A home-made 24m weed wiper is the latest weapon to be employed by Hull arable grower and contracting outfit WH Richardson and Son in its war on blackgrass and wild oats.

It was built by Jordan Sizer, and is based on a mounted sprayer found festering in the nettles of a neighbouring farm.

Once recovered, the tank was removed and the boom adapted to be front mounted, giving the driver a better view of the wings as they flirt with the top of the growing crop.

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The central 3m section is fitted on the tractor’s rear linkage, which avoids driving over plants that have already been treated.

It carries an off-the-shelf wiper kit comprising pipes and sponges, with the outer sections of the boom able to pivot upwards on individual rams to maintain accuracy.

© Jordan Sizer

Another pair of hydraulic rams determines the position of the stabiliser legs.

These, unusually, run on spring tines, which are narrower than wheels and flatten less crop, says Mr Sizer.

Glyphosate is stored in two 25-litre tanks on the front (one for each wing) and a third at the back to feed the rear bar.

Each has its own spray pump wired to a control box in the cab.

Typical working speed is 6-8kph; any faster and the air movement can blow the plants away from the chemical bar.