BX sprayer speed

[makemineorange]

I was looking for an easier way to apply weed and feed over three acres when I found a 40 gallon 3 point sprayer with wand on sale. Also picked up a 2.5 gl jug of liquid weed and feed, 15-0-0. The broadleaf chemical in it is 2-4d.
Having never sprayed with type of equipment, I had to figure out how to get the recommended application rate applied. It was clear tractor speed is an important variable. Without a speedometer on the BX2370, I used a handheld GPS to determine speed based on lo/hi range and rpm. With the HST pedal fully depressed, the results were:
rpm / lo range mph / hi range mph
1.5K / 1.7 / 3.5
2K / 2.3 / 4.8
2.5K / 3 / 6.6
3K / 3.6 / 7.8
I haven't sprayed anything yet, still learning and converting. Sure would be nice if the sprayer makers and chemical makers used the same measurements!

 

[deathtoblackberries]

I sprayed 15-0-0 on my 1 acre yesterday with a Fimco 40 gallon boom sprayer and my BX2380. Also sprayed Speedzone broadleaf weed killer a couple times the past few weeks.

By the way Speedzone is awesome it obliterated my weeds. Its about $96 a gallon but will fill the 40 gallon sprayer 2.6 times at the concentration I mixed. There are 43,000 sqft in 1 acre. Since the house and driveway take up roughly 3,000 sqft I call it 40,000 sqft, 40 gallon sprayer, 1 gallon per 1,000 sqft which makes mixing ratios easy.

Both Speedzone and the 15-0-0 liquid fertilizer have a wide range of recommended concentrations. I mixed the Speedzone 1.2oz per gallon (e.g. per 1,000 sqft) so 48oz per 40 gallon tank. The 15-0-0 recommended 2-8oz per 1,000 sqft, I decided to go conservative on the first application and mixed 4oz per 1,000 sqft (4oz per gallon). I read about a guy who mixed it a bit too strong and burnt up his lawn.

Also I read that the combo 15-0-0 with weed killer got bad reviews. Guys who had used the much cheaper 15-0-0 without the weed killer got better results. Speedzone worked so well I'll stick with it for weed control.

You can drive too slow. My first application of the weed killer went well, killed the weeds and did not hurt the grass. I drove too slow the 2nd time and stressed the grass a bit. Same concentration my speed was just too slow. Now I'm driving the slowest speed the cruise control will engage and fine adjusting with the RPM 1800-2200.

 

[russell.still.5]

You need to know several variables with speed being only one of them. The nozzles are calibrated to spray so many gal/ac at a given speed and pressure. If you don’t know this information the easiest thing to do would be fill the sprayer with a known amount of water and spray the desired area. After spraying see how much water you used and you can calculate gal/ac that way. You can also google Sprayer Calibration and come up with methods to determine the same thing but that can get complicated and confusing. The chemical label should say how much chemical/ac. 2,4-d is usually 1-2qt/ac.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BAP]

Nothing like turning your yard into a chemical dump. Homeowners are bigger polluters than farmers when it comes to runoff of herbicides and fertilizer.

 

[s4ducati]

I have a 300 gallon, pto driven sprayer. The boom width is 26'. My nozzles are 30" above the ground.

My tech from the chemical company calibrated the unit for me, however, this is the gist of what to do.

1-You need to know the application rate for the materials you're spraying. This varies for the target pest/weed. Also, need to know the spray character for the material; fine droplets, coarse droplets, or very-coarse droplets. Look at TeeJets for this type of info.

2-Since mine is PTO driven, the rpm of the PTO sets the pressure from the pump. I set mine for a travel speed of 4mph at a RPM of 1600rpm in 5th gear. My travel speed is a function of the terrain I spray, slow because its rough.

3-Once the rpm/speed is set, use a measuring cup to determine how much liquid is dispensed per nozzle in a fixed amount of time, ie: the time it takes to travel 100 feet.

For my setup I was trying to apply at 20gallons/acre of tank mix. I'm spraying a mix of 2,4-D and Clarity for weed control. Plus WeatherGard (drift control) and Mark it Red (so I know where I've been).

My tank is 300gal, and the amount of each chemical for one tank load is based on target weed/pest and the type of chemical. Your supplier can give that to you, or better yet, read the label and calculate it yourself.

For a 20gal/acre rate and 26ft boom I cover 2.4ac in a 2000' path (up and back). My fields are 2000ft by 2000ft.

At 1600rpm in 5th gear I travel 100' in 19.6sec and the nozzle dispenses 8.3oz.

The process is not that complicated, but it does take some understanding of what you're doing. Knowing the application rate for the mix, your speed of travel, and the discharge/nozzle/100' of travel.

Our supplier (CPS) is really helpful for a mix designs, and calibrating the equipment. Ask your supplier for help.