Crop Sprayer Built From Deere Combine

Crop Sprayer Built from Deere Combine COMBINES Conversions 15-2-7 "We've used it for two years with no problems," says John C. Nelson, Veblen, S. Dak., about the crop sprayer he built out of an old Deere 95 combine. "My primary goal in converting the combine was to get higher up for better visibility and to get away from sprayer drift and fumes. "I stripped the combine down to the angle iron frame, which was reinforced with 2 by 4 by 3/8-in. tubing. The motor was lowered and moved back. The variable speed drive had to be moved up so that it would work properly. "A 300 gal. tank was installed in front of the motor, as far front as possible. A T-roller pump runs off the pulley that ran the unloading auger. It's engaged by a cable which I attached to the concave adjusting lever. Orbit steering was installed and is powered by the power steering pump. "I made a 60-ft. self-leveling boom, which was attached in front of the drive wheels. Height is controlled by the platform cylinders. It has a 6-ft. break-away section on each end and the two outer sections fold back for transporting. The middle section is 14 ft. wide. A manual control in the cab controls the 3-section boom. "I usually spray in 4th gear at about 6¢ mph. The roller pump runs at about 860 rpm's so it has volume enough to put on 20 gal. of water per acre at that speed. "If I were to do it again I'd start with a hydrostatic drive combine since the hardest part was getting the variable speed drive properly positioned and braced. "The sprayer has worked well for two years. It needs a better fan in the cab, since it gets a little warm, and we should extend the boom to 72 ft. That would work better since we use a 24-ft. drill for seeding small grains and soybeans. "We spent a total of $1,860 on the sprayer, not counting labor and welding rods." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John C. Nelson, Rt. 1, Box 163, Veblen, S. Dak. 57270 (ph 605 738-2269).

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