2/8/2013 1:02 PM
Hello Rocky,
I have had the 100 Gal HS-100. Purchased it about 7 years ago. Use it for seeding projects, watering areas with little water as well as applying fertilizer to the newly seeded area during establishment. We place it on one of those 8' folding kit trailers. Put the product in the tow vehicle for reloading on the course.
As Richard said it is kind of a pain to load. By using the bags of pellets it has been reduced. I keep threatening to make a table top that will hold the bag while loading but I have yet to work on that project.
Here is what I have learned. Use the paper-based hydro-mulch. The bales with wood fiber will clog the hose at the tip and be a major mess to unclog and apply The compressed paper bales can also clog if not properly broken into smaller pieces. The pellet mulch is much easier to load than the bales and does a nice job during application. Add 1/2 to 3/4 tank of water, close the hose feed valve and fully open the agitation when loading. Or at least keep an eye on it or it can spray out product from the force of the jets, add product slow enough not to dump a major clump into the bottom of the tank. Most of our products would float on the surface until hydrated. I also add granular fertilizer to the tank for and added kick to start.
Now, the size... After we purchased the 100 gal I wished I would have purchased the 150 gal HS-150P with the trailer. You go through product fast. It will unload the tank in just a few minutes (like 6-10) with full pressure to throw a distance with the far throw tip. You get three tips and the main tip I use is the narrow or mid range tip unless I am doing a wide area reseeding my nursery.
I have nothing to compare it to but I love mine. In fact, when we have a seeding project my crew get very little time using it because I have so much fun with it.
Other thoughts, if they are large areas, you will need two people to use it efficiently. One to do the actual spraying and the other to manipulate the length of hose and the valves to give the nozzle handler the pressure they want. One valve is for flow and the other is for agitation, we change both of them during the application process to give us the coverage we desire. Toward the end of the tank we shut off the agitation to completely empty and then we rinse with the same techniques.
Hope this helps I will see if I can dig up any photos. I usually am applying and may not find many.