ATV Mounted Larvicide Spreader

Team: Jacob Bybee, Kameron Edmonds, Jeremiah Goates, Landon Hendricks, Jaxon Thayne, Nolan Zigler

Sponsor: Cache Mosquito Abatement District

Description

The goal of this project is to design and build an entirely new ATV spreader that is

  • Easy to calibrate accurately
  • Lightweight
  • Durable
  • Easy-to-maintain
  • High capacity

The new spreader will be easier for the operator to use and save CMAD money by reducing larvicide waste and ATV wear.

previous system

The previous system is excessively heavy and difficult to calibrate.

Requirements, Constraints and Goals

Category Requirement/Constraint/Goal Target Threshold Actual Performance
Size and Weight Product Weight Empty weight of ≤22.5 lb Fully loaded weight of <187 lb Empty weight (includes 10 lb ATV rack): 64 lb
Fully loaded weight: 151.5 lb
Tank Capacity 8 gal 5 gal 8 gal
Hopper Capacity 30 lb of Vectomax FG 25 lb of Vectomax FG >40 lb
Manufacturability Installation Time Two-man time of ≤20 minutes Two-man time of ≤2 hours ~10 minutes
Calibration Time to calibrate <20 minutes N/A ~5 minutes
Calibration Accuracy ±0.5 lb/acre ±2 lb/acre ±1.67 lb/acre
Operation Granulate Total Spread Width N/A 12 ft >30 ft

Design Overview

prototype side view
labeled photo of prototype. Starting on top-left and going clockwise. Spread shield, hopper, pump, lever housing, lever, calibration pin, wand, tank, switches, racket straps, rack.
Prototype view from underneath
Prototype view from behind

Results

  • Easy to calibrate accurately
    • The pin calibration system combined with easy access to the hopper gate allows for easy, simple calibration
  • Lightweight
    • The new system weighs ~60% of the previous system
  • Durable
    • All major components were shown to withstand the expected loads on the system
  • Easy-to-maintain
    • New system has a simpler, more open design, which leads to easier maintenance
  • High capacity
    • New system has a capacity of over 40 lbs of granulate and 8 gals of oil
bar graph and spreader distance data visualization

Lessons Learned

  • Reviewing past designs leads to a better product
  • Building and testing of prototypes helps to catch problems early in the design process
  • Ensuring correct modeling of design before building helps to minimize redesign

Future Work

  • More accurate and precise spreading mechanisms
  • Improve calibration precision

Acknowledgements

Thanks to our corporate sponsor, Cache Mosquito Abatement District for their support of this project.