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Calibrating Your Field Sprayer

Calibrating Your Field Sprayer. Montana State University Pesticide Safety Education Program. Proper Calibration Offers. Better Pest Control Environmental and human safety Effective use of time Inadequate control = more treatments. Calibrating your Sprayers.

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Calibrating Your Field Sprayer

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  1. Calibrating Your Field Sprayer Montana State University Pesticide Safety Education Program

  2. Proper Calibration Offers • Better Pest Control • Environmental and human safety • Effective use of time • Inadequate control = more treatments

  3. Calibrating your Sprayers • You need to spray 1 pint / Acre of Insecticide. • HOW? • Cannot just spread 1 pint over an acre without a carrier can you?

  4. How much to dilute? • Its easier to spread 20 gallons of water (with 1 pint added) over 1 acre than it is to spread 1 pint by itself. • The goal……. • Find out how many gallons it takes your sprayer to cover one acre

  5. Clean your Sprayer • Toxic spray equipment • Clean with ammonia and water (2 quarts per 25 gallons) • Rinse with water • Replace nozzles, and filters

  6. Determine GPA(4 tools/methods) • Backpack Sprayer • 128th acre method • Long hand method • Boom Sprayer • Calibration Strip Method (Preset Distance) • 5940 Method

  7. Backpack Sprayer (GPA) 128th Acre Method • Use water when calibrating • Use same nozzles and filters as when spraying • Measure an 18 ½ by 18 ½ ft area. • Spray area with water and time how long it takes • Constant speed and constant pressure • Spray water into a container for same amount of time. • Ounces = Gallons Per Acre Applied

  8. Sample ScenarioUsing 128th Acre Scenario • Takes 10 seconds to spray 128th Acre • In 10 seconds you spray 10 ounces. • What is the GPA output? 10 GPA

  9. Long Hand ScenarioGPA for Backpack Sprayer 1 - If you have a different sized section that you spray 2 - Measure out known area sq ft / 43,560 3 - Spray known area and time yourself 4 - Spray into bucket for same length of time 5 - Measure amount sprayed and convert to gallons 6 - Multiply number found in step #5 times the number found in step #2.

  10. Sample ScenarioLong Hand Scenario • Known area is 66 x 66’ (4,356 sq. ft) • 43,560 / 4,356 = 10 • It took you 2 minutes to spray area • Collect 4 gallons in 2 minutes • 4 gallons * 10 = 40 gallons per acre

  11. Boom Sprayers • No matter what method of calibration is used, you need to…. • check nozzle spacing • check output across the boom.

  12. Check nozzle spacing and height

  13. Boom Level or Nozzle Angle Correct

  14. Worn Spray Tips

  15. Verify that all nozzles are equal

  16. Nozzle Output • Check nozzle output for 1 minute and get average • If each nozzles output is not greater or less than 5% off of average, all is well. • How?

  17. 5% error level • To find 5% • Find your average…48 oz • Move the decimal place one space to the left. 48. = 4.8 This is a 10% error • Divide by 2 = 2.4. • This is 5% error • Now add 2.4 to 48 for +5% • Subtract 2.4 from 48 for • 5% Error range = 45.6 and 50.4 • Any nozzle output between 45.6 and 50.4 is OK!

  18. GPA for Boom Sprayer cont.. • Nozzle output is same. • 18” = 227’ course length • 20” = 204’ course length • 30” = 136’ course length • 40” = 102’ course length • Or 340 / spacing in feet • Drive course in gear and rpm you will use when spraying and time yourself

  19. GPA for Boom Sprayer cont.. • Conduct 2 or 3 times and get average • Collect liquid from 1 nozzle for this amount of time • Ounces of liquid collected = GPA

  20. or GPA for Boom Sprayer can be calculated by • Gallons applied per strip= GPA • Test strip in Acres

  21. Sample Scenario Boom Sprayer • 18” wide nozzles, 6 nozzles • What to do? • Travel 227’ and time • 30 seconds • Measure amount delivered in that 30 seconds • 15 ounces in 30 seconds • 15 GPA

  22. How much pesticide to add to the tank • Determine how many acres that can be sprayed with a given GPA. • Volume in Tank / GPA = Acres • 300 GALLONS / 30 GPA = 10 acres

  23. How much chemical do you need? • 2 pints / Acre • You will be spraying 10 acres • 10 pints of product

  24. 5940 method • GPA = GPM X MPH X W / 5940 • GPA = Gallons Per Acre • GPM = Gallons per Minute collected from a single nozzle (Make sure all nozzle are within a 5% range.) • 5940 is a constant • MPH = Field Speed • W = 1) width between nozzles or2) width of a broadjetswath in inches.

  25. What about field speed? • MPH = GPM * 5940 / GPA * W

  26. Sample Scenario5940 find speed needed • 1 nozzle / minute output = 0.2 gallons • GPA needed is 20 GPA • Width of nozzles is 12” • MPH = GPM * 5940 / GPA * W • = 0.2 * 5940 / 20 * 12 • = 4.95 mph

  27. GPA is given or required!Need GPM for each nozzle! • Then you can purchase appropriate nozzles in GPM • Rearrange formula once again • GPM = GPA * W * MPH / 5940 • GPM = 20 GPA * 30” * 5mph / 5940 • 0.505 or 0.5 GPM nozzles needed

  28. Sample Questions You have an output of 20 GPA You need to spray 300 acres #1 - How much volume will you need? 6000 gallons You need to apply 2 oz / acre of Warrior 1E. #2 - How much do you put in tank? 600 oz of Warrior

  29. Questions Continued You are calibrating your hand sprayer and it took you 15 seconds to spray 1 18 ½ by 18 ½ ft area. #3 – What is your GPA? 15 GPA With this 5 gallon backpack sprayer, you intend to apply 1 oz / acre of product. #4 - How much do you place in your backpack tank? Can only treat 1/3 acre at a 15 GPA rate, so 1/3 rate or 1/3 oz

  30. 5940 example • You have checked all your nozzles and the average is 64 ounces per minute (OPM). All nozzles are within 5% of this average. • 64 OPM = 0.5 GPM (64 ounces ÷128 oz./gallon) • Your field speed is 5 MPH • Your nozzles are spaced 20”apart • GPA = GPM X 5940 = 0.5 GPM x 5940= 2970 • MPH X W5 MPH x 20 100 • GPA = 29.70 or 30 GPA

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