June 2019 - 24

NOTES FROM THE FARM
Rebuilt orchard sprayer deemed a success
JERRY MILLS
Mills Apple Farm
jerry@millsapplefarm.com
Dumb luck. We have peach trees
that are as much as 10 feet tall. I
planned all winter to hedge them off,
but like many things around here,
did not get it done. Then we had cold
weather at the wrong time. Guess
where our peach crop is?
Tool the month, follow-up: Last
month we put the new/rebuilt AgTec
3400 orchard sprayer on the back
of the spray tractor and prepared to
calibrate it.
The first problem was a 1.5-inch
plastic tee that froze and cracked,
naturally in the most inaccessible
place on the machine, but we fixed it.
Next, the new TeeJet electric solenoid
valves leaked large volumes of water
out of holes in the bottoms. Two of
the best mechanical brains on the
farm (not me), worked on them all
afternoon but could not discover the
problem. We ended up replacing them
with motor-driven ball valves, which
they should have had in the first place.
Ball valves do not corrode.
I have never had long-term success
with solenoid valves. Spray material
eventually gets into the solenoid
piston, corrodes it and the valve
fails. I am glad the new valves failed
this soon, for now we know that the
replacements will dependably control
spray when it counts. Nothing worse
than discovering too late that a valve
was not working properly.
Other than those two items, I am
enormously pleased with the machine.
The business end of new under-tree herbicide sprayer at Mills Apple Farm, Marine, Illinois. The boom is spring loaded to permit
bumping a tree trunk and moving back into position without damaging the tree or the boom. Photo: Jerry Mills
Its nozzles do not plug easily, it blasts
out a large spray pattern and I think
we should have the best-sprayed crop
in years.
Speaking of crops: Twigs picked
and brought in a month ago leafed out
but there were few flower buds. We
were not able to prune all of the apple
trees, and that may not be all bad. If
there is a shortage of viable fruit buds,
SEE VIDEOS OF SPRAYERS IN ACTION ON UPDATED WEBSITE!
NEW HYDRAULIC FOLD SPRAYER FEATURES
AIRBAG BOOM SUSPENSION!
the unpruned trees may save the day.
The new apple shed is up but
unfinished inside. I will not say it
dominates the farm landscape but
next time the maps people update
satellite maps you will be able to see
it, big time.
New tool of the month. I got
tired of bending spray booms when
herbiciding under fruit trees so I built
a monster that runs low along the
surface of the ground, beating down
tall weeds, if there should be any, and
going around tree trunks. It fits on the
front of the track loader.
Ground conditions were too wet last
year and most trees never got an early
spray with the bent boom. This year
there should be no excuse for weeds
in the rows. VGN
Cultivators designed for
Strawberries, Blueberries, and
Vegetables in Plastic Culture
* Excellent weed removal provided by
rolling cultivators or disk gangs.
* Renovate Strawberries, cultivate
Blueberries
* Cultivate close to the edge of
plastic.
Sprayer
Models
* 200 Gallon Manual Fold
* 300 Gallon Manual Fold
* 400 Gallon Manual Fold
* 400 Gallon Hydraulic Fold
PENNS CREEK MFG.
1340 Broadway Rd., Winfield, PA 17889
570-837-1197 * www.pennscreekwelding.com
Builders of dependaBle ecnomical VegetaBle sprayers
VegetablegrowersNews.com
24 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
* Toolbars include Hydraulic Width
Adjustment
* Very adjustable for use on many
crops
Hillside Cultivator Co. LLC
911 Disston View Dr., Lititz, PA 17543
Visit our web site: www.hillsidecultivator.com
or Call (717) 626-6194
VGN | JUNE 2019 | 24

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June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2019