# Ryobi Backpack sprayer - New design



## athenslb57 (Aug 27, 2020)

Does anyone have the redesigned backpack sprayer? Looks like it now has a variable pressure dial as well.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-O...-Battery-and-Charger-Included-P2860/314259313


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## Automate (Aug 14, 2020)

I was wondered why I was seeing so many "new" in the box Ryobi 4 gal sprayers showing up on Craigslist. This explains it, getting rid of old stock.


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## Groundskeeper Willie (Feb 22, 2019)

I bought one recently and have used it only once. The Ryobi is my first powered backpack sprayer, so I don't have much to compare it with. However there are 2 things about this product that I don't like right out of the box. First, the wand is bendy. Maybe it's better to make the wand bendy than to make it breaky. I broke the wand on my previous sprayer (Harbor Freight) twice. The wand material of the Ryobi is thicker and less rigid, so it may bend instead of break in the event of similar accidents. But it's off putting to see the wand bend just because you stuck it into the retaining clips that are molded onto the side of the tank for storage. I'll be replacing that wand with a brass model (going for the DFW wand setup).

Which brings me to the second thing I don't like about the Ryobi. The hose is a little bit short, thick and not easily replaceable. The hose puts tension on the bendy wand when you try to stow it on the side of the tank, enough tension to bend the wand. It also causes some more pull resisting my handling and positioning of the wand than I'm used to. So I was already replacing the wand - what if you also wanted to replace the hose? For that you will have to open the plastic housing to get at the connection of the hose to the pump. There is a plastic screw down connection, like the one you can see connecting the hose to the handle, but it's completely inside with the pump. Outside all you can see is a metal crimped on collar - that is not the connection. The hose can't be unscrewed at that point, only from inside. Opening the housing requires you to remove 7 Torx T20 screws that are deeply set -fully 3 inches down in narrow holes- in the plastic molding. When you do get the clamshell molding apart you will break a warning label that they plastered across the seam, which presumably voids your warranty - but I can't be sure about that since none of the writing on it is in English. The pump end of the hose is held in a clamp secured by 2 Torx security screws, sized - CR-VT-10

This is hardly a full review of the Ryobi's performance or reliability or anything. Just one or two points which are probably just nitpicking. The bendiness of the wand probably is not going to be a problem for most people who end up buying this sprayer, and isn't in all likelihood going to ever detract from its performance. I don't like it and was disappointed, although I can see how it may make the product more durable. If you want to replace the wand, though, the hose can in turn become an issue, depending on what you'll end up replacing the wand with. Or you may find the length and stoutness of the hose to be simply not to your liking. As with the wand, I wasn't thrilled with the hose ergonomics. To replace the hose for whatever cause, you will need to get at the hose to pump connection and that wasn't made very convenient. In fact it seems to have been deliberately made very inconvenient. I don't know for certain that it voids your warranty to break the the warning sticker and open the housing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they told me that if I sent it in for repair of the pump or something. Ticked off, yeah - but not surprised.


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## Automate (Aug 14, 2020)

Thanks for the review. I have the previous version and the hose and wand look exactly the same . And yes, the hose length does bend the wand a little when it's on the side holder.

In looking at the pictures again I noticed both models have a second horizontal wand holder in the tank cap.. You may have to turn the cap so its in the right direction, but it's another option.


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

I bought the new model this morning and love it! They had a lot of the older model in stock, but was the same price as the new model. I sprayed my entire lawn with prodiamine after I charged the battery and it was a breeze compared to my 4 gallon manual pump sprayer. I have other 18v Ryobi tools and hope this sprayer will be as reliable as those have been.


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## athenslb57 (Aug 27, 2020)

01Bullitt said:


> I bought the new model this morning and love it! They had a lot of the older model in stock, but was the same price as the new model. I sprayed my entire lawn with prodiamine after I charged the battery and it was a breeze compared to my 4 gallon manual pump sprayer. I have other 18v Ryobi tools and hope this sprayer will be as reliable as those have been.


Did you happen to use a teejet tip with the new one? I noticed the tip on the new one looked a little different vs the old model.


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

athenslb57 said:


> 01Bullitt said:
> 
> 
> > I bought the new model this morning and love it! They had a lot of the older model in stock, but was the same price as the new model. I sprayed my entire lawn with prodiamine after I charged the battery and it was a breeze compared to my 4 gallon manual pump sprayer. I have other 18v Ryobi tools and hope this sprayer will be as reliable as those have been.
> ...


Yes, I was able to use my Teejet nozzle on the new one with no problems.


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## athenslb57 (Aug 27, 2020)

01Bullitt said:


> athenslb57 said:
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Great! Ordering one today! Thanks!


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## Josh (Aug 8, 2018)

One thing I've noticed is the Petra, Cardinal, and Ryobi all have similar design now.


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## dport (Oct 13, 2019)

I just had this delivered to my house from Home Depot a few days ago. Picked it up for $119 (I didn't need the battery as I already have them). Looking forward to using its in a few weeks. Thanks for the comments!


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## Midsoutherner (Aug 25, 2020)

Im thinking about getting one of these new style sprayers. I like the variable pressure dial, and I just looked through the user manual and it said this thing can pump out up to 90 psi! Does anyone have a way of determining what pressure you are actually spraying at if you turn the dial down? I remember Allyn (LCN) talking about calibrating your sprayer so you can know how much you are spraying, but I think that also the T-Jet nozzles have different spray patterns depending on the pressure, so knowing exactly what the pressure seems like it would be helpful. I could be over thinking it though.


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## dport (Oct 13, 2019)

Midsoutherner said:


> Im thinking about getting one of these new style sprayers. I like the variable pressure dial, and I just looked through the user manual and it said this thing can pump out up to 90 psi! Does anyone have a way of determining what pressure you are actually spraying at if you turn the dial down? I remember Allyn (LCN) talking about calibrating your sprayer so you can know how much you are spraying, but I think that also the T-Jet nozzles have different spray patterns depending on the pressure, so knowing exactly what the pressure seems like it would be helpful. I could be over thinking it though.


Interested to hear the same. I need to spray tenacity in a week or so with this new sprayer. I'll test it out with water at first to try and determine flow rate. I'll report back if I find anything definitive.


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## athenslb57 (Aug 27, 2020)

Has anyone done a pressure test on this unit? Supposedly it reaches 90 psi but I seem to be getting about half that based on output. I have tested 3 different TeeJet (AIXR,Turbo,XR) red tips and I'm getting about 50 -52 oz/min output in my measuring cup.

According to the Tee Jet chart it should be:
77 oz/min


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

I don't think it is anywhere near the 90 psi they advertise in the manual. I would guess it's somewhere in the 50 to 60 psi range with the dial at max. I may throw a pressure gauge on mine soon, hopefully this week and I'll update everyone what I find out.


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## RubyFired22 (Jun 11, 2020)

I just upgraded to this sprayer from the old ryobi one. The variable pressure was what sold me. However it is a problem to dial in a specific pressure since it's not marked. I had problems with CF valves on the old one. I've yet to try it on this one, but we'll see how it goes. So far I love it.


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## athenslb57 (Aug 27, 2020)

01Bullitt said:


> I don't think it is anywhere near the 90 psi they advertise in the manual. I would guess it's somewhere in the 50 to 60 psi range with the dial at max. I may throw a pressure gauge on mine soon, hopefully this week and I'll update everyone what I find out.


Let us know... Best I can tell its roughly 50 - 55 which is fine for me.


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

athenslb57 said:


> 01Bullitt said:
> 
> 
> > I don't think it is anywhere near the 90 psi they advertise in the manual. I would guess it's somewhere in the 50 to 60 psi range with the dial at max. I may throw a pressure gauge on mine soon, hopefully this week and I'll update everyone what I find out.
> ...


The results are in! I used a liquid filled gauge with a range of 0 - 160 psi. The test was performed with a Teejet XR8003-VS blue nozzle & a Teejet AI11003-VS blue nozzle. Pressure gauge read 98 psi with the dial switched on in any position and the wand handle not engaged. The following pressures were recorded with the wand handle engaged.

XR Nozzle
28 psi dial at 3 o'clock position
38 psi dial at 6 o'clock position
48 psi dial at 9 o'clock position
50 psi dial at 10 o'clock position (max setting)

AI nozzle
30 psi dial at 3 o'clock position
40 psi dial at 6 o'clock position
51 psi dial at 9 o'clock position
53 psi dial at 10 o'clock position (max setting)


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## athenslb57 (Aug 27, 2020)

01Bullitt said:


> athenslb57 said:
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Great! Thanks for following up and the pressure is about where I had estimated it to be.


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## dport (Oct 13, 2019)

01Bullitt said:


> athenslb57 said:
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Great, thanks for sharing this information. I'm new to the sprayer world and looking forward to using my new Ryobi. In terms fo your nozzles above, which products do you spray with each? Is one better for fert or pre em and one better for herbicides?


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

@athenslb57 & @dport you're both welcome. @dport I use the XR nozzle for herbicides & the AI nozzle for prodiamine pre-emergent. The AI nozzle produces larger droplets for soil applications. The XR nozzle produces a fine mist that is good for herbicides so they cover more leaf area of the weed you are trying to kill.


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## dport (Oct 13, 2019)

01Bullitt said:


> @athenslb57 & @dport you're both welcome. @dport I use the XR nozzle for herbicides & the AI nozzle for prodiamine pre-emergent. The AI nozzle produces larger droplets for soil applications. The XR nozzle produces a fine mist that is good for herbicides so they cover more leaf area of the weed you are trying to kill.


Excellent. Just ordered the AI nozzle as I am going to use tenacity in a good chunk of my lawn this spring as it requires a bit of an overseed.


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## Midsoutherner (Aug 25, 2020)

Thank you for the testing @01Bullitt! Makes me wonder what the actual output is on the old one now. Doesn't really matter for me though. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the new style sprayer.

I've seen a number of people thatbuse the red t-jet nozzles. Is there a reason you went with the blue? I'm still really new to a lot of this so if it's obvious please excuse my ignorance.


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

Midsoutherner said:


> Thank you for the testing @01Bullitt! Makes me wonder what the actual output is on the old one now. Doesn't really matter for me though. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the new style sprayer.
> 
> I've seen a number of people thatbuse the red t-jet nozzles. Is there a reason you went with the blue? I'm still really new to a lot of this so if it's obvious please excuse my ignorance.


You're welcome, I picked the blue one because it was mentioned a few times on here in the past and I have an acre of grass, so the blue Teejets will require less fill ups compared to the red ones. Here is great discussion on the Teejet nozzles.
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=33


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## dport (Oct 13, 2019)

01Bullitt said:


> Midsoutherner said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you for the testing @01Bullitt! Makes me wonder what the actual output is on the old one now. Doesn't really matter for me though. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the new style sprayer.
> ...


@01Bullitt can you do a quick glance at my math using this sprayer and nozzle? I have 12k sq feet of lawn. The teejet chart says the blue AI-11003 nozzle sprays at 0.68 gallons per 1000 sq feet when walking at 3 mph and set to 40 psi.

12k * 0.68 = 8.16 gallons . So for my application of tenacity I will essentially need 2 full tanks of the Ryobi sprayer to cover my entire lawn. Does this make sense?


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

@dport I ended up measuring a 1,000 square off with some plastic orange cones and sprayed water. I measured from a gallon sized pitcher that had the measurement lines for every 1/4 gallon. I poured a gallon of measured water from the pitcher in to the sprayer and sprayed the 1,000 square feet area. After I sprayed that area I emptied the remaining water from the sprayer back in to the pitcher and measured what was left, so that would tell me how much liquid I used in a 1,000 square feet. I did this 3 times to get the results.


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## dport (Oct 13, 2019)

01Bullitt said:


> @dport I ended up measuring a 1,000 square off with some plastic orange cones and sprayed water. I measured from a gallon sized pitcher that had the measurement lines for every 1/4 gallon. I poured a gallon of measured water from the pitcher in to the sprayer and sprayed the 1,000 square feet area. After I sprayed that area I emptied the remaining water from the sprayer back in to the pitcher and measured what was left, so that would tell me how much liquid I used in a 1,000 square feet. I did this 3 times to get the results.


Thanks! Teejet arrives today so testing begins tomorrow.


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## dport (Oct 13, 2019)

01Bullitt said:


> @dport I ended up measuring a 1,000 square off with some plastic orange cones and sprayed water. I measured from a gallon sized pitcher that had the measurement lines for every 1/4 gallon. I poured a gallon of measured water from the pitcher in to the sprayer and sprayed the 1,000 square feet area. After I sprayed that area I emptied the remaining water from the sprayer back in to the pitcher and measured what was left, so that would tell me how much liquid I used in a 1,000 square feet. I did this 3 times to get the results.


Here is my output from my experiments this morning. My driveway is exactly 1300 sq feet. Multiple test runs with the AI blue teejet and the Ryobi at 9 o'clock position yielded a result of 0.61 gallons per the 1300 sq feet. *This comes out to 0.47 gallons per 1000 sq feet at the 9 o'clock position *

I'm somewhat surprised. Based on your PSI I thought I would end up around 0.60-0.70 gallons per 1000.


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

dport said:


> 01Bullitt said:
> 
> 
> > @dport I ended up measuring a 1,000 square off with some plastic orange cones and sprayed water. I measured from a gallon sized pitcher that had the measurement lines for every 1/4 gallon. I poured a gallon of measured water from the pitcher in to the sprayer and sprayed the 1,000 square feet area. After I sprayed that area I emptied the remaining water from the sprayer back in to the pitcher and measured what was left, so that would tell me how much liquid I used in a 1,000 square feet. I did this 3 times to get the results.
> ...


Going by their chart, I used less liquid too. When I calibrated mine with 1,000 square feet I had the dial at 6 o'clock and used 0.3 gallons of water. This was before the pressure test readings and I didn't want to turn the dial all the way because bigger droplets at lower pressure is better for pre-emergents for soil contact. Walking speed plays a big part too, I tend to walk faster than most people. Out of curiosity, I might have to install an app on my phone that shows my walking speed.


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## NickNickNick (Mar 27, 2021)

Does anyone know the hose size for the "old" Ryobi backpack sprayer ... not sure if there is much of a difference to the new design. 
My unit has ZERO markings on the hose for me to order a section for a DFW wand upgrade.
I am not home for the next couple of days and wanted to get it ordered. If not I'll take it apart and get a measurement.

Thanks in advance!
Nick


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## Midsoutherner (Aug 25, 2020)

01Bullitt said:


> dport said:
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> > 01Bullitt said:
> ...


I did my entire yard with my new style ryobi backpack and prodiamine today, and I noticed a few things along the way. First off, I am very new (first time ever) to spraying so there is definitely some learning curve here and I will have to make adjustments when I broadcast my Celsius in the next week or so. 
I had the dial all the way up while I was doing my spraying and had a lot left over after my first 4 gallons/4k in the front yard so I think I was walking way too fast, but I didn't want to end up putting down more than I intended. I was using a blue AI teejet nozzle. 
I also noticed that the 2ah battery that came with the sprayer lasted slightly more than 2 full tanks before completely stopping. I was using it at full power the entire time but I was a little surprised by that. The box says 11 tanks can be sprayed with that battery so it must be at the lowest setting. Next time I'm going to use my 4ah battery and see how that goes.
The hose is pretty stiff, but not terrible, and the backpack straps are pretty comfortable even when the sprayer is all the way full. I do wish the cross chest strap had a little padding on it but it's not terribly uncomfortable.
Oh and one last thing is that the lines on the side of the tank don't measure correctly. On mine each gallons mark is about 1/4 in too low.

Over all I'm very happy with the sprayer and look forward to learning to use it better over the years.


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

@Midsoutherner The battery might not have been securely inserted. The reason I say that is because I used mine on my mother in laws yard and my sprayer just quit. I was spraying prodiamine so i marked where I stopped and went to investigate. I found the battery was not pushed all the way in. I gave it a firm push, heard the pump prime and you will hear the battery click in to place.


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## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

NickNickNick said:


> Does anyone know the hose size for the "old" Ryobi backpack sprayer ... not sure if there is much of a difference to the new design.
> My unit has ZERO markings on the hose for me to order a section for a DFW wand upgrade.
> I am not home for the next couple of days and wanted to get it ordered. If not I'll take it apart and get a measurement.
> 
> ...


I have the new one and pretty sure it's 5/16 inside diameter, you may want to measure yours to be safe though.


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## Marlon (Jun 25, 2019)

This is great information! I am about to purchase the Ryobi since a HD is down the road. I plant to use this for liquid fert - should I use the nozzle that comes with the Ryobi or get a Teejet (model no?)?


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## Midsoutherner (Aug 25, 2020)

I didnt use the nozzles that came with mine. I ordered an AI11003-VS and a XR11003VS along with a 50 mesh strainer (8079-PP-50). I did use the o-ring that came with the Ryobi sprayer since the tee jet one I ordered that I thought would fit, didn't. There is a long discussion of Tee Jet nozzles with the application charts to help you decide which will work best for you. It seems like most are using the red or blue nozzles.

Ive noticed that to get to my target of 1 gallon per 1,000 I have to really slow down my walking speed so I may have been able to go with a higher volume nozzle. I walk pretty fast though so you may find that when you calibrate yours you don't have that problem.

I'm also not a huge fan of the wand that comes with the sprayer and will probably make one of the DFW sprayer wands in the future to replace it. I don't like that the entire thing is plastic and it's difficult to get the right torque on the nozzle so its not over torqued and leaking, or under torqued and leaking.


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## Marlon (Jun 25, 2019)

Are you doing fertilizer with yours?


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

I really want this and with the 2ah battery at $149 it is tempting. I don't spray much anymore but when I do this would be nice :thumbup:


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## Marlon (Jun 25, 2019)

I just got mine...will report back. Will try the nozzles that come with it for fertilizer apps.


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## Midsoutherner (Aug 25, 2020)

Marlon said:


> Are you doing fertilizer with yours?


Forgot to mention what I use it for. I have sprayed liquid fert with it and it worked fine as far as spraying goes, but I'm not sure it did as much as I was expecting it to. I bought Sunniland N-sure 28-0-0 from yard mastery(it was the highest N content liquid I could find) and followed the instructions on the bottle and it didn't seem to make that much of a difference, but I may just not be noticing it. I also have common Bermuda so I'm not sure I will see a nice deep green color change like I had hoped for. I havent updated my lawn journal in a while but the Bermuda is doing better this year compared to when we first moved in so as a first year ever trying to do the right things to make my lawn better, I'm happy.


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## KJL (Jul 1, 2020)

01Bullitt said:


> The results are in! I used a liquid filled gauge with a range of 0 - 160 psi. The test was performed with a Teejet XR8003-VS blue nozzle & a Teejet AI11003-VS blue nozzle. Pressure gauge read 98 psi with the dial switched on in any position and the wand handle not engaged. The following pressures were recorded with the wand handle engaged.
> 
> XR Nozzle
> 28 psi dial at 3 o'clock position
> ...


I just bought the new Ryobi backpack sprayer and given the range of gpm/PSI experiences here I decided to test it across a range of TeeJet tips.

With the dial turned up to max, I measured these flows (the PSI is implied off the TeeJet chart):

*Blue (XR11003)*
0.35 gpm, or ~52 PSI

*Red (XR11004)*
0.42 gpm, or ~44 PSI

*Gray (XR11006)*
0.47 gpm, or ~25 PSI

This tells me the Ryobi cannot maintain pressure/flow as the tip size increases, which sucks because I had hoped the Ryobi could at least maintain 60 PSI on these tips so I could achieve fine droplets for contact use.

This is my first motorized sprayer so I don't know if that is par for course for them. Does a powerful sprayer like the FlowZone Typhoon also drop PSI this severely with an XR11006 or larger tip?

Regardless, I wanted to try the Ryobi because it seemed quieter than most and because, frankly, it's rather inexpensive despite being part of a constellation of 18V tools (unlike the Milwaukee).

But its limited motor strength may limit its overall usefulness for me, e.g. spraying ice melt, etc.


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## situman (Nov 3, 2020)

I had a 2 gallon version and it literally disintegrated one day.


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## Marlon (Jun 25, 2019)

I used the 4 gal variable pressure control Ryobi backpack yesterday and man, this was pleasant - beats hand pumping and what's more impressive - you get a nice even spray visible with the blue dye...great investment.


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## Marlon (Jun 25, 2019)

Groundskeeper Willie said:


> I bought one recently and have used it only once. The Ryobi is my first powered backpack sprayer, so I don't have much to compare it with. However there are 2 things about this product that I don't like right out of the box. First, the wand is bendy. Maybe it's better to make the wand bendy than to make it breaky. I broke the wand on my previous sprayer (Harbor Freight) twice. The wand material of the Ryobi is thicker and less rigid, so it may bend instead of break in the event of similar accidents. But it's off putting to see the wand bend just because you stuck it into the retaining clips that are molded onto the side of the tank for storage. I'll be replacing that wand with a brass model (going for the DFW wand setup).
> 
> Which brings me to the second thing I don't like about the Ryobi. The hose is a little bit short, thick and not easily replaceable. The hose puts tension on the bendy wand when you try to stow it on the side of the tank, enough tension to bend the wand. It also causes some more pull resisting my handling and positioning of the wand than I'm used to. So I was already replacing the wand - what if you also wanted to replace the hose? For that you will have to open the plastic housing to get at the connection of the hose to the pump. There is a plastic screw down connection, like the one you can see connecting the hose to the handle, but it's completely inside with the pump. Outside all you can see is a metal crimped on collar - that is not the connection. The hose can't be unscrewed at that point, only from inside. Opening the housing requires you to remove 7 Torx T20 screws that are deeply set -fully 3 inches down in narrow holes- in the plastic molding. When you do get the clamshell molding apart you will break a warning label that they plastered across the seam, which presumably voids your warranty - but I can't be sure about that since none of the writing on it is in English. The pump end of the hose is held in a clamp secured by 2 Torx security screws, sized - CR-VT-10
> 
> This is hardly a full review of the Ryobi's performance or reliability or anything. Just one or two points which are probably just nitpicking. The bendiness of the wand probably is not going to be a problem for most people who end up buying this sprayer, and isn't in all likelihood going to ever detract from its performance. I don't like it and was disappointed, although I can see how it may make the product more durable. If you want to replace the wand, though, the hose can in turn become an issue, depending on what you'll end up replacing the wand with. Or you may find the length and stoutness of the hose to be simply not to your liking. As with the wand, I wasn't thrilled with the hose ergonomics. To replace the hose for whatever cause, you will need to get at the hose to pump connection and that wasn't made very convenient. In fact it seems to have been deliberately made very inconvenient. I don't know for certain that it voids your warranty to break the the warning sticker and open the housing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they told me that if I sent it in for repair of the pump or something. Ticked off, yeah - but not surprised.


These are miniscule points on this backpack. It's well worth the $149 at HDepot. I used 11 gallons and battery had a lot left.


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## Rolling Hills (Jul 21, 2021)

I bought this sprayer a few weeks ago and finally went out to calibrate today. I marked off a 1k sqft area with some mason line and I'm using the stock fan nozzle, attempting to dispense 1gal per 1k sqft. I also added some blue dye so I could visually see what I was doing. I conducted a few runs and I honestly feel like I'm doing something wrong here, or the nozzle is wonky. I'm walking at a fairly steady pace (similar speed to when I'm using my line trimmer) and I run out about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way through my marked area. Tried it at 9, 6, and 3 o'clock pressure position on the dial and always run out short.

How fast am I supposed to be walking? I feel like I'd need to straight up power walk to make the whole gallon last. Any suggestions on what adjustments to make to get this thing dialed in? Is the stock nozzle garbage and that's why it's putting out too much even on lower pressure settings?


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## Automate (Aug 14, 2020)

Are you swinging the wand back and forth as you walk or just holding it steady? In other words, how wide is each pass?


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## Rolling Hills (Jul 21, 2021)

Automate said:


> Are you swinging the wand back and forth as you walk or just holding it steady? In other words, how wide is each pass?


Holding it steady. I'd say each pass is about 1.5 - 2 ft wide or so. Maybe I'm overlapping too much and not realizing it? To be honest the dye doesn't make your applied area contrast in color that much compared to the untreated area.


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## BermudaBoy (Jun 27, 2019)

Rolling Hills said:


> I bought this sprayer a few weeks ago and finally went out to calibrate today. I marked off a 1k sqft area with some mason line and I'm using the stock fan nozzle, attempting to dispense 1gal per 1k sqft. I also added some blue dye so I could visually see what I was doing. I conducted a few runs and I honestly feel like I'm doing something wrong here, or the nozzle is wonky. I'm walking at a fairly steady pace (similar speed to when I'm using my line trimmer) and I run out about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way through my marked area. Tried it at 9, 6, and 3 o'clock pressure position on the dial and always run out short.
> 
> How fast am I supposed to be walking? I feel like I'd need to straight up power walk to make the whole gallon last. Any suggestions on what adjustments to make to get this thing dialed in? Is the stock nozzle garbage and that's why it's putting out too much even on lower pressure settings?


It may be the OEM nozzle. I've only used the teejet nozzles that were recommended in the nozzle thread on my lawn. With the backpack full I'm able to cover my 5K lawn twice before I run out while walking at a moderate pace.


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## Rolling Hills (Jul 21, 2021)

I must have been overlapping too much. I tested in the driveway and the swath of the fan was more like 3 ft on the pavement.

I'm honestly pretty disappointed with how little impact the blue dye has on marking the covered lawn areas. I have an irregularly shaped lawn and was banking on this actually making the application areas obvious as I progressed.

How high from the ground shouldy nozzle tip be? I want to say mine was at about 6" above the grass. Is that too close?


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## Marlon (Jun 25, 2019)

Rolling Hills said:


> I must have been overlapping too much. I tested in the driveway and the swath of the fan was more like 3 ft on the pavement.
> 
> I'm honestly pretty disappointed with how little impact the blue dye has on marking the covered lawn areas. I have an irregularly shaped lawn and was banking on this actually making the application areas obvious as I progressed.
> 
> How high from the ground shouldy nozzle tip be? I want to say mine was at about 6" above the grass. Is that too close?


There are a couple points here that I'd like to address:

6" off the ground is too low. I'm about 12-16" off the ground with the stock fan nozzle. You will get wider coverage.

Watch the wind. On a calm day, your coverage will be much better due to spray not wavering in the wind.

I got about 700 sq ft/gal on a slightly windy day walking slowly. Increase your dye concentration to help with marking.


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## ajahrendt07 (Jun 23, 2021)

dport said:


> I just had this delivered to my house from Home Depot a few days ago. Picked it up for $119 (I didn't need the battery as I already have them). Looking forward to using its in a few weeks. Thanks for the comments!


I'm considering one of these now. I also have a ton of ryobi batteries around from my other tools so I don't need the extra battery. I only see the $149 option with the battery…is there an option I'm missing for $119 without the battery?


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## dport (Oct 13, 2019)

ajahrendt07 said:


> dport said:
> 
> 
> > I just had this delivered to my house from Home Depot a few days ago. Picked it up for $119 (I didn't need the battery as I already have them). Looking forward to using its in a few weeks. Thanks for the comments!
> ...


Apologies as I am just seeing this now. Yes, when I bought there was an option to get a ryobi with or without a battery. At the time, the package without the battery was $119.


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## lawndog (May 12, 2018)

Saw a few videos on this about the confusion of the gallon measurements on this thing. Has anyone figured out exactly where they are? Looking at getting one but no one seems to know.


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## Marlon (Jun 25, 2019)

It works fine...4 gal is 4 gal. Awesome sprayer.


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## lawndog (May 12, 2018)

I get that it's 4 gallons but the numbers and the actual gallon measurements are supposedly wrong.


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## Marlon (Jun 25, 2019)

They are not.


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## lawndog (May 12, 2018)

Check this video to see what I'm referring too. At the 7:45 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrNdbxysgAU


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## Groundskeeper Willie (Feb 22, 2019)

I think I solved the problem I've been having (intermittently but almost all season) w my Ryobi sprayer. Spade lug contacts on the volume control switch were corroded. Blue green crud all in them, especially the lower one on the block which I think is marked common and which also slipped pretty easily off the lug. Maybe I'll replace them fully, but for now they are cleaned up with acetone and recrimped down with dielectric grease. Back to full pressure. Hopefully it stays fixed.


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## Lawndry List (Jun 30, 2020)

My $40 Chapin special from Walmart is still holding up, but when it kicks the curb I'm definitely going with this new Ryobi. Seems to be the best budget model for the average homeowner IMO


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## Bombers (Jul 14, 2020)

lawndog said:


> Saw a few videos on this about the confusion of the gallon measurements on this thing. Has anyone figured out exactly where they are? Looking at getting one but no one seems to know.


I caught this on Ryobi's own website in the reviews and someone posted a pic with the measurements marked in sharpie so I went ahead and did the same. You can use a milk gallon jug and just keep adding 1 gal of water after another and mark it's place.


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