yeoman

I'm getting a 55 gal. Femco sprayer to handle a 6 -7 acre field. My tractor is an 8N Ford. The PTO is only live when the clutch is released. I have the option of getting the PTO pump for the sprayer but am having second thoughts. Should I rig a 12 volt pump instead so I can turn the sprayer on/off while moving and not have to depress the clutch and disengage the PTO to stop the sprayer? What GPM would any of you recommend for roundup application? I'm guessing I go 4 mph in 2nd gear. Any help is much appreciated.

Iron Archer

Personaly I would use a 12volt set up. You can just use a simple on/off switch and mount it any where you want. I am making my own sprayer right now but it is only a 15 gallon model. It will work good for the power lines and trails that cross my property. I'm just waiting for the boom kit right now. I bought the metal and wheels and Ive only got about $110.00 in it. I'll post some pics when its done.

Good Luck

yeoman

Thanks Iron Archer. How many GPM (gallons per minute) pump are you using?

psandhu

i use a 1 gpm 12v pump with my 15 gallon boom sprayer, the boom is 10' and has 6 nozzles.i can drive @3mph for 15 minutes and cover 43560 square feet. that's 1 acre.

Iron Archer

Same here.

The main reason for my 15 gal model is cause I dont have the money to buy a tractor. Maybe some day I have that option.

Good luck.

Wooddust

You cannot answer this just yes or no....it depends on the number of nozzels you plan to have, the nozzel spacing, and the flow rate at a given pressure...If you have a boom wider than about 6 feet, Id bet your electric idea is a looser for sure.

Why wopuld you want it to pump when the clutch is depressed anyway....

yeoman

Woodust, sorry for the delay. It's not that I want to pump when the clutch is depressed, it's that I would like not to pump while making turn etc. Ithought I'd have to stop, disengage the PTO, turn, stop and reengage the PTO, then move again. With a switch I could simply switch off and back on while still moving. I'm told by a friend who has the PTO pump that I'll be able to reach the lever on the pump while in the seat to accomplish what I'm after. I'll have 7 nozzles on a 10 foot boom covering 12 feet per pass.

Wooddust

put a by pass line in and a manual valve...go talk to a spray company, not the local fimco dealer...they have exactly what you need.

yeoman

Uh, sorry. I said "reach the lever on the pump". The sprayer comes with the bypass valve and it's the lever on the valve I can reach underway.

1sagittarius

Go with an electric pump and rig a simple toggle switch near the stearing wheel.

The following website has the simple calculations to calibrate your sprayer ...

http://www.teejet.com/MS/TeeJet/support2.asp?ID=90

Basically you have to measure three things ...

1. speed of your tractor/ATV. you can do this by timing yourself for 100 ft. and calculationg MPH. Do it in several gears to have speed options.

2. Spray nozzle output. Simply measure what comes out of one spray nozzle in 1 minute. You only really need to measure one nozzle, but it is good to check them all to be sure they are all working the same.

3. Nozzle spacing between nozzles. The standard for a small boom is 20 inches with a 20 inch height.

Plug these measurements into the formula then you will know how many gallons per acre your are spraying. If you are spraying 22 gal per acre, and want to spray round up at 2 qts per acre ... you simply add 2 qts round up to 22 gal water in your spray tank. To use less water, you recalculate for a higher speed.

Knowing the actual output of your sprayer will save time and money in that you will not be wasting $ by over spraying or time by having to spray twice if you undersprayed.