# Milwaukee M18 Switch Tank Interchangeable Sprayer System



## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

This looks pretty cool - Milwaukee M18 Switch Tank Pesticide Sprayer (2820-21PS)






It looks like $399 will be the price point. $129 for extra tanks, and $299 for the tool only (no battery).


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

Looks like I know what my extra M18 batteries will go into. :thumbup:


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

I'm all over that one. As soon as my Chapin fails ( apparently I won't have to wait long for that ).
I love the interchangable tank option. I have over 20 Milwaukee tools already


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

Damn. I am all Dewalt.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

gm560 said:


> Damn. I am all Dewalt.


Dewalt will prob come out with one also. They are pretty competitive right now.


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

Shindoman said:


> gm560 said:
> 
> 
> > Damn. I am all Dewalt.
> ...


Hopefully by the time my Chapin dies, too.


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## silvercymbal (Sep 17, 2018)

I have been waiting for this one also. Looks very promising.


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## silvercymbal (Sep 17, 2018)

Pricing is supposed to be $399-$439 depending on the package.


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## stotea (Jul 31, 2017)

Flow rate is a little disappointing in the pesticide version. If the only difference between the concrete and pesticide versions is the pump, I'd probably rather go with the concrete version since it has a much higher flow rate.

I'm also curious what the 5 selectable pressure settings are as well as, of course, the thread size.

Overall, I'm excited since I'm invested in the M18 line. The price seems pretty high, though, even given the presumed quality. Hopefully there will be sales.

Edit: I'm surprised I haven't seen Milwaukee's new M18 attachment-capable trimmer line-up mentioned on this site yet. If only I hadn't bought their "standard" trimmer on Black Friday...


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

Oh wow this is really cool!

What a time to be alive


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

craigdt said:


> Oh wow this is really cool!
> 
> What a time to be alive


Spoken like a true Lawn Geek!


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## Fishnugget (Sep 29, 2017)

Shindoman said:


> craigdt said:
> 
> 
> > Oh wow this is really cool!
> ...


haha :lol: that is funny, lawn nerds.

I agree with everyone else, it is exciting news because I am partial to Milwaukee too. I have the M12 tools and love them :thumbup:


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

so, anyone have one ordered yet?


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## Oceanus (Sep 17, 2018)

Got email from Home Depot that these are in stock...

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Garden-Center-Sprayers/Milwaukee/N-5yc1vZcalkZzv


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

Anyone have one yet?


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Mine just arrived today, haven't used it yet however. Appears to be much better quality than the Chapin 20V I have, which I would expect for the price tag difference.


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## stotea (Jul 31, 2017)

synergy0852 said:


> Mine just arrived today, haven't used it yet however. Appears to be much better quality than the Chapin 20V I have, which I would expect for the price tag difference.


I assume you got the pesticide version?


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

That is correct, the green cap. Ordered the "tool only" version as I already have a few of the M18 batteries.

My buddy also got his today and took it for a test run with water and loved it, but he is upgrading from a manual pump style.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Does it accept Teejet tips?


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Yes the nozzles will slide right in. I was able to install the quick disconnect for the teejets even. I had to do some work to get this to work with my chapin. Haven't pressurized it yet though but the threads seemed to be a perfect match.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Part of me was hoping you'd say no so I could dismiss this purchase for awhile. Thanks


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

I picked one up a couple months ago, along with a slew of other Milwaukee tools including the new attachment system with an edger and the backpack vacuum (new favorite tool). 

Finally took it out to calibrate myself to it. First spray of the season but I think my pace was alright; I got 2 gallons over 1600 sqft on pressure setting 5. The switchable tanks is a neat feature but i only bought one to start with. One benefit of the removable tank is that you fill it up away from the electronics and the backpack so any spills aren't going to ruin anything or get your back soaked. My favorite aspect of the sprayer is the ergonomics. The trigger is much more comfortable than the chapin 20v I had last year. The backpack straps are also much better as they are thick and include a waist strap to take the weight. Clearly built with more than my 15 minutes of spraying in mind. I did think i got quite a lot more mist than I did with the chapin but this is probably more of issue with the included nozzle. Probably time for me to invest in some TeeJets.



Onyx Approves so thats all that really matters.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@OnyxsLawn I think the misting may come from having it set on 5. I think that's rated at 120psi on the highest setting if I'm not mistaken. I'm planning on spraying this weekend and was going to start with the second setting. Like you said I'm sure the included nozzle doesn't help any either.


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

I first tried on setting 3 but there was still a lot of misting and a decent amount of pulsing in the spray. Let me know how it goes with the Teejet nozzle on it.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@OnyxsLawn So I got excited and went and did a bucket test with the XR11004VS nozzle and I see what you mean. Settings #1-3 were nearly useless.

Setting #2 = .166gpm
Setting #3 = .25gpm
Setting #4 = .33gpm
Setting #5 = 1.0gpm

It appears there is a huge jump in pressure between Settings #4 and #5. According to the teejet chart for this nozzle 30psi=.35gpm which is close to setting #4 for my tests.

I put in a call to Milwaukee to see if they could tell me the psi at each setting and customer support was unable to answer and asked me to call back to tech support in the morning. I'm a little confused when comparing my results to the teejet chart it makes it seem as if the Milwaukee on setting #3 is 20psi and #1&2 are lower than that, but the sprayer is advertised to be 20psi at it's lowest setting. I will report back with what Milwaukee tells me tomorrow.

I was hoping to spray at 40psi which is what I'm used to with the Chapin 20V I have been using in the past, but it doesn't appear that is an option. I will adjust my walking speed slightly to compensate for this.

On another note, I noticed some leaking between the teejet quick adapter and the Milwaukee wand, some thread tape solved this and I'm happy this works because the Chapin threads were different than the teejet threads and this adapter wouldn't work on the Chapin.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Definitely interested in what you find out


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

I spoke with Tech Support a bit ago and they claim that it should be a fairly linear increase in pressure from the first setting to the fifth. I am not seeing this first hand however and am going to have my buddy test his to see if he is seeing the same or if his is like Tech Support said and mine is possibly defective.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Wanted to report back with results from my buddy with the same sprayer and nozzle and his results were exactly the same as mine for settings 2-4. He had half of what I had for setting 5 so chances are I fudged my math on that one.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Thanks for this. I'm reading this as to say, the settings really aren't pushing the PSI they say. I wonder if using a CF valve could work on the wand?


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

I think the pressure is constant, which is what the cf valve is used for, just may not be what they advertise. I'm not sure if I'm missing something here as I compare it to the teejet chart for that nozzle but according to that chart the psi range of this sprayer is like 7.5-60psi.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Makes sense. I'm very curious what the actual psi levels are @ each setting


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

This is what I gather from me and my buddy's testing. These are approximations and only tested with the teejet XR1004, I have an AI11004 as well and I'm assuming that nozzle will generate the same results.
Setting #1=7.5psi, .119gpm
Setting #2=10.5psi, .166gpm
Setting #3=15psi, .25gpm
Setting #4=30psi, .33gpm
Setting #5=60psi, .5gpm


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

You're the man. Much appreciated.


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## TommyTester (Jul 3, 2018)

synergy0852 said:


> This is what I gather from me and my buddy's testing. These are approximations and only tested with the teejet XR1004, I have an AI11004 as well and I'm assuming that nozzle will generate the same results.
> Setting #1=7.5psi, .119gpm
> Setting #2=10.5psi, .166gpm
> Setting #3=15psi, .25gpm
> ...


The $169 My4Sons M4 sprayer has a variable pressure/volume control knob rather than 5 fixed settings. It appears Milwaukee may be using a similar pump as the psi vs gpm performance is very close per my testing using a TT11004-VS tip. See chart @ 3:06 in the video.

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq-WB0FUD40[/media]


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

I have an update after using the Switch Tank today to apply K4L Extreme Blend, Air-8, and Prodiamine.
I'm extremely disappointed with the performance after today.

First thing i noticed is when I got down to .5 gallons left in the tank the sprayer started to sputter. The solution was to walk leaning backwards and to the left to move the liquid towards the entry of the pump. I can't imagine what the neighbors were thinking.

Secondly the sprayer got clogged with the K4L & Air-8 mixture and I was unable to unclog it until I emptied what was in the tank into a bucket and then filled the tank with just water and then sprayed the water through on setting #5. I refilled it with the mixture and it kept clogging, I almost gave up on the application as I had to do this many times to get it done. Next time I will try a lower rate of Air-8 and won't mix the two together.

Third the sprayer seemed to work fine with the Prodiamine until I had maybe 1500 ft² to go and that too clogged the pump. Did the same thing as I did previously to finish.

I mixed everything for 10 minutes with my Milwaukee drill and paint mixer in a 5 gallon pail so I don't think there was much that didn't dissolve so I'm unsure why I had the issues unless it came from mixing products, but the prodiamine didn't get mixed with anything else.

I'm going to give it another go, but if things don't improve I will be returning the sprayer to Home Depot as $300+ is a lot to spend on something that doesn't perform better than the $100ish Chapin 20V I have. In fact, the only thing I liked more about the Milwaukee than the Chapin today were the shoulder straps.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Man, that's disappointing. I had high hopes. Especially considering I'm invested in their tool/battery line.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Tmank87 said:


> Man, that's disappointing. I had high hopes. Especially considering I'm invested in their tool/battery line.


I agree. Not throwing in the towel yet on it though, I will try to keep updating this thread as I continue to use it. I purchased it on the HD CC so I technically have 365 days to return it, but I'd feel guilty using it for a whole season and returning it so I'm thinking I'll make a decision by may hopefully.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Completely agree. And to your previous point, I'd need to be pretty darn satisfied at $300. I've been wanting to replace my pump backpack with a battery and was hoping this was the one. Will continue to follow your feedback, its much appreciated.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

So this sprayer has been used for 3 apps of prodiamine, and 1 app of Extreme Blend/Air 8. It has clogged on every occasion and subsequently caused a loss in pressure. Today I decided to give Milwaukee tech support a call and they said I am not the first person to call with this issue.

They had me remove the pump inlet and there's a plastic filter in there with fairly decent sized holes but on the back side of it there is a very fine screen. My old sprayer would eat up particles that small and spit them out but apparently Milwaukee doesn't want that going through their pump. I cleaned all the gunky prodiamine out and found 1 piece of humic in it and ran some soapy water and then regular water through it and it looks new. I then poked holes in the screen with a paper clip as Milwaukee is sending me a brand new filter when they receive them.

I am planning an app of tenacity for some grassy weeds I have and possibly mixing in some 3 way for broadleafs on Wednesday and I don't see this being an issue as these are all liquid and nothing is a solid needing to be mixed. Another app of Extreme Blend is in the future and will see if it works better now. If it doesn't I have ordered a 250 micron sifter that fits into a 5 gallon bucket and will mix in 1 and then pour into the one with the sifter before pouring into the sprayer.


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

Update: After spraying with this more as of late I wanted to give a quick update for anyone curious. I have been straining everything before adding to the Milwaukee. I see a couple things get caught in the strainer but nothing of serious size.

The sprayer has been flawless since this, still have issue of the pumps intake, but I've gotten used to it now and it's no big deal to lean a little back and left to finish the last .5gal. I'm not sure if the straining fixed it or the holes I poked in the pumps intake screen to allow small particles through was the trick. Regardless I've decided to keep the sprayer after all.


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## Oceanus (Sep 17, 2018)

My experience has been similar to synergy0852. If your invested in Milwaukee M18 then this is the way to go. Otherwise I would consider it a top contender. look for sales

Overall a solid sprayer (maybe not the best, but uses Milwaukee's my M18 batteries and TeeJet)

Really impressed with build quality and TeeJet 'ready' out of the box

Also had minor clog issues and find that last quart a little difficult. Even sitting flat on ground it seems to leave 1-2 cups in sprayer (but I just put that in spay bottle for spot treatment).


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

@synergy0852 do you have any pics of how to get the inlet screen out?


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## synergy0852 (Jun 30, 2018)

@OnyxsLawn Sorry these are the only pictures I have. One is from when the issue occured after Prodiamine and the other is just last week Milwaukee finally sent me a replacement for it.

Just reach down in there and do a 1/4 turn and then pull out. I used a little flat screw driver to pry the screen out and clean it then I poked holes in the mesh screen that's glued on the back with a paper clip.


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

Thanks! Guess I pulled the pump out for no reason. 
My filter doesn't look as bad as yours but was definitely blocking flow. Pulled it out entirely for the time being and it works great.


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## Oceanus (Sep 17, 2018)

Oceanus said:


> My experience has been similar to synergy0852. If your invested in Milwaukee M18 then this is the way to go. Otherwise I would consider it a top contender. look for sales
> 
> Overall a solid sprayer (maybe not the best, but uses Milwaukee's my M18 batteries and TeeJet)
> 
> ...


Update...

While spraying this past weekend I again experienced trouble with the last pint.
I have 3 Gate CFVavles (2 blue 29psi & 1 red 21psi). They seemed to behave similarly.
I removed the CFVavle and it ran flawless through 4 tanks.... much happier. Easy to recommend :thumbup:


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

PSA:

If you have one of these and it quits working randomly check the two electrical contacts between the tank and the motor. when they get wet or dirty it'll stop spraying and you'll get very mad that your $400 sprayer crapped out. Luckily the fix is easy. A clean paper towel and a dab of dielectric grease fixed the problem and I haven't had it come back since.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

I just bought one of these things. Where can I buy the 45 degree tee jet fitting? The one I have on my Chapin is a different thread.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

Like the one in this pic.


OnyxsLawn said:


>


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

disregard my last 2 posts. I found the correct nozzle hidden inside the tank under the fill lid.


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

Anyone have an issue with their sprayer pulsing? I've cleaned the electrical contacts and no luck. I took a video but can't figure out how to post it.


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## murrayjm (Jun 17, 2020)

OnyxsLawn said:


> I picked one up a couple months ago, along with a slew of other Milwaukee tools including the new attachment system with an edger and the backpack vacuum (new favorite tool).
> 
> Finally took it out to calibrate myself to it. First spray of the season but I think my pace was alright; I got 2 gallons over 1600 sqft on pressure setting 5. The switchable tanks is a neat feature but i only bought one to start with. One benefit of the removable tank is that you fill it up away from the electronics and the backpack so any spills aren't going to ruin anything or get your back soaked. My favorite aspect of the sprayer is the ergonomics. The trigger is much more comfortable than the chapin 20v I had last year. The backpack straps are also much better as they are thick and include a waist strap to take the weight. Clearly built with more than my 15 minutes of spraying in mind. I did think i got quite a lot more mist than I did with the chapin but this is probably more of issue with the included nozzle. Probably time for me to invest in some TeeJets.
> 
> ...


@OnyxsLawn, I recently purchased the Milwaukee sprayer and a few Teejet nozzles. I have been searching for the Teejet 45 degree elbow connector and now believe that they don't make one. Which 45 degree connector did you use on your sprayer? I know Chapin and Solo has one but I'm not sure if their connectors has the proper threads to fit on the Milwaukee wand. Thanks.


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

@murrayjm It came in the packaging with the sprayer. check under the lid.


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## murrayjm (Jun 17, 2020)

Thank you...found it.


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

Just letting everyone know I just got my sprayer back after 2 months in the shop. They ended up replacing the tank/ pump assembly. The shop guy said something had fouled the pump and they couldn't clean it. not sure what it was as I usually only spray liquid fertilizer apart from prodiamine. Anyone else had problems with theirs?


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## Bean4Me (May 13, 2020)

Thinking about picking up this sprayer this season since I'm on the m18 platform. Wondering if you guys have any longer term feedback. I'll probably be spraying all the Greene County stuff + pesticides + FAS. I saw there was clogging with prodiamine and I'm not currently spraying any prodiamine but maybe in the future. I know the microgreene is kind of gritty and i am worried about that clogging.


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

Mine has been a pain in the rear but I've doubled down and bought a second tank since my first one is broken again. This time it was a broken fitting that was leaking. I've also added a CF valve and some Blue and Grey TeeJet nozzles to help regulate the spray better. No results yet but I'll report back.


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## Bean4Me (May 13, 2020)

OnyxsLawn said:


> Mine has been a pain in the rear but I've doubled down and bought a second tank since my first one is broken again. This time it was a broken fitting that was leaking. I've also added a CF valve and some Blue and Grey TeeJet nozzles to help regulate the spray better. No results yet but I'll report back.


bummer - i might just go with the new ryobi backpack and see how that goes. For half the price I figure I can't go wrong.


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

They are actually sending me a new setup since mine is actually one of their earliest builds. Hopefully the new one is better.


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## KJL (Jul 1, 2020)

OnyxsLawn said:


> They are actually sending me a new setup since mine is actually one of their earliest builds. Hopefully the new one is better.


How did the replacement work out this summer?


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## UFG8RMIKE (Apr 21, 2019)

Tons of bad Amazon reviews , 24% one star for same reasons


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

KJL said:


> OnyxsLawn said:
> 
> 
> > They are actually sending me a new setup since mine is actually one of their earliest builds. Hopefully the new one is better.
> ...


It's been great! I added a Chapin regulator inline and TeeJet nozzles to fine tune the spray and it works well. It struggled to spray a miscalculated dose of heavy fungicide and T-nex that precipitated out but thats the only problem I've had with the new unit.

With the Chapin regulator inline it struggles to prime but I've started removing the wand and pumping full flow in recirculation to prime and mix as the tank fills. I also removed the inlet screen as I did on my old one and it has not plugged other than once.


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## KJL (Jul 1, 2020)

OnyxsLawn said:


> It's been great! I added a Chapin regulator inline and TeeJet nozzles to fine tune the spray and it works well. It struggled to spray a miscalculated dose of heavy fungicide and T-nex that precipitated out but thats the only problem I've had with the new unit.
> 
> With the Chapin regulator inline it struggles to prime but I've started removing the wand and pumping full flow in recirculation to prime and mix as the tank fills. I also removed the inlet screen as I did on my old one and it has not plugged other than once.


Is that because the wand is too long to stick into the tank?

Thanks for the follow-up. Slightly bummed I went with a Typhoon 2.5 instead, given my proclivity for Milwaukee ….

Would you do me a favor and measure the flow with no tip attached at all?

The one glory of the Typhoon 2.5 is its flow capabilities, particularly helpful when moving lots of carrier. It achieves 1.2 gpm with no tip attached.


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## OnyxsLawn (Mar 15, 2018)

No, the CF valve seems to prevent proper priming for some reason.

I'll check flow next time I spray.


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## PainInTheGrass (Oct 14, 2021)

Hoping to resurrect this topic. I have probably thousands of $$$$ invested in the Milwaukee M18 and even some M12. I bought this sprayer (either last year or during this past winter, I can't remember exactly). So far so good I'd say.

That said, there are times and certain areas of the yard where I think it would be nice to have a push sprayer. I'm considering whipping something up that utilizes the switchtank. I think a two nozzle boom would be perfect for my size yard and application. I used my thread checker on the end of the wand. It seemed to be 3/4" course threads but it's sort of hard to say with certainty since there might just be enough slop to fit the 2-3 threads of the thread checker and for all I know it is some special sort of proprietary hose thread that just happens to be close enough.

Does anyone know for sure what the threads are at the end of the wand or have any experience attaching anything to it other than the two nozzles that come with it?

I'm also considering buying another tank, after all that is one of the big selling points of the Switchtank. My plan is to use 1 for herbicides/poisons and the other for fert/supplements/fungicides. That said, I've had no trouble so far simply rinsing the tank between different reagents.


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