Banjo Fittings, Valves, and Products: The Agricultural Plumber's Guide

If you've bought any sprayer or liquid handling equipment in the last 40 years, you've used Banjo products — whether or not you knew it. Banjo Corporation, headquartered in Crawfordsville, Indiana, is the dominant manufacturer of polypropylene fittings, ball valves, manifold valves, pumps, and liquid handling components for agricultural sprayers, fertilizer equipment, chemical transfer systems, and water management.

Sprayer Supplies is a full-line Banjo supplier. This guide explains the Banjo product categories, how to identify what you have, and how to select the right replacement or upgrade for your system.

Why Banjo?

Banjo's market dominance in agricultural liquid handling comes from two qualities that separate them from generic plumbing fittings:

• Chemical compatibility: Banjo products are manufactured from polypropylene, EPDM, and Viton materials selected specifically for compatibility with agricultural herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, liquid fertilizers, and anhydrous systems. Generic hardware store fittings are not rated for these chemistries and will fail — sometimes rapidly.
• Industry standardization: The Banjo cam-action (camlock) coupling system has become the de facto standard for agricultural quick-connect fittings across the industry. Any Banjo cam coupling mates with any other Banjo cam coupling of the same size and type, and with most other manufacturers' cam couplings following the same MIL-C-27487 standard.

Banjo Cam-Action Fittings (Camlock / Cam Lever Couplings)

Cam-action fittings are the most common Banjo product in agricultural use — they're the quick-connect couplings used for tank fill, nurse tank connections, and transfer hose attachment across the liquid fertilizer and spray chemical industry.

Understanding the configuration codes:

• Type A: Female cam coupling x male NPT thread — connects hose with camlock end to a threaded pipe or fitting
• Type B: Female cam coupling x female NPT thread
• Type C: Female cam coupling x hose barb
• Type D: Male cam adapter x male NPT thread
• Type E: Male cam adapter x hose barb
• Type F: Female cam coupling x female cam coupling (for coupling two hose ends)
• Dust Cap / Dust Plug: Protective covers for uncoupled ends — essential for preventing contamination and chemical drip

Size selection: Banjo cam couplings are available in 1", 1.5", 2", 3", and 4" sizes. In agriculture, 1.5" and 2" are the most common for tank fill and transfer applications. Match the cam coupling size to your hose ID and fitting size — a 2" cam coupling requires 2" ID hose.

Banjo Ball Valves

Banjo manufactures a comprehensive line of polypropylene ball valves for agricultural sprayer and chemical handling systems. Unlike standard plumbing ball valves made for water, Banjo ball valves are rated for agricultural chemical use and designed to provide reliable shutoff with corrosive or abrasive liquid chemistries.

Standard Ball Valves

Full-port polypropylene ball valves with a 90-degree turn for open/closed operation. Available in 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1-1/4", 1-1/2", 2", 3", and 4" sizes in male NPT x female NPT configurations. These are the go-to for manual shutoff on any sprayer line segment, tank outlet, or transfer system.

Multi-Port Ball Valves

Three-way and four-way Banjo ball valves allow flow direction switching without adding multiple valves and tees to the plumbing. A three-port ball valve can divert flow from one source to either of two destinations, or blend from two sources. Common use: switching sprayer return flow between tank agitation and bypass.

KZ ZipValve — Motorized Ball Valves

Banjo's KZ ZipValve is a compact, IP67-rated motorized ball valve available in 2-way and 3-way configurations with a 3/8" push-lock connection. These are designed for automated section control and variable rate applications where electric actuation of individual boom sections is required. Sprayer Supplies stocks the KZ-NPZC28 (push-lock) and KZ-NAZC28 (standard) models — these are the featured Banjo motorized valves in our current catalog.

Banjo Manifold Valves

Manifold valves combine multiple valve functions into a single housing — replacing what would otherwise be a plumbing assembly of separate valves, tees, and fittings. Banjo electric manifold valves are used for boom section control on sprayers, allowing in-cab switching of boom sections with solenoid actuation.

Key specifications when selecting a Banjo manifold valve:

• Number of sections: 2-section to 7-section configurations available
• Port size: 3/4" and 1" are most common for boom supply lines
• Voltage: 12V DC is standard for mobile agricultural equipment
• Flow rating: Verify the manifold's rated GPM meets the demand of your boom sections at operating pressure

Banjo Pumps

Banjo manufactures a line of centrifugal pumps specifically designed for agricultural liquid transfer and sprayer applications. Banjo centrifugal pumps use polypropylene or glass-filled polypropylene impellers and housings, providing excellent resistance to fertilizers and most agrochemicals.

Banjo pump mounting options include PTO (540 RPM), electric motor, and engine-drive configurations. All Banjo centrifugal pumps share the same Banjo cam coupling inlet/outlet connections, making them directly compatible with existing Banjo plumbing systems.

Key selection criteria: Desired GPM at your operating pressure. Banjo publishes performance curves for each pump model — always verify that the selected pump delivers your required flow at your actual system pressure, not just at maximum free-flow.

Banjo Flange Fittings

Banjo flange fittings connect to the flanged ports on Banjo tanks and totes using bolted connections. They're the standard fitting for tank outlet connections on poly tanks used in sprayer and fertilizer applications. Flange fittings come in 2", 3", and 4" sizes to match tank outlet flanges, and are available in multiple thread configurations on the outlet end for connecting to cam couplings, NPT threads, or hose barbs.

If you're mounting a tank or replacing a tank sump fitting, confirm the flange size matches your tank's molded-in flange — this is typically stamped on the fitting or documented in the tank spec sheet.

Identifying Banjo Products by Part Number

Banjo part numbers follow a consistent naming convention that encodes the product type, size, and material. Common prefixes:

• 100 series: 1" polypropylene fittings
• 150 series: 1.5" polypropylene fittings
• 200 series: 2" polypropylene fittings
• M series: Manifold valves
• BV series: Ball valves
• KZ series: ZipValve motorized ball valves
• CP series: Centrifugal pumps

When ordering replacement Banjo parts, locate the part number embossed or stamped on the existing fitting. Sprayer Supplies stocks Banjo parts and can cross-reference part numbers to ensure exact replacement. Browse the full Banjo product line at sprayersupplies.com/banjo or call (844) 328-9900 for help identifying and sourcing specific Banjo components.

Banjo vs. Generic Fittings: The Compatibility Question

A common question: can I mix Banjo cam couplings with other brands? For cam-action (camlock) couplings following the MIL-C-27487 standard, yes — a Banjo 2" cam coupling mates with any other brand's 2" cam coupling following the same standard. For flange fittings, manifold valves, and plumbing connections, confirm the specific thread type and size match before assuming interchangeability.

For all critical plumbing joints in chemical service, using matched Banjo components throughout eliminates the guesswork and ensures the chemical compatibility ratings apply to the entire joint assembly — not just the fitting you happen to recognize.