Sprayers? What has worked for you?

Armed4defense

Armed4defense

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I have been through a variety of handheld sprayers for herbicides in the past, real tired of leaking cheap crap but don't want to break the bank either. I was thinking backpack since I have 1/4 mile drive to epray. No battery operated nothing fancy -just want to spray without getting it on me or wasting expensive product. Didn't find where this had been discussed here. What is your experience and reccomendations? Thanks!
 
Non battery SOLO. if you wanted a battery I like ryobi. And I have some of there tools so I have batterys.
 
@Lil D and I both have a $29 backpack sprayer from harbor freight. It works great and has several different tips. I clean it well after every use and put them in the building. Been using them over a year with no issues. For the cost and the service I’ve got out of the one I have, I’d buy another
 
Burt Gummer said:
@Lil D and I both have a $29 backpack sprayer from harbor freight. It works great and has several different tips. I clean it well after every use and put them in the building. Been using them over a year with no issues. For the cost and the service I’ve got out of the one I have, I’d buy another
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And I have a $150 gift card from HF!
 
My Solo backpack sprayer is probably 15 years old. I just rebuilt the piston pump last summer for the first time. It still worked but started leaking. I'd buy another in a heartbeat if this one completely died.
 
Burt Gummer said:
@Lil D and I both have a $29 backpack sprayer from harbor freight. It works great and has several different tips. I clean it well after every use and put them in the building. Been using them over a year with no issues. For the cost and the service I’ve got out of the one I have, I’d buy another
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Armed4defense said:
And I have a $150 gift card from HF!
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Been using my HF backpack for 6 years now. Still going strong. I did break the plastic spray wand two years ago and just replaced the wand with a universal. When it finally craps out I'll definitely replace it with the same.
 
Another vote for Solo. I do have a large battery operated tank on a 3pt hitch frame for the tractor. From Tractor supply. Seems like I have to replace the pump every other year.
 
I use both Solo and Stihl at work. The Stihl holds an extra gallon which is both good and bad. The Solo’s we’ve used for a lot of years. They hold constant pressure better than the Stihl and you don’t have to pump as much.
 
We have rebuilt our 2 Solo back pack sprayers for many years & expect to for many more years.
The only problem with SOLO is that damn Carbon fiber extendable spray wand, it cost me $100 buck to replace my 20 year old broken one. You can't epoxy this CF stuff. Our acid water ate the Brass one up in 6mos.
 
A lot of problems with leaking sprayers is due to not winterizing them. No matter what you buy, if it's not in a climate controlled area, things will expand and crack during the winter. I use the plain Jain 2 gallon garden sprayers that cost about $20. In the fall, be sure to remove the nozzle and hoses let them drip dry over night. You can then reattach if you want, just don't pressurize them. Every once in a while, one goes bad, but I was replacing them every year or 2 until I figured it out. Same thing with garden hose nozzles.
 
BowWow said:
A lot of problems with leaking sprayers is due to not winterizing them. No matter what you buy, if it's not in a climate controlled area, things will expand and crack during the winter. I use the plain Jain 2 gallon garden sprayers that cost about $20. In the fall, be sure to remove the nozzle and hoses let them drip dry over night. You can then reattach if you want, just don't pressurize them. Every once in a while, one goes bad, but I was replacing them every year or 2 until I figured it out. Same thing with garden hose nozzles.
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To add to this.

Clean em out. Various chemicals corrode and eat up seals and metal plus gunk up the works. Even just bleach.

When your done with the product. End of season. Whatever. Go ahead and rinse out the tank then pressurize it with just water and let it flow through for a minute or two. I usually pull the nozzle off after a few seconds to use volume to clear the lines.

My buddy buys a new one every spring. My whoever made it from Lowes is going on 7 years now with no problems.

I've personally always favored the Solo brand over Stihl or Husky as far as commerical back pack sprayers go.
 
Trevillian said:
To add to this.

Clean em out. Various chemicals corrode and eat up seals and metal plus gunk up the works. Even just bleach.

When your done with the product. End of season. Whatever. Go ahead and rinse out the tank then pressurize it with just water and let it flow through for a minute or two. I usually pull the nozzle off after a few seconds to use volume to clear the lines.

My buddy buys a new one every spring. My whoever made it from Lowes is going on 7 years now with no problems.

I've personally always favored the Solo brand over Stihl or Husky as far as commerical back pack sprayers go.
Click to expand...
Yeah you are right for sure. One year I left some bug spray mixed for way too long. A lot of flakes formed and it kept clogging up the nozzle and the valve. I finally dumped it and unclogged it, but it took me a while!!
 
I had a couple Solo backpack sprayers and they both started leaking from around the lid. The tank mouths were slightly out of round and would not seal off, so as I walked, it would slosh what ever I was spraying down my back. Sold them and bought 2 Field King Sprayers. Similar price as Solo and the lids do not leak. They also fit my back better and I like the shoulder straps better.
 
I have a Groundwork 1.5 gal sprayer…IIRC, I picked it up at TSC and it was around $20. Works great, has a PRD and doesn’t leak at all.

Cheap? Yeah, but I have found that even with cheap stuff, if you take care of it, it lasts longer and most likely, will keep working. I rinse it out every time I use it and put silicone grease on the seals/o rings once a year. I’ve had that sprayer for 5+ years and it still works as good as it did on day 1.
 
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