Deciding between skid units and ride-on models

When it comes to deciding between a self-propelled, ride-on or skid-type sprayer, there are a number of factors to consider, such as the type of properties you service, the ease of access to the landscapes, and—when it comes right down to it—what you’re used to. Here is a more detailed look at some of the general capabilities and advantages of each type.

Skid sprayers

offers skid sprayers in 25-, 50- and 100-gallon models. The smallest size allows operators to take advantage of the best of both worlds by splitting the difference between a skid sprayer and self-propelled unit. While it can be used as a traditional skid sprayer, “The 25-gallon has a unique hitch underneath the skid that adapts to a zero-turn mower, so it can be put on the front of zero-turn mowers,” explains Bruce , national sales manager with . That model comes standard with a 25-foot hose and spray gun. An optional boom attachment is available, as well as a “boomless nozzle,”“The boomless nozzle clips onto the front of the sprayer, and it’s like a fan sprayer that sprays down in front of the sprayer,” he says of the latter option, which provides about 12 feet of coverage side-to-side. The effect is similar to a boom, but without the boom.

The larger  sprayers—the 50- and 100-gallon models—are strictly skid-mount units“We have a trailer adapter that provides a wheel kit and a trailer tongue on the 50-gallon, so you can actually trailer it behind a utility vehicle,”“Really, though, they’re designed to be put in the back of a utility vehicle.” Some customers also mount them in the back of small pickups. The units are electric and come with 50 feet of hose and a reel so the hose can be manually wound up. “Being all-electric, they’re a little unique,” Currently, the larger  models are boomless only, the company expects to offer boom options later this year. So, for now, the larger models are used mainly for spot-spraying. “With the gun, it’s not really being used to go out and cover a whole 1/3-acre lawn,”

Reduced effort is one reason some contractors look at ride-on sprayers versus a skid unit, says  with  Company, which manufactures a full line of skid sprayers. The biggest advantage of a self-propelled sprayer “is, of course, the fact that you’re riding on it; there’s less work involved than pulling a hose around,” he says. “The problem is that when you get into residential areas and you have an average size lawn, especially if there’s trees spread out around it, by the time you simply get that piece of equipment unloaded with the ramps and get it set up and started, you could have just pulled the hose and been gone. That’s the biggest asset of skid sprayers.”

Ironically, bigger skid sprayers sometimes make the most sense for smaller yards, and smaller ride-on sprayers make the most sense for large lawns. “For the smaller, more compact yards with lots of trees, the skid-type sprayers have a lot of advantages in terms of being able to get the job done quickly. If you’re doing a big soccer field or something, then the ride-ons are the way to go.”