Why are 3-point PTO driven sprayers so expensive?

[McMXi]

I just don't see why it costs so much for a blown plastic container, a small PTO driven pump, a cheap steel frame and boom, and some hoses and nozzles. I've had a FIMCO 55 gallon sprayer with a 10ft boom for around 10 years and would like something bigger to run behind the M6060. This 200 gallon model with a 20ft boom is $3,500 and there are much more expensive models out there.

FIMCO 200 Gallon 3 Point with 1225FX4 Boom and Spray Wand

The FIMCO 200 Gallon 3 Point with 1225FX Boom and Spray Wand is Category 1, 2 and 3 hitch compatible and designed to work with small to mid-size and l...

www.fimcoindustries.com

This Ag Spray 165 gallon sprayer with a 28ft boom has a sale price of $6,800! It looks like a good sprayer but the cost is nuts. It seems to me that 3-point PTO driven sprayers provide a huge profit margin for the manufacturer but I could be wrong about that.

PTO Sprayer

A 165 gallon 3-Point, PTO-powered sprayer with 28 ft of precision fertilizing and weed control and a 17 nozzle boom for food plots and row crops.

www.goodworkstractors.com

 

[rh74]

It's crazy what they want for these things. I went through this last year and found that the pricing is around the same for any manufacturer. This tells me they are selling and the price is what the market will bear. I was not willing to pay thousands of dollars for one. So, I ended up with a 45 gallon Fimco and I'm happy with it. Just extra fill up trips. It's the new design so no issues with the tank splitting because of the mounting system. What I did find is that Zoro sells the Fimco brand. I had a 20% off code from them which made the price more in line with what I was willing to spend. They don't stock the units, but they give an accurate ship date and it ships directly from Fimco.

If you create an account with Zoro they used to send you a 10% off code right away, then a 20% off a few weeks to a month later. These codes have worked for any item I've purchased including the sprayer. The only catch is the max savings is $500.00. Zoro is a child company of Grainger, so no issues with getting items (some will be shipped from a Grainger location) and they will fix order issues without any hassle. I've placed ordered at least 50 orders and only had one issue. Which they corrected right away.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

.... the pricing is around the same for any manufacturer. This tells me they are selling and the price is what the market will bear.

There it is.

As long as the manufacturers are not colluding to fix the price, as long as the market is truly free and honest for ALL participants (supply chain side and consumer side), this is how it's supposed to work.

They make something that has some value to the consumer. The consumer decides what he's willing to pay, based on his needs, his budget, and the value he perceives in the product or service. If a manufacturer tries to price above the market, he gets punished by lost sales (as long as there is honest competition).

He can get away with charging a premium over his competitors ONLY if the consumer perceives a greater value than what his competitors offer. So, if he's got a name like John Deere, and enough consumers perceive that name to be worth the premium price, he can get that higher price.

If consumers don't agree, he'll be forced to lower his price or lose sales.

With honest and open competition (which. people being what they are, does require some enforcement), it works well for ALL parties.

 

[McMXi]

It's crazy what they want for these things. I went through this last year and found that the pricing is around the same for any manufacturer.

I look at many of my implements and can see why they cost what they do, or at least appreciate the material, components and labor that goes into making the implement. But sprayers just don't make me think I'd be getting good or fair deal. If there were ever an implement that we could cobble together a sprayer must be one of them.

Would I like a big 30ft boom sprayer, heck yeah! But I just don't want to pay $6k to $8k for one.

 

[McMXi]

Looking at the receipt for the FIMCO that I bought (link to PDF attached), it was $993 in 2016 and the additional pistol grip spray gun was $181. That was a lot back then but no doubt a lot more now.

https://www.fimcoindustries.com/userdocs/documents/lg-55-3pt.pdf

 

[TheOldHokie]

Many years ago I thought the same thing. I had a poly tank and a 3pt frame from an old seeder so I decided to build my own. By the time I was done I had a lot of hours invested and almost as much money as the cost of the Fimco I copied. Things add up fast and my DIY was not as nice as the Fimco.

Dan

 

[McMXi]

Many years ago I thought the same thing. I had a poly tank and a 3pt frame from an old seeder so I decided to build my own. By the time I was done I had a lot of hours invested and almost as much money as the cost of the Fimco I copied. Things add up fast and my DIY was not as nice as the Fimco.

Dan

View attachment 171084

That looks pretty darn nice for a home built sprayer!

 

[McMXi]

I want to spray Milestone for Knapweed and I need to spray at least 12 acres. Milestone suggests 3oz to 7oz per acre, and it would be great to spray while the tractor is moving at 5 mph but it's just not going to happen. 1.5 mph is far more realistic given the terrain, and the slower you go the more water you need in order to distribute the dosage over the acre. It's not going to be a lot of fun with a 55 gallon sprayer putting out 0.9 GPM and moving at 1.5 mph. That's a lot of water, a lot of filling and a lot of seat time.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

gee I've got 2 of those PTO driven pumps( 1 BNIB) collecting dust, as I have no need for them( can't legally spray 2-4D ). Hopefully get $40 for them come the Spring yard sale.

speaking of prices, it costs $13,000 MORE now to buy the BX23S I bought in 2018.

 

[McMXi]

Spraying is one of the most technical things many of us will ever do using a tractor and sprayer, assuming that we want to do a good job and apply the proper amount of chemical per acre. Given the cost of the chemical I want to optimize the process. I've got some thinking to do over the next few weeks to figure out if I should push ahead with what I have or invest in a better system with the realization that yearly spraying might be in my future.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

For truly proper spraying you need to have the tractor ground speed fed into the sprayer 'computer' to optimize the spray.

 

[McMXi]

For truly proper spraying you need to have the tractor ground speed fed into the sprayer 'computer' to optimize the spray.

Yes, as the table from FIMCO above shows, along with other parameters. Maintaining constant ground speed over hilly terrain is difficult if not impossible. The M6060 has RPM management which will help with that but it's not a sophisticated system that can vary output from the sprayer as ground speed changes.

 

[bucktail]

Probably not a ton of volume. Most grain farmers run north of 100 feet of boom. Hobby farmers tend to use a sprayer that's decades old or hire it out. There are probably places that rent them out as well.

 

[McMXi]

What I did find is that Zoro sells the Fimco brand. I had a 20% off code from them which made the price more in line with what I was willing to spend. They don't stock the units, but they give an accurate ship date and it ships directly from Fimco.

If you create an account with Zoro they used to send you a 10% off code right away, then a 20% off a few weeks to a month later. These codes have worked for any item I've purchased including the sprayer. The only catch is the max savings is $500.00.

Thanks for the tip. I did set up an account with Zoro and already received a 10% off coupon. I've found a sprayer that would be ideal for my needs (I think), and perhaps if I sell the RCR1884 I can roll the money into something I'll actually use.

There's nothing wrong with the RCR1884 and it's a good cutter, but since I have a flail and big folding cutter, the 7ft cutter doesn't see much in the way of use anymore.

https://www.zoro.com/fimco-200gal-boom-sprayer-5303767/i/G912747854/

 

[TheOldHokie]

Thanks for the tip. I did set up an account with Zoro and already received a 10% off coupon. I've found a sprayer that would be ideal for my needs (I think), and perhaps if I sell the RCR1884 I can roll the money into something I'll actually use.

https://www.zoro.com/fimco-200gal-boom-sprayer-5303767/i/G912747854/

Then spend another $1500 for a three section electric valve + electric controls and you are good to go....

3/4" TeeJet DirectoValve 3-Valve Manifold Shutoff Ball Valve

Save up to 50% on ag sprayer equipment, nozzles, spray guns, ag parts, and more.

sprayersupplies.com

 

[McMXi]

Then spend another $1500 for a three section electric valve + electric controls and you are good to go....

3/4" TeeJet DirectoValve 3-Valve Manifold Shutoff Ball Valve

Save up to 50% on ag sprayer equipment, nozzles, spray guns, ag parts, and more.

sprayersupplies.com

Nice to have I'm sure, but do I need to be able to turn sections of the boom on/off that often? Spraying alongside the driveway will require shutting off two of the sections but for the price of admission I think I'd be ok using manual valves.

I've got time to make a good decision and there are some farm stores around here so will take the time to look at a number of options. Used would be fine too but not seeing a lot of suitable sprayers. There is a truck mounted 300 gallon 40ft boom sprayer for sale locally but it looks old and nasty and would take a lot of work to adapt it to what I need. In addition it's $2,500 and not $250.

 

[Shawn T. W]

My Fimco 65 gallon 7 nozzle 12' boom sprayer was $1200, included the wand 2.5 years ago ... Mostly sits in my barn ...

Yes, figuring out ground speed, pump pressure and flow is/was a pain ...

 

[McMXi]

My Fimco 65 gallon 7 nozzle 12' boom sprayer was $1200, included the wand 2.5 years ago ... Mostly sits in my barn ...

Yes, figuring out ground speed, pump pressure and flow is/was a pain ...

A lot of implements mostly sit, but when you need them ..... right? If I could find a good chemical to spray on the gravel driveway and road below me for dust control I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about spending so much money on a sprayer. That's something I need to look into.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I want to spray Milestone for Knapweed and I need to spray at least 12 acres. Milestone suggests 3oz to 7oz per acre, and it would be great to spray while the tractor is moving at 5 mph but it's just not going to happen. 1.5 mph is far more realistic given the terrain, and the slower you go the more water you need in order to distribute the dosage over the acre. It's not going to be a lot of fun with a 55 gallon sprayer putting out 0.9 GPM and moving at 1.5 mph. That's a lot of water, a lot of filling and a lot of seat time.

can I ask why is your ground speed so low?

for us when we calculate optimal ground speed we are normally in the 9- 11 mph range depending of course on all those variables like crop canopy, wind, boom stability, temp/humidity, nozzle choice, etc...

could you not up your ground speed? our Ag. office has a pretty detailed spray calc. but there are some OK ones on the internet for free as well.

https://sprayselect.teejet.com/spray-calculator

 

[Shawn T. W]

I spray at about 3 mph ... Bumpy ground!