1. Availability: By having a T40 yourself, you can spray/spread anytime. No more waiting for helicopter pilots to show up, or for the ground to dry out. And less stressing about missing a spraying window in relation to timing with irrigation or incoming rain.
2. Efficacy: The drones' propellers sit just 3m off the ground, forcing the droplets down and circulate them to get more liquid on-target (on the weed/plantation). Drones very often achieve the same kill rate with less water and less chemical.
3. No ground compaction Meaning no yield loss & no machine wear from ground impacts. Particularly so for small plot broad acre drone spraying
4. Accuracy and control: Spray drones can get into steep areas you've never felt safe taking your tractor into, or near fence lines, close to trees, gullies etc
Not being able to spray because the ground is too wet or the area is inaccessible can create large losses for any farmer - sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. An event like this can make the cost of adding a spray drone to your list of machines laughable. Even having a spray drone purely as a backup can create an ROI in just a year or two when used at those critical times when your boom sprayer is out of action, helicopter pilot is too busy, or your contractor is unavailable. It's also quite likely your neighbors will take an interest and ask you to spray sections of their property as well, meaning there's potential for a new side-income stream.
Important to note, there's more to it than just buying one - spraying by any method, needs to be done at the right application rate, performed carefully to manage drift, and done on-time. Like most farming activities, it is a workflow which can also be done efficiently or inefficiently. The drone spraying workflow usually involves designing aircraft missions with the controller (see 2-min video), moving chemical/granular into it, battery charging, trailer design and whether pre-mapping (see 7-min video ) is needed or not.
It helps to be supported by people who use the equipment themselves and know what they're doing and to be connected to a community of other drone sprayers. People who can assist you with understanding your spraying goals and the capabilities of drone, setting you up properly and with legitimate equipment, planning suitable spray missions for each section of your property, supplying useful value-adding accessories and supplying parts and support quickly when needed to reduce machine downtime. The initial cost of the equipment is important, but it's only the first step and only one part of the consideration set when you plan for long term success and cost minimisation.
5 reasons to consider DFH as your spray drone supplier & partner
1. DJI Agriculture Authorised Service Center (ASC) & Authorised Dealer
Drones For Hire (DFH) is a DJI Agriculture Authorised Service Center (ASC) and authorised dealer. DFH is one of only three organisations in Australia with these authorisations and we have multiple staff certified as official DJI Academy Certified Agras Instructors & DJI Certified Agras Repair Technicians.
Our stock (T40’s, M3M’s etc) is legitimate and correct for the AU region and backed with an official DJI warranty. Being an Ag focused DJI dealer means our capability is uniquely focussed around spray drones and mapping drones. Here are some example images from setup days and demo days. And some example instructional videos . DFH has supplied over a hundred Agras units to growers and contract sprayers nationwide. Clients also include the QLD dept. of Agriculture and Fisheries, WA Dept. of Primary Industries, CSIRO, AECOM, Department of Defence, Charles Sturt University, Southern Cross University, and Anglo Coal. Other non-ag focused DJI dealers are likely to be focussed on the more common consumer drones which significantly affects their capacity to guide and support agricultural customers.
2. Onsite training on your property
DFH has technicians in most states who own and use this equipment themselves and are competent in drone-spraying and mapping operations. Our technicians are qualified with CASA type ratings/endorsements, and are often farmers themselves. Doing the setup day at your property is important as it means your technician will be able to understand the terrain in conjunction with your specific spraying/spreading goals and be able to advise the best spraying methods for each section of your property. They may also be able to map and start spraying/spreading the paddocks that are the highest priority for you to get started. Before the day, your technician will send you a list of pre-setup day procedures (activations, charging, firmware updates etc) that you can do at home so you can hit the ground running when he arrives.
The DFH team also includes degree qualified engineers, photogrammetry experts, PhD’s, OAM, robotics experts, members of agribusiness advisory committees, and an ex-RAAF pilot. The team has a diverse mix of capabilities who can assist with the various goals and challenges our customers face and bring to us for professional advice. This could be about facets of their unique workflow design to maximize hectares covered per day, capture and interpretation of multispectral data, software setup, trailer design and engineering (to carry drones, IBC carrier tank, batching tank, chemical tank, generator, pump etc), custom modification of your spray drone, and payload lifting kits.
3. Included spares kits and spares availability
DFH includes a spares kit with your spray drone order - spares that typically wear out sooner than other items (e.g. washers, sealing rings), and items that are good to have onsite ready to go if you have a mishap (e.g. propellers). Being able to continue spraying on the same day can make a huge difference especially when under time pressure with e.g. weather coming in.
In addition to supplying spares kits, DFH also maintains an extensive parts supply in NSW, ready for express shipping when customers need to get flying again fast.
4. DFH-exclusive value adding products
The DFH team of engineers and technicians has developed our own DFH-unique products designed to help our customers optimise their workflow when spraying/mapping. These include for example our T40 Fast Mover wheel sets, fast-fill tank caps, custom spares kits, HDS: Heavy Droplet Spinner discs, Granular Sherpa System, dual 15-amp socket extension cables, cooling station modifications, custom made CNC hard cases, and modified laptops for faster image processing on the go.
5. Backed by the largest drone site Australia since 2013
DFH has deep roots in the Australian drone industry. We started in 2013 , building DJI Flame Wheel F550 ARF Kits (pre the first Phantom and pre the MG-1P - DJIs first spray drone). With 10 years of relevant experience DFH has now grown to become Australia's largest drone site, supplying $M of hardware sales each year and attracting more than 40,000 drone marketplace requests.
To speak to a DFH representative about your spraying, mapping or drone related goals in general, reach us on 1300 029 829 or [email protected] .
More information to consider:
Spray drone case studies & articles
Image gallery: spray drone demo days
Spray drones for sale
Mapping drones for sale (regular images & NDVI)
Thermal drones for sale (animal spotting etc)
Finance providers - get quotes
CASA requirements for spraying
Chemicals license requirements (ChemCert tickets etc)
Parts store (spray drone parts)
View upcoming ag. demo days
