“Customizable” Small Acreage Sprayer

“Customizable” Small Acreage Sprayer SPRAYING New Sprayers Alvin Witmer couldn’t find a small acreage sprayer that had all the options he wanted so he built a high tech model himself “I wanted something more versatile than the models that I found on the market I also wanted something with a folding boom so I could spray in small areas ” says the Dayton Va fruit tree grower “It works great for spraying everything from row crops to pastures lawns and fence lines ” The 3-pt mounted sprayer is available with a 12 or 18-ft boom that can be extended in 18 or 36-in increments and with an 80 or 35-gal tank A funnel-shaped poly tank leads down to the drain and line strainer “We call it a ‘total drain tank’ because it lets you keep spraying until the tank is completely empty even on sidehills ” says Witmer “With a flat bottomed tank the chemical ends up in a corner of the tank where it can’t get sucked up Draining the tank completely is especially important for orchard growers who have to use expensive chemicals that cost up to $50 per ounce They don’t want to leave one or two gal in the tank when they’re done spraying Using up all the chemical also makes cleanup and maintenance a simple job ” The boom quick-taches to the sprayer frame and can be equipped with many attachments such as row shields for spraying produce rows and boomless nozzle shields The U-shaped nozzle shields mount at both ends of the boom and keep the nozzles from accidentally catching on fences “The shields just swing back out of the way ” says Witmer A pto-operated pressure washer kit can be mounted on the sprayer’s frame allowing you to use the sprayer to wash farm equipment It sells for $1 300 The sprayer can be easily converted to a boomless model by unscrewing a wing nut and lifting the boom off The hoses can be quickly disconnected by turning a knob The sprayer comes with an adjustable nozzle hand gun with a 10-ft hose that you can use from the tractor seat “Some hobby farmers just buy the sprayer frame and use the hand wand as they drive along fence rows to control weeds ” says Witmer The sprayer comes with a magnet-mounted remote on-off section control box that operates off the tractor’s battery “The control box can be mounted on the tank or on one of the tractor fenders allowing the operator to turn the boom on or off without leaving the tractor seat ” says Witmer A standard sprayer equipped with an 80-gal tank and an 18-ft boom sells for about $1 700 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Alvin Witmer 2070 West Dry River Road Dayton Va 22821 ph 540 867-9777; fax 540 867-9778

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