Pictorial Guide to Constructing

and Testing a Novel Hops Sprayer The Hopsprayer

Dr. Jason S.T. Deveau Application Technology Specialist
OMAF and MRA

Introduction

Hop bines are trained around twine lines and grown an average 5.5m (~18ft)
high. Each line supports two or more bines and, when mature, the line becomes
a dense column of foliage as much as 0.5m (~2ft) in diameter. Hopyards, both
organic and conventional, use radial airblast sprayers to apply products to the
foliage. However, the profile of the radial airblast boom does not match the profile
of the target crop. The nozzles at the top of the sprayer have to spray a target
5.5m (~18ft) away, while those at the side spray a target 0.5m (~2ft) away.
Additionally, the air from the fan must be calibrated to carry the spray to the
highest point on the hop bine, which means it is excessive for the length of bine
directly adjacent. With this in mind, it was theorized that a more efficient sprayer
design would feature a vertical boom to position each nozzle as close to the
target as possible.

Beyond the obvious requirements of operator safety and being mechanically

sound, the design and construction of the Hopsprayer was guided by four
principles:

1) The Hopsprayer should be less expensive than a conventional 3-point

hitch airblast sprayer or small trailed airblast sprayer, making it cost-
effective for Ontarios small-acreage operations (~$4,000.00).
2) The Hopsprayer should be constructed of over-the-counter parts that
require minimal modification and no special machining or tools to
assemble.
3) The Hopsprayer should have the capacity to operate in the same
conditions as an airblast sprayer (i.e. moderately uneven terrain,
reasonable ground speeds, and through any configuration of hopyard
trellising).
4) The Hopsprayer should achieve comparable or better spray coverage
along the entire length of the hop bine, both on the upper and lower
surfaces of the leaves.

Key Structural Components

In order to make construction as simple as possible, it was decided to build the

sprayer from a commercially-available three-point hitch horizontal boom sprayer.
After removing the horizontal boom, several concepts were examined for
mounting nozzles on a dynamic vertical boom. The key requirement was that the
vertical boom could be raised incrementally, and nozzles activated sequentially,
to match the height of the hop bine as it grew taller over the growing season.

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The boom itself went through several redesigns, each dismissed for reasons of
excessive weight, lack of structural stability, or concerns about operator safety
when raising and lowering (or even folding and unfolding) the boom. Finally, it
was decided to use a commercially-available 6m (~20ft) sliding aluminum ladder.
This had the advantage of being strong, light, easy to mount, and the hollow
rungs were ideal for running spray lines from one side of the boom to the other.
Plus, with the addition of a marine hand winch, the ladder could easily be
extended to any height.

Regarding the nozzles, several nozzle bodies and tips were considered, but the
Arag Microjet had several advantages over conventional nozzle-body-and-tip
configurations. The Microjet has a mixing valve built into the nozzle body which
allows the operator to turn individual nozzles off, as well make minor changes to
the spray quality emitted from each unit. Further, the brass nozzle body bends
90 before terminating in a threaded male connection, ideal for fixing to the
ladder and attaching spray lines.

From this point, it was a matter of positioning the key components and finding
appropriate mounting hardware.

Construction

Step & Cost Description Illustration

1 Removing Costs vary depending on the
horizontal boom sprayer, but the sprayer should
from three-point feature a pump capable of 200
hitch sprayer psi, a minimum capacity of 100
US gallons and a chassis that
~$2,000.00 for wraps around the tank to provide
new sprayer a sound surface in the rear for
mounting he ladder. Removing
the existing boom is a simple
matter of disconnecting the feed
line and using a set of wrenches
to unbolt the boom itself.

Horizontal boom sprayer

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 Step & Cost Description Illustration
2 Fitting the A 6m (20ft) ladder will not
vertical boom actually extend 6m because an
(ladder) overlap is required between the
two lengths for stability.
~$200.00 for However, when mounted to the
ladder, pipe and sprayer it will achieve a final
fasteners height of 5.5m (~18ft) off the
ground. Cut two lengths of black
pipe with a diameter that just fits
in the hollow rung (~) to a
length that spans the chassis at
the rear of the sprayer. Centre the
ladder, punch, pilot and drill
holes through the pipe and the
sprayer chassis (take care not to
hit the poly tank) to mount the
ladder using bolts, lock washers
and nuts. Dry-fit the vertical boom

3 Preparing to Remove the ladder and separate

mount the the two lengths. Remove the two
nozzles latches that lock the ladder when
it slides. We mounted nozzles
~$1,000.00 for 12 every 45cm (at each rung) but
Arag Microjet that was too many. Consider
nozzle mounting nozzles every second
assemblies rung (~90cm). We mounted the
nozzles with 9/32 U-bolts but
hose-hangers only require one
hole and can be swivelled to
position the nozzle. This is how
the bottom four nozzles were
attached to the chassis (see inset),
not the ladder. The ladders must
be able to slide past one another
and the valve handle must be
unobstructed. Dry-mount a nozzle (hose-hanger in inset)

4 Grinding and Remove the dry-fitted nozzle.

mounting the Centre-punch and drill all the
nozzles holes for the U-bolts (or
preferably, the hose hangers).
~$100.00 for Remove the threaded swivel from
mounting each Microjet. Use a hand drill
hardware and set to low with a Robertson bit,
grinder disc and an angle grinder to carefully
remove the thread and taper the
tip to accommodate a hose.
Be aware: eye protection is
imperative and the brass will get
hot. Replace the cool swivels and
mount all the nozzles on the
ladder. Use washers and set them
so the hex-nut on the nozzle body
is flush against the aluminum
ladder. Removing thread from brass swivel

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 Step & Cost Description Illustration
5 Plumbing the The plumbing on the sprayer is
sprayer not complicated, but takes
thought. It will require 11
~$75.00 for hose, TeeJet T-junctions and roughly
$20.00 for Tees, 60ft of braided, clear spray
$$75.00 for hose line rated to 200 psi. You will
clamps. also need 8 hose clamps for each
set of nozzles for a total of ~50
(get extras). Using hose cutters,
cut appropriate lengths for a
single set of nozzles and use them
as a template for the rest. Pass the
line through the rungs and do not
make loops too tight. Use a drill
with a ratcheting chuck to ensure
each hose clamp is tight.

Plumbing the nozzles

6 Mounting the This step is sprayer-specific. Find

winch a spot on the chassis that you can
mount a length (or two lengths)
~$125.00 for of angle iron to house the winch.
winch, cable, On the prototype we included a
clamp, angle sheet of plate iron to make the
iron and plate mount as stable as possible. Be
aware that the handle (and users
knuckles) must not hit any part of
the sprayer when turning. Never
let go of the handle without
setting the lock, or the boom will
drop and the handle will spin out
of control.

Mount the winch

7 Raising and This will take two people. Slide

securing the the two lengths back together and
boom raise the boom into position. Bolt
the boom into place (see Step 1).
Take a , 8ft length of
galvanized conduit and crush 2
of one end in a vice. Punch a
divot and drill a hole in the
crushed end. Repeat with a
length of conduit. Attach the
inch length to the chassis and the
length to the top of the bottom
boom, telescoping the two
lengths together. Now you have a
support that is the right length.
Screw the two lengths together
and repeat on the other side.
Strut attached to boom and chassis

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 Step & Cost Description Illustration
7 Tie in Attach the cable to the winch,
plumbing and pass it through the pulley on the
winch cable top boom and clamp it to the
lowest rung. Pass the cable
between the booms. This is also
how the two lengths of boom are
plumbed together: A long length
of hose hangs from the bottom-
most nozzle on the top boom, tied
to the top-most nozzle on the
lower boom. All the excess hose
(needed when the ladder is fully
extended) hangs between the two
ladders. This makes more sense
once you do it.

Nozzles suspended on drop arms

8 Test the Finally, the sprayer must be

pumbing attached to a tractor via the 3-pt
hitch and PTO shaft. Ensure the
~$150.00 for sprayer is plumb and level or the
PTO shaft boom will bounce and sway
excessively as you drive. Raise
and lower the boom via the winch
to ensure it moves smoothly.
Bring up the rpms on the tractor
and engage the boom at 100 psi.
Look for any leaks. Bring it up to
200 psi and drive the sprayer
around with boom fully extended.
Repair any blown lines. You are
now ready to calibrate your new
sprayer.

Test the sprayer plumbing and stability

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Calibration

Arag Microjets will emit approximately 1 US gallon per minute at 200 psi. However, the
position of the mixing valve will affect both the spray quality and rate of the nozzle. As such, a
timed output test should be performed on each nozzle. Bring down the boom, fill the sprayer with
water, bring it up to operating pressure and begin spraying. Adjust one nozzle until you achieve
the desired pattern. Then, using a telescoping paint roller handle to reach the highest nozzles,
place all valves in similar positions. Using a collection vessel, determine how much volume is
emitted at a given pressure and valve position in one minute this is a timed output test. The
following rate table was developed to help calibrate the nozzles:

Arag Microjet emission rates (determined using timed output test)

Valve Setting Pressure (psi) Avg Output (gpm) Pressure (bar) Avg Output (L/min)
10 degrees left 40 1.02 2.76 3.86
10 degrees left 50 1.1 3.45 4.16
10 degrees left 60 1.25 4.14 4.73
10 degrees left 70 1.25 4.83 4.73
10 degrees left 80 1.38 5.52 5.22
10 degrees left 90 1.4 6.21 5.3
10 degrees left 100 1.45 6.89 5.49
10 degrees left 110 1.6 7.58 6.06
10 degrees left 120 1.75 8.27 6.62
10 degrees left 150 1.87 10.34 7.08
10 degrees left 200 2.2 13.79 8.33
10 degrees right 40 0.65 2.76 2.46
10 degrees right 50 0.7 3.45 2.65
10 degrees right 60 0.8 4.14 3.03
10 degrees right 70 0.85 4.83 3.22
10 degrees right 80 0.9 5.52 3.41
10 degrees right 90 0.9 6.21 3.41
10 degrees right 100 1 6.89 3.79
10 degrees right 110 1.07 7.58 4.05
10 degrees right 120 1.1 8.27 4.16
10 degrees right 150 1.25 10.34 4.73
10 degrees right 200 1.37 13.79 5.19

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Evaluating Spray Coverage

There are two ways to evaluate spray coverage:

1) The amount of the surface area covered (e.g. 25%)

2) The droplet density (i.e. the number of drops per square centimeter)

They are not the same thing. For example, one massive droplet covering the target would leave
a lot of space uncovered, and therefor lots of room for an insect to walk past and never touch it.
However, an even smattering of small droplets, still covering the target are better because they
are distributed evenly and odds are, will hit a pest.

The Hopsprayer was trialed at Clear Valley Farms, Nottawa, Ontario. Water sensitive paper
(which turns from yellow to blue when contacted by spray) was clipped every three feet up to 18
feet on the upper and under sides of leaves.

The hop growers used their own airblast sprayer operated at their standard 2,340 L/ha and 2.75
km/hr. The Hopsprayer was tested at 1,220 L/ha and 7.5 km/hr half the volume and three times
as fast, even while fully-extended to its 18 foot height. The following four histrograms show the
coverage on top of the leaves and on the underside of the leaves.

Figure 1 - Total percent surface covered on upper side of leaves (n=3)

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Figure 2 - Total percent surface covered on underside of leaves (n=3)

Figure 3 - Droplet density on upper side of leaves (n=3)

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Figure 4 - Droplet density on underside of leaves (n=3)

Conclusion

The airblast and prototype both achieved minimally-acceptable coverage on all leaf surfaces at all
heights, with one major difference: The prototype did not cover as much of the under leaf surface
(not surprising as the sprayer did not utilize air assist to lift the leaves), but it did deposit almost
three times as many droplets.

The airblast did well on the tops and undersides, both for total % coverage and for droplet
density. The Hopsprayer didnt cover as much under leaf surface, but did have a higher droplet
density. That means there were more drops, but they were very small.

The big question is: was it enough to control insects and disease? There is much evidence to
suggest this is enough coverage, but this can only be verified through efficacy testing where the
Hopsprayer is actually used for a season to evaluate its performance.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge the support of TeeJet technologies for providing water
sensitive paper and nozzles, McPhee Enterprises of Oakville, Ontario, for providing the Microjets
at cost, Mr. Evan Elford (OMAF and MRA), Mr. Paul Splinter (University of Guelph), Ms.
Megan Leedham (OMAF and MRA summer student), Mr. Herman Kunkel (Allparts Ltd.,
Simcoe, Ontario) and Clear Valley Farms for hosting the trials. This project was made possible
through funding by OMAF and MRA and the University of Guelph.

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