"It's one way to turn accident-prone 3 wheelers into a safe and practical. alternative use," says Minnesota farmer Mike Jorgenson, of Montevideo, who teamed up with local blacksmith Jim Adolph to turn a 175 cc Kawasaki 3-wheel ATV into a "clean bean" machine for spraying soybeans and other row crops.

"One person working alone with this rig can spray 40 acres of a moderately infested field in two hours," Jorgenson points out. "Two quarts of Roundup and 25 gals. of water will cover about 80 acres."

Jorgenson notes that travel speed of the converted 3 wheeler is infinitely variable up to 35 mph. "We raised the machine about 36 in., reduced the transmission ratio to slow field speed and equipped the rear wheels with belt drive.

"We incorporated features that allow the 3-wheeler to convert from spraying to regular use, or vice versa, in a matter of minutes. If I had it to do over, I'd convert to a spray rig and leave it in that configuration permanently, which would reduce total conversion cost -- including the spray tank, pump and wand. Most any 3-wheeler with a 175 cc or larger engine and 4 forward speeds would be a candidate for this conversion."

Jorgenson and Adolph plan to offer custom conversions, or kits for do-it-yourself conversions.