Reducing chemical rates?

[Ron]

Has anybody used a spray-air or other air injection system with off-label rates? I have done my own spraying in the past at 80% with a conventional sprayer with good results (always on healthy, fast growing crop), I have used custom application the last few years due to time issues but they only want to spray at 100% (also at 15 mph with one end of the boom bounced up 6 feet in the air maybe they need 100%). The custom rates have climbed from 4/ac when I started to 6.50 last year to who knows this year. To put on $2.50 of glyphosate?
I am thinking of at least patching up my pull sprayer or buying a spray-air or small SP (desication and fungicide). If I can put the 6.50/ac towards SP payment (old spray-coupe or melroe) as well as cut cereal chem costs by 20% I will have a bunch of money left over for beer (or my wifes new house).
I think the chem rates have a fair sized safety margin built in for improperly calibrated sprayers, hot/dry growing conditions, etc and I am wondering about careful application with air injection or low drift nozzles, can I cut rates safely?
If I remember correctly spray air has even suggested that spraying full rates can burn your crop due to higher effectiveness of the chemical?
I realize I will have no recourse if the product doesnt work but really how much does a free case of product really cover? Any chemical issues in the past I would have been just as far ahead to respray myself right away vs waiting for the chem rep to come out.

[cheapskidoo]

Ron, it is safe to cut wildoat rates, but cutting braodleaf rates is risky especially if you have weeds like cleavers or buckwheat. We cut our Puma and Horizon rates so that we get 50acres out of case instead of 40. We use a 4640 Spra coupe with tee jet nozzles. The chem reps in our area even tell us to go at this rate especially with Puma on barley as Puma is harder on the crop.

[northfarmer]

we also cut rates routinely by as much as 20 % or more depending on conditions.

we have had great success with low water volumes, and even more success with low water volumes and air induction low drift nozzles....they seem to do a better job, and a better job and low rates means more dead weeds.....

we spray everthing with green air bubble jets, 2.7 gal acre, no drift issues in wind conditions, with the only exception being reglone and liberty where we slow the ground speed to up the water volumes....

before we went to the high clearance sp we ran a Computorspay...great low cost spryer you can pull behind pick up and cover a lot of acres fast...

there was a time when we hired out all the spraying, then just hired preharvest, but now do all of it...i have never regretted getting the high clearance, one of the best investmetns in equipment we have made...the spray coupes are plenty good if you are not covering too many acres..

[countryguy]

We spray most everything in crop at 3/4 rate and have even had success spraying 1/2 rate depending on growing conditions.

[lohner]

Well, here go's.
I've used an old 80's vintage Sprayair for 10 years or more. It's Like admitting you vote Liberal in Public. Neighbours threaten to sue for drift(none), you feel the need to fib when lodging complaints with chem comps. etc.
Here's my opinion:
Older techn. BAD for drift if not CAREFUL!(manageable) Less water(easy)
BETTER coverage(whole plant) No dust loss for glyphosate in canola.
%60 of rate Perfect. Any less in my area asking for resistance selection.
Trade in value $0.00
If you can pay wholesale for the new tech. and learn to use, it flog it,if it fits your system it will pay!