Technology | Spring 2009
Pull-types offer a lower-cost sprayer alternative.
By Scott Garvey
Purchase price was the main reason Larry Blaney decided to buy a new suspended-boom pull-type sprayer for the 2008 season. Until then, the Halton, ON grain grower had outsourced his herbicide application work to custom operators. “They did everything they could to accommodate me,” says Blaney. But outsourcing wasn’t the best fit for his operation. He still needed to do small jobs or touch-up work and bringing in custom operators wouldn’t have been profitable for them.
The other option — buying his own self-propelled (SP) sprayer — didn’t pencil out, so he opted for a suspended-boom, pull-type model instead. He hasn’t looked back. In fact he’s noticed increased interest among area farmers in these sprayers. “Guys are starting to look back at pull-types,” he says.
The significantly lower cost of pull-types is one reason for this renewed interest, especially by farmers like Blaney, whose operation can’t support the large investment required for a SP model but who want to get away from a reliance on custom operators.
In fact, economics is the driving force behind pull-type sprayer sales all across the country. The market is price-driven, says Ken Avery, a sales associate with Watrous New Holland in Watrous, SK. “The difference of $100,000 or more just isn’t worth it (for some),” he adds.
A new high-clearance SP sprayer can easily cost $175,000 US or more, while pull-type suspended-boom sprayers cost just $35,000 - 50,000 US. That’s a big difference. Extra maintenance cost for SP models is another consideration, while pull-types extend the use of your farm tractor and eliminate the need to transfer GPS equipment between machines.
Today’s suspended-boom pull-type sprayers are now available with much larger tank capacities than SP models. Although a few SP units are available with tanks holding up to 1,600 gallons, some suspended-boom pull-types now carry up to 2,400 gallons. And the range of options offered by pull-type sprayer manufacturers rivals those available on high-clearance SP models.
But like all equipment, pull-type sprayers have their limitations. They generally operate at lower speeds. And with a tractor out front, they can’t keep up to SP models on the road between fields, either.
Suspended-boom sprayers and tractors just don’t allow for the kind of under-body clearance SP high-clearance machines have. That can limit their use in mature crop stands, which could be critical if fungicide applications are important later in the season.
“Purchase price is only part of it,” says Matt Hays, CEO of Equipment Technologies, maker of the Apache high-clearance sprayer line. A lower-priced machine is a bargain only if it can do the job required of it, he explains. So producers using pull-type sprayers may still have to rely on custom operators for late-season work.
“No two farms are exactly alike,” says Grant Griffith, director of primary producers with the accounting firm Meyers Norris Penny. So there is no black and white formula, he adds, for calculating which type of spray equipment is best. Determining how much capital to tie up in one piece of equipment depends on several factors, which may be of different significance for each producer.
According to Griffith, farmers need to ask themselves, “What is the cost to have that sprayer in the shed?” And there are different ways to determine that. Measuring the equipment cost on a per-acre or per-bushel basis is a good place to start. Then you can compare that against the expense of having all your spraying done by a custom operator.
However, Griffith points out, you also have to consider the likelihood of getting custom operators exactly when you need them. Spraying too late or too early can significantly reduce the effectiveness of herbicides and other crop protection products.
Pull-type sprayers have also piqued the interest of some producers who already have an SP sprayer and want to increase their early-season spraying capacity without the expense of buying a second, similar, unit. “That is one of the things we’ve seen,” says Arnie Josephson of Brandt Industries, a Regina manufacturer of grain handling, spraying and other farm equipment. “Spring is the time when you need the most coverage. Having one of each may be the lowest-cost solution for those expanding their acreage.”
For Larry Blaney’s operation, the pull-type is a good fit. It avoids maintaining another engine in a machine, like his combine, which spends most of its time in the shed. And along with the lower maintenance and purchase cost, it meets his needs. “With this sprayer, I’m confident I can do as good a job as anybody,” he says. FF
