Three Wheeled Sprayer Built From Old Combine

Three wheeled sprayer built from old combine COMBINES Conversions 14-1-7 George Kulyk, Wadena, Sask., took the engine, rear tires, and planetary drive front axle from a 1966 Massey Ferguson 410 combine and put them together with the rear end, transmission, and power steering from a 1974 Chevrolet ¥-ton pickup to build a three-wheeled, self-propelled sprayer equipped with an 800-gal. tank and a 60-ft. boom. Kulyk built the sprayer frame from 4 by 6-in. rectangular tubing and used the combine's front axle as the sprayer's rear axle. Power is supplied by the combine's Chevrolet 292 cu. in. 6-cylinder engine. Kulyk installed the 4-speed pickup transmission upside down so the planetary drive on the axle would turn the rear wheels forward. The combine's 18.4 by 26 rear wheels mount at the back of the sprayer and a single 16.00 by 16.00 flotation tire, removed from an old Cockshutt combine, supports the front of the sprayer. Kulyk widened the axle 2 ft. so the spray tank would fit between the wheels. The cab was salvaged from a late 1960's White 4-WD tractor. The boom's five 12-ft. sections are supported by the torsion bar suspension system from a 1968 Plymouth car, as well as springs and shock absorbers. "I built it because I wasn't happy with sprayers on the market," says Kulyk. "Most of them use 40-year-old technology that doesn't provide accurate enough application rates, and their ground-driven piston pumps don't provide enough constant nozzle pressure to maintain a good spray pattern. My sprayer uses a double overlap with 20-in. spacings and the thorough coverage allows me to reduce herbicide use by one fourth. If one nozzle isn't working properly, the nozzle beside it ensures at least 50% coverage. The cab offers excellent visibility because it's high off the ground and the booms are only 10 ft. behind me. I have a clear view of the boom from either side window. The boom always stays level because the torsion bar suspension system keeps it from rocking back and forth. The springs and shock absorbers that connect the boom to the parallel linkage behind the tank allow the boom to ride smoothly even on rough terrain. The combination of torsion bar suspension system, springs, and shock absorbers allows me to spray at speeds up to 15 mph. Under ideal conditions I can spray up to 100 acres per hour. The booms ride only 30 in. off the ground, reducing drift and providing better herbicide coverage. Filters on both the intake and pressure sides of the pump, as well as in the boom, keep the nozzles from plugging up. I haven't plugged a nozzle in five years and electronic boom controls allow me to adjust boom height right from the cab." The booms are controlled by three Delavan electric solenoid valves - one valve for the center 12-ft. section and one valve for the two 12-ft. sections on either end. They can be adjusted from 30 to 60 in. high and can be folded in or out in less than a minute to a transport width of 14 ft. Kulyk built his own foam marker by borrowing a belt-driven air pollution pump removed from a 1981 Chevrolet Suburban, and an old hot water tank. The foam marker is controlled with two ball valves controlled from inside the cab. "The pollution pump doesn't drain the battery like an electric compressor and supplies more than enough air to handle the 6 to 8 psi working pressure of the foam marker. It allows me to spray up to 400 acres with one 25-gal. fill of foam," notes Kulyk. The sprayer pump is driven by a pto shaft running off the transmission. It operates at 1,150 rpm to spray 90 gpm at 40 psi. Kulyk spent $7,500 to build the sprayer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, George Kulyk, Box 996, Wadena, Sask., Canada SOA 4J0 (ph 306 338-2614).

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