Today we're going to talk a little bit about sprayer maintenance with @TractorMike

Every time I use the sprayer I want to do some basic things to make sure that I don't get to the field and have a problem.

I want to do a visual inspection. Look for hoses that are maybe starting to weather crack or have an issue.

I want to look inside the tank and make sure there's not anything, (if I've got fluid in there or anything that's gonna come through the nozzles) I make sure it's clean.

It's important to check filters. If I'm being really really diligent about maintaining the sprayer, I'll check those filters every time that I use it.

Make sure you get a sprayer where you can turn the water flow off and check those filters with material in the tank.

The more we can do to keep the system clean, the less problems we'll have when we get to the field.

Ideally, at the end of the day all the material is out of the sprayer (we get all the chemical out).

I don't like leaving chemical in sprayers. Now if you have one like the land champ that's not white, the chemical will stay stable in there.

If your sprayer is a white color, sunlight will degrade the chemical. So the best thing is to get it all out of there. Get it where it needs to be.

Then I like to flush the tank. A lot of sprayers don't have their own unique flush system, this Land Champ™ has it's own flush system that you carry with you, and when you're done you just turn a couple petcoks and let the water flow through and you're flushed.

MONTHLY

At least once a month, if you're using your sprayer on a daily basis or weekly basis, there's some basic things we really need to look at, and it'll save you grief down the road.

Number one, you can't over check the filters and strainers in a sprayer, because if you get material clogged up in the strainer then it effects the chemical application, and you don't want that.

The other thing is we want to check our nozzles. Is there anything clogged up in the nozzle? Are we getting wear on our nozzles?

So once a month just shut everything down, check your strainers or filters, and check your nozzles to make sure they're clean and they've not worn (and aren't changing the application of the chemical).

BEFORE WINTER

Right before winter, especially if you live in an area where you get a lot of cold weather and it freezes, we've got to winter our sprayer.

I like to drain all the fluid out that I can, from every port and then put it back together and flush it with an RV anti-freeze.

Something else I like to do... and this is a hassle but it'll save you money on down the road... take the pump off and put it inside.

And if there's any rust in that pump or anything that looks like it's starting to accumulate debris or anything like that, clean it out.

I like to squirt some WD-40 in there and work that in. As expensive as pumps are, if you take care of your pump it'll save you a lot of money.

So that's what I do before winter.

IN SPRING TIME

When you pull your sprayer out in spring, there's a few things you need to do.

First off walk around and see if you've got any cracked hoses, tighten all the bolts up, then look in the tank to make sure there's no debris in there. I like to vacuum it out with a wet/dry shop vac if you have one.

If you have an engine driven sprayer let's check the oil (maybe change it), get the old fuel out of there, and check our pump to make sure it spins freely (no rust or anything inside of it).

And then we want to fill it up with water. Run some water through it.

And then the last step is get it out in the field and run it in field conditions with just water in it, to make sure everything is ready to go when we put that expensive chemical in there.

Keeping your sprayer healthy and doing these steps, will maintain your sprayer and save money on it, but it will also save you money on chemical.
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