One of the main problems farmers everyday are weeds. Together with pests, weeds stifle the growth of crops since they compete with the crops for food and sustenance from the ground. For a long time, weeds have been among the chief sources of poor harvest, more so than storms and other natural phenomena. The chief way of combating these weeds is through the application of chemicals, usually administered through spraying.
There have been several equipment being employed across the past decades to help apply these chemicals as a spray solution. These range from small, hand-powered sprayers using compressed air to large sprayers being carried by aircrafts. Ground-based weed sprayers, however, are still the most commonly used type of spray application. The most common include backpack sprayers, field sprayers, air-blast sprayers, and boom sprayers. Boom sprayers, in particular, are widely used throughout the world. They are divided into three types.
Trailed Sprayers
Trailed sprayers are usually found in medium and large farms. They are called as such because they are trailed by a tractor, mounted on a frame that is supported by two or sometimes, four wheels. Advantages include a wide coverage as well as large tank capacity; however, they can be a bit hard to handle and may damage the soil and crops when improperly handled.
Mounted Sprayers
Mounted sprayers are supported entirely by the tractor. They are mounted either at the front of the tractor, on each side of the tractor, or on the rear. They can easily be maneuvered and are easier to hitch to the tractor than trailed sprayers. Their tank capacity is not as big.
Self-Propelled Sprayers
Self-propelled sprayers are high-capacity machines that are widely used in large farms. They are mounted on a motorized frame that is supported by tall and narrow tires that are less likely to damage crops. The downside to them is that they are very expensive.
Weed sprayers come in many different forms and types but their functions remain the same: to keep your crops healthy by killing their erstwhile competition.