Drip Nozzle Tractor Sprayer

Drip Nozzle Tractor Sprayer SPRAYING Miscellaneous 10-1-7 Robert Waltimyer, Turbotville, Penn., built a tractor-mounted "drip nozzle" sprayer that lets him apply liquid nitrogen directly to rows of growing corn at ground level. "We used pieces of bicycle tire tubes on the nozzles to drop to the ground. Regular rubber hose is so stiff it'll break the nozzles when you go over a bump," says Waltimyer, "The sprayer applies liquid nitrogen to ten rows of corn through 11 nozzles with bicycle inner tubes attached to the nozzles. Nitrogen is applied in a narrow band about as thick as a pencil, eliminating burn even in corn as tall as 30 in. except when turning at the end of the rows," says Waltimyer. Waltimyer, with the help of an uncle, converted an old Century sprayer fitted with 3/4-in. pipe booms. Although the booms were drilled with nozzles, he didn't use them because of rust and corrosion problems that can occur with nitrogen. Instead he stripped the sprayer down to the tank, frame and bare booms and fitted it with all plastic supply lines and T-jet nozzles spaced on 32-in. centers. All strainers have stainless steel screens rather than brass. The final step was installing the drip pipes. The pieces of inner tube are simply clamped to the nozzles with a hose clamp and can be easily removed for conventional spraying. "It does as good a job as anything on the market and we spent only around $200 compared to $2,000 for a similar commercial unit. We can apply nitrogen to about 10 acres per hour," says Waltimyer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Waltimyer, Rt. 1, Box 311, Turbotville, Penn. 17772.

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