Better weed killer pump?

[Stephen Tashiro]

Jugs of weed killer are sold that include a sprayer that has an anemic AA battery driven pump. Does anyone sell a sprayer with stronger pump that would fit on these jugs ? - maybe with a pump that runs on two or three AA batteries ?

[Bruce Page]

Funny, I have a 2-3 year old Round-Up gallon jug that I keep refilling. It's still on its original batteries.

[Wade Lippman]

Have you tried it? I have had one for a few years and it is marvelous.

[Michael Weber]

My Roundup 365 jug has 4 AA batteries in the pump handle

[Adam Herman]

I have one of these single AA setups on a jug of bug spray. It has been working for several years.

for everything else, the best thing is a pressure pot type sprayer. Mine is round-up branded and has been perfectly reliable over about 3 years and has a nice long wand and adjustable spray. I use it for weed killer, vegetation killer, insect stuff for the garden. just wash it out well between uses. You can buy jugs of concentrate from the farm stores for about 1/2 what you get the quarts at the borg for.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have 3 pump sprayers...one for Roundup....one for 2-4-D and one for pesticides...

Yesterday, I cleaned my Roundup sprayer.....pumped it up and sprayed. In Idaho, we are so remote, I haven't seen the battery operated ones yet.

[Myk Rian]

Battery operated sprayer? Really?
Get a Roundup pump type.

[Bruce Page]

Battery operated sprayer? Really?
Get a Roundup pump type.

I have a couple of 1 gal sprayers that you draw out the pump to use. The battery powered ones are so much nicer.

[Malcolm McLeod]

The battery operated ones are quick and easy, but I have this absurd vision of charging a paint-ball air cylinder to 120psi, rig it to a 3-5psi regulator, and flex hose to the bleed port on a pump sprayer. Result = 2 gallons mixed from (cheap) concentrate, steady pressure, even delivery, no pumping, and massive broadleaf casualties. "Have-pressure-will-travel":D (...Should be do-able for only a few hundred bucks.)

We all need a little fantasy in our lives!

[Ed Aumiller]

Took a windshield washer pump, put it in bottom of tank, use a 12v battery from an old B&D drill, works great..

[John K Jordan]

Jugs of weed killer are sold that include a sprayer that has an anemic AA battery driven pump. Does anyone sell a sprayer with stronger pump that would fit on these jugs ? - maybe with a pump that runs on two or three AA batteries ?

Stephen,

I gave up on wimpy pumps years ago. At the farm here I do a lot of spraying in certain areas to keep the weeds down: up and down the drive, fence lines, around the barnyard, etc. What works for me is a backpack sprayer. It holds 3-4 gallons and has a comfortable pump handle worked with one hand. It pressurizes just a small chamber in side and the lever is long enough that it's very little effort to pump. It has good shoulder straps and is not uncomfortable to wear. This may be too much sprayer for your application but I think they make similar but smaller backpack sprayers that might work perfectly. But if all you have is a few dandelions even the small one might be too much.

My other big sprayer fits on a 4-wheeler and runs off the 12v battery. If you really want a sprayer that runs on battery power you could probably adapt the pump and wand from one of these to fit into a smaller tank you could carry around and run it from a rechargeable 12 cordless tool battery.

The other small (2-gal) sprayer I can recommend is the one I use the most. It's made of steel instead of plastic and has a brass wand and nozzle, purchased from the local farm store - I've never seen anything like it at Home Depot. I used to have to buy new cheap plastic sprayers every year or so until I got this one - very heavy duty and works well. I use one mostly to spray sulfur on the peach trees during the growing season to make them untasty to bugs. There is nothing anemic about this sprayer - I can spray a fine mist or a stream that reaches 15' to the top of a tree.

BTW, I would never buy Roundup. Roundup sells the consumer a pre-diluted product at a big convenience (and profit) markup. When I spray I typically need about 6 gallons of herbicide. Farmers can't afford to use Roundup.

The chemical compound in Roundup is glyphosate which can be bought at a tiny fraction of the cost at a farm store if you buy concentrate. Our local store used to carry a brand called Gly-4 but they have something else now which is identical - just ask or read the label. I buy concentrated glyphosate in 2.5 gallon jugs which might last me for several years. Most stores should carry the concentrate in smaller amounts too. It only takes a few ounces of concentrate to make the equivalent of a gallon of Roundup depending on what you want to kill. You can easily mix a higher or lower concentration as needed. The stuff doesn't go bad.

Also, when spraying herbicide I mix a special dye with the liquid so I can tell exactly where I have sprayed.

JKJ

[Curt Harms]

Also, when spraying herbicide I mix a special dye with the liquid so I can tell exactly where I have sprayed.


Soooo, what this 'special dye'? I spot spray dandelions and would like something like that so I know what's been sprayed.

[Malcolm McLeod]

Soooo, what this 'special dye'? I spot spray dandelions and would like something like that so I know what's been sprayed.

Check at farm stores. In this end of the world, Tractor Supply Co. carries a blue dye that makes sprayed area highly visible for a few minutes. IIRC, its a couple of $'s for enough to do 15-20 gallons of spray. (It may just be high priced food coloring. I've never tried food coloring, but might be worth a test..?)

[John K Jordan]

Soooo, what this 'special dye'? I spot spray dandelions and would like something like that so I know what's been sprayed.

I bought my first red dye at the farmer's co-op. It's often put in big tanks so a little goes a long way.

What I like better is a blue dye I ordered from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ORSXR8
It has an easy measuring system built in for less mess. At the recommended mixing concentration of 1/2 to 1 oz per 1-3 gallons it might be a lifetime supply. I tend to add a little extra to make it easier to see. As mentioned, it fades away after a bit. I can usually see where I've sprayed maybe 10 minutes later.

I use it with both full-spectrum herbicide around the farm and with selective broad leaf weed killer in the animal paddoks (about 1 acre or so each).

it will turn a white plastic sprayer a nice color. :-)

JKJ