Get FinancingWhat To Look For In An Orchard Sprayer
Good sprayers are crucial tools in any fruit or nut grower’s arsenal. One type can apply weed killer or fertilizer to the floor of your orchard or vineyard. Another type of sprayer can address insects, fungus, and other threats to your crop in its very leaves and branches.
Here’s a brief guide to help you make a buying decision on a new or used orchard or vineyard sprayer.
Locomotion Methods
Orchard sprayers fall into three distinct categories on SpecialtyCropEQ.com. Pull-type sprayers, the most plentiful kind, are towed behind a tractor and powered via PTO shaft or a dedicated engine. Pull-type units often cost less than other types of sprayers, but may not be as easy to maneuver. That said, some have multi-jointed shafts for better tracking behind the tractor through turns. Depending upon age and condition, a pull-type sprayer can cost a mere $2,000 on the used market or up to $45,000 or more for newer models. Be sure that your tractor can meet its PTO speed and horsepower requirements before you buy.
Three-point/mounted orchard sprayers mount on the back of a tractor or in the bed of a truck, typically on a skid. Some of the models in this category are relatively light and compact, while others have much more power and capacity. Maneuverability is usually excellent, depending on the vehicle. Used mounted/three-point units for sale can cost $2,200 to $10,500 or more, with new models selling for more. As with pull-type units, double-check the horsepower and PTO speed a three-point sprayer needs. A skid sprayer will usually come with its own engine.
Finally, self-propelled, dedicated orchard sprayers are at the high end of the price range. Used models can cost tens of thousands of dollars, with new units starting at $50,000 or much more depending on their features, capacity, and power. Self-propelled sprayers include high-clearance and height-adjustable models for working with varying crop heights.
Types Of Spray Systems
There are two basic types of sprayer systems used for vineyard and orchard applications. The kind that sprays an aerial mist or fog is called an air delivery, air blast, or fan sprayer. These use an axial or radial fan to supply airflow to pesticide or fungicide squirted out of nozzles in an upward semicircle, two-sided lateral, or directional spray pattern. Heights range up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) or more in a tower sprayer configuration for taller trees and plants.
Air delivery sprayers come in all three categories (pull-type, three-point/mounted, and self-propelled). Horsepower requirements for the former two can range up to 110 horsepower for a high-capacity tower unit like the Rears Powerblast Tower, so double-check the PTO output of your tractor before purchase. Air blast orchard sprayers typically employ centrifugal pumps for low- to medium-pressure applications or piston pumps for high-pressure uses. Air-O-Fan, MM, Munckhof, Nelson Hardie, Rears, Tifone, and others manufacture units of this type.
Boom sprayers, like their row crop cousins, direct herbicide or fertilizer downward toward the ground through extendable booms, either with exposed or shrouded nozzles. They operate at low spray pressure and volume, and are typically mounted on or pulled behind a tractor. They may use roller, centrifugal, piston, or diaphragm-style pumps.
With any sprayer, make sure that its plastic, rubber, and metal components are compatible with the types of chemicals you plan to use.
Tank Capacity
The tank capacity of most orchard and vineyard sprayers typically ranges from 40 to 100 or 200 gallons (151 to 379 or 757 liters). That being said, some high-capacity models like the Rears Powerblast can hold up to 1,200 gallons (4,542 liters) for high-acre efficiency.
Flow Rate
Another consideration in buying a sprayer is its flow rate, expressed in gallons per minute. The types of sprayers mentioned above generally span a range of 2 to 22.5 gpm (7.6 to 85.2 liters per minute), depending on their delivery radius and capacity. Again, the Rears Powerblast Tower for large jobs pushes the envelope with its 80 gpm (303 liters per minute) capability.
Some models, such as the Rears LectroBlast, can give liquid droplets an electrostatic charge to make the leaves of the crop attract them. This allows the sprayer to dispense a lower volume of chemicals, saving money and reducing the impact on the environment.
Working Pressure
You can adjust most sprayers’ operating pressure, or the force with which it can pump liquid. Different scenarios require different spray system pressures, so the sprayer manufacturer usually recommends a particular pressure range. For sprayers with standard nozzles, this is generally in the 60 to 260 pounds per square inch (414 to 1,793 kilopascals) range. Some truck bed units are able to go much higher than this for special applications, such as up to 725 psi (5,000 kpa). Note that running high pressures cause the nozzles to wear, so instead of conventional brass or polymer/plastic pieces you might need stainless steel or ceramic nozzles to remain cost-efficient.
Distance
Related to the operating pressure is the horizontal and vertical distance a sprayer can propagate its payload. Air blast sprayers vary in the amount of air they can supply using their axial or centrifugal fans. This is expressed as air volume in cfm (cubic feet per minute) and velocity in fpm (feet per minute), but what really matters to your orchard or vineyard is how far and wide the sprayer can disperse its spray effectively.
Take into consideration your row spacing, the height of your plants, and whether you intend to spray both sides of each tree or only one. Most of the air delivery sprayers we’ve discussed have a vertical reach between 18 and 50 feet (5.5 to 15 meters), and a horizontal distance between 20 and 55 feet (6.1 to 16.8 meters) or so. Note that some mist units are capable of 95 feet (29 meters) of vertical rise and 180 feet (55 meters) of horizontal reach for special applications.
Boom sprayers’ horizontal reach, appropriately, is slightly more than their physical boom width. However, you’ll need to pay attention to the horizontal distance that a boomless model, or no-boom sprayer, can achieve by emitting the load sideways without physical booms.
A notable innovation by the Micron Group appears in its Enviromist Spraydome, Spraymiser, and Undavina boom products. With their low-mounted shrouds and precision nozzles mere inches above the ground, these sprayers deliver even coverage at low volume and low pressure with practically no wind loss.
Find The Right Sprayer
Some general advice about choosing a sprayer, whether new or used: To get the best results (and the best crop yields), you’ll need to be able to adjust both the droplet size and the air delivery speed easily and independently of each other. You’ll also want to consult the manufacturer or other trusted sources about how well a particular sprayer’s agitation mechanisms maintain a proper mix of the chemicals you plan to use.
SpecialtyCropEq.com is your place to find new and used orchard sprayers for sale. Popular manufacturers include Enviromist, Gearmore, LectroBlast (by Progressive Ag Inc.), Nelson Hardie, Rears Manufacturing, Turbo-Mist, and Weldcraft Industries, among others.
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Used Orchard Sprayer Considerations
Before you buy a used orchard sprayer, ask the seller how many acres it’s covered, and look at the number of hours on its engine, if it has one. Look for wear on the tip (disc and core) of each nozzle. Ascertain the condition of its hoses, tanks, tires, plastic and rubber parts, and pump, looking for any corrosion or leaks. Also, find out which parts have been replaced and when. Service paperwork is always best.
Ask to run the sprayer or see it in operation with a load of water. Take note of how easy or difficult it is to change the droplet size and the air delivery speed, and whether they are adjustable independently.
Finally, follow the advice in the main article on this page, as much of it applies to used as well as new sprayers.