He Built His Own "Samurai" Sprayer

He Built His Own "Samurai" Sprayer SPRAYING New Sprayers 21-5-20 You may have seen this "Samurai" sprayer idea on the market. Here's how one farmer built his own. Ed Mies, Loami, Ill., used to hire a custom-applicator to spray his 320 acres of corn and 420 acres of beans. When he decided he wanted a sprayer of his own, he liked one commercial unit he saw from JM Innovations that used a Suzuki Samurai 4-WD sport utility vehicle modified to pull a big sprayer. So when a used 1988 Samurai with 60,000 miles on it turned up at a local used car dealer for $1,900, Mies decided he could put together his own version of the commercial rig and save some money in the bargain. "We plant corn in 28 in. rows and beans in 14 in. rows so the Samurai's 56-in. wheel-base is ideal for corn and nearly perfect for soybeans," Mies says. "It also weighs almost nothing so you barely see a tire print, even after three applications. It has enough ground clearance to get through corn and beans up to 3 ft." He replaced the Samurai's original rag top with a fiberglass top and equipped it with a ball hitch plate, which mounts between the seats. JM Innovations Inc., 9304 Hess Road, Edwardsville, Ill. 62025 (ph 618 667-6089) sold him the fiberglass top and hitch. He also bought the company's sprayer equipped with 200-gal. tank and 56-ft. hydraulic-fold booms. (Sixty ft. booms are standard with the JM sprayer but 56 ft. works better in Mies' narrow rows.) Finally, to keep out of the drift while spraying, he purchased an add-on air conditioner for $800 from an auto supply store and had it installed in the vehicle. "We've used it for two seasons spraying at speeds of up to 11 mph and we've been pleased with how it performs," Mies says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ed Mies, 14810 Maxwell Hall Road, Loami, Ill. 62661 (217 435-7091).

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