# Custom sprayer



## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

Hello all,

I am building a custom sprayer from scratch. Building the cart, boom, tank and all. I will be using a 5.5 gpm pump, the North Star one that a lot of people use, and 5 red teejet nozzles. My yard is about 17000 square feet. 
My question is regarding my tank size. I want to be able to spray the entire yard on one tank. Anyone know about how big I should make it? I'm custom building out of acrylic so I can make it any size. My cart will have 4 pneumatic wheels so weight shouldn't be an issue either.

Will 20 gallons be large enough? Should I make it bigger?


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## 95mmrenegade (Jul 31, 2017)

I would prefer 34 gallons but that's my .02. I like the 2 gallons per k but certainly may be overkill.


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## jdc_lawnguy (Oct 30, 2018)

The question likely comes down to how much weight do you want to push and how much slope do you have in your yard.

I have a spreadermate and slope. I go across to compensate.

I am assuming you are pushing this since you said you are building a cart


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

jdc_lawnguy said:


> The question likely comes down to how much weight do you want to push and how much slope do you have in your yard.
> 
> I have a spreadermate and slope. I go across to compensate.
> 
> I am assuming you are pushing this since you said you are building a cart


Yes, pushing it. The cart will have 4 wheels so I won't have to support any weight while using it. How much do those spreadermates hold?

2 gallons per k does sound like a good number. Sounds like a huge pain to push around that much. Seems like I should probably just build it around 20 gallons and just plan on filling it up twice.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

18 gallons of water is 150lb. I think that will be too much to keep your walking speed constant (key for even distribution). I think the spreader mate holds 9 gallons.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Correct - the Spreader Mate capacity is 9 gallons, and it can be a workout when it is full. It balances well, so it isn't really the lifting of the handlebars that's the problem - it's maintaining pace while pushing that much weight in the forward direction. I think it would be difficult to push twice as much water.


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## 95mmrenegade (Jul 31, 2017)

I have an 11 gallon pusher and its heavy when fully loaded, almost too much.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Having to push anything over 75 lbs is difficult on grass . Even more so if the ground is not flat and level. I have often been asked why my spray boom does not have wheels. It is because pushing something with wheels can be hard. I never know what I am going to get, from non level ground to St Augustine that is over 3". I have always maintained that a high pressure, high volume tank sprayer set to the side of the lawn with no more than 100 ft of hose can be a good way to make applications. Especially if spray volumes over 1 gallon per 1000 sq ft are desired.


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

You'll want about 20 gal - you could push but it will suck - what kind of equipment do you have right now? I set my 26 gal tank on the front platform on my stander ZT.


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> Having to push anything over 75 lbs is difficult on grass . Even more so if the ground is not flat and level. I have often been asked why my spray boom does not have wheels. It is because pushing something with wheels can be hard. I never know what I am going to get, from non level ground to St Augustine that is over 3". I have always maintained that a high pressure, high volume tank sprayer set to the side of the lawn with no more than 100 ft of hose can be a good way to make applications. Especially if spray volumes over 1 gallon per 1000 sq ft are desired.


That is a very interesting idea. Sounds allot more logical than pushing all that weight around and filling up multiple times. What kind of pump do you need for a setup like that?


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> Having to push anything over 75 lbs is difficult on grass . Even more so if the ground is not flat and level. I have often been asked why my spray boom does not have wheels. It is because pushing something with wheels can be hard. I never know what I am going to get, from non level ground to St Augustine that is over 3". I have always maintained that a high pressure, high volume tank sprayer set to the side of the lawn with no more than 100 ft of hose can be a good way to make applications. Especially if spray volumes over 1 gallon per 1000 sq ft are desired.


That is a very interesting idea. Sounds allot more logical than pushing all that weight around and filling up multiple times. What kind of pump do you need for a setup like that?


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

cglarsen said:


> You'll want about 20 gal - you could push but it will suck - what kind of equipment do you have right now? I set my 26 gal tank on the front platform on my stander ZT.


I currently have a 4 gallon backpack sprayer. It worked well last season when I only sprayed products on my front yard. I plan to spray and fertilizer my large backyard next season so I need a better way.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

Do you have a riding mower? How about something towable?


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

bp2878 said:


> cglarsen said:
> 
> 
> > You'll want about 20 gal - you could push but it will suck - what kind of equipment do you have right now? I set my 26 gal tank on the front platform on my stander ZT.
> ...


I meant with a motor. @Greendoc's skid sprayer idea is worth investigating. I almost went that route.


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

Gilley11 said:


> Do you have a riding mower? How about something towable?


I do have a riding mower, but I don't really like the towable sprayers. I've never used one, so I don't really have a good reason not to like them. It just looks like they wouldn't be as precise and a bit cumbersome when spraying around flower beds, fences and other things. Probably great for wide open spaces but I think if I went that route, I would also need a wand to get the tight places my mower won't go into. I would rather have one piece of equipment that would do it all. I am brainstorming having a towable tank on a trailer with a 100' of hose now.

I got a welder for Christmas and I'm really just looking for something fun to build.


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

cglarsen said:


> bp2878 said:
> 
> 
> > cglarsen said:
> ...


I've seen a few on here like yours. I like the way those are set up. I like that you can see where you are spraying instead of towing one behind. I think one like@Greendoc is decribing is the ticket too. I could even put the tank ina permanent location as long as I have enough hose to reach the entire yard and enough pump to push it there.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

bp2878 said:


> Gilley11 said:
> 
> 
> > Do you have a riding mower? How about something towable?
> ...


If you are towing it and can tow the unit anywhere in the lawn, even 50 ft of hose would work. For many years, I have worked from a truck mounted high pressure pump with several hundred feet of hose on a reel. In the last 13 years, I have been using this as my main sprayer. 7000 sq ft of coverage. Ability to do mosquito and insect control applications as well. No more hose to fight with.


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## dmouw (Jul 17, 2018)

I made a 12 gallon push sprayer that is about as big and heavy as I want to push on a flat lawn. Keep in mind mine is a bit heavier with using a stainless steel tank. But what I did was add a spray wand for smaller areas as well as a 1 1/4" hitch receiver under the handle so I can put a removable hitch in. Now I can tow it backwards with a lawn mower or Gator if I want to for big areas. I still need to build my hitch and break it all down to power coat but I've been pretty pleased with my test runs.


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

dmouw said:


> I made a 12 gallon push sprayer that is about as big and heavy as I want to push on a flat lawn. Keep in mind mine is a bit heavier with using a stainless steel tank. But what I did was add a spray wand for smaller areas as well as a 1 1/4" hitch receiver under the handle so I can put a removable hitch in. Now I can tow it backwards with a lawn mower or Gator if I want to for big areas. I still need to build my hitch and break it all down to power coat but I've been pretty pleased with my test runs.


That thing is sweet!

The more I think about it, I'm leaning towards a 15 gallon pusher with four nozzle boom. I will also setup a 35 gallon mixing drum with a circulation pump that will also serve to transfer the liquid to the sprayer. That way i'm not pushing a ton of weight around, not fighting with hoses, not having to mix up multiple batches.


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