Whether your current sprayer is no longer able to function at the level you require it to, no longer suits your vehicles or purpose, or even function at all, there comes a time when a new one must be bought. Sometimes it's just that your current sprayer needs an upgrade to the newest sprayer with the features and benefits on the market.
CHEAP, IMPORTED PRODUCT?
So how do you make the decision when (or where?) you should get a new sprayer? Sure, you may know Bob down the road knows a guy that can get you a good deal on a cheap, imported sprayer, but what happens when something goes wrong? Does this company offer full warranty or pro-rata warranty? Does this company offer full servicing, help, or advise when something goes wrong? Who can you take the unit back to if you somehow forget to clean out the unit after spraying season and it clogs up all your plumbing and lines? Sometimes, in the long run, going down the cheap road can turn out more heart ache and expensive.
AUSTRALIAN MADE
Justifying an investment into a sprayer is easier when you know it is going to support Australian families and communities. Here are Rapid Spray, our mission has always been to provide high quality, Australian made products which are sold through our vast network of dealers. This ensures we are continuing to help employ Australian's and support local, regional communities across Australia. This in turn gives our customers access servicing and help in their local town versus having to send it back to our Head Office in Singleton, NSW. It really is a win, win for all parties.
WHAT TYPE OF SPRAYER?
So you have decided that you need a new sprayer and where to purchase it from, but have your considered what type of sprayer you need? Maybe you need a sprayer that fits onto the back of a UTV? Or maybe a larger areas, maybe a Field Sprayer would work if you are planning on driving a tray back ute? Here are three things you need to consider when purchasing a sprayer:
SIZE OF AREA TO BE SPRAYED
The size of your area to be sprayed plays a huge part in what to look for in your next sprayer. If you are only spraying a small area like a small orchard, home garden or lawns then a backpack sprayer such as on in the Jacto range is more than likely going to be the ideal size sprayer.
Larger lawns, golf courses or medium sized orchards can be tackled efficiently with sprayer such as the ATV FarmMax Trailer sprayer or the Marshal Q. These are compact, low maintenance and easy to operate sprayers.
However, if you are spraying a large area such as a large infestation of woody weeds like blackberries, than a larger, more powerful sprayer would be required. Read how the Ultimate Field Sprayer helped out Ken Holgate with woody weeds in Tamworth, NSW.
EQUIPMENT TO MOUNT SPRAYER
This aligns with the size of your property. If you are spraying a small orchard or your garden, it's highly unlikely you are going to mount your sprayer to a ute. However, if you have a large size garden, an option is the Spot Ranger mounted to a quad bike or ride-on lawn mower.
If you planning on using a UTV/ATV, then a compact sprayer with tie-down points is going to be crucial. A ute, truck or tractor is going to be able to fit a larger sprayer in size and weight. Read here about how not tying down their FireScout, two brothers from the Hunter Region ended up with it in their dam!
Some considerations to take into account in relation to your mounting vehicle or UTV is carrying capacity - how much weight it carry, as well as dimensions; lifting and tie-down point locations - for added safety, tie down locations are paramount and sprayers, such as the SprayScout feature tie-down points on all four corners for added stability; loading capacity - can you lift the unit on by hand, with a mate or will you need a forklift?
Lastly, are the accessories you may want to add to your unit? For example, if you want to do boom spraying, does your vehicle/UTV have the space to mount booms? If you do want to do boom spraying and your unit doesn't have the space to mount a boom, it may time to look at the different sprayer options, and find one that is smaller, larger, or three-point linkage unit to attach to a tractor to give you the ability to boom spray.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Choosing and justifying the right sprayer does not have to be hard choice. Having a sound understanding of what capability you need in your sprayer, the services and warranty you are expecting from your supplier, and then the options and costings associated with these expectations should make your decision easier.
Research each product and supplier carefully, making sure they are going to be there to help you with each step of the process, can give you guidance on the best sprayer for your property and uses, the best sprayer for which applications.
Whether this is your first or fifth sprayer, whether you are buying a Jacto backpack sprayer or a Marshal Pro UTV sprayer, each sprayer purchase is important. Here at Rapid Spray, our sprayers are built to last and even though this means sometimes (and sadly) never speaking to our customers again, this makes us happy as it really does prove, the Proof is in the Performance.
