Underground “Drone” Finds Drain Tile Plug-Ups

Underground “Drone” Finds Drain Tile Plug-Ups IRRIGATION Miscellaneous The Ferret “drone” from Indiana-based Davaus company will make field tile repair easy The cordless tracked waterproof device is designed to explore 4-in tile lines or bigger “Finding broken or blocked tile can be labor intensive and invasive whether using a spade or a backhoe ” says Dave Hockemeyer Davaus LLC “We began by taking a prototype to farm shows and had good feedback Now we have a short list of customers waiting for our beta units ” While specs are still being finalized Davaus plans to have the beta versions ready in late May or early June They will carry cameras front and rear have a battery life of from 60 to 90 min and have a handheld remote control unit and screen for viewing the tile “The controls give the operator a pair of eyes inside the tile lines and will work from up to 50 ft away ” says Hockemeyer The company is still determining the optimum weight Hockemeyer points out that it needs to be heavy enough for traction It will have to be able to travel through some flowing water as well as over mud and roots The beta version will have a locating feature so the operator will know exactly where it is It will also have a low battery alarm that warns the operator when to retrieve it Hockemeyer acknowledges there are corded alternatives in the market that will do much of what the Ferret will However he is confident the cordless lightweight simple unit will prove popular He points out that corded unit operation is limited to the length of the cable which can weigh a couple hundred pounds and require a pickup box mounted reel “The Ferret will weigh no more than a 1/2-in cordless drill ” says Hockemeyer “It will come in a carry case with the remote control and batteries Throw it in the back of the pickup and drop it into a tile line wherever it’s needed ” Feedback from users of the beta-Ferret will be incorporated into a final design Davaus plans to have it ready for introduction this coming fall Plans are for the next generation Ferret to include the ability to map and track tile lines “We’ll identify anything we need to work on and what we need to improve ” says Hockemeyer “Our suggested retail sales price will be $2 000 or less ” Contact:  FARM SHOW Followup Davaus LLC 14508 Bruick Dr Hoagland Ind 46745 ph 260 245-5006; info@davaus com; www davaus com

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