Pull-Type Sprayer Rides On Combine Axle

Pull-Type Sprayer Rides On Combine Axle SPRAYING New Sprayers 21-4-7 When Max McNeil began looking for a bigger pull-type sprayer to replace his old sprayer, he decided he couldn't justify the price of a new commercial rig. "I built my own last spring for a lot less than the $28,000 they were asking for some of the rigs I looked at," says the Preston, Iowa, farmer. "Thanks to the 1,300-gal. tank, I can cover 65 acres before refilling now, compared with 30 acres before with a 750-gal. tank. I used it on 800 acres of corn and soybeans last year with no problems." Key components of the sprayer came off a big flotation spray rig a nearby co-op was parting out. He used the floater's 1,300-gal. stainless steel tank and its 50-ft. hydraulic fold booms. He beefed up each boom with 1 1/4-in. sq. tubing and widened them to 60 ft. by extending the middle section 2 1/2 ft. and each end 3 ft. Booms mount on front of the sprayer for unobstructed visibility, and they allow him to cover 24 (30-in.) rows each trip across the field. Booms raise and lower 18 in. with a hydraulic header lift cylinder off an old combine. T-Jet nozzles run 2 ft. off the ground in the lowest position, McNeil notes. A gooseneck-type hitch permits the booms to raise and lower without interference. Ends of the booms are equipped with wheels off an old lawn mower to keep them from digging in over rough terrain. The sprayer rides on an axle taken off an old Massey 750 combine. McNeil widened the axle so the center of the tires are 120 in. apart to straddle four rows. McNeil fitted the rims, which he got off an old IH tractor, with 13.6 by 38-in. 12-ply tires. "The smaller tires on my old sprayer al-ways bounced too much across draws," he says. A Hypro pump mounted on his tractor's pto powers the sprayer. It plumbs to the sprayer with a 2-in. dia. suction line from the bottom of the tank to the pump and a 11/2-in. dia. return line. McNeil made a 70-gal. clean water tank out of a liquid starter tank off an old planter and mounted it on front of the sprayer. He also mounted hinged steps on back that flip down for filling and up out of the way when not in use. He pulls the sprayer with a Deere 4640 and says it worked great last year. "I'm real pleased," he says. Out-of-pocket expense was about $5,000, including $1,400 for the stainless steel tank and $200 for the booms. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Max McNeil, 1019 370th Ave., Preston, Iowa 52069 (ph 319 682-7191).

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