/

Filter from tank.. essential http://www.agrisupply.com/t-type-line-strainer-mesh/p/22750/

Nozzel bodies.. http://www.agrisupply.com/nylon-nozzle-body-nut-per-bg/p/22612/ You'll see I added a review about using rubber washers from Home Depot. I think if you put the filters in there you won't need them.

Use these on the end (I used a tee and plugged the ends.. what a PITA.. the plugged ends tend to blow off.. I will be upgrading).  http://www.agrisupply.com/nylon-nozzle-body-nut-per-bg/p/22613/

Here are the caps to hold the nozzels into the bodies. http://www.agrisupply.com/nylon-nozzle-cap/p/22607/

Ok order all the that (size your pump correctly) and you are good to go.

[Highbeam]

The reason that the farmer probably didn't want to spray your field is that you have to be a licensed applicator to spray insecticides or pesticides on other people's property. Good for you to know should you start helping your friends or consider doing this as a side job. Nice job on the sprayer. Most commercial boom sprayers use an electrical pump like an RV pump that maintains 40-60 psi in the distribution lines. That PTO pump was probably pretty expensive and limits this thing to a tractor instead of mounting the sprayer to a little trailer that you can tow around with a mower or even a pickup.

[Exflyboy]

Licensed applicator eh? I didn't know that..:)

Yes its a 3 point hitch set up in any case. All the large boom sprayers I saw used a PTO driven pump.. They are available in bigger sizes than the  electrical pumps.. At least the looking at the catalogue, and of course you would need quite a lot of electrical energy to pump all the liquid... Big alternator or a huge battery.

That pump was pretty inexpensive from memory ($140 from the links above).. But they are available in many different sizes/costs. This one is 6 rollers and is capable of 9.7GPM at 20 psi or 8.6 @40 psi. I normally run my rig at about 30psi and I have 26 nozzles ( I think) at 0.2 GPM each or 5.2 gpm total. The PTO is run at 540rpm.

So the pump is quite a bit bigger than required. The excess flow goes through the pressure relief valve back into the tank.

my last run ( I keep extensive notes) was an application rate of 70 gallons of water to 1 gallon of 2-4D. This calcultaes out to be somewhat less than the suggested application rate and I got a fantastic kill.

I try to use less chemical because apart from $$, the less chemical in the environment the better.

Next time I might cut back even more.

[WranglerBowman]

I just want to say this tread is awesome and I'm sure I'll be referring to it in the future as I'm sure it won't be long before I have a need for a boom sprayer.  You did a great job on the sprayer and having everything work the first time is awesome...I normally get what I want through trial and error by the 3rd or 4th time.

[Exflyboy]

I just want to say this tread is awesome and I'm sure I'll be referring to it in the future as I'm sure it won't be long before I have a need for a boom sprayer.  You did a great job on the sprayer and having everything work the first time is awesome...I normally get what I want through trial and error by the 3rd or 4th time.

Thankyou Wrangler,

Most of the initial questions can be answered with simple math.. i.e how many nozzles how to size the pump etc.. I'm an engineer thats what I do (did.. I'm FIRED now). The rest of it is just plumbing welding etc. But your right there is often some trial and error.

But then a spray rig is like $5000 to buy and I never see them second hand locally, so $300 even with some labour and faffing around its still great rate of return..:)

[Exflyboy]

Today I have ordered the nozzle filters, 2 elbow ends (instead of plugging a Tee and both of the plugs blew off!) for the boom sprayer.

I also added a few spares to the order, another 4 nozzles, 4 caps (your bound to drop one in the grass and never find it! Hasn't happened yet but its just a matter of time!).

I ordered a pair of spare strainer gaskets as mine is now starting to leak.

Spring is ALMOST here in Oregon and the weeds are about to take off!

[Exflyboy]

Update..

My nozzles are spaced at 20 inches apart and I run them at about 2 feet above the ground.

[Exflyboy]

Well the boom sprayer has just seen its third voyage thru the pasture and I thought it wise to go through the system before I fill it with chemical.. Hint, you absolutely want this thing to be 100% reliable.. 1) the chemical is expensive so if you have a hose failure you could lose a lot of $$ and dump a huge amount of chemical into one spot. 2) You can only really spray at first light around here before the heat starts to lift the spray.. The wind also picks up and your neighbour's roses might take offense..:)

Its a bit like spraying paint.. a ton of prep for 2 hours of work!

First of all I upgraded the system with nozzle strainers as mentioned a few posts ago. Plugged nozzles are a real thing despite how clean the system is in your imagination.

Then I pulled the filter strainer and found the stainless mesh rusted through in several places. Must be a low grade of stainless. I could not recommend this strainer again.

Instead I had bought this thing a few years ago from Home Depot (about $12 I think). I was going to install it on my well water supply to the lawn sprinkler systems but never go around to it. It seems pretty well made and features a fine nylon mesh.. Namely it can't rust.

The other thing I found was I had a number of bugs that had climbed into the open hose ends.. These all need to be plugged for storage.

[Milspecstache]

Here is what Exflyboy helped me get back to service:

[Milspecstache]

This is the history behind it:

Over a year ago I drove past an farmer retiring and selling all his implements.  Got a trailer and came back to buy maybe $400 worth of old steel including 2 cultivators, 2 boom sprayers, potato plow, a massive stainless steel pot (think 40 gallon size), and a few other items.

The best boom sprayer needed new nozzles, pump, and valve but for about $250 I now have an 18' boom sprayer that I just used to spray a 3 acre field.  As I maintain another 1 acre place for a friend I'll be using it there to keep his ditches clear as well.  Far better than buying new.

Used the cultivator to put in my current crop of green beans and watermelons with plans to expand it next year.  Will use it this fall for a crop of collards as well.  My wife hates to see the yard go away but I think it's double bonus: less acreage to mow and more fresh, home-grown produce!

[Exflyboy]

Nice job.. I really must paint mine one of these days before it rusts away..:)

[DappleDoxieStaff]

I am sure I am breaking a million rules, but my management career was one of "Beg forgiveness, not permission."
I found this thread after dozens of searches and hundreds of pages. It was hands down the most helpful.
I am a widow with ten acres infected with those sinking yellow flowers (loathe them) and four horses that also hate them.
My gas EZGo farm/golf cart has a 15 gal spot sprayer in the bed.  I want to add a boom/boomless sprayer to the GoGo.  Master Mfg recommends their unit (SSBK-10FB   10FT 3 NOZZLE FOLDING BOOM – 2 GPM).  But at over $100 (about 25% of my monthly income), I have to wonder if I cannot assemble something serviceable from PVC for less.
Your unit is well above and beyond my paygrade ... but perhaps your experience could shed light on what I want to build?  My late hubby could sketch and build ... I need plans, pictures, and parts lists.  Even then I second, third and fourth guess.
Thank you!!

[Exflyboy]

Sure you could. You migth find though that you'll be spending maybe 40 to $50 on something that has a (small) risk it won't work.

I assume the sprayer you have already has the pump and that it is capable of the 2 gallons per minute?

Then I would buy a 10ft length of steel conduit from your local home improvement store (the same thing I did for the booms). You won't need the triangle.. just support the boom at the middle and have 4feet or so poking out of each side.

Then you just need some tygon tube and the nozzles and nozzle bodies. Then find a way to attach the tubing/nozzles to the steel pipe... Zipties maybe? I welded brackets to my booms which is the best way.

I did upgrade my set up with a filter and the filters in each of the nozzles otherwise you will be plagued with plugged nozzles.. not fun in the middle of a spray job.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIG-3-4-in-Pipe-Thread-Screen-Filter-D55/100124593

[DappleDoxieStaff]

I am pretty sure this is my tank ... SSO-01-015A-MM   15 Gallon Spot Sprayer – EVERFLO 2.2 GPM (Master Mfg), purchased at Atwoods.   Specs say 2.2 gpm.   I love it for fences - upgraded the wand  :-)  Had the pump switch wired to a toggle on the GoGo dash.
If I cannot fold, I cannot have anything wider than the GoGo ... it lives in my garage.  The Cadillac lives in the pull through carport.   Horsey People priorities, ya know.
Farms run on duct tape, baling wire/twine, and  ..... Zip Ties!!!!  :-)  Filters are a great idea ... OK and the wind and bugs,   They clog everything

[Exflyboy]

Right so I would make the solid boom detachable... Go buy a couple of U bolts to grip the round steel boom like these.

https://www.zoro.com/fabory-u-bolt-14-20-34in-steel-pk5-u172720250075/i/G2793625/feature-product?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9auVieH93gIVYR6tBh2DwwPZEAQYBCABEgJAs_D_BwE

Then buy a single 10 ft length of 3/4" steel conduit. The boom detaches and hangs on the wall when not in use.

with 10 feet you have 120 inches which means you will need 7 nozzles at 0.2 gpm each.. so that will be 1.4gpm which is less than the capacity of your pump.

simply order up the parts I described plus a few spares... and you'll be set.

[DappleDoxieStaff]

Be still my heart!! 
A parts list!!  Printing off to annoy the nice folks at Lowe's and Atwood's (our regional Tractor Supply)
I can do that  :-)
I am so not girly and get excited about the silliest things  LOL
I cannot wait to build the yellow flower killer - the things more of my grass than I am happy with.

[Exflyboy]

Hah..:)

Yes just mail order the parts I listed in the links.. Get two 90 degree elbow nozzle holders and 5 'T" holders.. I'd probably get a couple of extras.

Make sure you buy a few extra nozzles, caps and nozzle strainers because you will drop one or two in the grass.

If you have a local harbor freight nearby they have the best deal on hose clamps.. Much cheaper and the cost of those can add up fast when you need a lot of them.