Sprayer Questions

I plan on buying a sprayer early in the spring. I am hoping to get a pto driven one, that is boomless, with a capacity of 40-65 gallons. Hoping to spend less than a grand for it.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

Jay

What are you putting it on/in, spray pattern needed, distance needed, material being sprayed (liquid or powdered which needs agitation), why PTO vs electric, tow or skid?????????????????????????????

Basically, we need more info.......

shrewsbury said:

I plan on buying a sprayer early in the spring. I am hoping to get a pto driven one, that is boomless, with a capacity of 40-65 gallons. Hoping to spend less than a grand for it.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

Jay

Click to expand...

Not sure you can get a new one for that, maybe used. I have a Fimco 60 gallon, three point hitch mounted, boom less with 30 foot spray pattern, driven by a PTO 6 roller pump. Paid over $2K for it. Worth every penny.

using it for watering my grapes. I would hope for at least an 8 foot spread. I would rather have it pto driven so I do not have to hook it up to my battery.

If you are using it to water your grapes then a sprayer is not the choice for you. It won't put out enough water to be practical. You would be better off getting either a small trailer with a tank on it or a 3 point hitch carryall and put a tank on that. Then just plumb up a hose to that and let gravity do it's work. The carry all is only a hundred and a half or less. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-carry-all?cm_vc=-10005

my rows are 240 feet long. should i just string an extra wire and tie on a drip tube system?
I have a SCT so how high would the tank need to be to create a fow that would travel 240 feet?

If I went this route what size tank should I get. I was thinking 65 gallons would be pushing it for the yanmar sc2400.

I appreciate your time and input,

Jay

How far away from your house or barn is the vineyard going to be? If only a few hundred feet away, I would run a pvc black plastic pipe to supply it for drip irrigation. That is pretty cheap and would cut down on hauling back and forth. If you water with a gallon per vine, a 60 gallon tank will only water 60 gallons. I am not sure if using drip with just a tank and no pressure would work.

Next question is - do you need to water the vines? I know anything west of the Mississippi would benefit from it but if you have any water retention in your soil and about 30+ inches annual rainfall you probably won't need to irrigate the vines.

I am in vermilion Ohio, about 1 mile from Lake Erie. We average about 35 inches a year. I was thinking I will not need to water regularly but maybe just when when have a a situation when it hasn't rained for a while.

again, really, thanks for your time.

Jay

I think in your case just get a small trailer you can pull with the tractor and put a bit larger tank on that (whatever the capacity of the trailer will handle). Just hook a hose to the tank and drive down between the rows if watering is necessary. You can park every 50 feet and use the hose to water the vines one at a time. It would be even easier if you get someone to assist you either driving or watering.

Thanks.

I have decided to not purchase a sprayer. I can just use my cistern and a hose if I need to water.
It sounds like I should not have to water at all. We get around 35 inches of rain and my soil holds water pretty decent.
Should I only water if we have some form of a drought? Say no rain in two weeks?

Thanks again,

Jay

You want the soil to be slightly damp, not wet. If it has even a little clay in it, it will hold together slightly when squeezed in your hand and not just crumble when damp enough. The vines will let you know if they are too dry by curling the leaves in periods of hot dry weather. By challenging them just a little for water they will form a deeper root system than if overwatered. Ideally you want a nice rain after planting to get them growing. If it doesn't look like it will rain, you can water with a bit of water (maybe a couple quarts) at planting. Leave a slight depression around the vines when planting so rain water will collect there and soak into the root zone rather than running off.

I'd only water if the vines are showing stress before version. After that I stress mine, research here in Washington shows that can improve wine quality. Watch the tendrils, if the get shorter than the tip of the shoot, it is stressed. Alternatively, if the leaf to pitole angle is less than 90 degrees, it is likely water stress. There are lots of soil moisture methods out there but I find the tendril and pitole indicators easy. Of course young, non-bearing vines will need more water particularly in the spring. Don't irrigate in the fall except a shot after harvest if it has been really dre, so the vines will harden off for the winter.

With 35 inches of rain, and assuming you get 2-3 of that before version, I'd be surprised if you ever need to irrigate. I'm in the desert, 8.5 inches, so we watch it pretty close.

I was faced with the same issue. I built a pumping station using an RV water pump, solar panel, deep cycle battery, and a few spare pieces of pressure treated lumber. Micro-drip irrigation is cheap and easy to install. I have used irrigation-direct a few times with good luck. I pull a water tank on a small trailer. I pull up, put the feeder hose in the tank, press a button and in 15 min. I'm done. The easier you make the process the more likely you are to water on time after a couple of weeks without rain. My area gets an average of 52 inches of rain a year and with sandy soil I have had to water a couple of times a year. Especially the Cab vines can grow like monsters and they can suck the ground dry at an amazing rate.