Spray application manual
31 January 2025
Module 23: Upgrading the sprayer
23.1 Introduction
Published 24 January 2025 | Last updated 20 January 2025
Whether it is through the purchase of a new sprayer, or a major re-fit of an existing rig, the reason for upgrading the sprayer should be to improve productivity or to improve efficacy (or both) without negatively affecting either one of these.
The decision to make a new purchase, or to refurbish an existing sprayer, will depend on what the current and future needs of the farming system are, as well as how far the enterprise has progressed towards integrating all of the equipment. It is important to ensure that all of the farm equipment can work well together, particularly the tyre centres and total equipment widths, starting with the harvester and seeding equipment. This will increase efficiencies of all machinery over time.
In many situations, an upgrade to the existing sprayer or an upgrade to the mixing and handling systems will provide an increase in productivity while other farm equipment is being upgraded or replaced. As with all equipment, technology changes and the options available are increasing at a rapid rate, so it is important to define what you actually require the sprayer to be able to do, now and into the future, so you can critically evaluate the options available.
Each of the modules included in this GRDC GrowNotesTM Spray application manual for grain growers have been assembled to provide practical information to assist with the decision-making process when it comes time to upgrade the spraying equipment or to improve spraying operations.
The following section of this module provides a summary of some of the important things to consider before upgrading the sprayer or any of the major components.
Buying a sprayer - a grower perspective
24 January 2025What to consider before buying a sprayer - a grower perspective. Another video from GRDC's Spray Application GROWNOTES™series.
Bill Gordon: I'm here with David Gooden, a grower from Lockhart, and we're just going to have a quick chat about some of the decisions he went through when purchasing a new spray rig. So, David, with this machine, what are some of the things you considered when you were buying it, and what were some of the most important factors for you?
David Gooden: Well, the key decision was trying to buy something for the future. We wanted something with a bit of ground clearance so we could do something later in-crop. We wanted something that would give us the ability to apply high water rates, have different rates over a range of speeds, and over a range of droplet sizes, and finally, good service and backup. We wanted to make sure we had someone who was able to do that.
Bill Gordon: So the spray system that you went with on this machine, what's it fitted with?
David Gooden: It's fitted with 3TS rapid-fire recirculation. We spaced our nozzles at 25 centimeters spacing to allow better coverage. The important thing with rapid-fire recirculation is that it allows us to apply chemicals over a large spread range and with different water rates. It also allows us to recirculate our chemical before we get to the field, so we're not having to charge up the lines before we start operating, before we start a paddock.
Bill Gordon: Any other functions or features on it that, when you were weighing up your decisions, you thought, ""Oh, that's a good idea, I like that""?
David Gooden: Fuel use was a consideration, overall fuel use. So the machine we've got is a two-wheel drive, direct-drive machine, automatic, so the fuel use is quite low. The consumption is low. We wanted good service and good backup, so we wanted to deal with someone who knows about the whole system and can fix the problems when they occur.
Bill Gordon: When you purchased this machine, how wide did you end up going with the boom?
David Gooden: It's a 41-meter boom, and it matches with our controlled traffic system, so in multiples of 13.5 meters. We have a little bit of overlap.
Bill Gordon: Do you think that's an important thing for other people to consider when they're buying machines, how that sort of fits into the farming system and all the other equipment?
David Gooden: Absolutely. When going to controlled traffic, matching the sprayer is an important part of matching machinery.
Bill Gordon: So with this machine, how long do you reckon you'll keep it before you change it?
David Gooden: Maybe six years, say three or four thousand hours roughly.
Bill Gordon: So it seems to me that you spent a lot of time doing research and doing a bit of homework before you actually bought this machine, David.
David Gooden: That's right, yeah. We put a lot of work into trying to come up with the system that suited our operation and our needs and requirements to make it more efficient and effective when we go out and spray.
Bill Gordon: I think the take-home message for all growers is to do your homework and a bit of research about what sort of machine is going to suit your farming system. Think about the factors, some of the things that David talked about, and obviously service, speed range, volume, and how it fits into the future—into the farming system. They're really important. So it means that the machine that suits David may not be the same machine that's suitable for your farm.