Patent ID: 8573510

Claim:
A sprayer for spraying a liquid onto a turf surface, which comprises: (a) a mobile frame having ground engaging wheels for rolling over the ground to traverse the turf surface; (b) at least one spray boom carried on the frame and extending laterally relative to a fore-and-aft direction of motion of the frame, the boom having a plurality of liquid spray nozzles directly mounted and carried thereon and spaced apart along a length of the boom with tips of the spray nozzles being directed vertically downwardly during a spraying operation towards the turf surface, the boom further being made as a sufficiently rigid structure to directly bear the weight of the spray nozzles thereon and to additionally support various hoses and fittings thereon that supply the spray nozzles with liquid; and (c) a drift shroud having a top wall and downwardly extending front and rear walls that form a downwardly facing U-shaped spray confining channel, wherein the drift shroud has a plurality of holes in the top wall thereof for receiving at least the tips of the spray nozzles carried on the boom such that the tips of the spray nozzles are located at or below the top wall of the drift shroud when the drift shroud is installed on the boom, wherein the drift shroud is installed on the boom by releasably fastening the top wall of the drift shroud to an underside of the boom such that the drift shroud hangs below the boom but does not extend substantially above the boom, and wherein the drift shroud is free of any weight bearing attachment with or to the spray nozzles mounted on the boom when the drift shroud is installed on the underside of the boom.