My neighbor's pastures are up wind from my prairie and he does not control his thistle population. I have been mowing them for years, grudgingly, in his fields. I asked if I could spot spray them with Round Up and he said sure. Today Sue and I took the ATV with a tank mounted sprayer and using the wand rather than the boom began spraying thistles. All went well until we got into a back corner and there are just more thistles than we could spot spray. I guess I'll be mowing them before they can form seed.
Then I did the stupid thing. We tried to drive through a ravine with Sue sitting on a boat cushion on the front rack and 15 gallons of Round Up in the tank. We had a minor wreck. Then while reaching for the shut off switch for the pump with my right hand, I lost my balance and when I tried to catch myself with left hand I hit the throttle. Sue had dismounted and was standing next to me. The machine shot forward, slammed into the far bank, dumped the sprayer off the back bending the boom, and the right front tire ran up on the wand bending it. The deep cycle battery I had sitting on the running board to power the sprayer, fell off but only managed to unplug from the tank.
All in all not a complete disaster, but a very annoying one. Then we had to remount the spray tank with the 15 gallons of solution in it, strap it back down and still get through the ravine, turn around and get back through it to get out. The only bright spot I could ascertain was that we did not spill any Round Up into the tiny spring fed rivulet we were crossing. We are careful not to spray too close to the water, (20' minimum), and I would have hated to have has even a minor spill.
It was hot and sunny out and I was sweating like a pig. I am coming down with something that is settling in my chest with a constant tickle and a cough. Back in the AC comfortable house now and we have showered off any wind blown over spray. I just detest failure.