Ideas for a custom sprayer needed.

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I am thinking about starting a custom spraying business this year and am trying to figure out which sprayer is the best for your dollar. I would like at least 90 ft booms and 800 gallon tank but open to any suggestions larger than that as well. There is a very good John Deere dealership in town so service would be best with a green machine but again i am open to any suggestions. Thanks

[macdon02]

dont worry about cost find the best service and machine combo. Down time sucks very expensive every hour down is another quarter sprayed. Get 3in fill this speeds up turn around. In this area you could probably charge $5 an acre and still have all the work you wanted. Make sure you shop around for insurance and know what you are getting. Hope you dont own a boat cause you wont see it, same for the golf clubs,lol. Good luck it is a great learning opportunity to see what works for some guys and what doesn't.

[Freesaw]

Miller good balance, smooth,quiet, no looking back you can see every tip, lots of clearance for spraying canola with pod seal.and in about 15 minutes you can put a 40 foot macdon or honeybee header and go swathing. John deere ass heavy and noisy but they look pretty

[Freesaw]

and to add to macdon02's reply find a water hauler that doesnt like boating or golfing also.

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Thanks guys...good advice. I don't golf much anyways...

[ixl]

I started a custom spraying business about 2 years ago when a custom spray operation closed it's doors, and some of my neighbors relied on them because they didn't do any of their own spraying. I purchased a used JD 4710 with auto boom and auto steer. The sprayer is very roomy, has good power, is quick on the road and the ride is great.

There is quite a bit to grease at service time but I have not had any major problems with it so far.

You have to take your custom applicators course but once you're in business the phone will start ringing just with word getting around. I don't do any advertising myself, and am at the point of having enough work with custom work and my own spraying to do.

Good luck and watch the wind!!

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How do you price your custom application services? Range per acre etc...
Does the customer provide the product?
I am also thinking I need to keep pretty good spray records.

Thanks for the advice.
S

[ixl]

I set my prices with the going rate. I charge $5 for anything up to 5 gal/acre. $5.50 for anything between 5 to 10 gal/acre and $6 for anything over 10 gal/acre. I actually work out of my yard most of the time because most of my customers are within a 5 mile radius, so I can work alone and ferry back and forth, which saves quite a bit of money. Your situation will be different but check the local rates and go from there.

Most of the time the chemical is purchased by the customer (so they get the benefits of any programs) and either I pick it up or they drop it off. Sometimes when a customer doesn't know what they are spraying for, we will do a walk to see what weeds we are targeting and then I make the recommendation for chemical based on that. If someone isn't spraying for themselves they rarely know what chemicals are out there. A good thing about custom spraying is you really get to know a lot about the chemicals you are handling and what weather conditions are needed for applying them.

Good spray records are your best insurance and weather records are critical for you to fall back on if anything happens. When you spray your own land you want the chemical to do the best job possible so timing is everything. I custom spray the same as I would my own land and I don't take the risks of wind or showers. Waiting for a few days for the wind to change to finish up a headland is well worth the time it takes to avoid any mishaps.

I don't have a handheld weather station, because of the $300-$400 cost but I am considering it to have a better handle on wind speeds and direction at the site.