Deere Combine Converted Into Big Self Propelled Sprayer

Deere combine converted into big self propelled sprayer COMBINES Corn Pickers(13) 11-2-36 Brian Irvine, MacDuff, Scotland, turned a 1968 Deere combine into a self-propelled sprayer for a cost of less than $3,000. He says a similar commercial unit would have been at least 10 times as expensive and probably more. "Our sprayer is the most used implement on our farm and we were looking for a larger capacity sprayer with wider booms than our 40-ft. wide 110 gal. 3-pt. model. We were attracted to state of the art self-propelled sprayers but just couldn't justify the cost. We decided to build our own. "We bought the Deere 630 combine from a neighbor for about $750 because he had just bought a new machine. Like most old combines, the engine and gearing were in good shape but the rest had seen better days. We sold the excess for scrap and proceeded to built a chassis around the axles out of two heavy steel girders. The front sprayer boom frame mounts directly to the chassis for strength. The boom frame, which we built from scratch, is designed like a forklift mast so you can spray from any height from 18 in. to 7 ft. That's important to us since we spray continually throughout the growing season. "The spray boom, which we bought second hand, is 60 ft. wide and all-hydraulic controlled for ease of folding and unfolding on headlands. We put the boom up front to make it easier to see all the nozzles at once. We mounted the 300 gal. spray tank toward the back of the chassis which helps stabilize the unit on hillsides. "The only parts left from the Deere combine are the front axle and wheels and most of the original driver controls. Hydraulics are all driven by the Deere pump. "Total cost of $3,000 included the cost of the combine, boom and miscellaneous parts." For more information,contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brian Irvine, 11B Shore Street, Macduff, Banffshire, Scotland AB4 1VB.

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