Have just put this little unit together to broadcast Tebuthiuron (Graslan) pellets. In the past, the only alternative to aerial application has been throwing them around by hand, a slow tedious process. This thing will throw them out 30 ft+ each side, as fast as you can pull the trigger.
Looks like a good invention. Do you get good results from Graslan? I looked into it at one stage but decided it was too expensive and went with Velpar instead. What are you targeting?
Neat looking applicator Queenslander. Are you doing spot treatment?
Velpar has been the chemical of choice around these parts for many years, usually by stem injection..chopping, or spotting on the ground. This Silverleaf Ironbark on granite soil was maiden country when it was pulled twenty years ago. It has had several excellent fires over it since, but in the last five years the regrowth has really taken off. Good choppers, if you can find them, might do this country for $50/60 an acre, average choppers could easily cost twice that. Graslan applied aerialy might be around $80/90, but I reckon Iam doing it for well under $30. The saving comes from only applying the pellets to the drip zone of each tree, unlike the blanket coverage from a plane. Iam using a Topcon x14 autoguide to show me where Iam going and it tells me Iam doing 15 acres/hr in this timber.
That's a cool setup Queenslander Like I tell customers ..... " If you want to grow a forest just quit mowing the grass " Most people have no idea of the maintenance required on pasture & farm ground to keep it in top shape .
Okay, this may sound stupid, but what are you killing, the actual trees? If so, won't they just be left standing, but dead and a danger of falling of their own accord and a danger to man or beast? Also is it common to let it get this out of hand? Much easier and cheaper dealt with when they were no more than thin twigs I would have thought. Don't take it as a criticism of you, you method looks very efficient and if you can undercut others by that amount you deserve to make your fortune. Graham
Graham, yes he's killing the trees to keep the grass producing and the cattle fed. Goats would have loved to eat those saplings but look up some videos of Australians catching wild bulls, and you'll see how goats would only make the problems that much worse, turning feral faster. The alternatives to herbicide include burning if there's enough grass, pulling with a chain between two or three dozers, root rakes, etc. That seems like a pretty good way to do it, until Wall-E the tree assassin come along...
Graham, the Graslan pellets are selective if applied at the correct rate, so won’t harm the grass. The dead trees don’t worry us too much, timber this size will mostly fall over and be burnt within ten years. These Ironbarks are a eucalypt, a very tenacious species that nothing will eat. (except maybe Koala bears) In an ideal world, this country would of been treated earlier, 5 years ago they were only half as high. It’s always a balancing act to maintain the production and value of the country against the cost of treatment and the return you expect to achieve, not to mention the constant threat of droughts etc. Iam hoping this thing will be a game changer for us, by dramatically lowering the cost of treatment, we will be able to improve much more country, sooner. At this stage, I have several years work on my own place before considering any contracting, but there is definitely some money making potential there. This is a clip from the bloke who makes the Skattergun, a fellow Qlder, as dry as they come.
Queenslander, Thanks for clarifying. I guess the main trouble is you have so much land to maintain. If you have several years work, at the speed that thing delivers your farm must be huge. I liked the video - that thing is super efficient. My only worry is at the end of a long day I could see my having problems coordinating my driving and shooting safely. Graham
Not as huge as some... The pellets rely on rain to dissolve and take them down to the roots so, ideally, application is restricted to the few months of the year when we expect most of our rainfall. One person can easily throw out $1500 worth of pellets in a day, so it still has to fit in to the budget. Your shooting arm does get a bit sore after a long day but not as bad as if one was swinging an axe all day!