Crop sprayer

For other uses, see pesticide application, spray, spraying, and spray bottle.

Hardi Navigator 300 Trailed sprayer - IMG 4744 — A Trailed spryer by Hardi at the LAMMA show 2009

1264 Rogator Spraying Corn — Self-Propelled Row-crop Sprayer

Case IH 3230 Sprayer — Case IH 3230 Patriot Sprayer

A sprayer is a device used to spray a liquid.

In agriculture, a crop sprayer is a piece of equipment that uses spray nozzles to apply controlled doses of herbicides, pesticides, and fertilisers to agricultural crops. Sprayers range in size from man-portable units (typically backpacks with spray guns) to self-propelled units similar to tractors, with boom mounts of 60–151 feet in length.

Description[]

The machines all incorporate a tank to contain the water and chemical mix with a high pressure pump to distribute it through small bore pipes along a boom to nozzles at intervals along the boom. Modern machines also used to have a system to mark the end of the booms spray width to follow for the next row to avoid misses or double dosing. But the latest high tech systems use GPS/Satellite & computerised controls to control the machines systems guiding it in the field and adjusting the application to suit the crops needs. This reduces chemical usage and pollution from over application.

Types[]

They come in 4 main types for agricultural use;

Self propelled - Used by contractors and estates. purpose built often fitted with complex telemtry systems and damped booms to reduce bounce.
Trailed - towed by a tractor
Mounted - fits on tractors 3-point linkage (limited capacity & boom size)
De-mountable - Fitted on to a toolcarrier or forward control tractor but is lifted off when not required and replaced by other equipment, such as a granular fertiliser or lime spreader body. Makers like Multidrive provide dedicated power units for this type of application.

There are also a number of other types of sprayer used for applications other than general agricultural use in large fields.

Backpack/knapsack - used round small trees and for weed killer around building and paths. Also used to spray individual weeds in meadows & paddocks.
Stirrup pump sparayer (Foot operated) - older tool genarally used in greenhouses and orchards.
Garden & Horticultural sprayer
Hand sprayer (compression) - bicycle pump type originally used by the Victorians in greenhouses and small orchids for insecticide.