Self Propelled Sprayer

This year the local crop service did a horrible job of spraying dang near every inch of dirt that we farm. We have the weediest wheat I have ever had, the spray "Didn't work" for a 180ft path on one of our fields of soybeans, we had them respray 120 acres of corn that they said they would do for the cost of application only, then billed us full rate. So I'm thinking of doing my own spraying. I came across an ad for a 92 Melroe 220 4 wheel sprayer, with the Raven 440 monitor, and a 4cyl diesel for $7500. I don't know much about these things, I was wondering if anyone out there has had one, used one, or knows what to look for on it, or maybe even to just stay the heck away from it.

The other thing I was looking at was getting a set of saddle tanks and a 3pt boom for our TW10. I would like to get one at least 60ft wide. But I haven't used a set up like that either and thought the self propelled self contained unit might be a bit easier to deal with.

Any help/opinions much appreciated.

Those melroe units are a little limited on there capibilites. They are a low water volume sprayer.

Post applications would be ok but for preplant and pre emerge they may be a little short of volume. About 10 gallon an acre is the max they are set up to put out.

You may be able to increase the volume but then you are limited to a 200 gallon tank. Yoyu would have to fill every few acres.

Next you have another drive train to keep up.

$7500 will buy a good pull type sprayer but then you tie up another tractor.

The best thing about the melroe is the light small footprint thru the field.

They also struggle a little in hills and wet conditions.

My 3 cents.

Gary

It's been a few years, but I used to work for the local co-op running sprayers and air flows. We had a melroe, and it worked good if it was absolutely dry. Seemed like it would get stuck in a heavy dew. I know they're more money, but if you could find an early model Ag Chem Rogator, you'd have ten times the sprayer compared to the melroe. Also that 440 Raven is hard to beat.
John

I've had 2 Melroe coupes; a 120 way back when and a 220 later; both tricycle. Mine had the Volkswagen opposed (4) cyclinder gasoline engine. The BIG farmers around here have gone to larger 4-wheel drive types, but for smaller acreages (I typically had about 1000 A. rowcrop), they work great. To contradict Gary, you can turn the volumn up to spray as many GPA as you need, but they do have only a 200 gallon tank. I usually sprayed 13-15 GPA. You'll have to have a nurse tank, unless all your fields are right at the shop/water source. The 120 used truck tires and traction was a problem; the 220 had small tractor-type and I could spray pretty much where I wanted. The early electric-fold booms could be a PIA, but the later ones worked great. With a nurse tank at the edge of the field, 30 or 35 acres per hour is reasonable........assuming 51 ft. boom.

I own a 220 tricycle. I got it for 1000 at an auction because it looked about as big as a Cub Cadet when surrounded by big wagons and such so nobody wanted it. I love it. Mine has 60 ft booms and electric actuators-one doesn't work, but it's on a tip control so its easy to work around. My monitor didn't work but I sent it in and got the speed sensor working. I spray with the pressure at 30psi and 5mph, that comes out right around 10gal/acre and adjust the mix according to that. After that it's just about driving, 60 feet comes out right at 24 of our 30-inch rows which we plant with a 6-row planter so I only have to see where the rows are longer than the next ones and count 4.

Remember to calibrate your speed sensor (mine likes 950 programmed in on the melroe monitor.) And with 60-foot booms you back up to turn around on the ends, otherwise you'll have those booms in the fence. Those break-away booms fold up nice and easy if you hit something, that's a nice feature too if you gotta get close to trees.

So I don't know about the price, but I love mine. Worst thing I've found is that that 200 gallon tank seems to go empty after only about 3 or 4 rounds on my farm, so you'll want a water trailer with a good pump to refill fast. And I think I'd rather have hydraulics on the booms, but I'm pretty happy with the electric actuators.

But before we got it, spraying the crops took a week. Now it's one day in corn, one day in beans. Easy.

The later 220s had hydraulics on the booms instead of the electric actuators which was a big improvement from what I've heard. There are a few guys on the www.newagtalk.com site that run the Spray Coupes and that would be a good site to ask about them on.

I am not sure about the engine he has but a buddy of mine got burnt pretty good on a coup this year. He bought one this winter for around $10K, ran good over about 200 acres. The diesel engine locked up. It had not been well cared for and traded, it was one of them small engines that are not made to be rebuilt and the best deal he could find on one was $17,000 for a new one. Not try'n to scare you off it, just what I know happened to a friend of mine. Smaller (1000-2500 acre) people around here like them, as said before, they are light and make a small foot print in the field. They lack a little bit of power on steep hills and tend to sink in soft spots. Custom and big opperators here mostly run newer Apatche's, row gators, or deere's, they can cover more ground with a fill up and will run over wet ground a few days faster that the older coups.

Not realy mad at them or nothing but I am a very small row croper (60 acres) and when things started move'n this wet spring I kina got lost in the crowd with my custom guy. For no more than I have I can not get a self propelled job but I am thinking of getting about a 40' pull type. There is a good looking Hardi not too far from me in the Fastline for $1800. For what I figure I lost to wire worms because I was not able to get insecticde on my corn till it was six inches tall, I could pay for it. The custom guy does a good job (just doesn't want to get close to tree lines and I understand, I go around the sides and get them with the 4-wheeler and 12 volt sprayer) I would just like to do my own burn down and pre-emergence and let him do the later work when things slow down for him.

Just what I am thinking as of now.
Good luck.

Dave

Try Giles farm equipment in Georgetown, KY. They could point you at an older Hahn HI-Boy, really handy for smaller acreage and as an older model/style should be cheap.

Thanks for the recomendation. This country here is full of older high boys. I am afraid to buy one, I might get wild hair and drive it through my tobacco patch like some of the people around here do.

My tobacco sprayer is acctualy an old haun pull type. I have considered geting another boom for it and use'n it for beans and corn. I think I would be better of leave'n it as the one armed bandit and not have'n to replumb the hyprolics and all every year.

Georgetown is a good haul from way out here in the flat lands anyway. I think the hardi pull sprayer I saw in the fastline was a Drane, bout half way between Loisville and O'boro. Not too far from here, never had any dealings with them but they seem to have good prices on stuff. Got two neighbors who have gotten bailers there and an uncle who got a tractor there and all have been pleased.

Thanks.

Dave

Thanks for your input on this. I talked to the guy on the phone today and it does have the hydraulic booms on it. He said the ad that I found was the old price on it, he's down to 6500 now. I'll be going to look at it after I get our wheat (weeds?) off. I'm not looking to cover thousands and thousands of acres with it. About all it would be spraying is roundup and 2-4D on around 600 acres a year. Hills wouldn't be a problem, the only thing close to a hill in this area is the ditches.

I will agree a rogator would be nice to have, but I really do not want to shell out the 30,000+ to get a good one.

Kentucky is a bit far from here to go get a sprayer, it's around 550-600miles. More than I want to travel.

I was talking about the hardi for me. I was just make'n the point that small pull type sprayers are fairly easy to find.

Good luck with it.

Dave