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| If it was me, I'd probably go with a truss design because trusses are lighter and stronger. If tubing was the only way, then I'd look at something like 2x6 or 3x8 or something like that. Take a length of tubing and lift it by one end and look at the deflection in it. Now consider that most of the forces involved with a sprayer boom are vertical, not horizontal. DO you need that strength of square tubing for horizontal forces that don't exist? I also doubt that 4x4 or 5x5, unless it's a very heavy wall would be sufficient on any length of boom. It's going to have too much deflection. I guess you could beat deflection by using support cables, if you can swing them, and mount them high enough to help. However, to me, square tubing seems to have a lot of dead weight involved that's not helping you. With steel, dead weight seldom helps, and often hinders. The strength is in the depth of it's section.... so a rectangle is probably of more use to you here unless you want to go with a lightweight truss, and then mabey 1" sq tubing would do.... I'd want it as light as possible.... Good luck. BTW, pricing out 1/4" wall HSS will scare you. Bad.
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Pipe vs square tubing for strength?
