Skidder sprayer

[tift104]

First of all, I just joined this forum and still new on how all this works so be easy on me!!!
I just purchased a Cat 525B skidder with the intentions of using it to pull a small drum chopper and fire line plow. I have to do some spraying on both clear cuts and pine straw fields this year and would like to mount a tank and boomless spray system on the back. I plan on using a 500 gallon Polly tank and building a frame to protect it. The grapple has already been removed and the winch is still on the machine but the shaft has been taken off. My question to you experts in the logging industry is this. How would I be able to plumb in a hydraulic sprayer pump into the existing system? Can it even be done with a older machine like this one? Would I be better off having a little pony motor to pump with?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Former Wrench]

My choice would be to use a small combined gasoline engine/pump system. You would be starting with something new and of your design. In the long-run, I think the Aux method would save you time and dollars.

 

[John C.]

You mention a grapple being removed so I am assuming your machine is at least a single arch type with at least extra circuits now for grapple open / close and grapple rotation. You could consider a hydraulic motor running your pump. You would need to know the requirements of your spray system to determine the amount of hydraulic flow and speed of the hydraulic motor to move forward on that but the grapple circuit is already there to use.

 

[Delmer]

If the tank is going to be mounted on the skidder, then I'd consider how to get mechanical power to a water pump, either directly off the engine, or the winch drive. Rather than a hydraulic or gas engined pump. hydraulic would be my second choice, certainly doable.

 

[farmerlund]

Boom less nozzles use a lot of water to get any distance. I would get the biggest tank you can carry or mount on it. Less filling that way. I made a pasture sprayer with two nozzles mounted 12 or so feet apart and a 1000 gallon tank. it worked really good.

 

[Crummy]

This was on the fire here- they called it a "Skidgen". Maybe give you some ideas on how to do it.

 

[tift104]

I've been looking into some hydraulic type pumps. I guess my q

You mention a grapple being removed so I am assuming your machine is at least a single arch type with at least extra circuits now for grapple open / close and grapple rotation. You could consider a hydraulic motor running your pump. You would need to know the requirements of your spray system to determine the amount of hydraulic flow and speed of the hydraulic motor to move forward on that but the grapple circuit is already there to use.

If the tank is going to be mounted on the skidder, then I'd consider how to get mechanical power to a water pump, either directly off the engine, or the winch drive. Rather than a hydraulic or gas engined pump. hydraulic would be my second choice, certainly doable.

If the tank is going to be mounted on the skidder, then I'd consider how to get mechanical power to a water pump, either directly off the engine, or the winch drive. Rather than a hydraulic or gas engined pump. hydraulic would be my second choice, certainly doable.

I have been eyeing the winch drive since it's currently unhooked. The issue is that it turns opposite than a PTO shaft does. They do make reverse pumps but the ones Ive found don't carry enough flow. Also how would one turn the pump itself off and on.

 

[John C.]

You don't need a separate pump if you use the unused grapple function.

 

[tift104]

This was on the fire here- they called it a "Skidgen". Maybe give you some ideas on how to do it.

View attachment 242861 View attachment 242862

 

[tift104]

I actually saw a pic of that skidengine a few weeks ago and it got me to thinking. I think a mounted tank is gonna be better for my use since I'm not logging.

 

[tift104]

You mention a grapple being removed so I am assuming your machine is at least a single arch type with at least extra circuits now for grapple open / close and grapple rotation. You could consider a hydraulic motor running your pump. You would need to know the requirements of your spray system to determine the amount of hydraulic flow and speed of the hydraulic motor to move forward on that but the grapple circuit is already there to use.

I have been looking at the hydraulic powered pumps and that would work but how would you make it have a constant fluid flow to the pump? Would you simply replace the joystick buttons with a constant on/off switch? I've been using farm tractors set up for forestry spraying and they are set up for constant hydraulic flow through the remotes.

 

[John C.]

The grapple close function on a skidder has a hold close function that keeps constant hydraulic power on the cylinders so the logs don't slip out. You could also change out the control handle to something with a detent the keeps the flow on.

 

[Delmer]

The hydraulics is fairly easy. I was thinking you were setting up a fire pump, not an herbicide spraying pump. You could still use the winch pto, just drive the pump with a belt, which you almost always need with a pto driven centrifigal pump. A cheap roller pump would be a trick to get to run off the winch pto, I dont' know what rpm the winch would run etc. Easier to use hydraulics, or even electric pump if you're not doing that much.

 

[tift104]

The grapple close function on a skidder has a hold close function that keeps constant hydraulic power on the cylinders so the logs don't slip out. You could also change out the control handle to something with a detent the keeps the flow on.

Thankyou for that info John C. I did not know that. I'm not in the logging business so working on a skidder is new to me.