Safer gopher fumigation with less downtime.
Gopher General is the first machine designed and patented to safely apply aluminum phosphide for pocket gopher control. Using a patented mechanism, it meters and air-delivers the fumigant, leaves open treatment tunnels for the gas and protects the machine when field conditions change.
Less fumigant handling
Treat active areas from the tractor instead of placing tablets mound by mound.
More consistent application
Keep the fumigant moving throughout the pass.
Better underground reach
Deliver the fumigant where the gas can move through feeding tunnels, food storage and living burrows.
Fewer field stops
Keep working through rocks, residue and changing soil conditions.
Reliable Fumigant Delivery
Why not put aluminum phosphide in a gopher baiter?
A gopher baiter is built to drop bait. Its gravity-fed, open-bottom torpedo creates dangerous problems when it is used to carry aluminum phosphide:
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Bait settings do not establish a fumigant rate.
A system designed to meter grain is not automatically calibrated to deliver the required number of aluminum phosphide tablets.
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Delivery can stop without warning.
Soil can plug the open bottom before the operator realizes the product is no longer reaching the ground.
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Fumigant can collect in the tube.
Trapped tablets can begin releasing toxic phosphine gas where the operator must clear the blockage.
Gopher General is patented and manufactured to deliver Phostoxin, Weevilcide or another labeled slow-release aluminum phosphide product into the treatment tunnels without the open-bottom torpedo plugging problem.
Restricted-use fumigant: Aluminum phosphide releases toxic phosphine gas. Applicators must follow the current product label, certification requirements, PPE instructions and all laws where the machine is used.
No More Hand Fumigant Placement
Safer application of aluminum phosphide.
Hand fumigation means finding the runway, opening it, placing the tablets and closing it again. Then doing the same thing at the next mound. Gopher General keeps that work in one tractor pass.
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Less hand placement
Treat active areas during a tractor pass instead of opening and treating individual burrows.
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Below-ground delivery
The machine is designed to dispense at working depth and stop before the shank leaves the soil.
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Automated system
An automated delivery system ensures that fumigant is only delivered below ground.
Built for Changing Ground
Adjust the machine to the conditions in front of you.
No two fields pull the same. Soil texture, moisture, residue and rocks all affect how the treatment tunnels form. Gopher General gives the operator practical ways to adjust the machine and protect the parts working underground.
Good to know:
Good moisture helps soil form and hold treatment tunnels. Mud may be too wet, while powder-dry soil may not seal. Disk, shank and packer settings are adjustable and should be matched to the way the ground cuts, holds the tunnels and closes behind the machine.
Independent depth control
The main wheels set shank depth while the independent packer wheels follow the surface and close the field without collapsing the treatment tunnels.
Hydraulic rock protection
The hydraulic accumulator lets the shank move when it finds an obstruction, then return to working position without replacing a shear bolt.
Large cutting disk
A large cutting disk enters ahead of the shank and cuts roots and crop residue before they can bunch around the ground-engaging parts.
Automatic shank cleaner
The automatic shank cleaner helps damp soil and field material move past the shank instead of building up around it.
Heavy-duty construction
Heavy-duty steel construction stands up to repeated work in abrasive soil. The shank cutting edge and other wear parts can easily be replaced as they wear.
Low-horsepower tractor setup
A 50-horsepower tractor with a single hydraulic circuit will handle the Gopher General in most soil conditions.
"After 40 years of trying everything — trapping, hand prodding, baiters — it's the best thing we've got going for gophers."
Touchet, WA
