# Ware's UTV Sprayer



## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

This post is long overdue, but better late than never. 

I designed my UTV sprayer around this 58-gallon total drain rectangular tank. I wanted something with a nice deep sump that I wouldn't have to worry about sucking air when spraying on a slope or draining when I was finished spraying. This tank was the closest thing I could find to a scaled up version of my Spreader-Mate tank.

Due to the awkward shape of the tank bottom I had to build a cradle for it. I wanted it be aluminum, but I don't TIG weld, so I used some generic 80/20 from tnutz.com. For those who aren't familiar with 80/20, it is an extruded aluminum product that is joined with various styles of t-slot fasteners and brackets. It is sort of like an industrial erector set. "80/20" is a brand name that has become genericized to describe this type of product.

The pump is a 5.3 GPM Pentair Shurflo. It is powered through a 10AWG cable with SAE connectors that plugs into an SAE receptacle I added under the dash on my Honda Pioneer 1000-5. That receptacle is switched through a 20A aux power rocker switch on my dash.

It is plumbed similar to other sprayers like the Spreader-Mate that use a TeeJet PRV for pressure adjustment. It has a filter on the suction side of the pump and on the discharge side it has a 1/4-turn valve so I can switch the pump over to circulation mode. I also added a stainless QD socket so I can easily disconnect the boom or boomless nozzle when I remove the sprayer from the Pioneer. I also use the QD to connect a short hose whip I use for draining the tank when I am finished flushing the lines and a hand wand for spot spraying.

I bought this 7-nozzle receiver hitch boom to use initially, but then I started experimenting with a TeeJet FieldJet boomless nozzle (1/4-KLC-9) that a friend of mine uses with a sprayer rig he built for his Gator. It doesn't offer the spray uniformity or droplet size options you can achieve with traditional boom nozzles, but it sure is convenient. I found it particularly helpful during the construction of our house when we had obstacles in the yard. It also works great for spraying awkward angles in my ditch. To optimize spray uniformity I double overlap - meaning that I spray back to the centerline of my last pass. Think of that like proper head-to-head spacing in an irrigation system. The FieldJet nozzle sprays a pattern about 20ft wide, so I make each of my passes about 10ft on-center.

Back on Prime Day I ordered a 2.5 gallon foam marker. I put off buying one of these for way too long - it is a game changer. The kit came with two foam nozzles (one for each end of a boom), but with the boomless nozzle I'm only using one to mark the centerline of my pass. I haven't mounted the foam marker tank/pump unit yet, so for now I just put it in the passenger seat next to me. It is powered by an SAE cable with an inline switch, so to power it I use one of these SAE to cigarette lighter plug adapters.

Overall I'm pretty happy with this setup. The Pioneer has a 2WD "Turf Mode" that unlocks the rear diff so I don't tear up the grass when I turn. My only complaint is that my application rate is a little low. To spray my whole 3.5 acre lawn on one fill, I'm down around 16.5 gal/acre or 0.38 gal/M. I could always nozzle up and recalibrate for multiple tank fills, but I haven't run into any issues with anything I've sprayed, and I sleep easy knowing I'm spraying heavier than those PermaGreen guys. 

As always, let me know if I have missed something you would like to know. :thumbup:


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## AllisonN (Jul 4, 2020)

Frame is very well done, and all bolted. Probably the cleanest UTV sprayer I've seen. Great work as always!


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

Can you give a little more detail on how you setup the agitation/recirc?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Thanks @AllisonN :thumbup:



Amoo316 said:


> Can you give a little more detail on how you setup the agitation/recirc?


So it doesn't have a jet agitator, but it does recirculate.

When the discharge valve to the boom is closed, 100% of the pump's flow is diverted through the TeeJet Pressure Relief Valve (PRV) back into the tank. The PRV is the black valve with the gray knob and pressure gauge on top of the tank. At that location I can reach back and adjust the pressure from the driver's seat. With the PRV/system pressure set at 30 PSI, the pump chart says that's about 4.1 GPM:










So when I'm filling the tank and mixing chemicals I usually have the pump running with the discharge valve closed to get that ~4 GPM of circulation.

When I'm spraying, any excess flow from the pump that doesn't go to the boom is diverted back to the tank via the PRV. From the nozzle chart in the OP, my 1/4-KLC-9 FieldJet flows 1.56 GPM at 30 PSI, so my recirculation volume is about 2.54 GPM while spraying.

You could add a jet agitator, but it would either have to be plumbed parallel to the boom on the discharge side of the pump or run with a separate pump. It is not a good idea to to restrict the relief flow from the PRV when using a positive displacement/diaphragm pump.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

&#129392;

Very nice! Can we please get a picture of the setup with the boom attached?


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## AllisonN (Jul 4, 2020)

JerseyGreens said:


> 🥰
> 
> Very nice! Can we please get a picture of the setup with the boom attached?


It is a boomless nozzle. Only uses one nozzle with a spray area of 20ft wide.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

JerseyGreens said:


> 🥰
> 
> Very nice! Can we please get a picture of the setup with the boom attached?


Here are some shots of the boom. These are mock-ups before I had the pump mounted and plumbed, but you get the idea. If I used it more I would probably swap the nozzle bodies for diaphragm check bodies.


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## nwga_lawn (Jul 9, 2018)

What did you put in the sump as your "pick up" line? Just a bulkhead or something else?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

And here is a close-up of the 1/4-KLC-9 FieldJet boomless nozzle. It is screwed into a TeeJet 10742A check valve that opens at 7 PSI. This helps prevent dribbling the volume of liquid left in the hose when I shut the pump off.

The punched galvanized angle iron bracket was sort of a prototype setup I used to get the nozzle height right, but it worked, so I'm still using it. It is attached to the receiver hitch arm that came with the 7-nozzle boom I bought.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

nwga_lawn said:


> What did you put in the sump as your "pick up" line? Just a bulkhead or something else?


The tank came with a 3/4" bulkhead fitting installed in the bottom. The thickness of the interior side of the bulkhead fitting prevents it from being 100% "total drain", but we're looking at only a few ounces left in the bottom:



There is a location for an optional side fitting molded into the bottom of the tank that you can see next to the bulkhead fitting, but for me that was a good space to tuck the pump underneath:



Here is the tank drawing:


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

You design/built that? Wow impressive. Could be your side gig.


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## nwga_lawn (Jul 9, 2018)

Thanks! @Ware


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## ALPHA (Aug 25, 2021)

Nice foam kit! I bought mine from Rittenhouse and it was much more $$$. I'll be curious what nozzles you wind up with for your boom. I'm running TeeJet Red AI's right now @24 GPA. The yellow AI's netted me 16 GPA but not as good of coverage (I don't have my nozzles part numbers handy). I'm trying to get the boomless kit for mine setup so I can spray bands of insecticide for deer ticks.


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## wiseowl (May 25, 2020)

This is awesome


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

ALPHA said:


> Nice foam kit! I bought mine from Rittenhouse and it was much more $$$. I'll be curious what nozzles you wind up with for your boom. I'm running TeeJet Red AI's right now @24 GPA. The yellow AI's netted me 16 GPA but not as good of coverage (I don't have my nozzles part numbers handy). I'm trying to get the boomless kit for mine setup so I can spray bands of insecticide for deer ticks.


I would be happy with 24 GPA. Long term I think an ideal setup for my lawn would be a ~100 gallon 3pt boom sprayer for my tractor. I could calibrate it to about 28 GPA or 0.65 gallons per thousand on a single fill.


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Incredible setup. FYI if you wanted "sprayer" rocker switch for your panel you can customize one at otrattw.net (no affiliation just used them a bunch for jeep switches) they will even work with you to customize a graphic for a rocker if you want.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

wiseowl said:


> This is awesome


Thanks!



monsonman said:


> Incredible setup. FYI if you wanted "sprayer" rocker switch for your panel you can customize one at otrattw.net (no affiliation just used them a bunch for jeep switches) they will even work with you to customize a graphic for a rocker if you want.


I didn't even think about that! All of those switches are actually from otrattw.net :thumbup:


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## ALPHA (Aug 25, 2021)

We're on the same page. Tractor mount is the best for me too. I just want a cabbed tractor first, I don't want to be breathing too much garbage in.



Ware said:


> ALPHA said:
> 
> 
> > Nice foam kit! I bought mine from Rittenhouse and it was much more $$$. I'll be curious what nozzles you wind up with for your boom. I'm running TeeJet Red AI's right now @24 GPA. The yellow AI's netted me 16 GPA but not as good of coverage (I don't have my nozzles part numbers handy). I'm trying to get the boomless kit for mine setup so I can spray bands of insecticide for deer ticks.
> ...


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

ALPHA said:


> We're on the same page. Tractor mount is the best for me too. I just want a cabbed tractor first, I don't want to be breathing too much garbage in.


I looked at a cabbed Kubota LX3310, which is about the same size as my Deere 2038R. It was sweet, but they are so damn expensive. The only way I could have justified it is if I committed to mowing with it, and I wasn't quite ready to do that. I don't think I could get the cut quality I want out of a finish or mid mount mower. It would also be slower than my 72" zero turn - although I could probably get over that if I was riding in the comfort of an air conditioned cab.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

NJ-lawn said:


> You design/built that? Wow impressive. Could be your side gig.


I did. Thanks!

The problem with trying to sell something like this is no one in their right mind would be willing to pay what it cost me to build it. :lol:

I'm not sure exactly how much I have in it, and probably don't want to know. :?

ETA:

My TNutz order for the aluminum frame materials was $325. Note that included cutting every piece to the lengths I needed, so all I had to do was screw it together. The tank was about $250. I think I paid about $175 for the pump. The 7-nozzle boom was $250. The boomless nozzle and check valve was about $60. I probably have another $150 in the PRV, gauge, filter, and other plumbing components. Probably $50 in electrical components.

So I would say I have around $1,300 in the sprayer, including the boom and boomless setup. Plus another $300 for the foam marker.


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## Allan-00 (Aug 6, 2019)

This is quite impressive and fun to follow along!


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Ware said:


> NJ-lawn said:
> 
> 
> > You design/built that? Wow impressive. Could be your side gig.
> ...


I think you did pretty well. The SpreaderMate B is a $1,000 unit these days. You paid retail for the components, and have a relatively expensive frame (that looks great BTW). Skid sprayers with a similar boom setup are $3500+, granted most are engine driven pumps for reasons you are now well-familiar with.

$3,800 without a foam marker.

https://gregsonclark.com/products/100-gallon-utv-sprayer-with-10-foot-boom


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## sam36 (Apr 14, 2020)

I think I'm in love with that FieldJet. I've been looking at better ways to put out pre-e. I normally just do it once or twice a year as it takes too long with my current set up. What would be the easiest way to rig it up to the 21 gal northstar:  ?

Looks like it works best at 36"? Guess I would somehow mount it to the center square tubing and then plumb it into the line that is for the sprayer wand (which I don't use). Is there an official teejet fitting for the square tubing that would go from a hose barb to 1/2" npt or something?


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## Deltahedge (Apr 1, 2020)

That is a great looking sprayer set up. I bought the foam marker on Amazon day as well, but I haven't thought out a way to mount it to my 41gal northstar trailer yet. Does your UTV use an alternator or a ZTR type of magnet for charging the battery? I'm wondering how many electrical things I can hook up to my ZTR. I'm worried my 5 gpm pump is pushing it already and it won't be able to operate the foam marker.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Deltahedge said:


> That is a great looking sprayer set up. I bought the foam marker on Amazon day as well, but I haven't thought out a way to mount it to my 41gal northstar trailer yet. Does your UTV use an alternator or a ZTR type of magnet for charging the battery? I'm wondering how many electrical things I can hook up to my ZTR. I'm worried my 5 gpm pump is pushing it already and it won't be able to operate the foam marker.


The Pioneer has a stator. I think it has a ~600W charging system, so that's about 50A. The computer, fuel injection, transmission, etc. uses a chunk of that, but I'm not too worried about the 5 GPM pump. It will run a winch after all. But I can see how you might be concerned about the charging system on a ZTR not having as much cushion to power accessories.

The chart in this post says my pump pulls about 14A at 40 PSI. The sticker on the foam marker unit says it pulls 8A max.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

sam36 said:


> I think I'm in love with that FieldJet. I've been looking at better ways to put out pre-e. I normally just do it once or twice a year as it takes too long with my current set up. What would be the easiest way to rig it up to the 21 gal northstar:  ?
> 
> Looks like it works best at 36"? Guess I would somehow mount it to the center square tubing and then plumb it into the line that is for the sprayer wand (which I don't use). Is there an official teejet fitting for the square tubing that would go from a hose barb to 1/2" npt or something?


Yes, the catalog page performance data is based on 36" nozzle height.

I used this bulkhead fitting to mount the FieldJet/check valve. It is threaded 1/2" NPT on the inside, so I screwed the check valve into the top, and a hose barb fitting into the bottom.


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## Steely (Sep 24, 2017)

Great work @Ware


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## ScottieBones (Apr 2, 2020)

Looks awsome &#128526;


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## cnet24 (Jul 14, 2017)

I will probably never need one of these but too cool of a project to not follow along. Well done sir!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Thanks @Steely @ScottieBones and @cnet24!


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

@Ware I'm not picking up what you're putting down here with recirc. I see you've got the pressure regulator mounted to the top of the tank. Did you end up putting another opening/fitting in the top of the tank to allow for recirc? If so how did you go about doing that?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Amoo316 said:


> @Ware I'm not picking up what you're putting down here with recirc. I see you've got the pressure regulator mounted to the top of the tank. Did you end up putting another opening/fitting in the top of the tank to allow for recirc? If so how did you go about doing that?


Yes, the relief side of the PRV is attached to a bulkhead fitting I added to the top of the tank with a nipple.


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

Ok thanks, that was what I was ASSuming you did, but I wanted to make sure. So to be clear your plumbing flow is

Tank Outlet > Strainer > Pump > Splitter

Splitter Side 1 to PRV, Splitter Side 2 to Boom


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Amoo316 said:


> Ok thanks, that was what I was ASSuming you did, but I wanted to make sure. So to be clear your plumbing flow is
> 
> Tank Outlet > Strainer > Pump > Splitter
> 
> Splitter Side 1 to PRV, Splitter Side 2 to Boom


Yep, that's it. Then the system pressure is balanced/adjusted by the spring compression in the PRV.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

You could add a third leg on the discharge side of the pump for a dedicated hand wand, but I just QD the boom and attach my hand wand there.


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

Thanks @Ware I ordered the Tank, Pump, strainer and associated fittings to plumb the "tank" portion. Went with the same pump, but the smaller tank due to the of the back area of the 1200H. The coverings are all fiberglass, but there are 2 support brackets that lead down to the frame.

20-22week lead time on the tank is kind of a bummer, but it will be worth it for a tank that completely drains.

I haven't decided yet whether I'll go with angle or square stock yet for the boom and tank mounting bracket. Might end up with a combination of both tbh. I can't TIG either, but I can MIG just fine, so that'll be a viable option for me. Sucks as it'll add more weight then aluminum, but the cost savings should be worth it.


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

@Ware I'm assuming you used all 1/2" line in your build as well? Do you mind sharing a link for the QD you used or one like it? I'm assuming something like this? 
https://www.amazon.com/FERRODAY-Stainless-Disconnect-Brewing-Connectors/dp/B091C4WGGW/ref=sr_1_15?crid=10379XTTPMP36&dchild=1&keywords=barbed+quick+connect+1%2F2+inch&qid=1630703053&sprefix=barbed+quick+%2Caps%2C228&sr=8-15

I'm assuming no noticeable pressure loss going through a QD?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Amoo316 said:


> @Ware I'm assuming you used all 1/2" line in your build as well? Do you mind sharing a link for the QD you used or one like it? I'm assuming something like this?
> https://www.amazon.com/FERRODAY-Stainless-Disconnect-Brewing-Connectors/dp/B091C4WGGW/ref=sr_1_15?crid=10379XTTPMP36&dchild=1&keywords=barbed+quick+connect+1%2F2+inch&qid=1630703053&sprefix=barbed+quick+%2Caps%2C228&sr=8-15
> 
> I'm assuming no noticeable pressure loss going through a QD?


Yes, 1/2" hoses and fittings on the skid, but it looks like my whip out to the boomless nozzle is only 3/8". It is a short run (~2ft) and the FieldJet flows less than 2 GPM, so it should be fine. The 7-nozzle boom I bought was all 3/8".

That's the same style QD I used. I guess they're commonly used for homebrewing setups. They are available in various barbed and NPT configurations. I haven't noticed any pressure issues. They have a decent size ID.

I used this bulkhead fitting to mount the tee/valve/QD assembly on the discharge side of the pump. See photo below.


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

Ok thanks, I'm pretty sure I see what you've done. Looks like outlet from your pump gets into a T, and you're using the bulkhead for support for the valve and QD out to the boom.

I was also considering a "Y" with 2 valves, 1 to the boom and 1 to the spray wand. This bunker rake is going to be a purpose built sprayer so I won't have the worry/hassle of needing it to be mobile.

I don't know if I should put this here or in the teejet thread (I know basically nothing about teejet stuff), but I'll ask it here:

I'm wanting to go with these for the built in checks on the boom.

That appears to limit me to AIC Teejets and XRC Teejets.

I know my ground speed will be 4mph and I want to put down products at 1 gal/k for easy math.

That would put me using XRC11006 and AIC11006 at 40psi. The AIC1106 seems fine for soil apps. Is the XRC1106 going to be fine enough foliar apps?

My only other option for foliar apps would be to cut my rate to 0.5gal/K and use XRC11003

Seems like I'm doing something wrong.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Amoo316 said:


> I'm wanting to go with these for the built in checks on the boom.
> 
> That appears to limit me to AIC Teejets and XRC Teejets.


You can use pretty much any nozzle with that nozzle body - just pair it with the right Quick TeeJet Cap. The XRC and AIC are just options that are conveniently molded into a Quick Cap.



Amoo316 said:


> I know my ground speed will be 4mph and I want to put down products at 1 gal/k for easy math.
> 
> That would put me using XRC11006 and AIC11006 at 40psi. The AIC1106 seems fine for soil apps. Is the XRC1106 going to be fine enough foliar apps?
> 
> ...


You are correct that any -06 nozzle in the catalog should give you close to 1 gallon per thousand at 40 PSI and 4 mph.

As for droplet size, I think you'll be fine. It's all relative. I don't think I would bother changing my calibration to get a finer droplet size out of the XR/XRC nozzle.


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## Amoo316 (Jul 8, 2021)

Ware said:


> Amoo316 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm wanting to go with these for the built in checks on the boom.
> ...


Thanks for the crash course. Now to internally debate using a solenoid valve. $43 isn't bad. I'm actually kind of surprised you didn't go this route.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Amoo316 said:


> …Now to internally debate using a solenoid valve. $43 isn't bad. I'm actually kind of surprised you didn't go this route.


That would be a great upgrade.


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## Deltahedge (Apr 1, 2020)

Ware said:


> Amoo316 said:
> 
> 
> > …Now to internally debate using a solenoid valve. $43 isn't bad. I'm actually kind of surprised you didn't go this route.
> ...


I would love to have 1, up to 3 of those solenoid valves on my 5 nozzle setup. If I only have one, I would use it to shut the boom off at the end of each pass, thereby leaving the pump on and the tank would continue to agitate while I turn and get lined up for the next pass. I currently just shut the pump off, and it works perfectly fine.

If I had 3 of them, I would use them to control left boom, center boom, and right boom. The way my 5 nozzle setup is currently configured, I manually turn each nozzle on or off using the manual chem saver shut-off


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I realize this is an odd post because I just started this thread a couple weeks ago, but if anyone is interested in buying this whole setup (less the SxS and foam marker) let me know. I will probably post it in the Marketplace soon.

I built it last summer and it works great, but I have since bought a compact tractor and I am going to transition to a 100-gallon 3pt sprayer for it. :?


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