Your Apache Sprayer has worked hard during the growing season to perform a critical role. Now, it’s time to make sure it’s prepared for a winter nap, so when it’s time to spray next season, your machine is ready to go.
Winterizing your sprayer is important to keep your sprayer functioning optimally in the long run. That process starts with ensuring your machine is clean, dry and free of any chemical that could become a harmful residual when it’s time to begin spraying again. A thorough clean-out helps prevent component damage from residual chemical and ensures you can spend your time in the field, not in the shop, when it’s more of the essence during the growing season.
The more immediate reason for a thorough cleanout of any sprayer is to prevent water and any residual chemical from causing damage by freezing inside tanks, booms and other components. Though the actual process is fairly straightforward, it’s important to make sure all five of an Apache Sprayer’s application loops are clean and dry, according to Apache Sprayers Senior Application Specialist John Casebolt:
- Product system
- Agitation circuit
- Rinse circuit
- Vent circuit
- Eductor system
“The product system is the loop that involves product tank, pump, plumbing going from pump to booms and the ball valve. It’s the main product system. The second is agitation circuit — the agitation valve and agitation plumbing in bottom of tank. The third is the rinse circuit, our agitation roto clutch valve as well as plumbing that goes to roto clutch nozzles in the top of the product tank,” Casebolt said. “The fourth is vent circuit — that will take care of itself since it’s an open line that goes to top of product tank. But, recognize that you need antifreeze flowing to that system as well. The fifth system is the eductor. If your sprayer is equipped with a chemical eductor, you want to winterize that properly so you won’t have freezing problems with it.”
Casebolt recommended purging any remaining water and chemical from the systems by using an air compressor. Using an adapter to connect the air nozzle directly to the sprayer’s main intake, he said it’s easy to send air through the system at between 40 and 60 PSI, ensuring that ball valves are opened and closed to propel air through the system without building excessive pressure.
If your sprayer is equipped with an automatic control system, like the Raven HawkeyeTM system available on Apache Sprayers, it’s important to switch the system to manual mode so you can open and close valves manually as you work through each component and boom section.
Once you’ve completely purged the system of water and chemical, the next step in the process is adding antifreeze, which will keep lines and other components from freezing during the winter.
See more from Casebolt on how to properly rinse and dry out your sprayer’s application loops in the video below.
