Exciting Rental Fleet Updates as at April 2025
- DFH is now offering a simple credit card hold option for the value of the items you rent as the security deposit (EFT upfront no longer required).
- Your rental becomes free of charge if you decide to purchase the same item brand new within 14 days of the rental period.
- Rental fleet significantly enlarged as at March 2025, adding several units including Matrice 4 E, Matrice 4 T, H30T, M350 RTK, RTK3, flood lighting systems, tethered power solutions, M3M etc.
- We maintain a large and well managed Aus wide fleet of drones for dry hire. One of the models you are looking for may not be far from your location – call 13000 029 829 and ask for Rachel to get a quick heads up on the nearest location and best hire price for the item you need.
Contact Rachel our hire fleet manager:
1300 029 829
0490233192
Your questions answered: What’s the current landscape in 2025 with the DJI T50 and other spray drones in Australia.
Compiled by Nick Smith with contributions from the Drones For Hire Ag. team and our customers (growers and graziers).
- Are spray drones worth it? Five things growers & graziers say they like most about the DJI T50
- How many hectares/aces can a DJI T50 spray drone cover per day? And how do you compare it with an SP sprayer?
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How much does the DJI T50 cost? And what do contract drone sprayers charge per hectare / acre?
- How many years does a DJI spray drone last for ? Should I wait for the next model?
- For the T50: What are the licensing requirements for operating a T50 spray drone in Australia
- What is the DJI T50s max flight range and speed ? And How much can the T50 lift / carry
- How to get the lowest cost DJI Agras T50 spray drone
- Ten reasons to consider Drones for Hire as your supplier & support partner
A T50 costs 34,500.0 ex. GST (MSRP) for the standard 3-battery kit (aircraft, controller, charger and 3x batteries). You may choose to add a spreader (hopper for seeding, fert, baits). For a more advanced setup, add a RTK3 base station for more precision, M4E mapping drone for large area mapping (250 ha per day), and a recommended spec laptop for map making (basically a high res and up to date version of Google maps satellite view , that can be used for automated T50 mission design.
For broadacre spraying, a simple formula to go off is multiply the application rate x 1.8. Therefore, spraying broadacre at 20L/ha would be $36.0 per ha, 30L/ha would be $54.0 per ha, 40L/ha would be $72.0 per ha and so on. As always, contractors need to be aware of the options being offered in their local area, and their pros and cons and price accordingly. Sometimes drone contractors can charge a bit less if a local boom operator is discounting, and other times more, if it's wet or there are power lines and there is no other option. We find some contractors prefer to base their pricing on a per hour rate. This can be a good way to find out what you need to charge per Ha, but remember growers always prefer a per ha rate.
For spot spraying in pasture (weeds on undulating country, hills, gullies , fence lines, difficult country etc.), is normally $275.0 to $325.0 per hour. While this can seem expensive to growers, a few facts should be mentioned. As discussed, a drone will cover more area quicker, use less active chemicals (sometimes up to 50%), and only spray target weeds. This means the end cost is usually less than contact hand spraying in most areas. It is also nearly always a better kill (no human error to determine rates, and the drone sits above the middle of the target which can be out of reach for a hand wand).
Return on investment (ROI): a standard T50 3-battery kit (aircraft, controller, charger and 3x batteries) is 34,000.0 ex GST. You should see a very good return on investment as a property owner e.g. increasing your grazable land on the property, and needing less contractors. And also as a contract sprayer, typically charging at least $2200.0 per day.
35-min video: T50 Full Spraying Demo
2-min video: Customer scouting stock yards, feral pigs and even mustering.
T30 demo, T40 demo, and T50 demo
8-min video: summary of the T50s flight modes available on controller screen
2-min video: see the high flow rate and penetration a DJI T50 can deliver
Video the T50 holding its droplets in a controlled vortex bubble over a rice plantation
Go to all our YouTube videos (demos, how-to videos, Shorts)
Get fast local quotes for contractor spraying or mapping work here
View dry-hire drone rental fleet and prices
DFH Batch Master chemical mixing stations
DFH aluminium enclosures for spray drones (2-min video)
CASA article: Drones taking agriculture sky high
AAUS: the leading association for uncrewed systems (drones, ROVs, robots) in Aus.
DJI Agriculture main site
Blackberry control action groups: Weeds Australia, VIC , NSW
Cotton Australia main site
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional or legal advice. While efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the content, readers should consult with qualified experts or local authorities before making decisions related to agricultural drone use, regulations, or investments.
