Things to Consider When Selecting Spray Equipment
Spray equipment is an investment for your lawn care company, so you want to make sure you’re selecting the right equipment for your needs. Things to consider are vehicle size, tank material, pump type, and hose style. In this article, we’ll dig a little deeper into each of these factors.
Vehicle
The first thing to consider is the vehicle you’ll use with your spray equipment. Do you plan to mount the sprayer in the bed of a pickup truck, on a flatbed, or on a trailer? That answer will help you narrow down your options.
The size of your vehicle will also affect your decision, as your truck’s maximum payload will determine which sizes of sprayers you could use. GNC Industries has options for ½-ton, ¾-ton, and 1-ton trucks.
Tank
When it comes to the tank itself, you have several things to consider. The first is tank material, with the options being poly or fiberglass. Poly is the more economical material. If you go the poly route, you have another choice: blow-molded or rotational-molded. Blow-molded poly tanks have thinner walls than rotational-molded tanks, which have walls about a quarter of an inch thick. The other material option is fiberglass, which offers fewer tank design options.
Mechanical agitation is traditionally used in fiberglass tanks, although GNC’s rotational-molded Space Savers have poly tanks with mechanical agitation. Jet agitation is the industry standard and can be used in poly and fiberglass tanks. Jet agitators run continuously to keep the solution in suspension, while mechanical agitation uses a paddle to physically stir the solution. Wettable powders are one type of product that does better with mechanical agitation because of how heavy they are.
Pumps
GNC has two standard pump options. One is the piston pump, which requires the least amount of maintenance. The other option is the diaphragm pump. Both pumps are recommended for the industry and work well with the chemicals used in the market.
Another important piece of a sprayer is its suction filter, which is between the tank and the pump. The suction filter catches debris and prevents it from entering the pump. It’s important to match the mesh size of the filter to the pump’s specification.
Hose
The final piece to consider is the hose. Hose options include suction, return line, spray, and pressure drop-through. Suction and return line hoses must be sized to pump specifications to avoid damage. Spray and pressure drop-through hoses are sized by the inside diameter, with ⅜ inch and ½ inch being the most common sizes for these options.
Along with the hose, another factor is the hose reel. GNC has both manual and electric hose reels in a range of sizes. Keep in mind that electric reels must be grounded to the same source as the battery.
Now that we’ve walked through the main components of a sprayer, you’re equipped to select the best one for your needs. Contact your ATS rep with any questions or to place an order for spray equipment before spring.
