I didn't say that there was a runout of the shafts, merely the pump housing to the PTO output shaft.
Why are 3-point PTO driven sprayers so expensive?
- Thread starter McMXi
- Start date
The insane world of online ordering strikes again! 
I ordered the US made sprayer on 3/15 and Zoro stated that the sprayer will ship in 15 business days which it didn't. I received an email on 4/7 stating the the sprayer had shipped via freight but the tracking function doesn't work i.e. when I click on the tracking link a random bunch of products on various websites pop up that are somehow tied to the numbers in the fake tracking number. So has it actually shipped?
I called Zoro CS and they confirmed that the tracking number function doesn't work but that they'll send me an update in a few days. So out of interest I looked at the sprayer I've ordered on Zoro's website and it's dropped in price by $354! What the heck drops in price during these crazy times?!
So I called Zoro again and asked them if they'd refund me the difference between the original purchase price and the new price and they told me that I'd have to return the sprayer that's coming and order another sprayer at the reduced price and use the 10% discount code again. They told me that there's no charge to return the sprayer! Wait ... what?! I mentioned that it'd be cheaper for them to just reimburse me the difference in price since they won't have to pay freight to return the sprayer that has supposedly shipped, but I was told that they can't do that.
OK ... so the sprayer might be going back if that's how they want to proceed. It makes little sense to me. I'll check on the knapweed and if it looks like it won't be ready to spray for a while I might just waste my time and tell myself that the $354 difference will almost cover the chemicals I bought.
First world problems right?
I ordered the US made sprayer on 3/15 and Zoro stated that the sprayer will ship in 15 business days which it didn't. I received an email on 4/7 stating the the sprayer had shipped via freight but the tracking function doesn't work i.e. when I click on the tracking link a random bunch of products on various websites pop up that are somehow tied to the numbers in the fake tracking number. So has it actually shipped?
I called Zoro CS and they confirmed that the tracking number function doesn't work but that they'll send me an update in a few days. So out of interest I looked at the sprayer I've ordered on Zoro's website and it's dropped in price by $354! What the heck drops in price during these crazy times?!
So I called Zoro again and asked them if they'd refund me the difference between the original purchase price and the new price and they told me that I'd have to return the sprayer that's coming and order another sprayer at the reduced price and use the 10% discount code again. They told me that there's no charge to return the sprayer! Wait ... what?!
I mentioned that it'd be cheaper for them to just reimburse me the difference in price since they won't have to pay freight to return the sprayer that has supposedly shipped, but I was told that they can't do that. OK ... so the sprayer might be going back if that's how they want to proceed. It makes little sense to me. I'll check on the knapweed and if it looks like it won't be ready to spray for a while I might just waste my time and tell myself that the $354 difference will almost cover the chemicals I bought.
First world problems right?
Just as I replied with the message above, I received an email from Zoro offering me an additional discount of $124.60. I can live with that and not deal with the hassle to save an additional $194, not to mention the possible stress of seeing knapweed ready to be sprayed but no sprayer in sight.
I can either see this as a gain of $125 or a loss of $194.
Is the glass half empty or half full this week?
I can either see this as a gain of $125 or a loss of $194.
Is the glass half empty or half full this week?Russell King
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4ā shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
@McMXi
From a separate thread you stated:
āI ā¦ will probably spray Milestone before any cutting.ā
I tried to understand what Milestone will kill and what it wonāt kill but had little success. It sounds like it is more selective than 2,4-d but I am not sure what they are saying.
I am trying to eradicate a yellow burr clover ((Medicago polymorpha) that is not on the list) and not kill wildflowers. I am currently using 2,4-d that is effective but has to be spot sprayed to avoid the wildflowers which is a tedious process but certainly doable.
I assume you are broadcast spraying and that you donāt care what is killed as long as grass survives but the weed is killed. It looks like knapweed is a broad leaf plant (aka a forb). Therefore, I assume Milestone is pretty much similar to 2,4-d in killing most āweedsā but not grass. I have no idea about the chemical composition comparison but donāt really care about it.
A few simple questions after all that:
What advantages does Milestone have that makes you use it?
Does it basically kill all wildflowers and other forbs but not a grass?
Is it safer around rivers than 2,4-d?
From a separate thread you stated:
āI ā¦ will probably spray Milestone before any cutting.ā
I tried to understand what Milestone will kill and what it wonāt kill but had little success. It sounds like it is more selective than 2,4-d but I am not sure what they are saying.
I am trying to eradicate a yellow burr clover ((Medicago polymorpha) that is not on the list) and not kill wildflowers. I am currently using 2,4-d that is effective but has to be spot sprayed to avoid the wildflowers which is a tedious process but certainly doable.
I assume you are broadcast spraying and that you donāt care what is killed as long as grass survives but the weed is killed. It looks like knapweed is a broad leaf plant (aka a forb). Therefore, I assume Milestone is pretty much similar to 2,4-d in killing most āweedsā but not grass. I have no idea about the chemical composition comparison but donāt really care about it.
A few simple questions after all that:
What advantages does Milestone have that makes you use it?
Does it basically kill all wildflowers and other forbs but not a grass?
Is it safer around rivers than 2,4-d?
Spraying with a boom yes. I chose Milestone after a number of conversations with some local farmers/land owners, but most recently a conversation with the Montana State University Agriculture Extension Agent. She confirmed that Milestone (Aminopyralid) is a really effective product on knapweed. Here's a paragraph from "Biology, Ecology and Management of Montana Knapweeds" from Montana State University. It's available in PDF format if you're interested.
"Aminopyralid has been highly effective on knapweeds. It has been shown to be as effective as picloram, and the lower use rates pose less risk to the environment. Like clopyralid, it has fewer impacts on non-target plants. In field trials at 10 locations spanning four states, only 14 of 68 desired forb species were moderately susceptible or susceptible to aminopyralid applications at 5 to 7 oz/acre."
I picked up the FIMCO 200 gallon sprayer this morning and I have to say that I'm very impressed with it on first inspection. The frame is made from 3/8" plate and what looks to be some thick walled tubing. Everything about it is impressive. It's truly CAT 1, CAT 2 and CAT 3 Quick Hitch compatible, and the bushings that came with the QH20 will work perfectly on this frame. Both the QH10 and QH20 will work with it although I don't really intend to use it behind the MX, but it's good to be able to move it around with the MX if necessary.
The boom sections are HEAVY and I will say that there's nothing "cheap" about this sprayer. It looks like a serious implement and well worth the wait. I'm looking forward to getting it all together and tested.
The boom sections are HEAVY and I will say that there's nothing "cheap" about this sprayer. It looks like a serious implement and well worth the wait. I'm looking forward to getting it all together and tested.
It does look like a well built implement. When is the maiden voyage scheduled?
The actual spraying of Milestone will depend on the knapweed and the weather, but the initial test run could happen this weekend. I'm getting it assembled but the wind is nasty at present and making it unpleasant to be outside. I got some assembly done such as the manifold support, manifold, pressure gauge and spray wand support bracket. I like using PTFE paste on fittings so that's what I used on the pressure gauge pipe thread.
Speaking of the weather.
What a difference 24 hours makes! I wish I could tell you that I added a foaming white dye to the Milestone to help with coverage ...
Wow! Cut back on the foam 
what a wild spring for weather on boths sides of the border.
what a wild spring for weather on boths sides of the border.Russell King
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4ā shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
Wouldn't that be too little? Surfactant is supposed to reduce surface tension right?
Russell King
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4ā shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
Right but they are based on a soap as I understand it.Wouldn't that be too little? Surfactant is supposed to reduce surface tension right?
I've never used surfactant yet, so definitely not an expert.
I do have some here though that I bought to use with the Milestone and blue dye once I start spraying.Russell King
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4ā shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
Wear plastic gloves and old clothes when using that blue dye! It will stain your skin pretty well and clothes seem to be a more permanent stain than anything else.
There was that one time while using blue dye that I made some blue bunny's.
Seriously though I did not find blue dye against a green field very helpful. Why wouldn't a dye be like a florescent pink or just white in color?
Seriously though I did not find blue dye against a green field very helpful. Why wouldn't a dye be like a florescent pink or just white in color?
I'll have to get back to you on the dye. I bought two products made by Liquid Harvest and together they account for 28% of the cost of spraying. The surfactant is probably non-negotiable, but after spraying this spring I'll have a better sense of whether the blue dye is worth it. No doubt the cost of a screen and some software with mapping would be worth it if doing a lot of spraying but I'm not there yet.
I like to be transparent about all things, both the good and the bad. I've been continuing with the assembly of the sprayer between snow flurries and work, and ran into a couple of small issues. One was a damaged spray tip and cap due to what I would call poor packaging. I would put the three piece nozzle harness in a separate box so that there's no chance it'll get beaten up by the boom sections. Not a big deal and a phone call to FIMCO has a couple of nozzles and caps coming to me at no charge. I will say that FIMCO customer support is excellent. They're easy to get hold of, they're very pleasant to deal with, and they're very helpful.
The other issue might be down to my not understanding something about the set up of the boom, but the weird "coupler" that retains the two outer boom sections during transport/storage just wasn't working for me. I could get it to work if the 20 ft boom wasn't straight i.e. parallel to the ground along its entire length but that's an important thing to get right so it takes precedence. Ultimately, I cut the short tube most of the way through between the two pieces of channel on either end, and then twisted it to where I needed it to be, and then welded and painted it. Now it works as I would expect it to.
A much better (adjustable) design would use a barrel nut, threaded stub and a jam nut. It's a small thing but it's something I'd want to upgrade if I worked at FIMCO.
The other issue might be down to my not understanding something about the set up of the boom, but the weird "coupler" that retains the two outer boom sections during transport/storage just wasn't working for me. I could get it to work if the 20 ft boom wasn't straight i.e. parallel to the ground along its entire length but that's an important thing to get right so it takes precedence. Ultimately, I cut the short tube most of the way through between the two pieces of channel on either end, and then twisted it to where I needed it to be, and then welded and painted it. Now it works as I would expect it to.
A much better (adjustable) design would use a barrel nut, threaded stub and a jam nut. It's a small thing but it's something I'd want to upgrade if I worked at FIMCO.
I'll be spraying with this system to start out with but there are some future upgrades that are of interest to me and might be incorporated prior to spraying in the Fall. However, this upcoming spray fest will allow me to get a better idea of nice to have vs. need to have.
www.fimcoindustries.com
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- In cab control of the pressure and boom sections
- GPS mapping of some sort to get away from expensive dye additives that might not be that useful
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