# Sprayer options



## Lpv777 (Jun 16, 2019)

All I can say is that since I found this site, I have been more confused than ever. I have been trying to decide how I want to go about spraying my lawn with herbicides, pre-emergence, kelp iron etc. I have about 13,000 square feet, so I've been weighing out a push sprayer or a tow behind. Now I'm starting to wonder if i made a bracket for the back of my Craftsman ride-on mower and set up an ATV sprayer like the picture if that would be the best route to go . has anybody had personal experience either way in a similar situation?


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I looked at every option for sprayers when I finally decided to get a tow-behind. I have an ATV as well as lawn tractor, so I could consider a number of options.

I stayed away from mounting tanks on my ATV or mower because of the weight it places on the vehicle that can change the center of gravity. On ATVs, you can make them more prone to getting stuck or rolling over because of where the weight is displaced. It also affects suspension and handling on ATVs. On lawn tractors, you can cause them to slide on slopes and the added weight on the rear can affect the steering in the front, which you can get around by adding weights, but then you are adding weight to both ends, which increases wear on the drivetrain. So there are pros and cons.

In the final analysis, I chose tow-behind because making modifications to frames can also void your warranty. Once you are out of warranty, you can do what you want - before that, if something breaks, you give the manufacturer an out if you have modified the unit in such a way that led to the breakage, failure, etc. A lot of consumers do not take this into account....

I really wanted to stay away from changing the way my vehicles handle and steer, and keep the center of gravity low so you don't get the unit tippy or roll-over prone. You can also overwhelm the traction belt and not be able to stop the unit if you get too much weight onto the drive belt and braking system.

You can adjust around that by controlling how much weight you haul around, but then you have limited yourself on capacity, which defeats the purpose of having a tank with enough capacity to avoid multiple refilling sessions.

All that said, people do this all the time on their machines and just remove the tank if things break, but if you modify the frame, it becomes pretty obvious to any mechanic that knows what they are looking at when they see the chassis, etc.

I prefer to keep things the way the engineers who designed the equipment designed and built it *until the warranty expires*. But it is your equipment, so you can do whatever you want. But you might want to consider the effects of modifications....


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## Lpv777 (Jun 16, 2019)

FlowRider said:


> I looked at every option for sprayers when I finally decided to get a tow-behind. I have an ATV as well as lawn tractor, so I could consider a number of options.
> 
> I stayed away from mounting tanks on my ATV or mower because of the weight it places on the vehicle that can change the center of gravity. On ATVs, you can make them more prone to getting stuck or rolling over because of where the weight is displaced. It also affects suspension and handling on ATVs. On lawn tractors, you can cause them to slide on slopes and the added weight on the rear can affect the steering in the front, which you can get around by adding weights, but then you are adding weight to both ends, which increases wear on the drivetrain. So there are pros and cons.
> 
> ...


Thank you, all valid info. I was only thinking of going 12 gallon or so. Not sure if that would have too many ill effects? My issue with the tow behind is maneuverability and spraying into tighter areas. What have you found? Do you just get off and wand those areas?


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Yes, I use the hand wand for any hard to access areas.

I also use the hand wand for cutting in the perimeter before switching to the boom arms for broadcast/blanket spraying.

I also use the hand wand if it is too windy to avoid wind drift, in those instances where you have to spray due to weather, or available time restrictions. You can keep the tip closer than the boom spray tips....


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## JWAY (Oct 16, 2018)

Check out this topic for some options. https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7802

I went with the Northstar 16 gallon sprayer with 2.2 GPM pump. Mounted it my JD rider with brackets and 3/4" plywood as the base. Built the 3 nozzle boom with TeeJet parts on a PVC pipe screwed to the plywood.
Went with this because I have a many trees and fences to navigate for a 4+ nozzle boom. My mower and the brackets handle the weight just fine.
Total build with sprayer and boom was +/- $250.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Closet-Pro-11-1-4-in-x-7-75-in-Heavy-Duty-White-Closet-Shelf-Bracket-RP-0494-WT/204488081

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200726034_200726034


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## Lpv777 (Jun 16, 2019)

JWAY said:


> Check out this topic for some options. https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7802
> 
> I went with the Northstar 16 gallon sprayer with 2.2 GPM pump. Mounted it my JD rider with brackets and 3/4" plywood as the base. Built the 3 nozzle boom with TeeJet parts on a PVC pipe screwed to the plywood.
> Went with this because I have a many trees and fences to navigate for a 4+ nozzle boom. My mower and the brackets handle the weight just fine.
> ...


Thats another reason i thought this way, cost is considerably less than building a push sprayer


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## Timbo3985 (Mar 19, 2019)

I added the 26 gallon sprayer and fabbed up a mount for it. I haven't experienced any ill effects from doing so and went one step further and modified it to use teejet nozzles. Works mint.


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## Lpv777 (Jun 16, 2019)

Timbo3985 said:


> I added the 26 gallon sprayer and fabbed up a mount for it. I haven't experienced any ill effects from doing so and went one step further and modified it to use teejet nozzles. Works mint.


Did you make that green bracketry?


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## Lpv777 (Jun 16, 2019)

Timbo3985 said:


> I added the 26 gallon sprayer and fabbed up a mount for it. I haven't experienced any ill effects from doing so and went one step further and modified it to use teejet nozzles. Works mint.


Oh, thats green bracket is secured to the hitch hole?


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## Timbo3985 (Mar 19, 2019)

Lpv777 said:


> Timbo3985 said:
> 
> 
> > I added the 26 gallon sprayer and fabbed up a mount for it. I haven't experienced any ill effects from doing so and went one step further and modified it to use teejet nozzles. Works mint.
> ...


Yes it has a cotter pin holding it into the hitch point and I mounted studs into the holes behind the seat along side where the bagger goes. I think they are typically used for things like a shade canopy from John Deere.

The green bracket was actually made from a 55 gallon drum cradle that was in the scrap pile. Similar to this:



Probably could have just made it more triangular shaped and accomplished the same thing. But most of the work was already done for me so all I had to do was chop it up a bit. Works well so far and allows me to remove the unit as a whole if I'm not spraying


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

@Lpv777 your thread showed up in my Chrome feed today. :thumbup:


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