Landscape and Turf Maintenance By Andrew Greess
10SPRAY W
EQUIPMENT PRODUCTIVITY
TIPS Clean your filter.
Don't wait for equipment to fail. Perform preventative maintenance. Photos courtesy of Andrew Greess
14 Landscape and Irrigation April 2012
e often hear from landscape profes- sionals that they don't ever seem to get the life out of their turf spray equipment that they would like. Com- mon concerns include equipment
wearing out too soon, employees inventing new and cre- ative ways to destroy equipment, or equipment that is down waiting for repairs, etc. We have found that those using fertilizer and weed
control spray rigs can reduce problems significantly with a few easy steps. We have assembled our list of the Top 10 Spray Equipment Productivity Tips.
1. Check and clean your filter Design good filtration to prevent debris from getting
into your system. Debris will clog or damage pump, plumbing, fittings, hose and spray guns. It will cost you money, reduce productivity through downtime and cre- ate expensive repair bills. Design your filtration based on your water source, type of application, sensitivity of your pump, and techni- cian skill. For example, impure water may require more than one strainer. Place filtration so it is easily accessible for technicians to check and clean. If it isn't easy, they won't check it and it will cost you dearly. The biggest secret in spray equipment is "check your
filter." There is nothing you can do with your spray equipment that will save you more money than this sim- ple activity. We repair and replace more fertilizer and weed control spray equipment because of clogged filters than for any other reason. Conduct spot checks to ensure spray techs are cleaning filters.
2. Release the pressure Take the pressure off. When you are done spraying,
release the pressure. Squeeze the handle of your spray equipment so that the system is not under pressure. If you don't want to waste the material, spray it back into the tank. Your equipment will have fewer breakdowns and will last longer if you remove the stress of constant pressure from the spray components. Never store equip- ment overnight under pressure.
3. Don't use higher pressure than needed for the job Don't push your equipment to its limits. Our experi- ence is that techs run power spray rigs at high speeds to get their jobs done quickly. This will reduce sprayer life. Your power spray rig can run at extremes for short peri- ods, but it is not designed to be run full out all the time. Running in the red for extended periods will shorten engine and pump life. Make sure your techs know proper operating ranges. This same holds true for back-
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