Increasing the number of hectares per hour the sprayer can cover while it is in the paddock is not the only way to increase productivity. While spraying speed and boom width determine the spraying rate (hectares per hour) when you are in the paddock, reducing time spent out of the paddock will usually have the biggest impact on spraying efficiency and productivity.

If you have never done so, time how long various operations take. Work out how long it takes to complete a load at various application volumes, from the time you start spraying the paddock until the tank needs to be refilled. Compare this to the time spent out of the paddock, from when you start, ready to spray the next load. Often during a spray job the applicator can spend as much time out of the paddock as they do in the paddock actually spraying.

Operations that reduce overall spraying efficiency and productivity include:

• time spent folding and unfolding the boom;

• time spent travelling to and from mixing points;

• time spent measuring, mixing and transferring product; and

• time spent filling the main spray tank with water

Another useful exercise for any spray operator is to compare the engine hours to the actual sprayed hours. Often the sprayed hours are less than 50 per cent of the total engine hours. This is a useful guide to efficiency, as well as a factor affecting the value of the sprayer when it comes time to sell or trade.