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rosesbydesign

Recommendation for an Electric Sprayer???

rosesbydesign
20 years ago

I have a Mantis that has gone through 2 batteries and the charging wires got messed up, so I had to jimmyrig it to charge up the batteries. Now the battery is dead again and I am interested in a replacement. Besides Spot Shot, does anyone have any experience with other sprayers having at least 10 gallon capacity???? What about Atomist and Boss sprayers.

Any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!

Jim Sproul

Comments (13)

  • Megsroses
    20 years ago

    Hi Jim:
    Have you considered a 'Spray Doc Wheel Pump Sprayer'?
    The tank pressurizes as you roll it along...no hand-pumping, no heavy lifting. Holds 4 gallons with a 16" flexible rotating wand; 96" long PVC hose.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wheel Pump Garden Sprayer

  • kitty
    20 years ago

    I've been using the Spray Boss for over 7 years and really like it a lot. It holds 14 gallons of spray mix (enough to cover all my 350+ roses in one batch) and it rolls on 3 wheels (1 wheel in the front). We keep it on the charger at all times, so it is always charged and ready to go. I like the spray head a lot as it can be put on fine or a heavier/stronger spray to reach climbers and bushes I can't get up close to. We've had to replace the battery twice because of operator error. One time I used it while on the charger which burned up the battery, the other time we let the water in the battery dry out which burned up the battery again. The hose was a little long for my taste as it got in my way, so Bob shortened it. Other people seem to like the long hose or would even like the hose longer. I don't remember exactly what we originally paid for it, but I think it was in the $350 range. I do the spraying and Bob cleans out the sprayer after I use it, and keeps it maintained.

    I struggled with the Atomist for about 5 years and never really liked it. For one thing it was too heavy. Bob made an attachment on a dolly so I could hang the Atomist on it and roll it around, and it helped a little. Also, my Atomist never could hold proper pressure, so it didn't work very well. But, even when it did work well, the spray was too fine and if there was just the tiniest breeze, those fine droplets were all over the place.

  • rosesbydesign
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Thank you!

    Jim

  • kitty
    19 years ago

    I would like to point out two major differences between the Atomist and the Spray Boss.

    The Atomist is electric and operates on air pressure, sort of like a reverse vacuum cleaner -- it sucks up and blows out the spray. So you have to drag around the electrical cord as you spray. The Atomist is "supposed" to spray very fine particles so if you can get it to hold pressure, you end up using far less spray material. However, I never could get it to hold air pressure.

    The Spray Boss is battery powered (although you plug it into a charger when not in use) and it is operated by a pump -- so the spray is pumped up and out.

    (Sorry, I'm not very mechanically inclined, but that's the best way I can describe it.)

    Bob reminds me that he once had to overhaul the pump on the Spray Boss because I had used an anti-transpirant (I forget the brand name, but similar to Wilt-Pruf). The stuff gunked up the pump mechanism as well as the spray head, so Bob had to overhaul it.

  • suzanne_ladyred
    19 years ago

    RJ has just overhauled my Spray Mate, putting in a bicycle battery in an ammo box, which should hold a charge longer and better than the original battery.

    He also changed out the hose & spray wand - replaced it with one of those expandable garden hoses that had a spray wand on the end of it - purchased at Rogers Gardens.

    In addition, I just purchased a "Viton check valve" from Mantis, which will replace the existing "Santo valve" (located under the pressure switch) and will allow me to spray oil based products as well as water based products in the Mantis. It just requires washing with hot soapy water after use of an oil based product.

    In any case, those are the latest modifications we're doing. I'll report back on how they work after this weekend's trial run.

    For a more detailed breakdown of the modifications, RJ would be the person to talk to. Like Kitty, I leave the more technical aspects to the man of the house.

    Suzanne

  • suzanne_ladyred
    19 years ago

    Okay, gang, for those who are interested... here's the upshot on how the modifications on the Mantis Sprayer worked this weekend.

    First off, RJ corrected what I previously wrote - it was a motorcycle battery (not a bicycle battery) that he put on the Mantis. It is a Yuasa battery sold by Honda as # YTZ14S, their heaviest duty motorcycle battery. It worked FANTASTIC!!!! Instead of taking 2 1/2 to 3 hours to spray the garden, I was finished in less than 1 and 1/2 hours (including mixing, cleaning up and putting away stuff).

    The only possible downside is that it sprays so vigorously that I needed to use an extra 3 gallons of spray mixture. So I had to go back and mix up another 3 gallons. But I got great coverage, and it still brought me in at 1 hour & a half including the remixing and reloading.

    The new hose was also a joy. I could walk 4 times as far with the expandable capacity, without dragging around an overly long hose. And when I store it, I don't have to wrap and wrap and wrap the hose around the handle. It collapses down to a nice neat circle on top of the sprayer.

    This has really made my week - heck, it's made my season to have a sprayer that works so effectively.

    RJ has earned a really big hug!

  • DunkMG
    19 years ago

    What is the url reference for the modifications made to the Spray Mate.. Thank you

  • janen
    17 years ago

    Could someone please tell me where to buy the Spray Boss battery powered sprayer mentioned earlier in this thread. Maybe a web page link or something. Thanks very much.

  • janen
    17 years ago

    Has anyone tried the Spot Shot sprayer advertised by Rosemania? I'm also still trying to find information on the Spray Boss. Please, someone tell me where to buy this one. Thank you.

  • olympiadrose
    17 years ago

    Just bought the new EZ Sprayer from Rosemania. For the price, works well, have it on a hand truck.

  • PRO
    Susan Serra
    17 years ago

    I'm not normally in this forum, and I may forget to come back, but we just got the spot shot a few weeks back for our 190-rose garden. DH and I spray together, I use the old Black & Decker and he gets the new one. All I can tell you is that he is crazy about it. Loves it. (Good). The hose is so long, I think he repositions the sprayer 2-3 times in our large garden and that's it. We have very deep beds, so the long hose is great. We use the nozzle in the flat position, and he says it's much quicker than anything else we've used, including the Rocket Sprayer, whose pump stopped working and was really a cheap one. So, we decided not to replace the pump and got this one. The spot shot has a 7 gallon capacity. We do the whole garden in about an hour. Hope that helps!

  • yosemitegreg_hotmail_com
    15 years ago

    Hi,
    I just purchased a Mantis SprayMate...used only a couple times...it looks brand new. Problem: I tried charging the battery (trickle charger) and no results. Other than the on/off flow switch on the bottom, is there another on off switch for the pump or does it just activate via the discharge on the wand? Could the battery just be gone? Any suggestions on what I should check before buying a new battery. Also, does anyone know where I might find the manual for this sprayer? Thank you, Greg

  • dan_keil_cr Keil
    11 years ago

    Does anybody use a Fimco Spot Sprayer? I have one,8 gallons. It has two wheels with a collapsing handle. I put it in a yard cart and use it that way. It has great pressure. I have 450 roses. Later in the year I have to fill up about two more gallons to finish the job. But early in the year I only use about 4 gallons. It works great!

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