Vol. 15—1961 - NorthEastern Weed Science Society

areas, fre1.uently the crews l'UIrLl'ei the aprQ.Ymixture .through a 1/2-i.nch highpressure,
agricultural spre.y hose for a distance cf as much as 1 mile.
Beeauae of this, the next units purchased were 35-gpm pumps used with 500­
gallon tanks. The 35-gpm pumps permitted the use of several spray guns with
each unit while still maintaining the desired nozzle pressure. The 200­
gallon units were skid-mounted on 4-wheel drive vehicles and were very
satisfactory. The 5OO-gallon units we7e pe7manently mounted on Army- surplus
6x6 vehicles, and have given excellent service. Normally a crew used 2 spray
trucks, 1 water truck, and a personnel carrier. We found that while spraying
in remote areas where a considerable amount cf hose pulling was reqUired only
one 35-gpm pump Ir.ounted on ,a 5OO-g.a.llon tank was adequate and, of course, more
economical.
About 5 years ago we purchased an orchard blower with fans producing a wind
velocity up to 90 miles an hour and mounted this on one of our 35-gpm spray
units with a 500-gallon tank. Numerous test plots were established with this
unit, and some of the results were very satisfactory. However, the timber
burned outside the rights-of-way; and the potential hazard to susceptible
agricultural and garden crops, particularly on Windy days, was so great that
we have discontinued the use of this machine.
By 1958 the cost of chemical control'had become so great that we were forced
to reevaluate our entire program to keep costs down. This reevaluation
revealed that we had increased our volume of material per acre in an effort to
obtain a higher percentage of brushkill and also that the cost of labor and
transportation had skyrocketed. In recent years the trend of control has
become centered around individual species to determine their habits, characteristics,
and life cycles. From observation it appeared that we were using
excessi ve amounts of chemicals on some species and were overl"ading the translocation
capacity of these plants. Webegan looking for new methods to apply
controlled amounts of chemicals to brush on rights-of-way.
As a result the automatic spray nozzle was developed in 1958 for applying a
semiconcentrated mixture of esters and wRter to transmission line rights-ofway.
Available literature was reviewet'l; and Boomjet, or automatic spray,
nozzles were purchased. These were single, compact nozzles made in different
capaci ties for mounting at the rear of. a truck for spraying a swath 38 to 66
feet wide, depending on the pressure and gpm. The nozzle assembly produces a
uniform flat spray pattern. A telescoping attachment was designed for mounting
the nozzle at a vertical angle of 45 0 to the rear of the truck tank, permitting
the nozzle to give a vertical spray pattern at the desired height, which is
governed by the height of brush being sprayed. Atomization of each jet is as
fine as possible in relation to the distance the spray mixture must travel to
complete the spray pattern. The nozzle is brass, with 5 fixed-position tips.
It has a lj4-inch plug in the top, which is an ideal location for a pressure
gauge.
We have apprOXimately 20 autcmatic spray nozzles mounted on military-type 6x6
trucks equipped With no-~pin differentials, mud-grip tires, and 800-, 1,000-,
and 1,200-gallon tanks. Wehave been using this type of truck for right-of-way
maintenance for several years, and an experienced driver can cover a high