53 in stock across 17 Indiana and Ohio dealerships, from $4,995 to $577,500.
It comes down to acres and passes. Above roughly 1,500 to 2,000 acres with multiple applications, a self-propelled machine usually justifies itself through speed, clearance for late season passes, and boom stability. Below about 1,000 acres, a pull type with a 90 to 120 foot boom does the same agronomic job for far less money and uses a tractor you already own. The middle range depends on whether you can afford to tie up a tractor during a narrow spray window.
A sprayer earns its keep by being ready the day the weather and the weed pressure line up, which in Indiana and Ohio is often a narrow window between rains. Whether you are looking at a self-propelled machine or a pull type, the used market is deep, and the components that decide whether it sprays accurately are the ones buyers most often skip.
Self-propelled sprayers give you speed, high clearance for late season applications, better boom stability, and cab comfort for long days. They also carry a much higher purchase price and their own engine, drivetrain, and suspension to maintain. For operations above roughly 1,500 to 2,000 acres with multiple passes per season, or for anyone doing custom work, the capacity usually justifies it.
Pull type sprayers cost far less, use a tractor you already own, and are simple to maintain. The tradeoffs are ground clearance, slower field speeds, boom stability on rough ground, and tying up a tractor during a window when you may want it elsewhere. For farms under about 1,000 acres running two or three passes, a pull type with a 90 to 120 foot boom is often the smarter money. Be honest about how many acres you actually need to cover in a three day window.
Boom width should match your planter and controlled traffic pattern so you are not driving over standing crop or creating a new wheel track pattern. A 120 foot boom pairs cleanly with a 12 row 30 inch planter at 30 feet, and 90 or 120 foot booms are the most common widths across the eastern Corn Belt. Wider booms cover more but demand better boom leveling and slower speeds in rough fields, and they are harder to keep out of trouble on end rows and around field edges.
Tank size determines how much time you spend at the tender rather than spraying. At a 15 gallon per acre carrier rate, a 1,000 gallon tank covers about 66 acres and a 1,200 gallon tank about 80. Add fill and travel time and the difference over a long day is significant. Also think about clearance if you plan late season fungicide or post applications in tall corn, because a machine that cannot get through in July limits your options at exactly the time flexibility matters.
Inspect the boom hinges, breakaways, and cradles first. Booms take abuse from end rows, fence posts, and folding under wind load. Look for bent sections, cracked welds at the hinge points, worn pivot bushings, and breakaway springs that no longer return the tip section to true. A boom that does not sit square or that oscillates will not deliver an even pattern regardless of how good the rate controller is. Check boom leveling cylinders and the suspension or air ride for leaks and drift.
Then work the plumbing. Test the pump, whether centrifugal or diaphragm, for output and for pressure that holds steady. Check every nozzle body, and specifically check the check valves, because failed check valves cause drips at the ends of passes and uneven pattern at startup. Look at nozzle tips for wear, since worn tips over apply and change droplet size. Inspect hoses for cracking and swelling, the strainers and screens for damage, and the boom section valves for slow response.
The rinse system is not optional equipment. Confirm the machine has a functional fresh water tank, rinse nozzles inside the main tank, and a working system that can flush the boom lines end to end. Carryover residue is a genuine crop risk, and a machine that cannot be cleaned properly will eventually cost you a field of beans. Ask what products the machine has run, especially any residual herbicides, and inspect the tank interior with a light for staining, sediment, and any cracking around fittings and the sump.
Look at material compatibility as well. Some seals, hoses, and gaskets deteriorate with certain chemistries and with fertilizer solutions. If a machine has spent its life applying liquid fertilizer, expect more corrosion on fittings and hardware than a machine that ran herbicide only. Budget a full plumbing refresh on any sprayer with an unknown history, which is inexpensive insurance compared to a drift or carryover claim.
Rate control, section control, and boom height control are where a sprayer earns money. Individual nozzle or narrow section control cuts overlap on point rows and irregular boundaries, and on typical Indiana and Ohio field shapes the chemical savings alone are meaningful. Automatic boom height control keeps the boom at target height over uneven ground, which is the single largest factor in application uniformity and drift management after nozzle selection.
Confirm what the machine has, what activations transfer, and whether the system is factory or aftermarket. Pulse width modulation systems allow turn compensation and independent control of rate and droplet size, which is a real advantage when you spray at variable speeds. TRULAND publishes a sprayer video library and runs a Precision Ag Support Center at (260) 296-2391, and offers a sprayer inspection program, all of which are worth using before your first season on a used machine.
Sprayer cost is dominated by wear items and by keeping the machine ready. Plan on annual nozzle tip replacement or verification by catch test, pump service, filter and screen replacement, and periodic hose and seal work. Tires on self-propelled machines are expensive, and narrow row crop tires wear faster than they look. Winter storage matters more than on most equipment, since freeze damage to pumps, valves, and plumbing is a common and avoidable repair. Confirm the machine was properly winterized with antifreeze in the system.
In the eastern Corn Belt, used sprayers move onto lots in late summer and fall after the season winds down, and that is when selection is best. By March everyone is shopping and the good machines go quickly. Buying in the off season gives you time to catch test every nozzle, rebuild the plumbing, calibrate the rate controller, and verify boom height control before the first burndown. With 53 used sprayers listed across the group, comparing boom widths and tank sizes across stores is worth the time.
External sources are provided for reference. For anything specific to your machine or your operation, call the store nearest you.
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It comes down to acres and passes. Above roughly 1,500 to 2,000 acres with multiple applications, a self-propelled machine usually justifies itself through speed, clearance for late season passes, and boom stability. Below about 1,000 acres, a pull type with a 90 to 120 foot boom does the same agronomic job for far less money and uses a tractor you already own. The middle range depends on whether you can afford to tie up a tractor during a narrow spray window.
Start with the boom. Look for bent sections, cracked welds at hinges, worn pivot bushings, and breakaways that do not return to true, and check boom leveling cylinders for drift. Then test the pump for steady output and pressure, check every nozzle body and especially the check valves, and inspect tips for wear. Verify the rinse system works end to end, inspect the tank interior for staining and cracking, and check hoses, screens, and section valves. Ask what chemistries the machine has run.
Sprayers accumulate hours slowly, so 2,000 to 3,000 hours often represents many seasons of use and is still reasonable. What matters more is corrosion, plumbing condition, boom straightness, and whether the machine was rinsed and winterized properly. A 4,000 hour machine with clean plumbing and a straight boom can be a better buy than a 1,500 hour machine that sat wet with fertilizer in the lines. Judge the wet side of the machine at least as hard as the engine.
A lot. After nozzle selection, boom height is the biggest factor in application uniformity and drift. Nozzles are designed to overlap correctly at a specific height, and a boom that rides high sprays coarse patterns that drift, while a boom that rides low leaves streaks. Automatic height control holds target height over uneven ground and rolling terrain at speed, which no operator can do manually. On wide booms it is close to essential rather than optional.
Work backward from your carrier rate and how much time you want to spend filling. At 15 gallons per acre, a 1,000 gallon tank covers about 66 acres and a 1,200 gallon tank about 80. If your fields are spread out, a larger tank saves significant road time. If you run higher carrier rates for better coverage on residual herbicides or fungicides, size up. Also make sure your water supply and tender can keep the machine full without becoming the bottleneck.
Ask specifically what products the machine ran, especially residual herbicides. Inspect the tank interior with a light for staining and sediment, and check the sump and fittings. Verify the rinse system, including in-tank rinse nozzles and the fresh water tank, actually flushes the boom lines end to end. On any machine with unknown history, plan a full plumbing and screen replacement plus multiple cleanout cycles with an appropriate tank cleaner before the first sensitive crop. It is cheap insurance against losing a field.
Late summer through winter. Machines come available as the spray season ends, so selection peaks in fall and stays reasonable through February. By March, demand climbs fast and good units move quickly. Buying in the off season also gives you time to catch test nozzles, rebuild plumbing, calibrate the rate controller, and verify boom height control before burndown, which is work you cannot do the week you need to spray.
Check them at least annually by catch test, comparing output across the boom and against the manufacturer chart at your operating pressure. Replace any tip more than about 10 percent above its rated output. Worn tips over apply and shift droplet size toward finer droplets, which increases drift risk. Abrasive products and fertilizer solutions wear tips faster than clean herbicide applications. Keeping a spare set on the shelf costs little and prevents a bad application that costs far more.
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