Self-Propelled Combine Sqrayer Frees Up Tractor For Other Work

Self-Propelled Combine Sqrayer Frees Up Tractor For Other Work COMBINES Conversions 20-4-9 Until Bill Harding built a self-propelled spray rig out of an old combine, the Case 1370 tractor he used with his 3-pt. mounted sprayer always seemed to be tied up when he needed it. "This frees up the tractor while I'm spraying," says the Carlinville, Ill., farmer. "Plus, it's more comfortable and visibility is better." Harding started with an early 1970's Massey 300 combine he bought from a neighbor for $500. He stripped the tin work off the combine from the grain tank back and built a bridge truss out of 4-in. channel iron for the frame in order to carry the weight of a 500-gal. water tank. He relocated the fuel tank from behind the cab to the left side of the frame. He mounted the 45-ft. manual-fold boom from his 3-pt. sprayer on the combine, fitting each end of the boom with old lawnmower wheels to keep ends from digging in on uneven terrain. The boom mounts on the throat of the combine for unlimited height adjustment, from 2 in. above the ground to 4 ft. He used a 14-gal. tank off an old spot sprayer to make a foam marker. The tank mounts below the combine's air cleaner, and Harding uses a small air compressor attached to the tank to agitate the liquid foam mixture and push it out to the ends of the boom. He uses a Dickey-John monitor on the self-propelled rig which includes a liquid sprayer control system, a monitoring system for field speed, field area, tank level, etc., and a radar velocity sensor mounted behind the combine's left drive wheel. The radar system helps calibrate rates on-the-go. Harding uses the rig to apply preplant incorporated, burn-down and over-the-top herbicides to 150 acres of drilled soybeans. Top speed is 6 mph and it will deliver rates of up to 20 gpa's. Out-of-pocket expenses were about $300 above the cost of the combine. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bill Harding, R.R. 2, Box 87, Carlinville, Ill. 62626 (ph 217 854-6071).

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