They say if it’s stupid but it works, it ain’t stupid. So, while the engineering on this 1993 Ford E-350 sprayer looks janky beyond belief, the fact that it kinda seems to work may justify its uhhh-inducing asking price.
Listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Buffalo, North Dakota, is what can only be described as an authentic, All-American contraption. This mishmash of Ford, farmland ingenuity, and Harbor Freight started out as a medium-duty Ford van, whose dash radio presets suggest a former life as an ambulance. That life would’ve been a hard one, and would explain why its 7.3-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel V8 is said to have been rebuilt. (Also, why the odometer records more than 87,500 miles.)
Its builder appears to have mounted the E-350’s cab and original frame on a larger, custom boxed-section frame to turn it into a farm sprayer. That means its 90-foot boom can dispense anything in its 750-gallon tank, from water to pesticides, fertilizer, or even [REDACTED]. (Editor’s note: James, while I’m sure that’s biodegradable, I think your neighbors would object.)
As part of its conversion into a sketchy sprayer with the least-good suspension uprights I’ve ever seen (if you can even call them that), it has also been equipped with modern farming tech. Namely, a farming-focused navigation system, as well as onboard fleet telematics. They presumably give it some of the same brains as a purpose-built sprayer, though the real deal is probably both more reliable and easier to use.
But a purpose-built sprayer is also orders of magnitude more expensive, as new units can cost well into the six figures. This? Just $10,800. It’s said to need some work, but that’s kind of evident from the photos. Someone who even kinda knows what they’re doing could probably rig up better suspension and steering, making it less fragile and more drivable. Or some YouTuber could buy it and off-road it until it folds in on itself. That ground clearance and approach angle are something else, though I shudder to think what happens when you try for some articulation.
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