THE WICK

Our Wick Weeders are comprised of a 3” tube with individual ropes or wicks overlapping each other along the 5’ length of tube. The wicks are 18” in length with an 8” exposure outside the tube. The wick is fed with chemical mixture from both ends. The chemical only has to travel 4”. The wick is a ½” rope with wick material in the center with a very tough nylon sheath on top. Because of the rope diameter this wick is very aggressive when it hits a weed making excellent contact with the weed.

CAPACITIES

The 5’ wick is the most common size but our company will manufacture lengths of any dimension. Each foot of length holds 1.4 liters of solution.

 

RATES

The normal mix ratio is 2:1 (two parts water to one part chemical). The chemical is used as a thickening agent and therefore if you put water by itself in the wick weeder it will run out readily. The mix ratio of 2:1 is used primarily for products like Roundup and Touchdown.

 

PRODUCTS

Roundup, Roundup Transorb, Touchdown.

Other chemicals may also be used by themselves or in combination but they should be tested in a jar for jelling.

Other chemicals which have been added in small amounts are Lontrel, 24D, etc.

A field with a moderate infestation of weeds would use a very small amount of actual chemical (i.e. 1/8 of a liter per acre of actual Roundup).

 

TRAVEL SPEED

Best results are obtained with speeds of 4 to 6 miles per hour in the field.

 

MACHINE OPERATION

The rate of flow out on the wicks is controlled by a cap and rubber grommet. On initial setup solution is put into the tubes through a top loading cap. As you are filling the machine if there is any excessive dripping you would slightly tighten the cap at that spot until the drip only occurs at intervals of less that 20 seconds. In true field operation this slight amount of dripping will not occur because product is being used from the wick. Dripping is not an issue with our wick weeder.

 

CLEAN OUT AND CLEAN UP

If the wick weeder is not used for more than a day we suggest that it be drained. This is very simply accomplished by removing the end wick of each tube and draining that tube. On a 40’ machine this is accomplished in 10 minutes or less.

If the wicks accumulate a build up of dirt or green plant material they can be washed by simply pouring water over them or if a garden hose or high pressure washer is handy they can be used also.

Changing from one chemical to another does not require special clean up if the chemicals are compatible. Remember this machine is only contacting the weeds.

 

WINTER STORAGE

The tubes should be drained and the wicks washed with a hose. If possible the entire machine should be stored indoors. If this is not possible the individual tubes can be removed quickly and stored inside. A small amount of solution left in the tubes over the winter will not cause any problems.

 

USES OF THE WICK WEEDER

Pasture – thistles, buck brush, etc.

Establishment of hay land – broadleaf weeds, cereals, thistles, grassy weeds.

Pulse crop production – used to eliminate any plants growing above crop.

Parks – or other areas where drift is a concern.

 

OPTIONS

End wheels can be placed very simply and quickly on any of our machines.

Pressure System – 20 liter tank on a pedestal with hose, hose barbs and a bank of valves to control flow. This tank is used to provide extra capacity and flow onto the wicks where weed infestation is heavy.

 

ASSEMBLY

For example a 40’ machine would take 2 men approximately 4 hours to assemble.

 

SPECIALTY UNITS

We will custom build any size.