When I decided to build a sprayer to fit in the back of my salvaged John Deere Gator I never thought it would be as handy as it has proved to be.
My imaginary plan after my daughter's graduation was to complete my Agricultural Turf Certification, buy a few key pieces of equipment and do work for local parks and school districts and conservation districts. It was probably a good plan but after breaking my leg and then launching into the farming season I suspect this will never happen.
Building the Gator Sprayer was as far as I got.
I use it a lot. It is perfect for spraying fence rows and field borders. I have used it to apply hay preservative as the auto rate control is really useful.
Friday I used it to apply Glyphosate to our five acres of Bourbon grain corn. The wheels fit down the rows!
I need to build new booms as the one I bought do not hold up to rough fields and I need to put a bigger battery in it. If I don't have 14 volts on the meter, the electric valves start closing on me and mess up my spray rate. Of course I had to use five boom sections which at 1.5 amps per valve does add up to a voltage drain.
Hay season is not as fun as it once was. I hoped to pick up some custom stacking but the jobs so far have not been great. Hillsides and swamps. With breakdowns included.
A hydraulic line under the cab leaked all day without me seeing it and I lost brakes and steering at the top of a steep hill. It was not that bad a ride. But, after that I went home.
Now I must write my weekly letter to "Frances," explaining that if I were still employed by the University, I would not be on vacation.
The lack of updates would indicate another broken leg or a job or farm overwork or some sort of existential thing.
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ReplyDeleteLove the blend of ingenuity and humor! The Gator sprayer project sounds like a game-changer, even if the bigger ag dreams took a detour. Real-life farming grit shines through every line—especially spraying 'booze corn' and surviving hay season’s wild rides. Keep sharing!"
ReplyDeleteagriculture sprayer
tractor mounted sprayer
Tractor sprayer pump
agriculture sprayer machine
Orchard sprayer
Dust Suppression Sprayer
boom Sprayer
Orchard Sprayer Pump
Electrostatic Sprayer Machine
Grass Cutter Machine
Happy to share your links as you complimented by fabulous Gator-sprayer. I would be happy to give you feedback on your sprayers if you want to send me one to demo!
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