Pick the right sprayer or spreader

Sprayers and spreaders can make work easier – or give you a lot of headaches if you neglect them. So, contractors offered their considerations for when you’re shopping for sprayers and spreaders.

Get a demo. Do your homework: Read reviews, watch manufacturer videos and talk to others who have purchased a similar unit. “Get the salesperson to show your model in action,” says Fred Kapp, educational director for the Green Industry Web Portal, a training website affiliated with Auburn University. “Have them fill it with water. Check out the agitation system. It should look like the water is ‘boiling,’ not barely vibrating, when you look in the tank. If you use wettable powders, you want to make sure they will be getting thoroughly mixed.”

Test drive them. About four years ago, Beau Hartman, owner of Hartman Landscaping, in Zanesville, Ohio, purchased a used sprayer-spreader. “It did not feel stable unless I was on flat ground,” Hartman says. “I didn’t feel comfortable on it, so there was no way I was putting an employee on it.” He has since purchased a new unit which operates safely on the hills of southeastern Ohio. “It seems to have a lower center of gravity. Although it doesn’t carry as much product, it’s more appropriate for the types of properties we do, which are primarily on slopes.”

Perform a reality check. “You don’t want to have to grow into the machine,” Kapp says. “If it’s only working a half-day a week, stick with a tank and hose rather than a ride-on. A machine that’s sitting around destroys profit.” And before you buy the biggest, baddest machine available, figure out if it’s going to fit where you need it to go. You may have tight or fenced areas where you won’t be able to maneuver.

The author is a freelance writer based in the Northeast.