Ag Equipment: What Does Sprayer Productivity Cost?

By Global Ag Tech Initiative

Size is usually a major factor when purchasing a new sprayer. Larger sprayers tend to be more productive, and a balance must be found between the sprayer investment and the amount of work to be done. Recently some interesting conclusions and numbers were uncovered during research conducted for a new study.

It is difficult to evaluate machinery costs and return on investment (ROI). In this case field efficiencies, sprayer sizes, and prices were evaluated. One of the tools used was a sprayer productivity calculator published by Tom Wolf and Jason Deveau of Sprayers101.com.

The calculator was used to compare various sizes of sprayers and evaluate the options as objectively as possible. The smaller sprayers did get a slightly higher turn-speed in the calculations since they are of lighter weight and usually more agile. The factors used in the calculations were half-mile field length, two headlands, 15 gallons per acre, and 14 mph spraying speed. Boom width, tank size, ground speed, and loading time options were also compared. Looking at all of these, faster loading times provided the best productivity improvement by a significant margin.

Read the full article here:
https://www.croplife.com/iron/sprayers/ag-equipment-what-does-sprayer-productivity-cost/