# Boom sprayer or boomless sprayer: compare the field arrangement URL: https://leafwrit.com/us/boom-sprayer-selection/ Reviewed: 2026-10-29 A boom sprayer distributes liquid through outlets arranged along a physical boom. A boomless low-pressure arrangement uses a central nozzle cluster to produce a horizontal pattern. Boomless equipment can suit irregular areas and obstacles. Choose the arrangement for the field and area to be treated, then check delivery using its calibration procedure. ## Match equipment to field conditions and labor Match equipment to farm conditions and available labor. Excessively large equipment can be impractical in small or irregular fields. ## Boom height and nozzle spacing Adjust boom height to the nozzle arrangement. Nozzle size depends on application volume, ground speed and spacing; use the manufacturer's height and spacing recommendations. ## Pump capacity for nozzles and agitation The pump must supply the nozzles and hydraulic agitation while maintaining the desired pressure. ## Boom support and plumbing at working width A boom comparison should include the physical support arrangement as well as the advertised span. Support members help minimize boom bounce. Check pressure along the boom and investigate restrictions when the difference is large. Nozzle wear, blockage and hose restrictions can cause incorrect flow. ## Strainers and screens Strainers keep dirt, rust flakes and other foreign material out of the spray circuit. Plugging causes downtime and uneven application. Choose a screen compatible with the nozzle opening using the nozzle catalog. ## Shutoff, bypass and pressure regulation Identify whether the installation uses a throttling valve, spring-loaded bypass valve or unloader. A throttling valve restricts pump output; a bypass regulator diverts liquid back to the tank as pressure changes. An unloader has different behavior when outlets shut down, reducing strain by returning overflow at low pressure. Use quick-acting cutoff valves between the regulator and nozzles, with adequate pressure ratings, flow capacity and accessible controls. ### Wet boom sprayer: identify the liquid-carrying pipe In a wet boom sprayer, liquid passes through a pipe with the nozzle bodies attached directly to it. ## Match the pump mechanism to the formulation Roller, gear, centrifugal, diaphragm and piston pumps differ in priming, tolerance of abrasive mixtures and component materials. For hydraulic agitation, the pump capacity must cover the agitator, boom and any auxiliary handgun operating together. Never run pumps dry or outside the manufacturer's recommended speed and pressure. Roller pumps are self-priming and suit nonabrasive formulations such as emulsifiable concentrates and soluble powders. Their replaceable rollers can wear rapidly with wettable powders. Gear pumps also self-prime, but that ability declines with wear. Their metal components suit oil-diluted formulations; abrasive powders accelerate wear and the parts generally cannot be replaced. Centrifugal pumps move high volumes at lower pressures. They need mounting below the tank outlet or a built-in priming system. Their impeller does not contact the housing, which helps them handle abrasive mixtures. A diaphragm pump separates most moving metal components from the spray mixture, except its valves. This improves resistance to wettable-powder abrasion, but solvents can damage rubber or neoprene diaphragms. Piston pumps use replaceable cups made from leather, neoprene or nylon fabric. ### Trace suction, pressure and return plumbing Use reinforced suction hose to resist collapse. Its internal diameter and fittings should be at least as large as the pump inlet. Pressure hose needs a working-pressure rating matching the maximum operating pressure and a burst rating above peak pressure. Select materials resistant to the pesticide's oils and solvents and to outdoor weathering. Keep the regulator bypass fully open and unrestricted. It must carry the pump's full output without excessive pressure buildup. Connect hydraulic agitator jets to the pressure side of the pump, rather than to that bypass discharge. Too little agitation leaves an uneven mixture; excessive agitation can cause foaming that interferes with pump and nozzle operation. ### Compare agitation and filter access Bypass agitation uses returning liquid and should discharge at the tank bottom to limit foaming. Soluble powders and emulsifiable concentrates need less agitation than wettable-powder suspensions. Mechanical agitation uses driven blades or propellers along the bottom of the tank to keep suspended material mixed. A shutoff valve between tank and suction strainer permits cleaning without draining the tank. Replace deteriorated screens. ## Boom sprayer for a tractor, UTV, truck or trailer: choose by how it is carried A boom sprayer is named by what carries it, and the carrier decides the questions to ask. A 3-point hitch sprayer with boom (also written three point hitch, 3 pt hitch or three point boom sprayer) hangs on the tractor's three-point hitch; a trailed boom sprayer, a tow behind sprayer with boom and a trailer sprayer with boom are pulled; a UTV sprayer with boom, an ATV sprayer with boom and wand and a boom sprayer for a Gator or Ranger sit on the vehicle's bed or rack; a receiver hitch sprayer boom (Reese hitch) plugs into a hitch receiver; a truck boom sprayer or pickup truck boom sprayer and a truck mounted boom sprayer ride in the bed; a boom sprayer for a mini tractor, compact tractor, ride-on mower, golf cart or skid steer is the same unit scaled to that machine. The same checks apply to every one of them: boom length and height range, nozzle spacing, pump capacity for nozzles plus agitation, and the carrier's own rating for the loaded tank. Booms of low-pressure sprayers run from 10 to 60 feet, and the most common are between 20 and 35 feet long. The supports should allow the boom to be set at any height from 12 to 72 inches above the surface being sprayed. A folding sprayer boom, a 45 foot sprayer boom, an aluminum or carbon fiber spray boom, a front boom on a self-propelled sprayer, a ditch sprayer boom and a vertical boom sprayer differ in span, material and orientation, not in these checks. Sprayer boom wheels and touchdown wheels for sprayer booms belong to the support arrangement of the boom: support members help minimize boom bounce, so compare how the boom is supported, not only the span printed in an advertisement. ### 3 point hitch sprayer with boom, three point boom sprayer and trailed boom sprayer A 3 point hitch sprayer with boom (three point boom sprayer) is carried on the tractor's lift arms, so check the lift capacity with the tank full. A trailed boom sprayer and a trailer sprayer with boom are pulled behind the tractor on their own wheels; ask for the tongue weight and the boom width in transport. A pedestrian boom sprayer is pushed by hand and a ute spray boom or a boom sprayer for pickups rides in the vehicle bed; for all of them compare boom length, nozzle spacing and pump output, then calibrate the unit you buy. ### Weed killer boom sprayer, spray booms for agriculture, recirculating and super spray booms A weed killer boom sprayer is an ordinary boom sprayer used with a herbicide. Spray booms for agriculture are sold dry, with the nozzles, hoses and pump separate, or as a complete unit. For a recirculating sprayer boom, trace the return plumbing as described in the suction, pressure and return plumbing section above. Boom x tender spray nozzles, or any named nozzle series, fit only the nozzle bodies they are made for, so match the nozzle body to the boom. ## Boomless sprayers: 3-point hitch, UTV and pasture units A boomless sprayer (a boomless pasture sprayer, a boomless 3-point hitch sprayer, a 100 or 110 gallon UTV boomless sprayer, or a 150, 200 or 300 gallon boomless sprayer) has a central nozzle cluster that produces a horizontal spray pattern. It suits irregular areas because it avoids trees and other obstacles. Boomless pasture sprayer nozzles are the cluster tips of this arrangement; the delivery of the cluster is measured with its own calibration, not taken from a boom formula. ### 3pt boomless sprayer A 3pt boomless sprayer is a boomless unit carried on the tractor's three-point hitch. It sprays from a central nozzle cluster instead of a folding boom, so there is no boom to set at height and it passes between trees, fence lines and other obstacles. Because the unit rides on the lift arms, check the lift capacity with a full tank, then measure the swath and the output of the installed cluster at the pressure and ground speed you will use; the supplier's chart for the cluster is not a calibration. ## Boom length in metres and tank size in litres A 12 m boom is 39.4 feet, because 1 foot is exactly 0.3048 m. That is longer than the usual 20 to 35 foot boom, so a 12 m boom needs the support, height range and pump capacity described above for its full width. A 100 L tank is 26.4 US gallons, since a US gallon is 3.785 litres. A 100 L boom sprayer is therefore a 26.4 gallon unit, and a 12 volt unit of that size is checked the same way. ## Cheap, mini and 12 volt boom sprayers A cheap boom sprayer, a mini boom sprayer and a 12 volt boom sprayer are compared by the same list as a large one: a pump that covers nozzles and agitation, strainers matched to the nozzle opening, a shutoff valve for each section and a calibration you can repeat. Price alone leaves those open. ## Calibrate sprayer formula: the 5940 equation The 5940 equation links three numbers you usually know (gallons per acre, field speed and nozzle spacing) to the fourth. Each form uses the same letters: GPA is gallons per acre, MPH is field speed, GPM is nozzle flow in gallons per minute and W is the width between nozzles in inches. - **Nozzle size for a target rate:** GPM = (GPA × MPH × W) ÷ 5,940. For a label rate of 20 GPA, nozzles 18 inches apart and 4 MPH, (20 × 4 × 18) ÷ 5,940 is 0.24 gallons per minute per nozzle. - **Output of the boom you have:** GPA = (GPM × 5,940) ÷ (MPH × W). A boom with 18-inch spacing, 0.2 GPM nozzles and 4 MPH gives (0.2 × 5,940) ÷ (4 × 18) = 16.5 GPA. - **Speed for a target rate:** MPH = (GPM × 5,940) ÷ (GPA × W). At 10 GPA, 24-inch spacing and 0.2 GPM, the speed is 4.95 MPH. The equation gets you close, but it does not guarantee the rate in the field, because uneven or failed nozzles change the real output. After the arithmetic, check the actual output in the field. The boom check is in [calibrating a boom sprayer](/us/agricultural-spray-nozzle-types/), and the full procedure in the [calibration guide](/us/crop-sprayer-calibration/). ## Next step Use the [calibration guide](/us/crop-sprayer-calibration/) to document the installed boom and nozzle output. ### What is the difference between a boom sprayer and a boomless sprayer? A physical boom carries an arrangement of outlets; a boomless low-pressure setup uses a central nozzle cluster. Compare the measured pattern and field geometry. ### Should I choose a tow behind sprayer with boom? Towing limits come from the vehicle maker's gross vehicle towing weight rating; the [ATV and UTV sprayer guide](/us/atv-utv-sprayer-selection/) covers trailer brakes, tires and hitch. ### Does a 25 gallon sprayer with boom determine application rate? Application rate depends on nozzle output, ground speed and coverage width. Measure the installed configuration; gallon capacity only describes the tank.