# Pull behind boom sprayer?



## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

Looks like I'll be investing in a small trailer mounted boom sprayer now that I've confirmed a half acre of cogon grass infestation on a newly purchased homesite.

Don't want to spend a ton but don't want junk. Anyone with experience...what's a good/quality model? 
Currently considering the north star from northern tool.

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## Dkrem (Mar 16, 2019)

I have the same 21 Gal Northstar boom unit as many others here. It works well out of the box or you can modify as desired. my only regret if I should have gotten a larger tank unit with the amount of turf I spray.

EDIT: The wand that comes with the spayers is garbage. That was my first upgrade, along with quick connects and 50' of hose. I do a lot of wand spraying in areas I can't drive.


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## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

Dkrem said:


> I have the same 21 Gal Northstar boom unit as many others here. It works well out of the box or you can modify as desired. my only regret if I should have gotten a larger tank unit with the amount of turf I spray.
> 
> EDIT: The wand that comes with the spayers is garbage. That was my first upgrade, along with quick connects and 50' of hose. I do a lot of wand spraying in areas I can't drive.


Thanks for the reply. How large an area do you spray? Mine is just over 1 ac so I'm pretty sure 21 gal is still overkill.

Do you still use the nozzles that come with the unit or is there a need to upgrade? Is the coverage good as it comes?


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## Dkrem (Mar 16, 2019)

My yard proper about an acre but I maintain adjacent neighborhood common area, so I routinely treat and mow nearly 2 acres. a 1gal/thousand square feet it takes 2 tanks to spray my yard, and another two loads to do the rest when I hit it also. Refilling mid-job gets to be tiring and really breaks up my flow. A 40-50 gal tank would let me do my whole yard in one go and the common space in another go.

I bought an assortment of the 90 degree tips the sprayer comes with (comes with DT4.0 I think). I find that one size larger than stock lets me move faster and the pump can still keep up just fine. Sometimes I go to a size smaller and spray the whole yard in one pass at .5gal/thousand if what I'm spraying can work well at the lower carrier rate. I don't find the spay pattern to be deficient at all for my needs.


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## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

Ok yea, you just sold me on a bigger tank, lol.

I do the same now with a small pump sprayer on 2k sq ft front lawn at our weekend home and stopping to fill and mix another tank is a major pain.

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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

UFG8RMIKE said:


> Looks like I'll be investing in a small trailer mounted boom sprayer now that I've confirmed a half acre of cogon grass infestation on a newly purchased homesite.
> 
> Don't want to spend a ton but don't want junk. Anyone with experience...what's a good/quality model?
> Currently considering the north star from northern tool.
> ...


Most people have that one, including me. Out the box it works pretty good, but I added teejets to mine. There's pretty of threads including one I made on this equipment.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I have the 31 gallon 2.2 GPM NorthStar tow behind sprayer.

I decided to change out the sprayer wand in its entirety but otherwise I have left it in factory condition. I am comfortable with it as designed.

I did add some wire looms to protect the otherwise-exposed wiring from getting nicked or cut when transporting loads in use, but I do this on anything I tow for safety and ease of operation.

I also added the factory NorthStar agitation kit to agitate chemicals that come out of suspension or emulsify readily. Certain chemicals require agitation (e.g., prodiamine) and it is good to stir things up when you take a break from spraying or while moving from zone to zone.

I also did not want to void the factory warranty by making modifications while the warranty remains in effect. People tend to not realize that. It may not be a problem, but I leave everything I own factory stock until the factory warranty expires. Then you can add all the farkles you want!

Nothing wrong with upgrading anything you own, but like I said...be careful about voiding the warranty if you care about such things. I do.

My sprayer has been fantastic, well made, easy to assemble, runs perfectly and lets me spray without worrying about pumping, batteries, or refilling. I have filled it to capacity when spraying fertilizers, but most of the time I do not have to carry a full tank behind me. It is better to have more capacity and not need it than to have less capacity and have to mix concoctions more than once. Ask me how I know....

People have modified and upgraded these units - men tend to tinker around with stuff even if they don't know everything they should because well, we're men. But the unit as built is well designed, except they saved some money on the hand spray wand....

I use mine often, and I love the thing. I also use granular and a spreader but a sprayer lets you be more precise when you are putting down product. And you can tank mix compatible materials to save time.

If I had it to do over, the only thing I would change would be to buy one sooner than I did. And that is the truth, plain and simple.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Whoops! I meant to post this in the other thread about sprayers but maybe the mods can help me fix that.

Anyway, this sums up how I like mine...!

Why you should never post while having two devices logged in at the same time.... :shock: :? :lol:


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I wrote a reply to this post but I accidentally posted it in a thread started by @CenlaLowell but if you care what I wrote it is post #44 in that thread.

Not sure how to link to it.

Definitely not sure how to fix it.

Maybe @Ware can bail me out of my multitasking oopsie!

Anyway, I love my tow behind sprayer!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Fixed.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Ware said:


> Fixed.


Thank you Mr. @Ware!

Sorry to have to bother you....

A magician you must be....


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## Dkrem (Mar 16, 2019)

If you have a lawn tractor you may find the power harness that comes with the mower to work ok. I couldn't get it to work right with my ZTR so I built my own permanently installed version with a switch mounted on the steering bar and the correct SAE plug at the rear of the mower to just plug the sprayer into when I hitch it up. I can flip the pump on and off on the fly with my pinkie and both hands on the sticks.

EDIT: posted pics on another forum HERE


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## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

How's the sprayer as far as anything getting on you, or in your lungs? Does it pretty much stay where sprayed?

Ya'll wear ppe, mask, etc? I'll be spraying glyphosate so I believe I should grab some ppe gear. Can't wait for the neighbors to see this. I'm gonna try and rid 1/2 acre of thick cogon grass. 2% gly , 3-4x a year over 1/2 acre.

At least the ppe will come in handy when Corona virus hits

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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

UFG8RMIKE said:


> How's the sprayer as far as anything getting on you, or in your lungs? Does it pretty much stay where sprayed?
> 
> Ya'll wear ppe, mask, etc? I'll be spraying glyphosate so I believe I should grab some ppe gear. Can't wait for the neighbors to see this. I'm gonna try and rid 1/2 acre of thick cogon grass. 2% gly , 3-4x a year over 1/2 acre.
> 
> At least the ppe will come in handy when Corona virus hits


The nice thing about the boom sprayer arms is everything is being sprayed around 3 to 4 feet behind you. If I am just spraying fertilizer I do not go overboard on PPE, other than disposable gloves when loading.

I always wear ear and eye pro when I mow, and lately I have been wearing a half face respirator just because it seals better and is easier to breathe in. I used to use N95 particulate masks, which work okay, but you still can get breakthrough around the edges, and they can fog your eyewear. The half face works much better, so I have been using it a lot more. So when I spray, no one is too shocked.

My neighbors who do mow their owns lawns have started wearing particulate masks, I've noticed.

As far as spraying yourself or getting misted, it can happen, so you have to watch what you are doing and plan around things. First, do not spray when it is windy. Go out early in the morning.

Second, corners will cause the spray to swirl, and sometimes to rise simultaneously, so you can get misted if you don't plan for that.

Third, you can accidentally spray yourself if you are not really careful. I use marker dye. I have hit my shoes, and I routinely get overspray on my lawn tractor when I am using the hand spray wand.

I use my hand spray wand a lot - it is easiest to control, I can spray on the move (my wife calls it "doing drive-bys on the weeds") and it allows you to spray tight patterns once you get good at it.

I always wear long shirt, long pants, gloves, socks and shoes, along with what I wear when mowing.

No need for moon suits or anything elaborate. Definitely do recommend the half face respirator.

I use twist on particulate filters (P100) or organic vapor cartridges - everything made by 3M.

It is a similar setup to sanding and spray painting PPE. They sell these at Lowes and Home Depot.


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## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

Sounds good, thx for the details.

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## Dkrem (Mar 16, 2019)

UFG8RMIKE said:


> How's the sprayer as far as anything getting on you, or in your lungs? Does it pretty much stay where sprayed?


I don't spray in windy conditions, drift is real, either to other non-target plants or to yourself.
I don't make u-turns while spraying. It makes for over-application in the inside of the corner, and puts the operator in a position to be sprayed by the trailer. I make a few perimeter passes around the yard, then start my back and forth passes, by doing the perimeter first I have an end buffer where can cut off the sprayer, turn around, and get lined up again before restarting spray.


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