Before you park your sprayer in the shed for the Winter be sure to thoroughly clean and winterize it.
By taking a little extra time in the Fall you can prevent frost or ice damage which will ultimately save money come Spring.
Follow the guideline below to clean, winterize and perform some general maintenance before putting your sprayer away for the season.
1. Clean the exterior.
- Give the exterior a good wash and inspect for leaks, cracks and corrosion.
2. Clean the tank and solution system.
- Spray the tank until its empty.
- Fill tank, drain and flush tank, booms and lines with clean water.
- Fill tank with clean water and tank cleaning agent to increase the effectiveness of rinsing. Some chemicals require up to 9 rinse cycles which can be up to 3 tank fills. We recommend using Erase™ which you can find at your local Martin Deerline.
- Circulate the cleaning solution and operate the sprayer long enough to get the cleaning solution through the boom lines and nozzles.
- Remove boom end caps and flush out booms with half of the tank volume.
- Reinstall end caps. Spray out solution. When spraying water/cleaning solution out of the boom during rinse cycle, target 90 - 100 psi to help move sediment out of the boom.
3. Winterize the sprayer plumbing.
- We recommend using John Deere Spraymaster Winterizer Fluid to protect your sprayers plumbing through the cold temperatures. It is formulated to protect the entire liquid system from damage caused by freezing and corrosion.
- Follow the directions on the jug to mix the Winterizer Fluid at the correct ratio needed to protect the solution system down to the lowest expected temperature. Prepare enough total solution to fill the pump and booms of the liquid system.
- Start machine and recirculate the mixture through the entire system.
4. Clean and store nozzle tips and strainers.
- Remove and clean solution strainers, nozzle bodies, tips and end cap aspirators. Allow to soak in a bucket of cleaning solution.
- Dry thoroughly and store tips and strainers in a dry place for the Winter to prevent corrosion.
5. Clean the cab.
- Clean the interior of the cab.
- Check air filters.
- Remove the monitor or control console and store in a warm, dry place.
6. General maintenance.
- Change the engine oil and other lubricants.
- Grease all service points.
- Drain and flush cooling system.
7. Store out of the elements.
- Ideally the sprayer would be parked under cover for the Winter months out of the elements and direct sunlight.
The above are general guidelines to follow for off-season storage. By giving your sprayer a good cleaning and inspection in the Fall you will be saving time and money for when you are ready to bring it out of hibernation.
If you would like more extensive details on how to winterize your sprayer talk to your local Martin Deerline Service Team. And if you are running out of time this Fall, we can winterize it for you. Click here to book a Sprayer Winterization now.
