Man, I can’t imagine a food plot scenario that requires the precision of a boom sprayer. I’ve got the prettiest turf in my neighborhood, and I’m using a boomless nozzle, with a pump that’s underpowered, to boot. Now, I’m rebuilding a boom sprayer for the yard, and I can’t imagine having all that clap trap in the field to worry about troubleshooting.
Boom or boomless atv sprayer
- Thread starter Howboutthemdawgs
- Start date
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
If chemicals were free and there were no negative effect from using them, you might have a point. The more efficiently and responsibly we apply chemicals the better.
Who said anything about inefficient or irresponsible? If you’re that worried, you shouldn’t be putting any out at all.
Your virtue signaling is on point, btw! Kudos.
Truth is, every single time I cross reference chemical rates, independently derive nozzle rates vs pressure, I find more error in the calcs represented on labels than come from my rig. I’m good. But thanks for the concern. ;)
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cavey
5 year old buck +
A boom will give you a more precise spray and better coverage with better chemical efficiency , period its just what they do... especially in taller plots. There are pros and cons to each type so its a matter of choice and type of application. You can cover a fair amount of ground fast with a boomless sprayer especially in super short growth areas but in plots with taller plants you just dont get the same direct Mist/droplet drop down effect. They are awesome for trails but do hit everything. I just fold my booms in and run my center section for trails. I have seen home made boom sprayers that fold up as well as spring back so you can up higher and to the sides almost as good as a boomless.
cavey
5 year old buck +
I think there is a consensus that excessive chemical use is a bad thing, being a good steward of the land is a good thing. From chemical carry over to herbicide resistance, to just plan being wasteful. That is an obvious draw back to radial boomless spaying, to achieve anything remotely successful for spraying it needs to send out large droplet sizes in order to be hurled outward. Which is inefficient. Non professional chemical application is legit concern in the agribusiness field. Its in part why certain seeds are not sold to food plotters. They know in general we are uneducated slobs at chemical application. And while Im often at odds with YoderJack I fully get what he is saying. Boomless sprayers are chemical pigs as far as spraying - they work but lets be real about that point.
It’s all about where you draw the line.
So you’re using GPS and auto steer then? Heck, row markers? I’m genuinely not trying to be rude or impolite. But everything is relative.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
It depends on what you are spraying and why and your specific conditions. I'm not saying that boomless sprayers don't have their place. I'm saying that, depending on the chemical and conditions, using a boom sprayer is more efficient and more responsible. It is not the tool, it is how you apply it.
cavey
5 year old buck +
I do use gps to set my plot area calculations as well as GIS mapping. Any tractor and or atv I use leaves tracks so I minimize my overlaps. I try and minimize double coverage areas, I am more careful then in the past about keeping my mixes to the chemical makers specs and not just dumping the jug into the tank. I calibrate my nozzles to my speed, set my sprayer heights to maximize coverage. Set my nozzles based on the size droplets needed and try not to spray on windy days. If I use my buddies sprayer I do have the option of foam marking which is really nice. I have come to realize that some weeds in my plots are not bad things and Since I started raising bees I have realized that my prior spraying amounts/habits where needless and excessive in many cases. I have used boomless sprayers and I personally think they are pasture sprayers and kill everything trail sprayers but I did not say that. I said it was a choice. I know for a fact that they use more chemical to get the job done and are sloppy time savers. Im not sure anything chemical application wise is relative. There is not enough, close enough, and too much.
I tended to focus on too much so that it was enough because not enough sucked. But I try not to be that way anymore... chemical is expensive and with a little extra effort I can be better.
Im just saying that a boom sprayer is something you can dial in while a boomless is less apt to provide optimal coverage and does its job by saturation and overkill in some areas and by nature misses others areas simply be how it works/sprays. Pros and cons to both... I just stepped in to support Yoder which pains me at times but his comment is something also to consider when selecting a sprayer type. Some people embrace or at least consider the impacts of chemical applications and how they impact the environment and ground water others are a getrrrrrrrrrrrrr done mind set. I dont care what people use and am not anti boomless beyond the shortfalls I see in using one over the other. So I got what he was saying. Buy and use what works for you and I agree with Yoder on not hitting stuff to hot.
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Victor Van Meter
5 year old buck +
Would you guys go with a sprayer on a cart or one that I can put in my UTV bed? Plots are fairly flat, but one is a bit rough. They are also 3 acres or less, so I don't need a huge tank. Thanks for any advice.
VV
VV
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
In terms of size, it depends on what you are spraying and how the sprayer is calibrated. I've got a tractor mounted 55 gal Fimco boom sprayer. I typically get 2 - 3 acres before I need to refill. I'm not sure I see much advantage to cart unless it is more convenient to hookup for you. There are always issues if you get into tight spots trying to back up and turn around with a trailered unit in the field, but it depends on you conditions. I'm not sure the flatness or roughness of the field plays much role in the choice.
Thanks,
Jack
Victor Van Meter
5 year old buck +
I had just read that some were having trouble with the carts tipping over in rough/hilly terrain. I never gave much thought to turning it in tight spots, that's a good point.
Spraying mostly clover fields right now.
VV
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
When I said "What" you are spraying, I meant the chemicals. Most are applied on a per acre basis and most need enough water to get an even application. A few things, like crop oil, are applied by a %v/v. Calibrating a sprayer is more problematic with an ATV or UTV because it is harder to hold a constant speed as terrain changes than it is with a tractor. Once you set pressure and make trial runs, you'll know how much fluid you are putting out per acre. My boomless sprayer puts out a lot of water quickly and you need to move pretty fast and it is pretty inaccurate. The droplets are large and thrown a long distance. It is smaller and I don't get much acreage covered with it. The boom sprayer on my tractor puts out fine droplets close to the ground for little drift and it is much more accurate. I've calibrated it for different tractor gears so if terrain is rough, I can run it on a lower gear. It puts out more water so it covers less acreage per tank and I adjust the amount of chemical accordingly. If terrain is not rough, I run in a faster gear so I get more acreage per tank and adjust the amount of chemical accordingly for that.
Thanks,
jack
I bought the 10’ boom model from Northern Tool with the highest capacity pump. For me the main reason to go with the boom is for precision along the edges of my plots. I have apple trees and other plantings that I don’t want to hit with glyphosate. With the broadcast nozzle, I was afraid to get within about 25’ of my plantings when spraying.....so I ended up with the edges of all my plots full of weeds that love expensive fertilizer.
Victor Van Meter
5 year old buck +
Mostly gly and 2-4DB, my bad.
cavey
5 year old buck +
Boom sprayer on the utv is likely all you need.
Not discussing size beyond there are tractor size, utv size and lawn size sprayers.... multiple acre food plots with a utv sprayer is just going to take some extra time and you'll have to get good at knowing where you have sprayed and judge your overlaps. Economically its likely very realistic for you. 3 acres or less is what I would say a average bed or rack mounted sprayer is made for. They can easily do more just saying you will have no issues with it. Doesnt take long to refill and there is a benefit to taking your time spraying via having a bit smaller tank. You will likely do it right.
A benefit to a smaller trailered set up is the ease of dropping it and going on to something else with your atv utv. Bed mounted ones can be a pain as they take up space and once you have them mounted your likely to keep them on. The other benefit is having the sprayer further behind you helps with distancing you from the wind drift. But I would say that is about it.
Trailered ones tend to be tippy and as mentioned a pain to maneuver.
Jumping up to large tractor sprayers is a kin to you would know you needed one before you even asked the question kind of a deal. The average plotter with smaller plots does just fine with a bed mounted system. Just my thoughts.
