FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQ's

How Many Products can be Applied with a Drone?

Both liquid and granular products are widely used. Common liquid applications include fungicides, insecticides, foliar fertilizers, biologicals and herbicides, while granular applications often involve broadcasting cover crops and fertilizers.

Depending on the drone series chosen, our drones are capable of applying 0.25 to 15 gallons per acre of liquid product and 3 to 300 pounds per acre of granular product. The most frequent application for our drone series is at low volume rates, typically around 2 gallons per acre. The prop wash feature is engineered to effectively distribute and penetrate the product throughout the canopy, resulting in high efficiency with various products at low volume rates.

How Much Does the Tank Hold?

T10: 10-liter (2.6 gallons) liquid capacity with a 3-gallon granular tank, equivalent to roughly 20 lbs. of granular material.
T20: 20-liter (5.2 gallons) liquid capacity with a 5.2-gallon granular tank, equivalent to roughly 35 lbs. of granular material.
T30: 30-liter (8 gallons) liquid capacity with a 10.5-gallon granular tank, equivalent to roughly 70 lbs. of granular material.
T40: 40-liter (10.5 gallons) liquid capacity with a 70-liter granular tank, equivalent to roughly 115 lbs. of granular material.

How Many Acres Per Hour can a Drone Spray?

Typically, 2 gallons per acre (GPA) is considered the standard carrier volume for many aerially applied products. The maximum realistic efficiencies at 2 GPA, including landing and refill times, are as follows:

T10: 15 acres per hour
T30: 30 acres per hour
T40: 40 acres per hour

Efficiencies for each drone will increase marginally at lower GPAs and decrease at higher GPAs.

How Fast Can the Drone Fly While Spraying?

In manual mode, a drone can reach speeds of up to 33 feet per second, or 22.5 mph. In automated mode, it can operate at speeds of up to 23 feet per second, or 15.5 mph. Even at these speeds, the drones are capable of following slopes with an incline of up to 30 degrees and detecting obstacles in their path.

The T40 model can outpace other Agras drones, achieving a spray rate of up to 32.8 feet per second, or 22 miles per hour, during automated operations.

What is the Lifespan of a Sprayer Drone?

Overall, the drone is designed for durability. It lacks major parts that wear down over time. Essentially, with proper care and avoidance of crashes, there should be no need for part replacements for an extended period.

Drone components are designed to be replaceable and modular. Should there be a need for part replacement, it can be accomplished with ease and at a low cost. Following are the details regarding a few components that may require replacement over time.

  • The manufacturer states that the T40 batteries are designed to last for 1,500 charge cycles.
  • All drone motors are brushless, with an industry-standard service life exceeding 10,000 hours.
  • Electronic speed controllers (ESC), responsible for motor operation, may fail after 150 hours; however, the majority tend to last beyond 300 hours.
  • Props may need to be replaced if they are chipped or cracked, but they should last for several seasons.
  • Parts of the spraying system, such as tips, hoses, and pump diaphragms, may need to be replaced after a couple of seasons.

How Long Can a Drone Spray on One Battery?

Flight durations per battery charge can differ based on factors such as battery and ambient temperature, payload weight, wind conditions, and the rate at which the drone releases its payload. For our drones, a single battery charge typically sustains about one tank load when operating at a spray rate of over 2 gallons per acre (GPA).

How Fast do Batteries Recharge?

With our standard recommended package (referenced below), batteries will charge almost as fast as the drone depletes them.

Below are the recommended number of batteries, chargers and generator sizes for each drone model:

T10: 4 batteries – 1 charger – 5000-watt generator

T20P: 3 batteries – 1 charger – 12000-watt generator

T30: 3 batteries – 1 charger – 12000-watt generator

T40: 3 batteries — 1 charger — 12000-watt generator

How Do I Operate a Spray Drone?

Typically, a complete field operation involves six steps:

  1. Ensure you have a reliable, high watt generator and a premixed tank with a pump on-site.
  2. Mapping your field boundaries is possible by preparing shape files in advance, utilizing aerial imagery remotely, or making them on-site with a drone or remote control.
  3. Adjust the parameters for the operation, including flight height, direction, speed, and application rate.
  4. Program the remote to your spray rate and set it for takeoff.
  5. The drone is capable of flying and returning home autonomously, or it can be manually landed.
  6. Refill the tank as needed and replace the batteries and recharge them on-site.

The drone can also be flown in manual or manual + modes for spot application.

How Much Can I Charge for Custom Application with a Sprayer Drone?

This will depend on the services you provide and the local market.

We recommend for large acreage jobs charging the same amount that spray-planes or helicopters charge or even up to $2 per acre more. Typically, this will be anywhere from $10-15 per acre. If it is a smaller job, we recommend charging by the hour at a rate of $400-450 per hour with the T40, as you can spray 40 acres per hour on larger jobs.