Giant 1600 Gallon Sprayer Rides On Combine Wheels

Giant 1600 Gallon sprayer rides on combine wheels COMBINES Conversions 15-2-8 "It has more capacity than any conventional farm sprayer on the market and is equipped with a rear 3-pt. hitch and draw-bar that lets me mount a spray boom for crop spraying or pull a disk to incorporate herbicides," says Robert Fetherston, Atkinson, Neb., about his 1,600-gal. sprayer equipped with 30.5 by 32 rear combine tires and a 40-ft. boom. Fetherson used 3 by 7 in. rectangular tubing to build the frame and tongue. The front of the sprayer is equipped with a spring-loaded drive wheel that can be hydraulically raised on-the-go, and the rear is equipped with a 16-in. hydraulic lift cylinder for the 3-pt. mounted spray boom. To incorporate chemicals, Fetherston removes the boom and sprays through nozzles mounted on a disk. "I used it last year on 5,000 acres with no problems," says Fetherson. "I built it because I wanted more capacity than commercial farm sprayers offered. The biggest sprayer I could find had only a 750 gal. tank. Spraying at 20 gpa I can cover 80 acres without refilling and even more if the tractor has saddle tanks. I've covered 130 acres in 2¢ hours. I use the disk to incorporate Atrazine early in the spring. I use a 165 hp Deere 4650 tractor equipped with mechanical front wheeldrive to pull the spray tank and a 24-ft. disk, or I use a 270 hp Deere 8650 4-WD tractor equipped with 1,000-gal. saddle tanks to pull the spray tank and a 32-ft. disk. I quick couple the disk's hydraulic hoses to the boom lift cylinder. Boom can be hydraulically raised and lowered 20 to 36 in. off the ground for accurate spraying on uneven terrain, and each of the 14-ft. wings can be raised independently. "The combine tires provide good flotation and reduced soil compaction. By replacing them with smaller 20.8 by 38 tires I can use the sprayer in 30-in. rows. "I can hydraulically raise the drive wheel off the ground when I turn at the end of the field to keep the wheel from dragging. When I lower the drive wheel back to the ground a single-acting cylinder under the frame, equipped with a big spring, provides down pressure." Fetherston used a length of H-beam to make the cart's axle, welding 2-ft. long stub spindles made by a local machine shop onto either end. The ground-driven pump, boom, tank, and drive wheel are all made by Demco. The sprayer folds hydraulically to a 12-ft. transport width. Contact FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Fetherston, Atkinson, Neb. 68713 (ph 402 925-5583).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.