A drawing of the
large and small rakes
is given on the follow-
ing page, together with
a bill of materials.

The rakes are of
welded construction,
and the smaller one has
been provided with a
back plate to protect
the operator of the
rake.

In the photograph
of the rake on the pre-
vious page, a wire

screen has been placed on the rake uprights to protect the operator.

IB8


For further information concerning the weed burners in
use in Region 5, contact the Regional Director, U. S. Bureau of Recla-
mation, Amarillo, Texas. By way of general information, commercial
manufacturers of liquid gas weed burners in the Region 5 area are:

Bazooka Burners, Box 5211, Amarillo, Texas
Snorkel Jet, 4110 N.E. 8th, Amarillo, Texas
Agricultural Equipment Corporation, La Junta, Colorado,

IA14


Regional Director, Boise, Idaho

Regional Director, Sacramento, California

Regional Director, Boulder City, Nevada

Regional Director, Salt Lake City, Utah

Regional Director, Amarillo, Texas

Regional Director, Billings, Montana

Regional Director, Denver, Colorado

Assistant Commissioner and Chief Engineer, Denver, Colorado.

Please forward copies of your Operation and Mainte-
nance Equipment and Procedures Releases Nos. 3 and
8 to the following:

Name

Organization

Address



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Short sections of
rail coupled with chain
links are attached to the
end of the side wings to
form a U-shaped crag
behind the frame. The
drag aids in dislodging
moss and silt.

The "A" frame is
pulled by a tractor. It
is attached to the trac-
tor by a 12-foot side
drawbar, shown in the
photographs, A heavy
chain is attached to the
dozer blade of the tractor and the post of the "A" frame, This tends to
keep the "A'' frame in the bottom of the canal.

IIB7


adjustable burner bars, which can be controlled from the operator's
seat and can be maintained in the proper burning position at all times.

Truck Mounted Burners

The butane weed burner shown on the cover of this issue of
the Bulletin and in the photograph below is a ttle more elaborate
than the usual burner of this type in use, The weed burner shown was
constructed ano is owned and operated by the H »0d Petroleum Company,
El Paso, Texas. The owner contracts with the Elephant Butte Irriga-
tion District to burn weecs from ditches on a portion of the Bureau of
Reclamation constructed Rio Grande Project, This arrangement has
been in effect since 1949, The cost of burning with this and similar
rigs has averaged about $17. 00 per mile for one canal bank and $26.00
ner mile where both banks have been burned.

There are differences in the design and construction of booms
and mountings, which reflect the ideas of the several builders, The
booms may be either manually or hydraulically controlled and are in
general 25 to 30 feet in length. They are usually counter-balanced for
ease of manipulation, The manually controlled boom, such as that
shown at the top of the following page, is mounted on a turntable, which
permits operations from one side of the truck to the other from the rear
of the truck bed. The weeds in a small lateral are being burned by the
truck mounted burner constructed in the shops of the Carlsbad Project,
New Mexico, by project personnel, In this type of burning, the truck
travels about 3 miles per hour.

IA14
2


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G - 6 Yolt Generator in Trock
rT Battery Nol and 2 recharged by
= Truck Generator.
Battery Ne 3 recharged in Shap (tora)
R, M ~ 6 Volt Automobile Starting Motors (Ford)
WIRING DIAGRAM ‘S - 6 Volt Automobile Solenoid Switch (Ford)

Rotor Confact (2-Rings) for transmission

NOTE: For IS0Ft. Hose -/2 volts are R-

required to operate solenoid switches through reel and spray control.

(Batteries No. 2and3.) —— 300Amp. Battery Conductor Cable.
=-— Wo. Automotive Conductor

For 75 Ft. or less - 6 volts is sufficient
Yo operate solenoid switches and Battery

No.3 could be omitted.

Rotor Contact

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IA13

TAIL



DESCHUTES WEIR POOL WEED SPRAYER

Use of the "Deschutes Weir Pool Weed Sprayer", planned and
constructed by Mr. Huron D, Wise, heavy duty mechanic, Deschutes
Project, Oregon, and used on the project, results in considerable sav-
ings in time, more weir pools and isolated areas being sprayed, and
the spraying operation being much better than that usually performed
with less efficient 3-gallon back-pack-type sprayers. The new device
delivers the spray material from the spray wand held in the operator's
hand in response to his pressing a button on the handle of the wand,
The device is shown in the photograph below.

Construction:

The unique feature of this unit is the elimination of a gas
engine for power. The pump and reel are both operated by two 6-volt
starter motors with remote controls on the boom handle which gives
the operator finger tip control when spraying 100 to 200 feet from the
machine,

The unit is built on a metal base which can be placed in any
one-half-ton pickup with room to spare. It has a tank Capacity of 50
gallons. A diagram of the complete unit and a wiring diagram and
details of the hollow bronze shaft are shown on the following pages.

1A13


CHINESE RAKE

A device used for control of weeds in irrigation channels

and drains in Australia, is the Chinese Rake shown below, The rake
was developed by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, In

the lower photograph
on this page, water
couch grass, distichum,
or Silt grass, which is
a vigorous growing,
creeping perennial, has
completely choked a
drain, and is being re-
moved with the rake,

The photograph on
the following page is a
view of the channel
after it has been cleaned
with the rake,

The photographs
and a drawing of the
rake were supplied by
the State Rivers and
Water Supply Commis-
sion, Victoria, Aus-
tralia. Use of the rake
is described in the
Commission's Tech-
nical Bulletin No, 5,
Weed Control in Irri-
gation Channels and
Drains, June 1953, The
bulletin is a progress
report and summary of
mechanical and chem-
ical experiments made
by the Commission in a study of methods to control various types of
weeds and plant growth causing considerable difficulty in the operation
and maintenance of their irrigation systems,

Construction Details:

The rake is constructed primarily of pipe and steel. Two rakes
of similar design have been used, The larger rake has an overall width
of 6 feet 5-1/2 inches anda height of 3 feet 4 inches. The smaller rake
has an overall width of 4 feet 3 inches anda height of 2 feet 9 inches.

Four horses and three men are required to manipulate the larger
rake and two horses and two men the smaller,

IIB8
1


LIQUID GAS WEED BURNERS

In the past few years, an effective burning program for weed
control has been put in operation on six projects in New Mexico and
Texas, by Region 5 of the Bureau of Reclamation. This was brought
about by the introduction and availability of liquid gas, particularly
butane and propane. Although other methods of grass control on dis-
tribution systems are effective, burning still has a place in the routine
weed control program. This is more applicable since liquid gas burn-
ers, mounted on both trucks and tractors, have been developed.

Several important and beneficial features have been incorpo-
rated into the burners used in Region 5, shown and described on the
following pages, These features include:

(1) Vaporization of liquid at the burner,

(2) Swinging of booms so that the truck may traverse either
bank of a canal, and,

(3) Cables or hydraulic means to raise and lower the burners
so that they can be kept in the most effective burning
position,

Vaporization of the liquid at the burners eliminates special heat
exchangers which are dangerous, expensive, and burdensome. Many
of the burners used on the equipment described were designed and fab-
ricated on the several projects by project personnel. They may be
mounted in clusters on the burner bars, The bars, usually, are
mounted on black standard pipe which in turn telescopes over smaller
pipe attached to the boom, The bars can be moved away from or
pulled closer to the truck and can be raised or lowered hydraulically
or by the use of cables, pullies, and cranks, generally by one man,

The burner heads for many of the burners were constructed
of old boiler flues; however, the most durable are constructed of
seamless steel tubing, A heat generating burner head is desirable
and probably the most efficient; however, is not a necessity, as liquid
gas will burn without producing much smoke, even when released
through an open jet nozzle.

With a swinging boom, the truck can move on either bank of
the canal while burning, the burners can be swung to the rear of the
truck when burning the top of the canal bank, or the boom can be swung
to a forward position when moving from one location to another, Burn-
ing weeds in a canal with an operating road on only one side is made
more convenient and effective and wind conditions can be tolerated, by
proper manipulation of the boom,

In order to burn canals having variable distances from the
road bed to the water line, most of the burners shown have easily

IA14
1


)

LAST COPY - DO NOT REMOVE

LAST COPY - DO NOT REMCVE

Department of the Interior

Bureau of Reclamation

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES

RELEASE NO. 16

APRIL-MAY-JUNE 1956

CONTENTS

Weed Control on Irrigation Systems

Release No. 1 is out of print and will not be
reissued.

Releases No. 3, 8, 16, and 37 were on the subject

of Weed Control Equipment and have been Superceded

by Release No. 97, "Equipment For The Prevention,
Control, and Disposal Of Weeds On Irrigation Projects."


the height of the canope and the smoothness of the road, and travels 5 to
6 miles per hour when burning dry weeds in the ditches. A 400-gallon
tank has been mounted across the truck frame and the liquid butane is
piped from the tank to the burners. A high pressure regulator set at
50 pounds pressure is used to control the flow of butane to the burners.

The swinging boom is made of pipe and is mounted on a mast
pipe. The mast pipe consists of two pieces of pipe, actually, with the
smaller top pipe mast fitting inside the larger lower pipe. Roller bearings
at the top and bottom of the mast pipe provide for easy movement. A
support made also of pipe and mounted on the front bumper of the truck
is provided for the boom to rest upon when travelling from one location

to another, or when the rig is not in use.

Further information concerning this particular burning rig can
be obtained by contacting the Project Manager, Rio Grande Project,
211 Federal Building, El Paso, Texas, or the Regional Director, U. s.
Bureau of Reclamation, Amarillo, Texas.

Tractor Mounted Burners

Burners constructed on trucks, half-tracks or trailers, burn to
the side and behind the carrier, while those that are tractor mounted, as
shown below, burn to the side and in front of the transporting vehicle.
The latter are used in Region 5 entirely for searing and burning green
weeds and grasses,

A project shop-con-
structed, tractor-mounted
liquid gas weed burner
used on the Tucumcari
Project, is shown at left.
This burner consumes
about 70 gallons of liquid
gas per hour under con-
tinuous operation.

This machine operates
at about 2 miles per hour
when burning green weeds.
Intense heat from the
burning of dry weeds in
front of the tractor and
butane tank makes this
machine impractical for winter cleanup. The boom of the burner on this
rig is raised and lowered hydraulically and rotated with a mechanical
screw device.

Another tractor mounted liquid gas weed burner is that shown
at the top of the following page. This burner is used on the Fort Sumner
Project, also in New Mexico. ‘This burner also was constructedby project
personnel in the project shops. It is completely hydraulically operated,

IA14
4


Another burner that is very universal in operation, easily ad-
justable to meet unusual conditions and very mobile, is that shown be-
low, This rig also was constructed by project personnel in the shops

of the Tucumcari Project, New Mexico, It is completely hydraulically
operated,

Hydraulic mechanism from an old pull grader was used for the
controls on this machine. The operator sitting on the truck bed turns

with the boom, which also is controlled hydraulically in its horizontal
and vertical movement,

The burner consumes about 70 gallons of liquid propane fuel
per hour under continuous operation, The truck ordinarily travels 1 to
3 miles per hour in the burning of green weeds and grasses, varying with

IA14


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INTRODUCTION

This is Release No. 16 of the Operation and Maintenance
Equipment and Procedures Bulletin, which is published Quarterly.
The information in thisBulletinis assembled for the most part from
suggestions by people engaged in the irrigation of our western lands.
The Bulletin is printed in the Commissioner's Office, Denver, Colo-
rado, by the Division of Irrigation Operations and is circulated for
the benefit of Irrigation operation and maintenance people, with its
principal purpose being to serve as a medium of exchange of operat-
ing and maintenance information. Reference to a trade name does
not constitute an endorsement of a particular product and omission
of any commercially available item does not imply discrimination
against any manufacturer. It is hoped that the labor saving devices
or less costly equipment developed by the resourceful water users
will be a step toward commercial development of equipment for use
on irrigation projects in continued effort to reduce costs and increase
operating efficiency.

This issue of the Bulletin is being devoted entirely to the sub-
ject of weed control. Two previous issues of the Bulletin also were
devoted to this subject: Release No. 3, issued in 1953 and Release No.
8, issued in 1954. This issue differs somewhat from the previous
issues which were devoted primarily to equipment for combating un-
desirable weeds, in that several requests have been received and
suggestions made that the Bulletin provide some up-to-date informa-
tion concerning the types of chemicals and solvents best suited for the
control of certain types of weeds and grasses. Such an article appears
on page IVB1 of this issue, and is intended as an aid in detecting the
limits of different types of hydro-carbons used in aquatic-weed killers.

You will note that this issue of the Bulletin has been punched
for binding in a standard 3-ring binder. The subject matter also has
been divided into sections to correspond with the subject matter of the
previous issues, Therefore, the pages of this issue can be incorpo-
rated with those of the previous issues.

You also will note that a new index is provided which will re-
place and bring up to date all information published on the subject in
this and previous issues.

A much greater distribution of Bulletins devoted to this sub-
ject is necessary because of the interest shown in weedcontrol. For
this reason, some information that has appeared in previous Bulletins
devoted to general O&M equipment are being repeated.

For the benefit of those who did not receive the earlier re-
leases on weed control, a few copies are available. If you are inter-
ested in receiving the earlier releases, please fill in the blank on the
next page and forward it to the Bureau of Reclamation office located
nearest you as follows:



COLUMBIA BASIN TRASHRACK

The trashrack shown in the photograph below is of the type
presently being installed on laterals in the West Canal area of the
Columbia Basin Project, Washington. The flat slope of the rack aids
in the removal of weeds and the landing mat deck provides good foot-
ing. The trashrack shown was installed in a lateral having a capac-
ity of 400 cfs,

Construction:

Surplus rails are used for the Supporting cross members and
pipe for the rack varies from 3/4- to 1-1/4-inch heavy duty, depend-
ing on the length of span. The rack shown was constructed of 1-1/4-
inch pipe with the longest pipe length being about 20 feet.

The pipe is spaced 8-inch center to center and placed ona
slope no steeper than 4:1, Upper ends of the pipes are loosely at-
tached to the rail by large spikes which pass through holes in the ends
of the pipes and through the web of the rail. The foundation for the
rail cross member can be of concrete or serviceable timber. The

IB8
1


ORCHARD MESA WEED CUTTER

The weed cutter shown in the photograph below was built in
the shops of the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District, Orchard Mesa
Division of the Grand Valley Project, Colorado, Used to control water
weeds and remove silt deposits in the District's canals, it is reported
to be very effective in accomplishing the job for which designed and can
clean approximately 52 miles of canal ina week, The device is only
operated when there is water in the canal; thus the water carries the
dislodged material to the end of the canal where it can be removed,

Construction Details:
EO ON elas:

The point of the "'A'' frame is constructed from grader blades
which are about 6 inches high and 2 feet long, forming a "V"' and rein-
forced with iron braces anda post. The side wings of the frame also
are constructed from grader blades and are about 4 inches high and 11
feet long with the end of the wings having an upsweep of approximately
2 feet. They are attached to the post by heavy iron hinges.

The cross bar is constructed from two pieces of 2-inch pipe,
2-1/2 feet long, each being attached to the side wings, Inside the 2-
inch pipe is a 6-foot length of 1-1/2-inch pipe, all three sections of pipe
having vertical 1/4-inch holes drilled through them. The pipe sections
are secured with steel pins, The pins can be removed, allowing the
side wings to be adjusted to the desired width,

IIB7
1


Water-propelled Scraper. ..........-.

Channel Groover . eee
Hand Water-weed Cutter for Small Laterals .
Boom-mounted Disc... ......2.4.

Orchard Mesa Weed Cutter. .......
Chinese Rake . . . oe .
Demossing Bucket for Gradall “Excavator | wee
Trashrack Rake... . er?
Broad Arrow Weed Cutter ry
New Zealand Weed Bucket ..........--.

PREVENTATIVE WEED CONTROL:

Weed-seed Screens, Cattle Guards, Grass Seeders, etc.:

Cattle Guards. 2... ee eee
Seed Scarifiers ...........
Chain Drag . . . .-
"Home-made" Grass- “Legume ‘Seeder oe
Seed Scarifier. ............
Ditch Bank Seeding .... .
Canal Bank Reshaper and Grass ‘Seeder
Disposal of Waste Oils. ........
Power Mounted WeedCutter ..........
Kerr Grass Drill we wee ee eee
"Seed-Easy" Broadcast Seeder». 11 1112

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS RELATING TO WEED CONTROL:

Application Problems, Size of Sprayers, etc.:
Method of Determining Spray Droplet Patterns . .
Slide Rules for Computing Weed Problems . . . .
Short Cuts to Weed-killing Calculations . .
Output of Spray Rigs for 2, 4-D Ditchbank Spraying

Method for Testing and Comparing Brodjet Sprayers,

Turbidimeter for Estimating Concentration of
Beneclor 3-C . 1... 1. ee ee ee eee
Weed Spraying Report Forms... oe

Puncture-proof Tubes on Weed Mowers Reduce O&M

Costs... a
WeedSprayHose - 1.2 2 2 222223002

Chemicals for Some Weeds and Grasses:

New Method for Analyzing Hydrocarbon Type
Aquatic Weed Killers. .......

ii

Page

*IIB3
*IIB4
*IIBS
**T TBE
IIB?
IIB8
IIB9
IIB10
IIB11
IIB12

*ITIA1
*IIIA2
**TTIA3
**TITA4
**TITAS
**TITAG
**TTIAT
**TTIA8
** TITAS
TIIA10
IIIA11

*IVAL
*IVA2
*IVA3
*IVA4
*IVAS

*IVA6
**IVAT

**IVAB
IVA9

IVB1



CONTENTS

(It is suggested that this table of contents replace that given
in Release No. 3 and Release No. 8, of the Operation and Mainte-
nance Equipment and Procedures Bulletins issued in March-April 1953
and April, May and June 1954. Pages indicated by (*) will be found in
Release No. 3 and those indicated by (**) in Release No. 8.)

Page
DITCHBANK WEED CONTROL:
Application of Chemicals, Burning, Mowing, etc.:
Power Weed Sprayer. . . . cee ee ee ee *IAL
Truck-mounted Weed Sprayer. ee ee eee *IA2
Hydraulic Spray Boom... ........20868 *IA3
Jeep-mounted Sprayer... . ary *TA4
Truck-mounted Weed Sprayer-burner cee ee *IA5
Amphibious Spray-burner ... ee ee *IA6
Trailer-mounted Weed Sprayer-burner. eee eee *IAT
Portable Sprayer .......-..2.2.2024 . *IA8
Propane Hand Sprayer... ry *IAQ
Compressed-air Weed Sprayer Se ee ee *IA10
Belle Fourche Weed Sprayer .........-4-. *IAI1
Tucumcari Spray Boom . . we ee **IA12
Deschutes Weir Pool Weed Sprayer eee ee ee 1A13
LiquidGas Burners . . . . a ar IA14
Trapping or Removing Weeds and Debris:
Wire Weed Trap ... 1... 1 ee ee eee ee *IBI
Weed Trap... ee ee ee ee we ee *IB2
Mechanical Weed Fork . oe ee eee *IB3
Scraper for Cleaning Weeds and ‘se diment
from Ditches .. a es *IB4
Moss Fork and Traps re ry **IBS

Boom to Deflect Weeds into Wasteway . : ee **IB6
Off-season Protection of Underground Works wee **IBT
Columbia Basin Trashrack. .........24.2- IB8

CHANNEL WEED CONTROL:

Application of Chemicals:
Aromatic Solvent Mixer , , se ee
Pump and Engine for Introducing Aromatic
Solvent...
Copper Sulphate Treatment for Algae - “Madera
Canal... . . eee ee ee ee ee ee eee) ORRIIAS

*IA1

eee *IIA2

Chaining, Discing, Cutting of Water Weeds:
Chaining Cart. 2... ee tt te *]IB1
Side-arm Boom andDrag. ............ *IIB2



In operation on a
project lateral, the
burner head works to
the side and front of the
tractor, which makesit
easily visible to the
tractor operator. Like
the previous tractor-
mounted burner usedon
the Tucumcari Project,
care is used in burning
because of the proximity
of the tractor and the
butane tank,

Cost of Operation

Cost of operation varies from project to project and depends
on the amount of liquid gas consumed per hour of operation and the
number of burnings required to Suppress the vegetation. Ordinarily,
liquid gas weed burners operate on a tank pressure of about 100 p. S..1..,
and each burner head will consume 8 to 12 gallons of liquid gas per
hour, The efficiency of liquid gas burners is considered very high as
little smoke is evident.

On ditches heavily infested with weeds and grasses, two burn-
ings are ordinarily recommended, The first burning being accomplished
with the equipment moving at a rate of about 3 m.p.h, This searing
results in an effective top kill even though there is little immediate
change in plant appearance. The second burning, made about a week to
10 days later, consumes the old dead tops and retards any regrowth of
new plants. By continuously burning and reburning when the green
plants reach a height of 8 to 10 inches, weedy grasses and undesirable
vegetation on the inside slopes of ditches have been successfully con-
trolled,

A weed burning program has been employed on a part of the
Rio Grande Project, Texas-New Mexico, for several years, In 1949 and
1950 five to six burnings were necessary to keep the Johnson grass sup-
pressed to the extent it did not retard the flow of the water in the
canals and laterals, Following the same procedure for Johnson grass
control during the years, only four burnings were necessary in 1954,
and it was indicated that only three burnings would be required in
1955,

In 1954, the average cost for burning green weeds on the in-
side of small ditches on the Carlsbad Project, averaged $8.78 per mile
per burning, and the cost of burning 35 miles of small ditches on the
Balmorhea Project, Texas, averaged $7.80 per mile of burning.

IA14
5


platform required in large laterals, as shown in the photograph, has
a deck constructed from surplus landing mat supported by a pipe frame-
work,

In many cases the complete unit is fabricated in the project
shop and is rigidly constructed, using pipe or heavy strap around the
outside perimeter of the rack, A fence enclosure is constructed
adjacent to large installations for deposit and burning of weeds col-
lected,

3K OK KK

IB8