A Mechanical Sprayer Operated by One Man

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 1, 15 July 1950, Page 39

A Mechanical Sprayer Operated by One Man

A SIMPLE and very effective mechanical spraying attachment was devised and operated in the 1948-49 season by Mr. A. J. Boyes, a fruit grower of Twyford, Hastings, who had an exceptionally clean crop and was more than satisfied with the operation of the attachment. It can be made and fitted to any crawler or portable outfit which has sufficient pump capacity to enable it to be operated by only one man, the driver. This unusual spraying attachment, which has aroused much interest among local growers and visiting growers from many other districts, is described in this article by R. K. Johnson, Horticultural Inspector, Department of Agriculture, Hastings.

MR. BOYES’S sprayer is a portable, tractor-drawn outfit. Many of similar design and construction are operated in orchards today. A strong, 2-wheeled chassis has mounted on it a 35-gallon-per-minute pump, driven by a 6-cylinder engine, complete with clutch and gearbox. The pump is directly coupled to the gearbox shaft, the gearbox being in second gear to drive the pump at the correct number of revolutions. The engine radiator has been eliminated, the engine being water cooled by a small marine gear pump, which forces the water through a system of pipes running through the spray vat, which, when filled with spray, cools

the water being circulated through the pipes. A water supply tank has been mounted above the engine, the water being fed into the top of the engine in the normal way. The marine pump is fitted to the side of the engine and is driven by a V belt from the pulley which normally drove the fan. The fan pulley has an extra pulley fitted to it, a V belt from this driving a shaft which operates the engine governor and the agitators inside the vat, enabling them to be operated independently of the pump. The outfit is controlled by a ratchet brake lever mounted within easy reach of the tractor driver. This lever con-

trols both the engine clutch, which puts the pump in and out of operation, and the accelerator of the spray engine. A rod from the lower end of the lever operates the clutch and the accelerator rod is fitted near the top of the lever. When the lever is pushed back it engages the clutch and the spray engine is accelerated to the required speed. The Spraying Attachment The mechanical spraying attachment is a simple unit mounted on the chassis at the rear of a 400-gallon vat and consists of two 8-nozzle spray brooms clamped in movable brackets, one on each side of the chassis. These movable brackets are bolted together as a unit by an adjustable iron bar, one clamp being bolted to'a bar fitted off centre to a central, circular iron plate. This eccentric iron plate is chain driven off a shaft taken from the rear end of the pump. The eccentric drive to the brackets causes the spray brooms to be raised and lowered, giving a sweeping up and down action to the brooms rather similar to the normal hand-operated motion. The spray brooms are set at opposite angles. When the left-hand broom is at the top of its sweep the right-hand is practically at the bottom. These brooms are ordinary hand spray brooms, having curved heads fitted .to them. The curved heads have been designed to throw a wide wall of spray, practically a semi-circle, so that spray is thrown forward to the tree being approached and back to the tree just passed, ensuring a complete coverage. This spraying attachment is a very compact unit, having few movable parts to give trouble, and is mounted on the space normally required for the platform for the operators to stand on. For the spraying of tall and spreading trees an adjustable boom is mounted up the centre and at the rear of the vat. This extension boom consists of

an Bft. length of IJin. piping with a reducing clamp fitted to the top, through which is inserted a 10ft. length of inch piping. A sliding collar with a locking bolt is fitted to the inner piping, allowing it to be extended or lowered and held to the required height. The inner piping has a 6in. crosspiece fixed to the top, to which are fitted two 2|ft. lengths of piping with 7-nozzle broom heads mounted to the ends. These broom heads are also curved and can be set at any angle to throw a good covering spray on to the tops of the trees. Lengths of spray hose carry the spray to the crosspieces with the brooms fitted to them. Each spray broom can be shut off independently, so that any side or extension broom can be used if desired. Many Advantages This type of sprayer has many advantages over the previous method of spraying. The greatest is that this outfit is operated entirely by one man, the tractor driver, instead of three men as required before. Thus

there is a big saving of labour and time, which is especially valuable when labour is scarce. The operator is well clear of any spray, so there is not the necessity to be so well protected as when operating the brooms by hand. The spraying work generally is also a very much more pleasant operation than formerly. An excellent tree coverage has been obtained, even when tall and spreading trees are sprayed. Mr. Boyes’s exceptionally clean crop of fruit testifies to this good spraying cover. Spraying time has been cut down to a minimum, the 400-gallon vat now taking about 20 minutes to put out, whereas before it took from 30 to 35 minutes. ' There is a saving of spray; even with all brooms operating 500 trees can be sprayed, with a saving of 36 gallons of spray compared with the previous method. The attachment is very adaptable and can be quickly and easily adjusted to suit the height of any trees to be sprayed.

CARRIER FOR HAY STACKER

[Neuline Film Studios Ltd. photo. A LL types of farm equipment are very expensive and care of implements is most ** important. Annoying breakages or losses sometimes occur in moving equipment from one paddock to another or from one job to another; anything which makes it.easier to keep equipment together cutting down losses of odd paits —which facilitates the moving of machinery, or which keeps equipment away from the ground in the off season (where proper cover in an implement shed is not available) is a valuable asset. ' The accompanying illustration shows a simple and effective way of shifting a stacker (a very awkward load for anything but a fairly big lorry) from paddock to paddock, and of keeping the gear together and clear of the ground in the off season. The carrier, which is used by Mr. M. N. Trotter, of Karaka. has been made from an old motor chassis, with rear wheels only attached. The front of the chassis, from which the axle and wheels were removed, is carried on a skid. This provides a brake and makes steering easier. When the stacking equipment is not in use the carrier is drawn under trees in the yard and is ready for use again the following season.' ,• Any farmer should be able, to obtain equipment such as that used by Mr. Trotter from a motor wrecking firm or, perhaps, from a local garage. —A. J. KERSE, Fields Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Auckland.