Adjustable Width Spray Boom

Adjustable width spray boom SPRAYING Accessories 12-4-10 `By adjusting a hydraulic cylinder I can move the right half of my 8 row, front mounted spray boom in or out 8 in. to keep 18 in. wide pre-emergence herbicide bands centered over "guess" rows, says John Day, Randolph, Minn. Day uses a 4 row planter, making it necessary to use a sprayer that can compensate for "guess" rows. The 8 row spray boom mounts onto the subframe of Day's 4020 Deere tractor, just behind the front wheels. Mounted to the boom's main 2-1/2 by 2-1/2 in. bar, just to the right of the tractor, is one end of the 3 in. hydraulic cylinder. The other end is mounted to a 2 in. by 2 in. bar supporting four spray nozzles. As the hydraulic cylinder moves in or out, the telescoping 2 by 2 in. bar moves with it. There are 12 in. dia. caster wheels on both ends of the spray boom to keep it level. Day, who plants on 36 in. rows, says banding herbicide saves him "$10 to $12 per acre on soybeans , and $8 to $10 per acre on corn. What's more, when you're spraying eight rows that aren't mates, you can't band accurately without an adjustable width spray boom like this. Also, you've got to be able to see what you're doing. With a front mounted spray boom, if I plug a nozzle, I can spot it immediately. "The nozzles are located 13 in. above the ground. By lowering them a bit, I could make a 13 in. band and save still more on herbicide costs," Day points out. Spraying 8 rows at 6 mph, Day can cover 14 to 15 acres an hour. Both halves of the spray boom can be manually folded upright so they're out of the way for travel. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Day, Rt. 1, Randolph, Minn. 55065 (ph 507 645-5040),

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