GB2352383A - Spraying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle such as a quad bike has spraying apparatus for spraying eg weedkiller mounted on it. The vehicle has a liquid reservoir tank 20 mounted behind the driver's position and a spray boom (32, figure 1) mounted at the front of the vehicle to spray liquid on the ground in front of the vehicle. A pump (38, figure 3) pumps liquid to the boom 32 and pipes 54 convey liquid from the tank 20, via the pump (38), to the boom (32). Pump controls 66 are mounted in front of the driver's position. In a tank or box 60 in front of the driver may be clean water for hand washing and a space for tools. There may be side facing spray nozzles 36 and a hand held lance 48. The spraying system may be demountable.

Description

2352383 Spraying Apparatus This invention relates to mobile spraying

apparatus for spraying chemicals such as pesticides and herbicideson the ground.

The present invention is concerned with applications where chemicals have to be sprayed precisely and over relatively small areas of ground. The invention is not therefore concerned with crop sprayers but rather with sprayers for spraying selected areas of roads, footpaths and other public areas.

So-called quad bikes are useful vehicles for this application. Quad bikes are similar to motor bikes but have four wheels instead of two. A driver sits on the bike and steers the bike through handlebars. The invention can also be applied to other vehicles, for example tractors (especially small tractors) and self- propelled mowers.

According to the present invention, there is provided a self-propelled vehicle with spraying apparatus mounted thereon, the vehicle having a liquid reservoir tank mounted behind the driver's position, a spray boom mounted at the front of the vehicle to spray liquid on the ground in front of the vehicle, a pump for pumping liquid to the boom, pipes for conveying liquid from the tank, via the pump, to the boom, and pump controls mounted in front of the driver's position.

Positioning of the controls in front of the driver's position allows the driver to face forward at all times and to accurately control the direction of the vehicle and the application of chemical to the ground.

2413 07/07/99 The invention also provides spraying apparatus for mounting on a self- propelled vehicle, the apparatus comprising a liquid reservoir tank to be mounted on the vehicle behind the driver's position, a spray nozzle or nozzles to be mounted at the front of the vehicle to spray liquid on the ground in front of the vehicle, a pump for pumping liquid to the nozzles, pipes for conveying liquid from the tank, via the pump, to the nozzles, and pump controls to be mounted on the vehicle in front of the driver's position.

Preferably the spraying apparatus comprises two main tank units detachably mounted on the vehicle and connected by flexible pipes. one unit forms the reservoir and is mounted behind the driver. The other unit contains the pump and is mounted in front of the driver. If, as is preferred, the units are easily mountable on and demountable from the vehicle, the vehicle can also be used for other purposes.

The front unit may also include a container for clean water, for hand washing purposes and a storage space in which the operator can for example keep a pair of gloves, a note book or job sheet.

Both tank units are preferably of stainless steel. This is lightweight, easily formed, easy to clean and can even be used for containing corrosive liquids.

The pump preferably includes a self-cleaning filter and has multiple valved outlets. One outlet may be to a hand held spray lance connected to the pump by a hose which allows the lance to be moved away from the vehicle for a local spot application of chemical to the ground.

2413 07/07/99 The pump controls can include a pressure gauge, a pressure relief valve and on/off switches for the multiple valved pump outlets.

The nozzles can be mounted on a spray boom, and the boom can be mounted on the f ront tank unit. The spray boom can have any number of nozzles fed from the boom, but it is preferred to have just two nozzles. The boom width can be adjustable to alter the spacing between the nozzles on the boom.

Side-throw nozzles can be mounted on nozzle holders for spraying on either side of the path of movement of the vehicle, and these can be adjustable for angle and height.

The reservoir tank can have a sight gauge to enable the driver to be aware of the liquid level in the tank, and the tank can also have a drain tap at or near the bottom of the tank to allow the tank to be emptied and/or to allow the contents of the tank to be decanted into another container, e.g. a knapsack sprayer.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a quad bike with spraying apparatus according to the invention mounted thereon; Figure 2 is a view f rom behind and above of the bike of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a schematic view of the front tank unit.

2413 07/07/99 Figure 1 shows a quad bike 10 with four wheels 12 and a body 14. The bike has a seat 16 for a driver and handlebars 18 which are used by the driver in a conventional way to control the motion of the bike.

At the rear, behind the drivers seat 16 is a f irst tank unit 20 which forms a reservoir for containing the chemical to be sprayed. The tank 20 has a sight gauge 22 to allow the level of liquid in the tank to be monitored, and an opening 24 through which the tank can be filled. The tank is filled with diluted chemical, diluted to a concentration ready for spraying. The tank can have a filter (not shown) inside the opening 24 to prevent solid matter passing into the tank 20 when it is being filled.

The tank is secured to the vehicle f rame 14 by two straps 26 which hold the tank down onto a suitable mounting surface on the frame 14.

In front of the driver's position 16 is a front tank unit 28. A boom holder bar 30 is mounted on the front of this tank unit 28. A spray boom 32 with spray nozzles 34 and side-throw nozzle holders 36 are mounted on the bar 30.

The front tank unit 28 includes a pump 38 (Figure 3), and this pump pumps liquid chemical from the rear tank unit 20 and to the nozzles via one or more outlet hoses 40, 42, 44, 46. The hose 40 is connected to a hand held lance 48 with a trigger 50 and a nozzle 52. The hose 40 is a selfcoiling hose which can be uncoiled simply by pulling it and walking away from the vehicle with the lance 48 to spray local areas of the ground. Af ter use, the hose can be stored on the bike, with the hose 40 wrapping around the tank 28.

The hoses 42 and 44 feed the side-throw nozzles 36 and the hose 46 feeds the boom 32.

2413 07/07/99 Figure 2 shows the bike from above, and shows a flexible pipe 54 which leads from the rear tank 20 to the front tank 28. Conventional pipe couplings 56 are provided in this pipe. The couplings 56 are of the dry-break type so that they can be disconnected without any spillage of liquid from either side.

The front tank 28 is divided into three regions, 58, 60 and 62. The pipe 54 leads into the chamber 58 through another disconnectable, dry-break coupling 56. Inside the chamber 58 is a filter 60 and a pump 38. The pump pumps liquid from the tank 20, through the pipe 54 into a manifold 62, and from there to the outlet hoses 40, 42, 44, 46. Each of these hoses in controlled by a valve (40a, 42a, 44a, 46a) within the chamber 58. These valves 40a, 42a, 44a, 46a are controlled by switches 64 on a control unit 66. The control unit 66 also includes a pressure gauge 68 which monitors the pressure in the system. A pressure relief valve 70 acts as a safety feature to limit the pressure which can be built up in the system.

The lance 48 can be stored on the bike by laying it across the bike between the front tank unit 28 and the handlebars 18.

Also in the front tank unit is a storage box 60 (which can have a lockable catch) and a water compartment 62 with a cap 72 through which it can be filled and through which access can be had. A drain tap 74 is provided f or this compartment. A drain tap 76 for the rear tank unit 20 allows that tank to be drained either to empty it or to decant liquid into an alternative container such as a knapsack sprayer.

2413 07/07/99 The tank units 20 and 28 can be easily dismounted from the quad bike so that the bike can be used for other functions. In this case some of the piping and some of the electrical leads may remain on the bike, and can he reconnected through quick-connect couplings when the spraying function is restored.

Because the controls are forward of and in easy reach of the driver the sprayer can be operated safely in pedestrianised, busy traffic or obstructed areas.

All on/off switches are electrical. There are separate switches 64 for each offset nozzle 36 and for the main boom 32, 34. The driver can therefore switch the spray is between nozzles at the touch of a button without needing to stop or get off the bike.

The pressure control system is designed so that pressure changes are minimised when nozzles are switched on or off and so that the driver can adjust the pressure instantly, during operation.

Low-pressure nozzle tips are used to minimise the risk of drift. Each spray head can have a plurality of nozzle holders mounted in rotating turrets so that the operator can quickly select the correct nozzle tip for the particular job to be carried out, and all the nozzle bodies are fitted with non-drip check valves so that there is no dribbling when the nozzles are switched off.

The arrangement shown in the drawings can have a spray width adjustable from about two meters down to a few centimetres, and the boom 32 as well as the offset nozzles 36 can be easily raised or lowered to give quick and easy 35 height adjustment. The nozzles 34 can be slid along the boom to the required position. The position and angle of 2413 07/07/99 the offset nozzle holders 36 at each end of the boom are infinitely variable so that the operator can achieve accurate direction of spray for offset spraying.

The spraying will normally be carried out at low pressure, i.e. about one bar.

The pump 38 would normally be electrically powered, but alternatively a mechanically powered pump could be used particularly where a mechanical power take off is available, for example on small tractors.

The apparatus described is therefore highly controllable and enables very accurate dispensing of chemicals. Both the motion of the vehicle and the extent and positioning of the spray can be controlled with great care by the driver, thus avoiding any significant risk of spraying in the wrong areas.

Although the description has referred to the use of the spraying apparatus on a quad bike, it is to be understood that the apparatus could be readily adapted for other,sit-on, vehicles.

2413 07/07/99 8

Claims (15)

Claims

1. A self-propelled vehicle with spraying apparatus mounted thereon, the vehicle having a liquid reservoir tank mounted behind the driver's position, a spray boom mounted at the front of the vehicle to spray liquid on the ground in front of the vehicle, a pump for pumping liquid to the boom, pipes for conveying liquid from the tank, via the pump, to the boom, and pump controls mounted in front of the driver's position.

2. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 2, wherein two main tank units are detachably mounted on the vehicle and connected by flexible pipes, one unit forming the reservoir and being mounted behind the driver and the other unit containing the pump and being mounted in f ront of the driver.

3. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the f ront unit includes a container for clean water, for hand washing purposes, and a dry storage space.

4. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein both tank units are of stainless steel.

5. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pump includes a self-cleaning filter and has multiple valved outlets.

6. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 5, wherein one of the valved outlets is to a hand held spray lance connected to the pump by a hose which allows the lance to be moved away from the vehicle for a local spot application of chemical to the ground.

2413. DOC 04/07/00 9

7. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pump controls include a pressure gauge, a pressure relief valve and on/off switches for multiple valved pump outlets.

8. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein nozzles are mounted on the spray boom, and the boom is mounted on the front tank unit.

9. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the spray boom has two nozzles.

10. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the boom width is adjustable to alter the spacing between the nozzles on the boom.

11. A vehicle as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 10, wherein side-throw nozzles are mounted on nozzle holders f or spraying on either side of the path of movement of the vehicle, the side-throw nozzles being adjustable for angle and height.

12. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the reservoir tank has a sight gauge to enable the driver to be aware of the liquid level in the tank.

13. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tank has a drain tap at or near the bottom of the tank to allow the tank to be emptied and/or to allow the contents of the tank to be decanted into another container.

14. Spraying apparatus for mounting on a self-propelled vehicle, the apparatus comprising a liquid reservoir tank to be mounted on the vehicle behind the driver's position, a spray nozzle or nozzles to be mounted at the front of 2413. DOC 04/07/00 the vehicle to spray liquid on the ground in front of the vehicle, a pump for pumping liquid to the nozzles, pipes for conveying liquid from the tank, via the pump, to the nozzles, and pump controls to be mounted on the vehicle in 5 front of the driver's position.

15. A self-propelled vehicle with spraying apparatus mounted thereon substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2413. DOC 04/07/00