Question 1

What products can be applied with a drone?

Accepted Answer

Both liquid and granular products. The most common liquid applications are fungicides, insecticides, foliar fertilizers, and herbicides. Granular applications include broadcast cover crops and fertilizers.

Dependent of the drone series you select, our drones can apply 0.25 – 15 gallons per acre of liquid product and 3 – 300 pounds per acre of granular product. Low volume rates (typically 2 gallons per acre) are the most common use for our drone series. Due to the prop wash designed to distribute and penetrate the product across and through the canopy, we have found very high efficiency with a wide range of products at a low volume rate.

Question 2

How many acres per hour can a drone spray?

Accepted Answer

As a rule of thumb, 2 gallons per acre (GPA) is commonly labeled as the carrier volume for most aerial applied products. The max realistic efficiencies at 2 GPA are listed below. These include landing and refill time.

T10: 15 acres per hour
T20: 25 acres per hour
T30: 35 acres per hour
At a lower GPA, the efficiencies for each drone will increase slightly, at higher GPA the efficiency will decrease.

Question 3

How much does the tank hold?

Accepted Answer

T10: 10-liter (2.6 gallons) liquid capacity and 3-gallon granular tank, which converts to approximately 20 lbs. of granular material.
T20: 20-liter (5.2 gallons) liquid capacity and 5.2-gallon granular tank, which converts to approximately 35 lbs. of granular material.
T30: 30-liter (8 gallons) liquid capacity and 10.5-gallon granular tank, which converts to approximately than 70 lbs. of granular material.

Question 4

How wide is the drone sprayer swath per pass?

Accepted Answer

Drones utilize a vortex effect created by the rotor wash to help spread out and distribute the atomized liquid across a swath that is wider than the actual drone. The swath is affected by this vortex effect along with application height, nozzle selection, spray rate and spraying speed.
Below are the max swath widths for each drone model when spraying at 10-13 ft. over the crop canopy.
T10: Swath width up to 5 meters (16.4 feet)
T20: Swath width up to 7 meters (23 feet)
T30: Swath width up to 9 meters (29.5 feet)
The spread pattern of the granular spreader varies widely depending on product and drone elevation, typically ranging from 20-35 ft.

Question 5

What is the max spray rate?

Accepted Answer

Nozzle selection, product density and calibration will affect the max pump output. Below are max pump outputs for each drone model.
T10: 2.4 liters (0.63 gallons) per minute
T20: 6 liters (1.58 gallons) per minute
T30: 8 liters (2.11 gallons) per minute
Pumps are operated with brushless motors that automatically adjust spray rate in accordance with flight speed. Electromagnetic flow meters ensure the rate is kept accurate.

Question 6

What is the weight of each sprayer drone when fully loaded?

Accepted Answer

T10: Weighs under 55 lbs. (24.9 kg.)
T20: Weighs 42 lbs. (19 kg.) empty and 105 lbs. (47.2 kg.) when fully loaded.
T30: Weighs 58 lbs. (26.3 kg.) empty and 168 lbs. (76.5 kg.) when fully loaded.

Question 7

How fast can the drone fly when spraying?

Accepted Answer

During manual flight, a drone can fly up to 33 feet per second or 22.5 mph. Automated operation allows speeds up to 23 feet per second or 15.5 mph. At this speed, our drones can still follow slopes up to 30 degrees, while sensing obstacles in their flight path.
For safety and product efficiency reasons, the DJI system does not allow faster automated operation speeds.

Question 8

Do sprayer drones have a camera?

Accepted Answer

Each of our drones have First Person View (FPV) cameras designed to provide the operator with a live view on the controller screen. FPV cameras support up to a 2-mile range, which is extremely useful when spot spraying weeds.
Note, FPV cameras cannot be used to map fields. We also do not recommend using sprayer drones to scout fields as smaller, less expensive drones with better cameras are better suited for that specific task.

Question 9

What are the key uses for each different drone model?

Accepted Answer

T10: Light and portable
Designed with a swappable liquid tank, the T10 is the lightest and easiest sprayer drone to transport on market. This makes it ideal for small test plots and spot spraying applications, where the drone will need to be regularly packed up and moved from field to field throughout the day.

T20: The best of both worlds
The T20 is not only light enough for one person to lift into a truck, but it also has a swappable liquid tank making it big enough to spray down and back on a half-mile long field at a 2 GPA rate. These features make the T20 a great platform for large test plots and whole field application.

T30: The BIG dog
The T30 is the biggest and most technologically advanced sprayer and spreader drone in the US. If you are looking to cover acres, this is the best machine for the job.

Question 10

What is the lifespan of a sprayer drone?

Accepted Answer

Overall, the drone is built to last. There are no major wear parts on the drone. Simply put, if you take care of it and don’t crash it, you will not have to replace any parts for a long time.

All drone parts are replaceable and modular. If you do need to replace parts it can be done easily and affordably. Below are details about a couple of parts that might need replaced over time.
According to the manufacturer, the batteries for the T30 will last for 1,000 charge cycles.
All the drone motors are brushless. Industry-standard service life for brushless motors is 10,000+ hours.
We have seen electronic speed controllers (ESC) which control the motors go out after 150 hours, but most will last over 300 hours.
Props may need replaced when chipped or cracked but should last for multiple seasons.
Spraying system parts (tips, hoses, and pump diaphragms) may need replaced after a couple of seasons.

Question 11

Where can I get parts or a sprayer drone serviced?

Accepted Answer

Most fixes are easy to make yourself. These drones are modular, so you can simply pull the part off and put the new part on. Typically, no diagnostics or calibrations are needed. If there is something more complicated, our technician can help you through the process of fixing the issue yourself.

FAQS

WE'RE MORE THAN JUST A DRONE CONSULTING COMPANY

SPECS AND CAPABILITIES

What products can be applied with a drone?

How many acres per hour can a drone spray?

How much does the tank hold?

How wide is the drone sprayer swath per pass?

What is the max spray rate?

What is the weight of each sprayer drone when fully loaded?

How fast can the drone fly when spraying?

Do sprayer drones have a camera?

What are the key uses for each different drone model?

What is the lifespan of a sprayer drone?

Where can I get parts or a sprayer drone serviced?

OPERATION FEATURES

How difficult are sprayer drones to operate?

What happens if the drone flies towards a tree, building or any other type of obstruction?

How do I operate a sprayer drone system?

What is the line-of-sight control distance?

How accurate is the GPS?

How many drones can an individual operate at one time?

OPERATIONS SETUP

How do I mix chemical for the sprayer drone system?

What pump system is needed for filling drone tank?

What truck and trailer setup is needed to operate a sprayer drone?

How many drones can an individual operate at one time?

How much can I charge for custom application with a sprayer drone?

BATTERIES AND POWER SYSTEMS

How difficult are sprayer drones to operate?

What happens if the drone flies towards a tree, building or any other type of obstruction?

How do I operate a sprayer drone system?

What is the line-of-sight control distance?

How accurate is the GPS?

How many drones can an individual operate at one time?

How long can a sprayer drone fly on one battery charge?

How fast do the drone batteries recharge?

What size generator is needed?

What is the lifespan of a sprayer drone?

Where can I get parts or a sprayer drone serviced?

What licensing is needed to fly a sprayer drone?

How do I mix chemical for the sprayer drone system?

What pump system is needed for filling drone tank?

What truck and trailer setup is needed to operate a sprayer drone?

How many drones can an individual operate at one time?

How much can I charge for custom application with a sprayer drone?

LICENSING AND REGULATIONS

Quick Links

Contact Us Today!

602-699-5899

info@aerialdrones.us