Field King Max 190348 Backpack Sprayer for Professionals Applying Herbicides

This unit, Model 190348, is a replacement / upgrade for the Model 190328 which has a pump handle that is not as pictured, i.e., it stays in a horizontal, not vertical, position for storage. The Model 190348 was received on schedule with no issues. The packing box had a single layer of tape indicating that the unit was new and not a used/refurbished unit. Assembly was quick and required no special tools, just 2 half inch wrenches. I tried the unit out after assembly and it worked fine, better than anticipated in fact. Additionally, the harness is an improvement over the Model 190328, but unless you’re going to spend long periods of time with the sprayer I’m not sure this would be the extra money for the improved harness. When I went to put the unit away, I noticed that the pump handle would not move to the vertical position. After a quick look I noticed that the pump handle has 2 holes set at 90 degrees. The solution is simple, remove the nut and bolt, move the handle 90 degrees upward and reinstall the nut and bolt. Simple, but time consuming. But there is a solution, a very simple solution to this issue. First, remove the nut and bolt, now store them somewhere out of the way, you’re not going to need them. Second, get a clevis pin, example in the second photo, and put it through the hole in the handle and pump shaft mechanism. Third, secure the clevis pin in place and you’re done. Want the handle down, remove the pin, move the handle down 90 degrees, put the pin back in and secure. Ready to put the sprayer away, remove the pin, move the handle up 90 degrees, put the pin back in and secure. This takes way, way less time than getting 2 wrenches to loosen the nut from the bolt and then un thread the bolt from the handle/pump shaft. I should note that in my case, the diameter of the clevis pin was perfect for the hole through the handle but a little large for the treaded hole in the pump shaft. As I had a pin and it fit the large of the two holes the solution to the problem was to drill out the threads in the pump shaft. The increase in diameter necessary to accommodate my pin was 0.050 inches. Not enough to decrease the integrity of the pump shaft. In fact a portion of the threads was still observable in the pump shaft hole. If you don’t want to drill out the pump shaft just buy a clevis pin of the appropriate diameter. I would not suggest significantly increasing the diameter of the holes through the pump handle. No point in potentially reducing its integrity. So, in recap, this is a great sprayer and can be made even easier to use by replacing the bolt and nut securing the pump handle in place with a clevis pin.

Works good, just as described

Works well and is of solid construction. Hopefully get many years of use from it.

I bought this for spraying weeds on my 14 acres. So far I've used it on four different applications. 1. Roundup on the gravel driveway to kill the grass that grows in low traffic areas. The Backpack sprayer allows me to easily move around and apply to individual patches. Compared to the ready to use products with built in sprayers, or a large pump sprayer on wheels, this is much better -- faster, more thorough, more efficient. 2. Trimec on the vines and poison ivy. There's really no alternative for this work, because a tractor or ATV mounted unit wouldn't reach the areas that need spraying. 3. Trimec on the Siberian elm saplings growing everywhere. This has worked well, but I have so many that it would probably be more efficient to use an electric sprayer with a boom and douse the whole area, then go back and individually treat plants that survive. 4. 2,4-D on the lawn. Again, after I got into this I realized I had so many weeds in my lawn I would have been better off to start by spraying the whole lawn, and could have done that with the containers that come set up for hose end spraying. The backpack sprayer would be appropriate for follow up on stubborn areas. As far as the particulars of the Field King unit, my biggest gripe is the upper yoke on the front of the carry straps tends to ride high enough to want to choke me. Otherwise the unit is remarkably effective. The padded hip belt takes a lot of weight off your shoulders, and the ability to pump the handle continuously means you can keep the unit pressurized for a forceful spray, reaching some distance as needed. The pumping also continuously agitates the solution in the tank to keep it fully mixed. I have only used the unit for maybe 4-6 hours of spraying. I don't know how it will hold up, nor do I have any experience with manufacturer support. But I researched the alternatives extensively and this unit seemed to have a good reputation for quality and design. It comes with multiple nozzles but I have only tried the standard brass one. You can now buy herbicides and insecticides in ready to use containers that feature built in electric disposable spray mechanisms that are surprisingly effective. If you have a small job or don't expect to be repeating applications that would probably make more sense than spending $70 for this unit. If you already have an ATV you might want to think about an electric boom or spot sprayer that will fit on that. Also a caution that handling this thing when it's filled with 4 gallons of liquid is a little awkward and might be too heavy for some people.

Does what I purchased it for