SAFETY Read and understand this manual and all safety decals and decals before operating and maintaining. Review the safety instructions and precautions annually.
TAKE NOTE! THIS SAFETY ALERT SYMBOL, FOUND THROUGHOUT THIS MANUAL, IS USED TO CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO INSTRUCTIONS INVOLVING YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAN RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH.
THIS SYMBOL MEANS: ATTENTION! – BECOME ALERT! – YOUR SAFETY IS INVOLVED!
Safety Symbol Words Notice the use of the symbol words DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION and NOTICE within the safety messages. The appropriate symbol word for each has been selected using the following guidelines:
Safety of the operator and any bystanders is one of the main concerns in designing and developing a new piece of equipment. Designers and manufacturers build in as many safety features as possible. However, every year many accidents occur which could have been avoided by just a little time in thought and a more careful approach in handling equipment. You, the operator, can avoid many accidents by observing the following precautions in this section. To avoid personal injury, study the following precautions and insist that those working with you follow them as well.
Replace any CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER or instructional safety decal that is not readable or is missing. Location of such decals is indicated in this booklet.
Do not attempt to operate this equipment under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Do not use the equipment if alertness or coordination is impaired.
Review the safety instructions with all users annually.
This equipment can be dangerous to children and persons unfamiliar with its operation. The operator should be a responsible adult familiar with farm machinery and trained in this equipment’s operation. Do not allow persons to operate, assemble, or service this unit until they have read this manual and developed a thorough understanding of the safety precautions and how it works.
Do not read, eat, drink, talk on phone or text while using this equipment.
To prevent injury or death, use a tractor equipped with a cab and a Roll Over Protective System (ROPS). Do not paint over, remove or deface any safety decals or warning decals on your equipment. Observe all safety decals and practice the instructions on them.
Never exceed the limits of a piece of machinery. If it’s ability to do a job or to do so safely is in question – DO NOT TRY IT.
Stay clear of any moving parts such as drive shaft assemblies (i.e. PTO couplings, universal joints, pulleys and belts, etc.).
If adjustments need to be made, make them in small increments, shutting down all machine motion for each adjustment.
Do not allow anyone to ride on any part of the equipment for any reason at any time.
Ensure that all bystanders are at least 50 ft. (15.2 m) from the unit while operating this equipment. Wet soil conditions could carry the electrical charge over a greater distance than normal.
Unless training someone, only one person, the operator seated on the tractor seat, should be on or near the tractor or The Weed Zapper while it is in operation.
Make sure the applicator boom is never allowed to come in contact with fences or similar metal objects as they could serve as conductors for electricity generated by this machine.
Do not touch any part of The Weed Zapper while the tractor engine is running.
Dangerous and potentially lethal electrical shock can result from misuse of this machine
REMEMBER: If safety decals have been damaged, removed, become illegible, or parts have been replaced without decals, new decals must be applied. New decals are available through your authorized dealer or OSM
Safety Decal Care and Installation
Always keep safety decals clean and legible.
Replace safety decals that are missing or have become illegible.
When a new part is installed that replaces a part that previously displayed a safety decal, the new part should also display the same safety decal.
Safety decals are available from your dealer and/or the factory.
To install a new decal, follow these instructions.
Be sure that the installation area is clean and dry by wiping with rubbing alcohol or similar type cleaner.
Decide on the exact position before you remove the backing paper (see photos on Pages A-7 – A-9).
Remove the smallest portion of the split backing paper.
Align the decal over the specified area and carefully press the small portion with the exposed sticky backing in place.
Slowly peel back the remaining paper and carefully smooth the remaining portion of the decal in place.
Small air pockets can be pierced with a pin and smoothed out using the piece of decal backing paper
Only adequately trained and qualified persons should work on hydraulics system. You maybe severely injured or killed by being crushed under a falling piece of equipment. Alway have transport locks in place and frame sufficiently blocked when working on any implement.
To prevent serious personal injury from escaping high pressure hydraulic fluid, never attempt to inspect, service or disassemble any part of the hydraulic system unless all pressure is relieved from the system. This is achieved by lowering wings to operating position and lowering applicator boom to lowest position. Then with engine stopped, move hydraulic levers slowly through RAISE and LOWER positions to relieve all pressure. Consult your tractor operator’s manual for additional recommended procedures.
Hydraulic fluid escaping under pressure can have sufficient force to cause injury. Keep all hoses and connections in good operating condition. Failure to heed may result in serious personal injury or death. Escaping hydraulic fluid under pressure can have sufficient pressure to penetrate the skin causing serious injury. Avoid this hazard by relieving the pressure before disconnecting lines or performing work on the system.
Make sure all hydraulic fluid connections are tight and all hydraulic hoses and lines are in good condition before applying pressure to the system. Use a piece of paper or cardboard, NOT BODY PARTS, to check for suspected leaks. Wear protective gloves and safety glasses or goggles when working with hydraulic systems. DO NOT DELAY! If an accident occurs, see a doctor familiar with this type of injury immediately. Any fluid injected into the skin or eyes must be treated within a few hours or other health issues, such as gangrene, may result.
Always secure equipment with solid supports before working on or under it. Never work under equipment solely supported by hydraulics. Hydraulics can drop equipment if controls are actuated, or hydraulic lines burst, or if pressure is lost while disconnecting lines. Either situation can cause machinery to drop instantly even when power to hydraulics is off. Do not attempt to disconnect a hydraulic cylinder or hose while the system is under pressure!
Check hydraulic hoses and fittings frequently. Brush and other debris can damage hoses and fittings. Inspect and maintain equipment on a daily basis. Loose, broken, and missing hardware can cause equipment to not perform properly and can result in bodily injury or death.
Hydraulic systems and the fluid used in them, can be hot and cause burns. Before working on any system, wait until the fluid has cooled.
Keep body torso and extremities away from areas such as pivot points and hydraulic cylinders. Always secure equipment pivot points to assure they will not move when working on or near them.
Check tractor ratings for hydraulic hoses. The hoses on this machine are designed and rated for operation up to 3000 psi (20,684 kPa). Do not exceed recommended limits of pressure
Be prepared for the potential of a fire.
Keep pertinent emergency numbers such as those for doctor, ambulance, hospital, and fire department near your land-line phone, if applicable, or stored in your cell phone.
Do not operate in an extremely dry field. Check for any burn bans which may be in effectin your area before operating in the field
Do not allow anyone that has not been properly trained to perform maintenance on thisequipment.
Good maintenance is your responsibility. Poor maintenance is an invitation to trouble. Proper servicing and adjustments are key to the long life of any implement. With careful inspection and routine maintenance, costly downtime and repairs can be avoided.
Some parts and assemblies can be quite heavy. Before attempting to unfasten any part or assembly, arrange to support it by means of a hoist, by blocking, or by use of an adequate arrangement to keep it from falling, tipping, swinging or moving in any manner which may hurt somebody or damage the equipment.
Always use lifting equipment that is adequately rated to do the job. Never lift equipment over people.
Make sure there is plenty of ventilation. Never operate the engine of the towing vehicle in a closed building. The exhaust fumes may cause asphyxiation.
Before working on the equipment or opening cart door, stop the towing vehicle, set the brakes, disengage the PTO and all power drives, shut off the engine and remove the ignition key.
Be certain all moving parts on attachments have come to a complete stop and are in Park Mode before attempting to perform maintenance.
To prevent serious injury or death, check to ensure the hydraulic transport lock on the unit is in the closed position, in order to lock the applicator boom wings in the upright position.
Always use a safety support and block the wheels. Never use a jack to support the equipment.
Always use the proper tools or equipment for the job at hand.
Use extreme caution when making adjustments.
Never replace hex bolts with less than grade five bolts unless otherwise specified.
After servicing, be sure all tools, parts and service equipment are removed.
Where replacement parts are necessary for periodic maintenance and servicing, genuine factory replacement parts must be used to restore your equipment to original specifications.
Do not alter the equipment or replace parts with other brands. Doing so can cause the equipment to perform improperly and may lead to breakage causing bodily injury or death.
If repairs require the use of a torch or electric welder, be sure that all flammable and combustible materials are removed.
Do not weld or cut on any tank containing oil, fuel or their fumes or other flammable material, or any container whose previous contents are unknown.
Do not touch generator or transformer due to hot surfaces.
Before opening guard, shut off engine and remove key before performing maintenance or repair work. When maintenance or repair work is complete, close and secure guards and shields before resuming operation.
Never attempt to adjust or repair electrical power, control wiring, or any portion of generator,
transformer or electrical component box. This portion should be serviced by OSM trained
service personnel only.
Never work underneath the unit while in the raised position. Always lower the unit onto parking stands or wheels that are locked into place.
Always wear gloves when handling broken insulators.
Coulter blades are sharp. Wear gloves and use extreme care when rotating or adjusting to avoid personal injury. Keep hands and feet from underneath coulter blades.
Safety System Functions and System Indicators During Operation Mode
A multiple layered safety system is used on The Weed Zapper so the machine should not be able to be operated when an unsafe condition exists. A system of safety notifications on the monitor provide the operator with complete safety system information. These safety conditions must be met, and sensors satisfied, for proper operation to begin.
With wing stops set to field operation mode (see Pages C-3 – C-4) right and left wings must be raised and lowered to satisfy wing switch test and turn sensor box green.
Forward speed must be at least 1.5 MPH (2.4 KPH) to satisfy sensor and turn sensor box green. Speed shown on monitor is approximate and may not match tractor speed display.
Operator must be sitting on the seat switch pad in the operator’s seat of the tractor to satisfy sensor and turn sensor box green.
Generator minimum RPM requirement must be met to satisfy sensor and turn the “Disabled” box green and show “Ready”. Generator RPM will display only after all other safety sensors are satisfied.
The following indicator screens may also display while the machine is in operation.
Generator over-heat warning screens
Generator over-amperage warning screen
Generator low RPM warning screen
Breaker tripped screens The following conditions may occur requiring immediate attention.
Large arcs from weeds to HV electrode causing surging and damage to generator.
Tractor tire damage due to inadequate grounding of the system (i.e., coulters not contacting the earth, coulter ground straps damaged, 12 ga. ground wires damaged, etc.). Safety Sensor Conditions Satisfied
RIGHT WING – Box will illuminate green to indicate that the position of the right wing should be correct for grounding coulter to make adequate contact with the ground.
LEFT WING– Box will illuminate green to indicate position of the left wing should be correct for grounding coulter to make adequate contact with the ground.
SPEED – Box will illuminate green to indicate minimum speed requirement is met and satisfied when machine is in field operating position and moving forward at a minimum of 1.5 MPH (2.4 KPH). The speed shown on the monitor is approximate and may differ from tractor speed indication.
RPM – Box will illuminate green to indicate minimum RPM requirement is met and satisfied. A no-load minimum of 1600 Generator RPM is required to satisfy safety sensor.
SEAT OCCUPIED – Box will illuminate green indicating that seat safety switch is engaged when operator is in position on seat safety switch pad.
READY — Box will illuminate green to indicate minimum generator RPM as well as all other safety requirements have been met and are satisfied.
Safety Sensor Conditions Unsatisfied
SEAT OCCUPIED – When operator is not in position on seat safety switch pad, sensor box will illuminate red. Any attempt to start the machine will not succeed.
SPEED – When machine is in field operating mode but not moving forward or is moving too slowly, sensor box will illuminate red. Any attempt to start the machine will not succeed.
LEFT WING – RIGHT WING – When machine wings are in a raised transport or turning around position, sensor box will illuminate red. Any attempt to start the machine will not succeed.
RPM – When machine is in field operating mode but generator RPM drops below 1600 RPM, sensor box will illuminate red. Any attempt to start the machine will not succeed. Emergency STOP Button To stop the power generation quickly from The Weed Zapper at any time, operator can press the Red Emergency STOP Button. To resume operation and release the emergency stop button, turn button clockwise until it snaps and returns to the unlocked position.
Any time maintenance or repairs are being performed, always apply door safety locks on cart access doors to prevent accidental closing of door and potential injury
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join to receive new updates, articles, and resources
English 
Spanish 
French 
German