Ensuring your Apache Sprayer is thoroughly cleaned and free of any chemical residue is a major part of winterizing your machine. But, that’s just half of the equation when it comes to making sure your sprayer is ready for winter. Once all systems are free of chemical, it’s important to add antifreeze to prevent any damage ice can cause in tanks, hoses, nozzles and other components that can lead to headaches for the operator during the application season next year.

The first step in this process is to gather the appropriate quantity of antifreeze in manageable containers. The average application system will require 30-40 gallons of antifreeze for the product tank, around 10-12 gallons for the rinse tank and 2-3 gallons for the eductor tank. The containers you’re using will dictate where you will add the antifreeze to the product tank system; if you’re using 1 or 5 gallon jugs, you’ll add the antifreeze to the top of the tank. For a bulk system, it will be added via an attachment to the valve on the side of the product tank.

Even though they are all ultimately connected, each circuit – product, eductor and rinse tank – should be individually rinsed and filled with antifreeze when winterizing the machine. It’s important to watch closely to make sure you’re running enough antifreeze through each system to ensure cleanliness and winter preparedness, according to Apache Sprayers Senior Application Specialist John Casebolt.

“I want to set up PWM to 100 percent, that way I’m producing all the flow it can produce in order to get flow through the product system through the ball valves and out the nozzle control valves,” he said. “I want to switch my nozzle PWM to 100 percent, then go to manual mode, turn on my master spray switch, then I’ll turn the boom sections on one at a time. I will watch my booms spray until I’m satisfied with a solid, consistent spray of antifreeze fluid coming from the nozzles. Once I’ve done that, I can then move on to the second section and so on.”

Casebolt recommended allowing at least two minutes of spray time for each boom section to enable enough antifreeze to move through and remove any water or chemical remaining in the tanks and booms.

Each circuit includes different functions important to address in winterizing your sprayer. For example, the product circuit features an agitation function, and it’s important to engage it in flushing the system with antifreeze.

“Since we’ll have the product pump running on the machine when winterizing it, I’ll turn on the main sump valve so it’s not running dry,” Casebolt said. “I’ll turn my Rotorflush valve to agitation, then turn on my product pump and it will begin running and moving product through. Then I’ll open up my agitation valve, so I can begin to get that antifreeze flowing through that valve and the tank and agitation tubing. I’ll allow it to circulate for two or three minutes — enough time to get any remaining water purged out, flushed into the tank and have that agitation circuit completely full of antifreeze.”

The same is true with the machine’s Rotorflush circuit as well as the chemical eductor circuit. Each has unique components that are essential to address in making sure you’re adequately winterizing your Apache Sprayer.

Once your sprayer is adequately cleaned and has the necessary antifreeze to prevent damage from freezing temperatures over the winter, it’s time to turn your attention to other components that can be damaged during the winter.

Hear more from Casebolt on how to add antifreeze to preserve your application circuits here, or move on to our third winterization video for the final steps.

Though the major components of a sprayer – product system, rinse loop, agitation and inductor loops – deserve much of the attention during the winterization process, it’s important not to neglect other parts and components that are important to the machine’s operation during the growing season. And, the right winterization now can prevent costly and time-consuming breakdowns and delays when it’s time to spray next year.

Once you’ve winterized your sprayer’s application system, there are other components to attend to before you put the machine away for its winter nap. Any gauges and controllers should be part of the winterization process, said Apache Sprayers Senior Application Specialist John Casebolt.

Pressure system gauges

If your Apache Sprayer is equipped with pressure system gauges, it’s important to ensure both the boom pressure gauge and the agitation pressure gauge are first disconnected, then cleaned and prepared similar to the process for the product system. Look for the gauges on the right front corner of the Apache cab, and make sure the plumbing running to and from the gauges is properly rinsed, dried and winterized with antifreeze, according to Casebolt.

“Unplug each one of those gauges, leave the tubing hanging freely and run some antifreeze through that tubing to flush out any of the water and chemical that might be in there,” he said. “Then, go ahead and reconnect the tubing, but we’re going to remove the gauges, so we don’t have trouble if they freeze up. We’re going to take those gauges off the machine, store them in a warm, dry place and we’re going to plug the ports where they plug into, so we don’t get dirt or debris in them in the wintertime if the machine’s going to be stored outside.”

Strainers

Though they’re small components, strainers can add up to a lot of headaches during the growing season if not attended to in the offseason, including when winterizing your sprayer. It’s best to first drain and clean strainers, then store them off the machine in a warm, dry location to avoid damage from freezing temperatures

“Drain down the Y-strainer and boom valve strainers on the back of the machine,” Casebolt said. “That way, we can remove those strainers and put them in a bucket of clean water or tank-cleaning solvent to try to clean those strainers up during the wintertime.”

Product system controllers

In-cab electronic controllers should also be removed when winterizing your sprayer, especially if stored in a cold location. Current systems available in Apache Sprayers, like the Raven Viper^® 4 product pump control or 600S GPS receiver, can withstand cold temperatures, but it’s best to store such electronic equipment in a warm, dry place, as temperature fluctuations can sometimes damage internal components.

“Come spring time, we’ll plug it back in and the settings should be retained, and we should be ready to go,” Casebolt said.

For more information on winterizing your Apache Sprayer, consult your owner’s manual or contact your local dealer.

Your Apache Sprayer has worked hard during the growing season to perform a critical role. Now, it’s time to make sure it’s prepared for a winter nap, so when it’s time to spray next season, your machine is ready to go.

Winterizing your sprayer is important to keep your sprayer functioning optimally in the long run. That process starts with ensuring your machine is clean, dry and free of any chemical that could become a harmful residual when it’s time to begin spraying again. A thorough clean-out helps prevent component damage from residual chemical and ensures you can spend your time in the field, not in the shop, when it’s more of the essence during the growing season.

The more immediate reason for a thorough cleanout of any sprayer is to prevent water and any residual chemical from causing damage by freezing inside tanks, booms and other components. Though the actual process is fairly straightforward, it’s important to make sure all five of an Apache Sprayer’s application loops are clean and dry, according to Apache Sprayers Senior Application Specialist John Casebolt:

• Product system
• Agitation circuit
• Rinse circuit
• Vent circuit
• Eductor system

“The product system is the loop that involves product tank, pump, plumbing going from pump to booms and the ball valve. It’s the main product system. The second is agitation circuit — the agitation valve and agitation plumbing in bottom of tank. The third is the rinse circuit, our agitation roto clutch valve as well as plumbing that goes to roto clutch nozzles in the top of the product tank,” Casebolt said. “The fourth is vent circuit — that will take care of itself since it’s an open line that goes to top of product tank. But, recognize that you need antifreeze flowing to that system as well. The fifth system is the eductor. If your sprayer is equipped with a chemical eductor, you want to winterize that properly so you won’t have freezing problems with it.”

Casebolt recommended purging any remaining water and chemical from the systems by using an air compressor. Using an adapter to connect the air nozzle directly to the sprayer’s main intake, he said it’s easy to send air through the system at between 40 and 60 PSI, ensuring that ball valves are opened and closed to propel air through the system without building excessive pressure.

If your sprayer is equipped with an automatic control system, like the Raven Hawkeye^TM system available on Apache Sprayers, it’s important to switch the system to manual mode so you can open and close valves manually as you work through each component and boom section.

Once you’ve completely purged the system of water and chemical, the next step in the process is adding antifreeze, which will keep lines and other components from freezing during the winter.

See more from Casebolt on how to properly rinse and dry out your sprayer’s application loops in the video below.