You will NOT get a accurate ground speed by calculating using tire diameter. The reason being you would need to be using the actual ROLLING radius of the tire, when loaded with the actual load and actual tire pressure. Then you also have wheel slippage which is usually 3-5%. Your making this much more difficult than you need to. Here is a much simpler way to find your ground speed.
1) Measure out a distance in the ground your going to be spraying on. Meaning if it is disked fluffy soil then measure out a 200-300 foot distance on that type of ground. Set two stakes marking your distance. Estimate what gear and engine speed you think will get you your targeted ground speed. With your sprayer half full of water, get up to speed and drive your measured distance. Use a stop watch or you cell phone to time how long it take you to drive the measured course. So just start your timer when you pass the first mark and stop the timer when you pass the second. You need to be moving at your set speed when you pass both the beginning and end of you distance.
Now the math. One MPH is 88 ft. in one minute. So if your targeted speed is 5 MPH then you would need to travel (5 x 88 =) 440 feet in one minute. Easiest way is to make your distance 220 feet and travel it in exactly 30 seconds and you will be traveling 5 MPH.
2) Gallons per acre. You will need a rate chart for your sprayer tip. Those will usually tell you the gallons per minute or Pressure you need for so many gallons per acre at a set speed. You can calculate it but it is involve and you say your not good at math so get a chart.
Now getting your gallons per minute for your sprayer tip. With what your going to be spraying in the sprayer. Meaning water or 28%. Without any chemicals. The reason being is the viscosity is different between the two. You need a higher pressure to get the same gallons per acre when using 28%.
You need your ground speed figured out. Then run your tractor at the engine speed you will be using when your traveling at your targeted speed. Example if your 5 MPH is at 1700 RPM is fifth gear then you would need to run your tractor at 1700 RPM so the PTO speed is what it will be when your spraying. Then set your sprayer pressure to what you need to get your gallons per acre. Again look at your nozzle chart. So if you need 35 PSI then set your sprayer at 35 PSI. Keep in mind the pressure needed is at the sprayer tip. So the pressure at your control valve will need to be a little higher because of line loss. This difference is higher with 28% too. Example 35 PSI at the nozzle maybe 38 PSI at the gauge on the control.
Start your sprayer running and catch the liquid at one nozzle for one minute in a container that you can measure ounces in. Take the ounces you catch in one minute and divided it by 128 to get gallons per minute. If your container will not hold what the sprayer puts out in one minute than use 30 seconds and divide by 64. example for 30 seconds: 48 ounces caught (48/64=) .75 gallons per minute.
With the gallons per minute and the speed you can use a nozzle chart to get your rate per acre. Usually I use the gallons per minute to find out the actual nozzle pressure. Then just use that and ground speed to find the gallons per acre. Most charts will tell you the gallons per minute flow a nozzle puts out at set pressures.
Actually most nozzle books have the way to calibrate your sprayer listed in them. It will be usually finding true ground speed and actual nozzle pressure. You only need the two things to set your sprayer.
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Today's Featured Article - Listening to Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. Years ago there was a TV show about a talking car. Unless you are from another planet, physically or otherwise, I don’t think our internal combustion buddies will talk and tell us their problems. But, on the other hand, there is a secret language that our mechanical companions readily do speak. It is an interesting form of communication that involves all the senses of the listener. In this series we are going to investigate and learn the basic rudimentary skills of understanding this lingo.
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