David Mills, Case IH Aftermarket Solutions product marketing manager for sprayer parts, talks about why producers and operators should take time to select the right sprayer tips for their application.

“Producers and operators spend thousands of dollars every year on equipment, but the spray nozzle, which is such a small intricate part of the machinery, is probably among the most important parts,” said Mills. “If they have the correct spray nozzle it will help them with application performance and yield potential. There are so many nozzles out there in the marketplace right now, but each one has a specific role that it plays and it’s important that the producer and operator reads the chemical label, knows what type of crop they are going to be spraying. By doing some homework in the forefront, this will also help in producing, again, a good yield and profitability for them long term.”

When selecting sprayer tips, Mills says there are a few things you should consider.

“First of all, what and how are you are spraying, is there potential for any drift? What is the weight of your spray solution? What’s the pressure range of your sprayer? And also, to, what is the boom height and nozzle spacing on the boom. After you’ve considered those, it’s good then to match up which sprayer nozzles should be used for your various applications.”

Mills says the different types of nozzles are designed for different types of applications.

“There’s the flat fan, this is a spray pattern that’s elliptical or inverted V, known as a tapered spray,” said Mills. “It gives a uniform distribution pattern across the boom and nozzle spacings are optimized for proper spray coverage. The second one is cone spray, this has two variations, one is a full cone or known as a circular spray pattern, and then a hollow cone which is a ring-shaped pattern. These nozzles are typically used for direct spraying and others specific applications. Finally, there’s the streaming spray nozzles, which are commonly used in liquid fertilizers, and this helps in reducing foliar coverage, so that there’s less leaf burn and liquid hits the soil surface for roots to absorb.”

Visit your local Case IH dealer for more information.

(Story by NAFB)

Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.

Photo courtesy of CASE IH