The Proper Care and Cleaning of Sprayers

The sprayers of today are far different from those early ones. They have plenty of diesel horsepower, booms 90 feet wide, air conditioned cabs and more computer power than the Apollo astronauts had when they landed on the moon. I spent many days on some of those old sprayers. I was sitting close to a hot engine catching plenty of hot air, dust and spray drift.

But I also learned that the single most important factor was cleanliness. Especially the inside of the spray system. The most important 30 minutes of the day was at the end of the day when the spray tips and all the strainers were taken out and cleaned. Then the tanks were rinsed and entire spray system was flushed.

Back then the only spray cleaner we had was household ammonia. And when used at the right concentrations, it is still a good choice today. However, many companies sell even better cleaners. Just don’t go cheap and use lower than the recommended rate. Be sure you circulate and spray the cleaning solution long enough for optimum cleaning.

Then, if you like, drain the system.

Others have found that if they circulate the cleaning system and then shut the system down, leaving the cleaning system in the sprayer they get even better cleaning. This helps neutralize spray residues inside the tank and the plumbing system. The next time the sprayer is used, just drain the cleaning solution and fill up.

Either way, be you sure to pull the strainers and clean them. A plugged strainer in the middle of a 100 acre field, without a shade tree in sight, is not a pretty situation.

But regardless of how you clean and which cleaner you choose, just do it. It is a whole lot easier to keep a sprayer clean than it is to clean one up.

I would have enjoyed the air-conditioned cab.

--Tom Crumby