General Information

Serial #

208811498

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Primarily metal with synthetic and rubber components. Two synthetic pesticide containers. Four rubber tires.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

N/A

Width

N/A

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Agriculture

Category

Crop protection

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Saskatchewan

Period

c. 1995-2010

Canada

The sprayer and rock picker were purchased new by Mr. Gillies. The sprayer was used on his own grain farm and to undertake some contract work. The auctioneer says the sprayer was purchased from a dealership in Estevan (likely Kramer Ag).

Function

Self-propelled, 200 gallon capacity crop sprayer.

Technical

Although Melroe has been in business since the 1940s it was only in the early 1960s that they began to manufacture SpraCoupe sprayers. Although unable to raise sufficient capital to start manufacturing the equipment himself in the 1970s through 1980s Mr. Charles Balmer of Manitoba is credited with designing significant improvements to self-propelled crop spraying technology of the type exhibited by the Spra-Coupe. A number of firms including Melroe and Willmar adapted his patented designs into their product lines. Although there are at least five other North American firms offering a range of self-propelled spraying equipment Spra-Coupe has always held market share for equipment with a capacity of 200 gallons or less. This size makes the sprayer of use both to individual farmers as well as small scale contractors. During my tenure in Alberta in the 1980s a number of the farmer=s co-ops supplied a SpraCoupe to members for the period of time when they were applying chemicals. Although SpraCoupe sprayers are now used across Canada, their proximity to the equipment manufacturer and its marketing efforts meant Prairie farmers were first to integrate them into their operations. In 1998 as part of a much larger concentration of the American farm equipment manufacturing and distribution business Melroe was purchased by Agco. They continue to manufacture a variety of sprayers under the Agco/Melroe marque in their North Dakota factory.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Mfr's plate reads: "MODEL 216 [number is incised]/ SERIAL NUMBER 208811498 [number is incised]/ MELROE COMPANY/ FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA U.S.A./ A BUSINESS UNIT OF CLARK EQUIPMENT COMPANY"/ Secondary plate contains a series of patent numbers. Other manufacturer's plate reads: "MODEL NO. SC-525/ SERIAL NO SC072560/ MANUFACTURED BY/ RICHWAY INDUSTRIES LTD./ JANESVILLE, IOWA 50647 U.S.A."/

Missing

N/A

Finish

Painted white body with orange stripes. Two yellowed synthetic pesticide containers. Black painted and black rubber component parts. Four rubber tires.

Decoration

N/A