Sprayer Built From Old Combine

Sprayer Built From Old Combine COMBINES Conversions 16-2-2 "It covers a 72-ft. swath and, at 10 mph, we can spray 80 acres per hour," says Edwin Meyer, who converted an old New Holland 995 combine into a state-of-the-art self-propelled crop sprayer. "We've used it for 5 years with only a few modifications. It cost about $6,500 to build and has made spraying an easy chore. The ride is as good as a pickup. The pressurized cab has an activated charcoal filter, protecting the operator," says Meyer. "We used the steering axle, transaxle, cab, 361 Ford motor, hydraulic pump, variable speed drive and various miscellaneous parts - including hydraulic lines and electrical wiring - off the New Holland combine. "We built the chassis from the ground up out of 6-in. channel iron, attaching the steering axle to the front of it, adding a cross mount truck spring, coil over shocks, and radius rods. The original steering is completely hydraulic with no mechanical link-age so it was easy to reconnect. "The rear axle is mounted solid and fitted with large tires to provide flotation. The motor sits crossways behind the cab, mounted on the original subframe. "An 800-gal. (imp.) poly tank mounts slightly ahead of the center of the rear axle. We used a factory-made cradle for the tank. A belt-driven Hypro 9203 pump with an electric clutch does all the pumping, including transfer of water from a nurse tank to the sprayer via a 1 1a-in. ball valve. Filling takes about 15 min., during which we add chemical to a 12-gal. mix and fill tank. Mixing is almost instantaneous as all liquid passes through a perforated agitation tube running the full length of the tank. "A separate 30-gal. pressure tank, mounted underneath the front of the main tank, contains only pure water. It's pressurized by a small belt-driven air compressor and fitted with a pressure relief valve set at 30 psi. Gives us the convenience of a garden hose in the field at all times for rinsing and flushing. "Boom wings are hydraulically raised and lowered, as is boom height. Combine header and reel height controls mounted right on the steering column are used for this. Two wheels are used on each wing with a knee action suspension and adjust-able coil over shocks. The end wheel on each boom and the last 5 ft. of each boom pivot 90?'s hydraulically when lifting the wings for transport. The last 5-ft. section also features a breakaway to settle arguments with power poles. "We use 110? nozzles with 20-in. spacing. At a 14 to 16-in. height, we get 100 percent overlap, so every plant gets a blast from two angles. "We installed a Smith-Roles sprayer monitor-controller which automatically applies 10 gal. per acre at speeds between 7 and 11 mph. It also monitors gallons per hour, mph, gallons per acre, miles travelled, acres covered, gallons pumped, and psi. "After much experimenting with various types of markers we ended up with Peacock pressurized foam tanks. Two 1/4-in. hydraulic hoses deliver foam to electric solenoids at the ends of the booms. Control of foam is manual using a switch in the cab. The foam is heavy enough to drop right to the ground and stay put and it lasts up to 12 hrs." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Edwin Meyer, Box 209, Gilbert Plains, Manitoba ROL OXO Canada (ph 204 548-2816).

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