Fimco 60 Gallon PTO Sprayer Installation

Fimco 60 gallon PTO sprayer installation.
Purchased this sprayer at TSC and have sprayed well over 200 gallons with it so far. Very solid built sprayer with excellent pressure. We hook it up behind our John Deere 4400 garden tractor, handles the weight very well even when full of spray. Mounts on a Class-1, 3-point hitch and 540 splines on the PTO.

[@blackpowderandbibles]

Thanks for the video.

[@rancher9625]

For disclosure, I am a ranch owner and have a license to purchase (had to take education classes) and can use restricted chemicals for spraying. The video is well made and informative, but I thought I should include some notes. We are taught: First - identify what you are trying to control. Second - apply the correct solution. You did great on these two points. Third - follow the label's rate instructions. For this you need to measure (a) rate (gpm) from the spray tips, and (b) rate of area covered. This requires actual measurements and math. You should not use manufacturer's claims. Fourth - control drift. Wind/breeze creates drift. Also the smaller the droplets the easier drift will occur. Fifth - PPE. This means when spraying, you do not want others to be in the area, and you definitely do not want a child riding with you. When you are finished, you want to put your clothing in the washer because drift may have allowed spray to get on it. The biggest point I wanted to make while watching is that you do NOT want to run the sprayer at 540, thus a high pressure system, because by observation (see 4:40), I can see that it is producing a mist. You want droplets - the larger the better - to control drift and loss of product. If you do not believe drift is happening, try spraying with the flowerbeds "downwind" but 50 feet away and you will obtain first hand experience after a few days. Don't ask me how I know.

[@CindyCRNA]

So what RPM do you run at or do you just turn the pressure down?

[@rancher9625]

@@CindyCRNA It's hard to give a specific answer because I don't know what you have, but do whatever works for your setup. I have a utility tractor with a high volume agriculture PTO-driven pump. It delivers so much that my boomless spray head (BoomJet) will cover 40 feet wide with only RPM at 1000. I do not exceed that RPM because the system starts creating some mist. If you are getting a mist and are using a pump that is constant, such as electric, then your remedy may be an adjustable relief valve (to turn down the flow) or an intentional flow restriction of some kind such as an in-line washer with a hole of an appropriate size.

[@that.schamp]

​@@CindyCRNA I run the PTO @ 540 RPM. That pump will do 300psi, but that is *way* too high for just about anything. The key is to use the regulator valve to control the pressure. I drive with the pedal on the floor (hydrostatic). This allows you to get a constant speed. With regulated pressure, you also are spraying water at a constant rate from the sprayer,. Driving at a constant speed, you now you have a constant delivery rate and can apply your chemical evenly. The label for the chemical will usually have recommendations about pressure. I find I am usually spraying around 30psi. The manual for the sprayer has a speed / pressure rate chart. I used a GPS app on my phone to determine the tractor's speed by timing a 1/2 mile drive... Driving at 4mph with the regulator at 30psi, it delivers 13 gallons per acre. The label for my favorite herbicide mix says to use at least 20 gallons per acre of water. So, say I am applying 16 ounces of herbicide per acre on two acres: I mix 32 ounces of herbicide into 54 gallons of water, and make two passes to get 16 ounces of herbicide in 26 gallons of water per acre. Before I mix herbicide in, I adjust the regulator and check the spray pattern using water on my driveway. It doesn't hurt to occasionally check the nozzle spray rates by putting 5 gallon buckets underneath each nozzle and timing how long it takes to fill the buckets. When I'm done with checks and adjustments, I flip it over to bypass while I mix in the herbicide, so that the pump helps with the mixing.

[@randyf82]

Great video! We just picked one up to disinfect our turf athletic fields, works great! Thanks again bud

[@mirob30]

Awesome video. Thanks for taking the time to share

[@windyacres7240]

Nice video thank you for sharing ... I have one of these on the way hoping it works out for me.

[@bjmc1268]

great job you crazy guy!!!!!

[@RockTHolla]

Is this sprayer too heavy for a Zero Turn riding mower?

[@fronabargerconveyingpumping]

All depends on the weight of you zero turn and how much chemical is in the tank. It's prolly 500 or more pounds when full.

[@justindoster]

I bought this model a month ago. Im new at this so hang with me on this question. Ive seen where everyone says its 540 pto. Does that mean when you operate it you are adjusting the RPM... UP to the 540E to full 540 range? I read on the pump you should not go above 1200 RPMs. Ive got a Mahindra 6075 (71hp) Tractor. Im just trying to get this running correctly. The pressure gauge hasnt worked correctly ever. Anybody with help would be greatly appreciated

[@TheCrazyPlace]

It may be best to call Fimco and ask them about the pressures. I don't mess with our pressure gauge, I use the engine rpms to help with how much pressure I need.

[@kennys2431]

Can you turn on just the hand wand without the boom nozzles being on? The way mine is currently plumbed that is not possible and I'm thinking something must be wrong.

[@TheCrazyPlace]

Sure can, I actually spray lots of fence row with the boom folded up and using just the hand wand.

[@user-jp1ct2fl8l]

Just found your channel, nice job !! Have you had any problem with the tank cracking ?

[@TheCrazyPlace]

Thanks for taking the time to watch our video! Sprayer has been doing great and I have not had issues with the plastic cracking. We spray 24D & Buccaneer often through this sprayer. I do however clean out this sprayer with lots of water after using it. I keep it in our shop and will need to run a little RV antifreeze through it before wintertime. If the plastic cracks, I will more than likely have a follow up video on this as I'm very particular with keeping things in good condition.

[@jimurby1]

Great video. Thank you. What is the ratio you use of 2 4 D in the 60 gallon sprayer?

[@TheCrazyPlace]

I use 2 ounces per gallon, does an excellent job for us.

[@justinseitz6747]

what psi do you set @@TheCrazyPlace

[@LeePickler]

What pressure are do you have it set to in your video?

[@krom6017]

Do the pto types have some way to relieve pressure while running, pto is on and you want to use the wand does it relieve pressure while not always having it spray?

[@that.schamp]

When it's setup correctly, it bypasses back to the tank when it's not spraying. If it's not setup correctly, it blows the hoses off =)

[@19boom]

Really 300 psi? What model of hypro pump on it?

[@that.schamp]

6500C. You can swap in any of the other Hypro 6500 series pumps if you need chemical resistance.

[@mrwilson4909]

can you turn individual nozzles off?

[@TheCrazyPlace]

Not that I'm aware of.

[@bobblack3870]

If you look up the manufacturer (I don't know it it is TeeJet or what), sometimes there is an option of taking off the nozzle and replacing it with something else, including in some instances a rotating set of nozzles, such as 3. So in theory one could be for weed control, one for liquid fertilizer, one that is a non-spraying plug.

[@robertanderson4933]

What kind of roller pump did you use? Brand and model number?

[@that.schamp]

Hypro 6500C comes with it.

[@1979kw]

You happen to figure out what gpm that pump is?

[@TheCrazyPlace]

Sure didn't, I did not see the gpm on their site either.

[@that.schamp]

It's a Hypro 6500C : 9.7GPM @ 540 RPM. Not that it matters... I am more concerned about flow rate of the nozzles at a specific PSI, although the extra flow rate is good for agitation. BTW: The 6500C is cast iron. You can swap in a 6500N (Nitrile) or 6500XL (Silvercast) if you are spraying chemicals that corrode the cast iron (ie Glyphosate or some Fertilizers) , but you will probably get years of use from the cheap iron pump if you clean it properly immediately after using it and protect it with anti-freeze between use, as recommended in the manual.

[@worrenchavalala2909]

Any tractor can use spray or there are specifications?

[@TheCrazyPlace]

No specs that I really know of, would just need to check with manufacturer recommendations and sprayer recommendations.

[@bobblack3870]

For this setup - any tractor with a 3 point and PTO.

[@adambowhuntz]

Any size tractor that is capable of 540 rear pto will work

[@that.schamp]

Category 1 3-point hitch, 540 RPM PTO. Also, it will weigh ~700# with 60 gallons of water in it. Most of the weight is maybe 12" from the pins, so you can probably get away with around 600# of lift capacity at 24".