Apache AS710 sprayer | Indiana farmer Nathan Rowings constructed a fully operational mini model
Nathan Rowings liked his first Apache AS710 so much he decided to build himself a second one from scratch, although only one-tenth as big as the original.
Both sprayers have mechanical drive with a three-speed shift-on-the-fly transmission, hydraulic steering, three-section hydraulic fold-out booms, 64 nozzles that spray liquid, a suspension with shock absorbers, big disc brakes and fully functional lighting for night spraying or highway transit.
Rowings said he always enjoyed building models as a kid, so there was no turning back when he came up with the idea of replicating his real AS710 four years ago,.
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“This project started out with just a dremel rotary tool and then got a little out of hand. Now I have a vertical mill, a lathe and a basement full of other machine tools,” the Indiana farmer said.
“Most everything is scratch built by me. A good portion of the sprayer is made of brass. The booms, tank cradle, cab, front axle assembly, things like that. I built it pretty much just for the heck of it. The parts are almost an exact replica of the real thing. I have the big one (Apache) out in the yard, so it was easy to go out and measure something and then come back to the basement and bring it down to scale.”
The controls are the same as those used on remote control model aircraft, with the same compact 12-volt battery used to run the hydraulic pump and spray pump.
The battery-powered motors currently used in radio controlled aircraft run at a much higher r.p.m. than Rowings needed for a model field sprayer, so he inserted a speed control manager between the battery and motor.
The finished product weighs 25 pounds and has a 7.5 foot wing spread when the booms are fully extended.
“I built all 64 little brass nozzles myself,” he said.
“The biggest part of the hole in each nozzle is 0.008 of an inch. That’s the biggest hole. For the graphics, Apache emailed me all the logos and I scaled them down to fit.”
Rowings figures he spent $2,500 to $3,000 plus a lot of hours building the world’s shortest high-clearance sprayer.
For more information, contact him at 765-721-2442 or big_farmer2004@yahoo.com.
