Our Drone Articles

For broadacre work, we speculate (we don’t have our first unit yet as at the time of writing – 15/7/25), that the DJI T100 will cover up to 26 ha of crops like cotton per hour  (at 20L per ha application rate (one drone).

For spot spraying, compared to a quick spray, you should expect to be roughly 3x as efficient and be using 20%-60% less chemical to get the same kill rate (spray drones are famous for their efficacy because they have the advantage of their big rotors pushing droplets  down, and circulating them throughout the target.

If you are an existing spray drone operator , operating a T50 or T40, you may perceive the T100 as a very big machine, designed just for large broadacre properties – this is not necessarily the case – the T100 has a new lidar sensory system which will enable it to much more confidently move around tricky country – steep, rocky sections, gullies, trees surprisingly well for a relatively big fella! This lidar system will also, in some cases,  negate the need to pre map the operating area  – because the aircraft is more capable of sensing its surrounding environment on the fly and making more confident (less hesitation ) manoeuvres as a result.

Let’s say you’re doing 500 ha a day with your SP sprayer. You might only need 2x or at most 3x T00 drones to do the same, but it’s important to note an SP sprayer costs about 20x as much ($800k or more), requires a lot more maintenance, and can’t operate on soft (wet) ground. So whilst a T100 is not an SP sprayer, it punches way above its weight considering its size, cost, and versatility. Not to mention its modular design, uncomplicated maintenance program, low cost of parts, no diesel expense, and much more efficient use of inputs.

Keep in mind, operating one or more spray drones requires battery changes and liquid/granular refills as a steady workflow as you’re going. You’re not sitting in the cab of an SP sprayer – rather,  your running an ag drone pit crew!

View T100 bundles for sale - with option to reserve a kit from our first shipment

View 30 min first impressions video below

View T100 bundles for sale - with option to reserve a kit from our first shipment

View 30 min first impressions video below

The T100 can empty its full tank in just ~2–3 minutes at max flow, allowing fast, dense applications when needed (e.g. fertilizer, frost control). You can also fine-tune spray settings for lighter, more delicate applications. It's fast and flexible.

View T100 bundles for sale - with option to reserve a kit from our first shipment

View 30 min first impressions video below

Oscar (DFH head of Agriculture) with a customer Dave - getting his repaired T40 back home ready for work again.

1. Unmatched preparedness and willingness to support

Drones For Hire is an authorised DJI Agriculture Service Centre (DJI ASC).  This is because of our ag drone knowledge accumulation, service centre capabilities (repairs, demonstrations, training) and support network of technicians. We have multiple staff certified as official DJI Academy Certified Agras Instructors & DJI Certified Agras Repair Technicians. These staff had to pass exams and do complete disassembly and reassembly videos to show their knowledge is real.  Drones For Hire began selling the DJI MG-1P spray drone and has sold more DJI Ag. drones than any other dealer in Australia. We were doing demos for the T30 which had the older pressure (Teejet nozzles) back in 2022/3 (3-min video), T40 demo, and T50 demo . We support customers with a mature library of tech support videos such as this 5-min spreader calibration video tutorial. Here is a 2-min stockman video about the benefits of a regular sized drone (M3E) for scouting stock yards, monitoring feral pigs and even mustering.    

2. A setup and training day included at no cost

Spray drone purchasers receive a full day with a Drones For Hire technician for equipment set up and training. Face to face on your property. Drones For Hire has 2-3 technicians in each state, who typically own and use DJI spray drones, and mapping drones and related gear. We can’t underestimate how important this is and how often customers thank us for it. Because it means the technician has relevant knowledge and context as to how to best apply the technology to the kind of country you have on your property and your spraying/spreading goals. 

3. Mapping session included at no cost

A complimentary M3M/M4E (Mavic 3 Multispectral or Matrice 4 Enterprise) mapping flight to map the first 10 ha section of your property, as part of your setup day. Note this can be changed by request to e.g. demonstrate the Matrice 4 Thermal drone (for e.g. spotting feral pigs, counting cows, checking water levels in a cotton field).

4. Spray drone jobs subscription credit included at no cost

Credit for receiving spray drone job inquiries from our job inquiries marketplace (55,000 inquiries processed since 2013 – Australia’s largest and longest running drone job marketplace). 

Very handy if you wish to use your spray drone as a commercial business or just to pick up the odd local job.

5. Official AU stock that has a warranty and is insurable 

Drones For Hire is not interested in black market / grey market / illegal imports. These units are geo-locked by the OEM meaning they will only take off in a specific country / region of the world. Additionally, there is no local AU warranty, and the owners’ insurance policy will be void when they make a claim since the SN Serial Number will not pass the OEM reference check. Above all, these units are usually very poorly supported if at all, and arranged by short sighted, transient suppliers. 

Drones For Hire stock is legitimate and correct for the AU region and backed with an official DJI warranty. We have a good and long standing relationship with the leaders of DJI Agriculture, and local DJI staff in Australia.  

6. A commitment to innovation and local manufacturing 

Drones For Hire manufactures our own aluminium enclosures for spray drones (2-min video)

Drones For Hire also makes our own Batch Master chemical mixing stations, Fast Mover T50 transport kits, Fast-fill caps, RTK Hard Cases and various other items. 

Culturally, Our goal is to be the most farmer-centric ag. drone business in Australia and to grow fast by investing in our ‘support is sales’ mantra, and the mechanisms that enable it. 

7. Ag drone spares ready to ship

Drones For Hire recognises the urgency when a farming machine is out of action – often it happens at the worst time and can lead to yield and other losses. Our customers are always juggling different priorities and changing weather systems , varying prices for their crops/ beef/ wool etc.  

For this reason, Drones For Hire has pre-ordered and has in supply a large number of ag drone spares that we can ship very fast via our Toll Priority partnership. In all cases, we try our best to quickly understand the situation, identify the parts requirement, ship without delay and arrange help as required.

8. $1000.0 spares kit include at no cost 

We also include a $1000.0 spares kit for free with all our T50 bundles. The kit contents are carefully considered by our technicians and are updated when needed to give you the best chance of continuing to spray when a consumable part needs replacing.  

9. A solid presence in the Australian drone industry 

Drones For Hire has been operating for more than 10 years, and operates the largest and longest running drone jobs marketplace, having processed more than 55,000 drone jobs. Drones For Hire also sells $M of drone hardware each year and has a large dry-hire drone rental fleet. 

 10. A full workshop dedicated to repairs, modifications

Drones For Hire has a workshop for all warranty and non-warranty repairs. It consists of the equipment necessary to support our clients and keep their gear running such as a large working area, 100 ha for flight testing and training, substantial tools, winches, generators, vehicles, trailers, mixing/batching tanks, granular bins and a mapping training area/media area. 

Feel free to reach out and ask about the suitability of a T50 for your own property or for your contract spraying business:  [email protected] or 1300 029 829.

Go to T50 bundles (shop page)

Whatever your final T50 shopping list includes: always consider the long term and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) on your DJI Agras 50.

If your T50 is out of action because you can’t figure out how to do something specific or because it needs parts/repairs, and you can’t get support, consider the cost of losing part of your crop or losing control of your weeds. And for contract sprayers , the cost of losing a contract and losing your local area reputation as a dependable service provider. 

I. Choose a supplier that is renowned for support and look for evidence that they can. 

The temptation is to focus on the initial purchase price – we all do it. After all, that’s the figure that’s most visible and often the first number discussed. 

Another often-overlooked component of the TCO is the cost of poor knowledge. The DJI Agras T50 is a powerful tool, but like any sophisticated technology, it requires proper training and knowledge from a good dealer , to maximize its potential. We find that just some small tips can go a long way, even basic stuff, for example explaining how Manual+ mode (in the controller) can be far more effective than regular manual mode. It is also a big advantage so not only have a drone expert teaching you the system, but also someone that understands agriculture and contracting applications. 

The cost of poor knowledge / inadequate supplier training isn’t just about operating inefficiencies—it’s about missed opportunities for improving crop health, maximizing productivity, and lowering input costs. It’s essential to invest not only in the drone but also in comprehensive training and support to ensure that the equipment is used to its fullest potential. Knowledge gaps could lead to higher operational costs, poor performance, and ultimately, reduced returns on investment. DJI T50s are very well thought out with useful flight modes and settings for different mission types  - use them to your advantage. 

II. Choose a supplier that is invested in the future

Some more DJI T50 sellers have started to pop up, many of them single operators with an ABN, a spray drone, and ute. Consider these sellers’ capacity to support customers and willingness to stay the course when things get complicated or busy.  

$34K (ex GST) isn’t much for an agricultural machine that is as capable and versatile as a DJI T50. With the right approach to this technology you will see that back in under 6 months, and many times over , in a 2-3 year period , especially when you have critical spraying /spreading to do .Just  make sure you go in to it the right way;

• Get good advice for your initial setup (gear list that matches your needs), 
• Get training that is specific to your spraying priorities , and ideally bring in a 2nd person (son, contractor, farm hand) for redundancy and help along the way.  
• Go with a reputable supplier who has the means to arrange good support at short notice.

Go to T50 bundles (shop page)

The T50 , on paper, has the technology in the aircraft and RC ,  to be able to fly a range of 15 kms or more, due to its internationally revered Ocusync transmission system. The caveat is, here in Australia , it needs to comply to the CE compliance standard, as such it is capped at 2km. Similarly the US has the FCC standard. However, this doesn’t actually change anything because DJIs system (Ocusync) is far ahead of any other,  more importantly; when you're operating a spray drone you don’t really want to be more than about 1 km from it anyway, for 2 reasons:

• You want to minimise the time the done is flying but not spraying/spreading. The trip out (ferrying time) to the mission start point from the home (Refill) point is called ‘connection routing’ in the RC menu. The longer it is, the more battery you are using up before the drone even starts spraying. 
  
  
• The T50, fully opened out, is roughly 3 x 3m in size (280L × 308W×82H cm) with the arms and propellers unfolded, and weighs 103 kg with a full load of granular onboard (hopper full). Most operators don’t feel comfortable piloting it from far away and it should always be within line of sight anyway.  

The max speed is 36 kph (10m/sec). This limit is important when spraying because at more than this speed, the aircraft loses its ability to keep the droplets contained within the vortex bubble; video example – the Drones For Hire team spraying on rice in VIC.  This is important for getting the droplets down into the crop/pasture correctly. This is one of the absolute key advantages of a DJI T50 spray drone above a boom sprayer.  Remember you're not just getting a flying boom, you're getting a carefully designed spraying system with propellers and spraying system designed and positioned for optimum spraying results.  

The T50 spreader can take 50 kg of granular (seeds, fert, baits etc), and the liquid tank can hold 40L of spray liquid.

Go to T50 bundles (shop page)

To fly a T50 on your own property

The rules were relaxed somewhat in 2024. To fly it on your own property only requires a ‘standard’ drone licence , this is called an RePL ( Remote Pilot License) which can be done in 3 days; 2 days from home doing online theory, and 1 day  in a park flying (practical). The RePL costs about $1100.0-1300.0 depending on which training school you choose. 

To fly a T50 on someone else's property requires 2 additional things:

1. A T50 Type Rating (also called ‘Endorsement’). This typically involves flying your T50 with a assessor standing next to you for about 2 hours. The assessor is basically looking to see if you can operate this relatively large drone (T50) safely - i.e. flying certain maneuvers and checking the environment before take off (nearby powerlines, animals and closeness of regional aerodromes). They might also ask about some basic aircraft specs ( e.g. max wind speed it should fly in, battery capacity) amongst other things. Cost is $890.0 at the time of writing.   
   
   
2. A CASA ReOC. A Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator’s Certificate (ReOC) is something you need that basically tells CASA you have your knowledge and procedures in palace to be able to fly your T50 safely in unfamiliar properties/environments such as a new clients property. The process involves learning, preparing a response to a scenario you will be given , and then doing a phone interview to see if you pass. An example scenario may be something like: “Fred Smith has asked you to spray his 100 ha canola plantation at map location X. You may notice this location has a nearby public footpath, is close to a regional aerodrome, and a local helicopter company performs periodic powerline checks nearby.  You will need to factor in how to manage these risks, amongst various other considerations, in your scenario response. Cost is about $1,890.0 at the time of writing.  

Interested to see who already has a CASA ReOC? Remember a ReOC is a requirement to operate a T50 on someone else's property as a contract spray business. Go to CASA list of ReOC holders.   

Go to T50 bundles (shop page)

The DJI T50 is a modular, uncomplicated and well-engineered spraying machine, with a simple maintenance requirement. Especially when considered relative to a manned helicopter or SP sprayer. For this reason, we just don’t see spray drones simply wear out. In 2025, we still see old T10s, T20s and T30s in service. You will replace rotors and washers/shims, maybe a centrifugal or impeller pump motor , the very occasional ESC, or a motor, but that’s usually it. If you have a crash, the system is designed with sacrificial parts. Drones For Hire has its own graphical parts catalogue that is thorough and clear.

You are much more likely to stop using your spray drone because you want to upgrade to the next model, not because your current model is worn out / has been retired. DJI brings out new models roughly every 2 years. We see some customers holding out for the next model which is plausible, depending on how long the wait is, what season this time frame covers and the subsequent variables that can impact your spraying needs.  The cost of not being able to spray e.g. when it’s wet or because your local contactor is booked, or your boom sprayer is down for repairs can become far more costly than the drone purchase. Some customers even get a T50 just as a backup/ redundancy.

What’s the next one on the horizon? The DJI T100 is coming next! It will feature some more industry leading breakthrough technology as usual from DJI and will really push spray drones forward into broad acre areas of Australia, with a suspected productivity rate of 220+ ha per day per drone.  

Important to note, the T100 is not just an upgraded T50, it is in a different product category. The T50 is a versatile all-rounder that is good on crops and good for spot spraying weeds on hills, aquatic weeds in waterways and even white washing greenhouse roofs. Relative to its predecessors (T40, T30) and the T100, the T50 can be considered a ‘medium’ sized aircraft that many customers can pick up on their own and move on and off a trailer or vehicle. 

The T100 on the other hand is much bigger, less agile, requires 2 people to carry, and is therefore more designed as a high productivity crop sprayer.   

Go to T50 bundles (shop page)