There are still plenty of older trailed WEED-IT machines running traditional TeeJet 40-03 even fan nozzles and you’re using 50% more water to put just 7% more spray into the target zone. That’s nuts.
They still work—but we now have a much better nozzle for the job.
I ran the numbers through SpraySpotter using a typical older WEED-IT setup:
- 60 cm nozzle height
- 20 cm nozzle spacing
- 16 km/h
- 3 bar
- 40° nozzle angle
- Non-PWM operation
- Requested target-zone rate of 100 L/ha
The comparison was between:
- The traditional EF4003 even fan
- The ARAG CFLD-XC4002 elliptical tapered fan
And the result is difficult to ignore.
The old EF4003
At 3 bar, the EF4003 delivers 1.20 L/min across a 43.7 cm spray width.
Because it is an even fan, that flow is spread uniformly across the entire footprint.
The central 25 cm receives:
- 0.687 L/min
- 103.0 L/ha
- Only 57.2% of the nozzle’s total output
The remaining 0.513 L/min falls outside the central target zone.
When adjacent nozzles activate on 20 cm spacing, the overlapping rate jumps to 225 L/ha.
The ARAG CFLD-XC4002
The CFLD-XC4002 delivers only 0.80 L/min at 3 bar.
But its elliptical tapered pattern concentrates 80% of that output into the central 25 cm target zone.
The central target zone receives:
- 0.640 L/min
- 96.0 L/ha
- 80% of the nozzle’s total output
Only 0.160 L/min falls outside the central target zone.
Its overlapping rate is 150 L/ha.
Read those numbers again
The old EF4003 puts 0.687 L/min into the central target zone.
The CFLD-XC4002 puts 0.640 L/min into it.
The difference is just 7%.
But the EF4003 uses 1.20 L/min in total, while the XC4002 uses only 0.80 L/min.
That means the XC4002:
- Retains 93% of the EF4003’s central target-zone delivery
- Uses 33% less total water
- Provides approximately 50% more nozzle-on tank range
- Places approximately 69% less flow outside the central target zone
- Reduces the overlapping rate from 225 to 150 L/ha
That is not a marginal improvement.
That is a serious efficiency upgrade.
How does 33% less water give you 50% more tank range?
It sounds too good to be true, but the arithmetic is simple.
With 1,200 litres available:
- EF4003 at 1.20 L/min provides 1,000 nozzle-on minutes.
- XC4002 at 0.80 L/min provides 1,500 nozzle-on minutes.
The XC4002 consumes one-third less water per minute, so the tank lasts one-and-a-half times as long.
That is 50% more potential nozzle-on operating time from the same tank.
Actual paddock hectares will still depend on weed density and nozzle activation, but for the same activation pattern, the hydraulic advantage is real.
Why does the smaller nozzle work?
Nozzle size tells you how much comes out.
Spray distribution tells you where it goes.
The traditional even fan spreads its output across the full 43.7 cm footprint. Only 57.2% enters the central 25 cm.
The ARAG tapered fan concentrates 80% of its smaller total output into that same central zone.
The XC4002 is not trying to reproduce every litre discharged by the old nozzle.
It is putting the required volume where it matters.
What about the 20 cm nozzle spacing?
Nozzle spacing is not used to calculate the rate from an isolated nozzle.
For an isolated activation, SpraySpotter uses the actual spray width on the ground and the central 25 cm target zone.
The 20 cm spacing becomes important when adjacent nozzles activate and their patterns overlap.
That is where the XC4002 delivers another major advantage:
- EF4003 overlapping rate: 225 L/ha
- XC4002 overlapping rate: 150 L/ha
That is a one-third reduction in the overlapping rate.
A simple upgrade for older WEED-IT machines
If you operate an older trailed WEED-IT with traditional 40-03 even fans, the CFLD-XC4002 deserves a very serious look.
Under these operating conditions, it gives you:
- A 96 L/ha target-zone rate against a requested 100 L/ha
- 93% of the old nozzle’s central target-zone delivery
- One-third less total water use
- 50% more potential nozzle-on tank range
- 69% less flow outside the central target zone
- A one-third reduction in overlapping rate
The old 40-03 gives you just 7% more target-zone flow—but consumes 50% more water to do it.
Why would you keep doing that?
SpraySpotter got it right!
This is exactly why we built SpraySpotter.
It does not simply compare nozzle colours and sizes. It shows how much spray reaches the central target zone, how much falls outside it and what happens when adjacent nozzles overlap.
For this older WEED-IT configuration, the answer is clear:
The ARAG CFLD-XC4002 is the smarter nozzle.
Need help checking your WEED-IT setup?
Call Dave on 1800 920 312.
These figures compare carrier-water distribution and do not authorise a reduction in chemical dose. Always batch according to the actual target-zone rate and the product label.
#TheNozzleista
