Necessity breeds invention. Pressed for time and labor, Dale Roberts built a mower-sprayer for his Pennsylvania orchards, and his innovation is a means to keep dollars in-pocket. One pass, two functions, he notes: “Why not spray and mow at the exact same time?”
In 2016, Roberts began designing a DIY mower-sprayer in his farm shop, and six years later, he has a patent and high hopes for a marketable piece of equipment. “It works so well for me and it’ll work the same for other growers,” Roberts says. “Same jobs, in at least half the time.”
The Overlords
Fourteen miles north of Gettysburg, in the rolling hills of Adams County, Roberts farms alongside his two brothers, Chris and Josh. The bi-vocational trio grows 100 acres of corn and soybeans, and 100 acres of apples—York Imperial, Yellow Delicious, Honeycrisp, Enterprise, and two varieties of Romes. (The brothers rent additional ground containing a fruit salad of additional apple varieties.)
Time and labor are the overlords of Roberts’ operation. “That’s how my mower-sprayer idea first started,” he explains. “I didn’t have enough hours in a day to finish everything in the orchard, especially during tough weather years. When it gets like that, something has to give.”
During a typical growing season, Roberts’ attention is zeroed on tree care—ensuring placement of adequate fungicide and pesticide. Mowing the middles and spraying herbicides for weed control beneath trees are secondary concerns. However, weather events or unforeseen circumstances often throw off the priority balance, enabling weeds to thrive: grasses, thistles, clover, marestail, broadleaves, and many more. “Once the weeds get ahead, they’re tall and tougher to kill, just like inside a row crop like soybeans,” he explains. “That’s why it’s crucial to get in on time to mow and spray for weeds.”
Time and Fuel Savings
In 2016, with no model to copy other than a blueprint pulled from his own creativity, Roberts scavenged the parts piles and scrap heaps of his shop and constructed a prototype version of a mower-sprayer. Trialing the dual-unit within his middles each season, he consistently added to the rigging, and obtained a patent. “I started perfecting it. For example, I began with a little electric pump, but couldn’t get enough flow, and moved up to a belt-driven pump.”
A fixed, 200-gallon tank sits atop the mower, and the pump connects to a driveline. From the tractor cab, Roberts uses manual on-or-off controls to manipulate three nozzles on each side of the sprayer. “I have a small wing I can fold back when necessary or use only a single wing according to row spacing. It can all be adjusted for a grower’s needs.”
And the savings? At a minimum, the mower-sprayer cuts passes by half, but can provide even greater benefits, contingent on orchard configuration, Roberts contends.
“A lot of guys mow up and down the tree row once or twice, and then depending on their weed boom, they’ll go up and down the row once or twice to spray,” he says. “The mower-sprayer cuts three passes out, or at least two, depending on the setup. Taken over a whole season, and then in successive years, the savings in time and fuel really start to add up.”
Robert’s spray kit is mounted on a 12’ Bush Hog, but can be adjusted for any mower. Mowing speed varies according to the grower, but Roberts stays at 3 miles per hour—a speed he has always preferred. “You get a nice cutting job and great coverage on weeds. With the mower-sprayer, I’m still at 3 miles per hour and getting the exact same efficiency and coverage. No difference.”
The unit can be connected and ready for use behind a tractor in less than five minutes, Roberts estimates. “A lot of guys that spray under trees by themselves have a tractor they mount weed booms on. That’s the only use for that tractor. Instead, you can unhook or hook the mower sprayer in five minutes, and you don’t tie up a tractor all year with a weed boom.”
Two Birds, One Stone
During the fall of 2021, Roberts sought the advice of Pennsylvania State University (PSU) at the Fruit Research and Extension Center (FREC) in Biglerville, and took the mower-sprayer for a trial run on FREC’s 180 acres of orchard space.
PSU Extension tree fruit pathologist, Kari Peter, observed the mower-sprayer in action. “Our main mission is to do research to help growers,” she says. “When a grower develops a technology, we can watch it in action and get a firsthand feel in separate setups. We tested the mower-sprayer in three different tree density settings and spacings.”
The spray coverage was as hoped, according to Peter. “The mowing was straightforward, but the big thing is the spraying capability. We saw the same coverage as if it was a solo weed sprayer. This is a way to use up far less time and maybe only use half as much fuel. Dale was seeking our recommendations, and our farm manager saw that more spring action on the boom might accommodate obstacles even better. That’s a suggestion that came directly out of the experience here.”
Orchards are frequently configured in long rows at roughly 500 to 2,000 trees per acre, Peter notes, and the high-density population heightens the competition for resources within the soil. The presence of weeds is a guaranteed nutrient-loss scenario. “Keeping trees free of weeds is a very important aspect of growing fruit,” Peter continues. “I think Dale’s innovation couldn’t come at a better time, because he can cut down on time and cut down on fuel. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”
“Any technology that reduces time or labor in an orchard is worthy of note”, Peter adds. “The biggest constant in this industry is labor and it is the No. 1 concern of growers. We’ve actually had growers that can’t harvest all their fruit due to a lack of labor. When you find equipment that reduces labor hours, that’s all the more reason to investigate further.”
Grower Needs
The mower-sprayer is a permanent member of the equipment roster on Roberts’ operation, and he believes it is a fit for any fruit grower. “There have been garage versions of a mower-sprayer in the past, but this one needs to go to the industry because it works like nothing else.”
In conclusion, Roberts adds, “I started building just for my farm, but when I saw how well it works, I knew it was something any grower needs. Who doesn’t want to save time and money?”
For more information, email dcroberts14@embarqmail.com or call 717-253-1079.
To read more stories from Chris Bennett (cbennett@farmjournal.com), see:
Tractorcade: How an Epic Convoy and Legendary Farmer Army Shook Washington, D.C.
Bagging the Tomato King: The Insane Hunt for Agriculture’s Wildest Con Man
How a Texas Farmer Killed Agriculture’s Debt Dragon
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Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years
The Arrowhead whisperer: Stunning Indian Artifact Collection Found on Farmland
Where’s the Beef: Con Artist Turns Texas Cattle Industry Into $100M Playground
Fleecing the Farm: How a Fake Crop Fueled a Bizarre $25 Million Ag Scam
Skeleton In the Walls: Mysterious Arkansas Farmhouse Hides Civil War History
US Farming Loses the King of Combines
Ghost in the House: A Forgotten American Farming Tragedy
Rat Hunting with the Dogs of War, Farming’s Greatest Show on Legs
Misfit Tractors a Money Saver for Arkansas Farmer
Government Cameras Hidden on Private Property? Welcome to Open Fields
Farmland Detective Finds Youngest Civil War Soldier’s Grave?
Descent Into Hell: Farmer Escapes Corn Tomb Death
Evil Grain: The Wild Tale of History’s Biggest Crop Insurance Scam
Grizzly Hell: USDA Worker Survives Epic Bear Attack
Farmer Refuses to Roll, Rips Lid Off IRS Behavior
Killing Hogzilla: Hunting a Monster Wild Pig
Shattered Taboo: Death of a Farm and Resurrection of a Farmer
Frozen Dinosaur: Farmer Finds Huge Alligator Snapping Turtle Under Ice
Breaking Bad: Chasing the Wildest Con Artist in Farming History
In the Blood: Hunting Deer Antlers with a Legendary Shed Whisperer
Corn Maverick: Cracking the Mystery of 60-Inch Rows
