Power Spray Rigs - Why Do Some Cost More Than Others?

At Qspray.com we sell a lot of pest control spray rigs and weed control sprayers.  I talk to lots of company owners and buyers.   I am amazed at home many purchasers of power sprayers don't ask enough questions or who's only question is "How much does it cost?"  If that is the primary question, there is a pretty good chance you are going to end up with crap.

There are large variations in price and quality but if you only ask about price you will never see the difference until you have a problem. 

Here is a great example. This is a photo of a weed spray rig made by a company that sells a lot of them.  Look at the reel lift.  The reel is spot welded in a couple of places to a light duty hollow steel tube and bolted to the base with a single small bolt (white arrows).  This reel holds 300' of 1/2" spray hose.  I am not sure what 300 feet of water filled hose and a hose reel weigh, but it is certainly more than 100 pounds.  Think about what will happen when that hose is full and this sprayer gets bounced around in back of the truck.

I would venture that there is a near certainty that these welds will break. When that happens, you are down for at least a day for repairs. It could be more if the reel falls down and damages the pump.  

Most manufacturer's do not call out the grade or thickness of the metal they are using to build a power sprayer so if you don't ask you won't know.  In this case, you will find out fast when the welds break the reel comes loose.

Here is an example of how to build a pest control sprayer or weed spray rig for extra hard use.  

This reel is bolted in 4 places to a heavy-duty 3/16" steel mounting plate. The mounting plate is welded to two vertical members of 3/16" 4" steel channel. All joints are welded on both sides for extra strength. This reel lift is absolutely indestructible.  

We do it this way because we don't want you to have problems and we don't want to have to fix it.  

In fact, this setup is so sturdy, we once had a client get T-boned in an intersection. His truck rolled 3 times. The reel & lift prevented the roof of his truck from caving in on the passenger and probably saved his life. 

Moral of the story: When buying a pest control spray rig or weed control sprayer, ask more questions and understand what you are getting.