Time-and-motion truth: at 2 GPA with a 10-gal tank you refill every ~5 acres. Shave 60 seconds off each turnaround and you gain roughly an hour on a 300-acre day.
Water: capacity and transfer
- 300–500 gal nurse tank covers a solid half-day at typical low-volume rates; plan a refill source (farm well, hydrant, co-op) before you commit to the day.
- Transfer pump matters more than tank size: a 2" gas pump fills your drone tank in seconds; a trickle pump makes you the bottleneck.
- Pre-mix in batch so the aircraft tank fills from finished mix, not from ingredients.
Layout that flows
- Landing pad at one end (mat or pad — keeps dust and rocks out of motors).
- Fill point adjacent, so the aircraft lands within a few steps of mix.
- Charging bench + generator at the far end, downwind, away from chemical.
- Chemical/PPE station with containment, clean water, eyewash, spill kit — see mix/load safety.
- Traffic flows one direction; nobody walks through the landing zone.
Two-person choreography
The winning pattern: pilot never touches chemical. Loader has the next batch mixed and the next battery cooled before the aircraft lands; pilot swaps battery, loader fills tank, pilot relaunches. Anything the pilot has to do on the ground is a delay multiplied by every load in the day.
Trailer build list
- Enclosed or open trailer with tie-downs for the aircraft case
- Nurse tank + transfer pump + hoses with anti-backflow air gap
- Generator + charging bench + cooling rack
- Chemical shelf with containment lip; PPE bin; spill kit
- Clean-water tank for rinsing and washing hands
- Landing mat, wind meter, cones, and a folding table
- Records binder + phone mount for the record log
Configuration varies by operation; follow state rules on containment and setbacks from water.
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