Top hat filters in spray line

[legin]

Do many operators use top hat filters with Guardian Air nozzles?

 

[David.]

I still use them on every nozzle, dont matter how well you seem to rinse out, there always seems to be PDM sludge/flakes in the spray lines.

 

[Kidds]

I have bought, but not used yet, some top hat filters with inbuilt anti drip.
There are a couple of nozzles I just can’t get to stop dripping so hoped they might do something.

 

[Brisel]

I hate top hat filters. Really fiddly and time consuming to check & clean. Not quite so easy to see when partially blocked either. I still have them on dribble bars though as stripping down dribble bars is a real PITA. I'd sooner have the nozzles block as you can see them quickly & we always carry a bag of spares. Usually it's glyphosate after a long run of suspension products that cleans the lines out which causes most blockages. I prefer decent pressure filters (80# with 025 nozzles) & If I had to, would go back to fitting extra in line filters on the spray lines like I used to have when running Guardian Air Twins.

 

[legin]

We've put a pink pressure filter in, running Guardian Air 03s. Chap who services & MOTs it says no need for top hat filters now, but worried about blocked nozzles.

 

[Brisel]

Pink??

 

[JD6920s]

Do many operators use top hat filters with Guardian Air nozzles?

No

 

[legin]

Uhmmmm, will check tomorrow.

 

[Exfarmer]

Top hat filters are the work of the devil

 

[Bovril]

Just started using them as my sprayer has crap filtering.
Work well, just takes a long time to clean.
Took them out the other week as they were fully gunked up with orange and white sludge, but did a jug test first and I still had perfect rate, and obviously the pattern was fine.
A few hours cleaning on a windy day is a lot better than cleaning blocked nozzles in the field, big gloves and smelling chemical on your hands all day...

 

[D14]

Do many operators use top hat filters with Guardian Air nozzles?

Ran them for the last few years. We take them out and clean them 2 or 3 times a season and you’d be surprised how much crap they collect.

 

[Skimmer]

They are only necessary when boom lines are mucked up otherwise stick to inline filters as close to nozzles as possible. Leaving chemical in the booms over night is the main cause of chemical crud building up in booms so give them a quick rinse even if you are using the same chemical the next day.

 

[JJT]

I'm thinking of adding some top hat filters to my sprayer, as even though i rinse out the boom at end of each day it still seems to end up with deposits settling out and blocking nozzles. Not having recirculating boom lines doesnt help I think, as there are a lot of dead ends that are hard to rinse out. Am using 025 bubble jet nozzles, with a yellow main filter. Would blue or green top hat filters be best?

 

[Boysground]

I have them with guardian airs. As has been said I get issues usually after glyphosate. I wonder how much flow reduces when they start to sludge up. Went to a meeting a couple of weeks back and was told that BASF Nutrilize is very good at cleaning gunk out of spray lines. Think I will give that a go.

Bg

 

[Brisel]

DeSangosse Tanks & Equipment Cleaner is also very good for washing the machine out. Frontier sell it. We've found that neat All Clear Extra is good for sorting blocked nozzles if you leave them to soak the clean them in a sink. Filters after the pressure sensor or flow meter will cause underdosing not visible from the cab if they are partly blocked. Liquid fertiliser or glyphosate are very good for loosening deposits!

I'm thinking of adding some top hat filters to my sprayer, as even though i rinse out the boom at end of each day it still seems to end up with deposits settling out and blocking nozzles. Not having recirculating boom lines doesnt help I think, as there are a lot of dead ends that are hard to rinse out. Am using 025 bubble jet nozzles, with a yellow main filter. Would blue or green top hat filters be best?

Dead ends on spray lines are awful - fit taps you can turn on to purge the lines out when washing out. See my chart above for filter sizes depending on nozzle size.

 

[David.]

At Nroso points day recently, instructor told us that Glyphosate was originally going to be a cleaning agent, which may explain why it dislodges crap in spray lines so well.
Allman used to have very good tophat filters that were made entirely out of stainless, dont know if they can still be got. Much better than the Hardi plastic and stainless ones that break off at the base.

 

[JJT]

Ok silly question, but how do you fit top hat filters? Do you need thinner washers or will they force on? Just tired fitting one and it felt like it was going to break something it was that tight. I presume they just go in above the nozzle washer?

 

[Phil P]

Ok silly question, but how do you fit top hat filters? Do you need thinner washers or will they force on? Just tired fitting one and it felt like it was going to break something it was that tight. I presume they just go in above the nozzle washer?

There should be a small recess just above the washer for the filter to sit in. However I’m not sure if newer versions come with the washer as part of the filter. Not used them for about 10 years now.

 

[2wheels]

Ok silly question, but how do you fit top hat filters? Do you need thinner washers or will they force on? Just tired fitting one and it felt like it was going to break something it was that tight. I presume they just go in above the nozzle washer?

you don't, they are the work of the devil. far better to fit a good line filter on each section.

 

[principal skinner]

you don't, they are the work of the devil. far better to fit a good line filter on each section.

Absolutely agree with this, with top hat filters removing gunk just before the nozzle you have no idea what you are applying at each nozzle. Inline pressure filters are the only way imo