ELSTON
Gopher Getters
Owner’s Manual for GA-400
Another Quality Product of:
Revision
E
Updated 2020
MANUFACTURING INC.
706 N Weber
Sioux Falls, SD 57103
1-800-845-1385
www.elstonmfg.com
Please Contact Us for Parts and Service:
Page 1: ...Getters Owner s Manual for GA 400 Another Quality Product of Revision E Updated 2020 ELSTON MANUFACTURING INC 706 N Weber Sioux Falls SD 57103 1 800 845 1385 www elstonmfg com Please Contact Us for Parts and Service ...
Page 2: ......
Page 3: ...tup of Bait Box 9 2 Depth of Torpedo Tube 9 3 Depth of Coulter Blade 10 4 Angle of Torpedo Tube 11 Operating Instructions 11 Operating Tips 13 5 Maintenance 14 Every use 14 Every season or 200 lbs of bait 14 GA 400 Grease Points 14 6 Application Rates for Gopher Getter 16 Standard Machine Setup 16 Rolled Oats Machine Setup 16 7 Parts List 1 1 ...
Page 4: ...ident is not the same as working safely It is possible to do something unsafe for years and not be hurt This does not mean it is alright to continue this unsafe behavior it just means you have been lucky For example a farmer who never had a serious accident wasn t wearing his safety belt He rolled his tractor while moving round bales out of a ditch and he ended up underneath the tractor Thankfully...
Page 5: ... area The gopher getter will apply approximately one pound per acre of Elston gopher getter bait when the burrows are spaced 25 feet apart When used with rolled oats and the seeder slide with the larger 7 8 opening the application rate will also be slightly less than one pound per acre These application rates are an average for the whole field and will be higher for severe infestations For more ex...
Page 6: ... shipped with the gopher getter The Gopher Getter is shipped from the factory in a crate with the four pieces shown in Figure 1 Several of the pieces are of considerable weigh so please plan accordingly when removing the parts from the crate and assembling the unit Figure 1 Parts of GA 400 as Shipped ...
Page 7: ... 2 Parts Kit Label Description A 1 UNC 3 1 2 Hex Head Bolt w nut and lock washer B 1 2 UNC 3 Hex Head Bolt Grade 2 w nut and lock washer C 5 8 UNC 3 1 2 Hex Head Bolt w nut and lock washer D G5 255 Category 1 Lower Link Pin E G4 208A Seeder Slide 7 8 Hole F G4 286 Lower Poison Guide Plate Table 1 Contents of Parts Kit ...
Page 8: ...e Attach the knife seeder assembly to the frame assembly using the two bolts labeled A and B in Table 1 Do not over tighten these two bolts The smaller bolt B is designed to shear when the knife hits an underground obstruction before damage occurs to the gopher getter When this bolt shears the large bolt A must be loose enough to allow the knife and the parts attached to it to pivot Once assembled...
Page 9: ...h the lift arm tripod to the frame using the two hitch pin bolts and the bolt already attached to the frame as shown in Figure 4 Note that the lock washers for the hitch pins go inside the frame Figure 4 Lift Arm Tripod as Installed ...
Page 10: ... should be positioned so the shaft on the shank is closest to the front of the frame Before bolting the coulter shank to frame attach the coulter assembly to the coulter shank using the coulter clamp to hold it in place If done correctly the coulter assembly should look like Figure 5 Figure 5 Coulter Assembly as Installed ...
Page 11: ... torpedo tube the depth of cut of the coulter the angle of the torpedo tube and the setup of the bait box The tire pressure should be 25 psi Add an additional 5 psi for each 100 lbs of weight on frame or down pressure on hitch up to the maximum pressure on the tire Do not add more than 500 lbs Figure 6 Location of Initial Adjustments ...
Page 12: ...te as shown in Application Rates for Gopher Getter page 16 2 Depth of Torpedo Tube The depth of the torpedo tube should be set so the gopher getter makes a tunnel at the depth that gophers tunnel in your area Since gophers dig at a range of depths even in the same area aim to set the gopher getter to the average depth It is not necessary to be exact Figure 7 Adjustment of Torpedo Tube Depth To set...
Page 13: ...ear up the ground as shown in Figure 8 Figure 8 Roots catching on knife due to coulter blade set too shallow When operating in sod or pasture Set the coulter just deep enough to cut the upper layer of roots approximately 4 inches When operating in alfalfa Set the coulter deeper so that the bottom of the 22 coulter blade is or more below the bottom of the torpedo tube as shown in Figure 9 Figure 9 ...
Page 14: ...dition at larger angles the gopher getter fails to effectively get to depth so the packer wheel will turn and bait will drop If the torpedo tube gets level or starts to slope upward soil may plug up the torpedo tube and prevent any poison from dropping See Figure 10 for details Figure 10 Adjustment of tractor link to control torpedo tube angle Operating Instructions The bait used in this machine i...
Page 15: ...opulation of gophers that are not treatable like a neighbors CRP The gopher getter will apply approximately one pound per acre of Elston gopher getter bait when the burrows are spaced 20 to 25 feet apart as shown in Figure 11 When used with rolled oats and the seeder slide with the larger 7 8 opening the application rate will also be approximately 1 lb acre These application rates are the average ...
Page 16: ...and tips above and below are generalized ones for gopher getter users throughout the country For information specific to your area please speak with the dealer that you purchased the unit from your local extension agent or area farmers that use gopher getters Operating Tips Never turn or back up with the machine in the ground This will damage the unit Never over tighten the one inch bolt attaching...
Page 17: ...y season or 200 lbs of bait Check if the unit needs to be greased If so lightly grease the unit at the grease points on the seeder casting see Figure 12 and on the coulter hub see Figure 13 Be careful not to over grease the seeder casting Replace any safety decals that are no longer readable GA 400 Grease Points Figure 12 Seeder Casting Grease Points ...
Page 18: ...Maintenance 15 Figure 13 Coulter Hub Grease Points ...
Page 19: ...bs acre 2 8 lbs acre 3 Plates 5 9 lbs acre 4 7 lbs acre 3 9 lbs acre Rolled Oats Machine Setup Seeder Slide Used Oversize 7 8 G4 208A Bait Used Rolled Oats based bait Burrow Spacing feet 20 25 30 1 Plate 2 2 lbs acre 1 6 lbs acre 1 5 lbs acre 2 Plates 2 7 lbs acre 2 1 lbs acre 1 8 lbs acre 3 Plates 3 6 lbs acre 2 9 lbs acre 2 4 lbs acre 4 Plates 4 4 lbs acre 3 6 lbs acre 3 0 lbs acre When counting...
Page 20: ...Frame Assembly 1 6 Common Parts Name Part Page Torpedo Point G1 105 1 2 Coulter Blade 18 G2 370 1 3 Tire G3 125 1 5 Tripper G4 269 1 4 Knife Assembly Complete G1 100 1 2 1 1 Parts List for GA 400 Complete Unit Parts List for GA 500 begins on Page 2 1 Please Call Elston Manufacturing for information on purchasing gopher bait poison ...
Page 21: ...t 9 1 2 x 3 Hex Head Bolt Grade 2 11 1 2 Hex Nut 12 1 4 x 1 1 2 Hex Head Bolt 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 14 1 4 Lock Washer Not Shown 15 1 4 Hex Nut Not Shown This bolt must be grade 2 or softer It is designed as a shear bolt to prevent damage when hitting underground obstructions Using a harder bolt could result in expensive repairs 10 13 10 1 2 Lock Washer 13 1 4 Flat Washer One Not Shown All hardw...
Page 22: ... 8 x 2 1 2 Hex Head Bolt 7 5 8 Lock Washer 8 5 8 Hex Nut 9 1 2 x 1 1 2 Hex Head Bolt 10 1 2 Lock Washer 11 1 2 Hex Nut 12 7 16 20 4 1 2 Hex Head Bolt 13 7 16 Lock Washer 14 7 16 Hex Nut 5 9 14 Coulter Hub Assembly G2 379 2 5 9 14 Coulter Blade and 18 Hub Assembly 20 22 G2 390 18 G2 390 20 G2 390 22 All hardware listed is coarse thread UNC and Grade 5 or better unless otherwise noted 13 14 15 15 3 ...
Page 23: ...2 Seeder Axle G4 201 3 Drive Gear G4 203 5 Seeder Slide 5 8 Hole for 7 8 Hole use G4 208A G4 208 8 Guide Plate Long Slot Short Slot G4 286 G4 286A 4 Tripper G4 269 6 Seeder Slide Spring G4 215 7 Spring Holder Clip G4 278 9 Seeder Box G4 230P 10 Seeder Box Lid G4 234P 12 Lid Retaining Strap Not Shown G4 233P 13 Drain Cap G4 221P Ref Name Part 9 13 17 Seeder Box Assembly G4 235P 1 20 Seeder Assembly...
Page 24: ... 8 9 10 11 2 5 12 6 3 14 13 Ref Name Part 1 Packer Wheel Bracket G3 292 2 Large Sprocket G3 283 3 Axle Bushing G3 324 4 Packer Wheel Base NA 5 Packer Wheel Tire G3 125 3 4 5 Packer Wheels w Tires G3 120 6 Packer Wheel Inner Axle G3 177 3 4 Packer Wheels No Tires G3 121 7 Chain Not Shown G3 321 1 9 13 14 Packer Wheel Assembly G3 100 Not Available Separately All hardware listed is coarse thread UNC ...
Page 25: ...ex Head Bolt 12 1 2 Flat Washer 13 1 2 Flat Nylock Nut Ref Name Part 1 Frame G5 249A 2 Leg G5 254 3 Leg Spring G5 257 4 Cat 1 Lower Link Pin G5 255 5 3 Point Angled Arm G5 272 6 3 Point Straight Arm G5 273 5 9 3 Point Hitch Assembly G5 271 1 3 4 7 8 9 11 12 2 5 13 7 8 10 All hardware listed is coarse thread UNC and Grade 5 or better unless otherwise noted 6 ...
Page 26: ...GA 400 Subassemblies 3 1 1 2 4 3 Blade Hub A Label Name Part 1 Blade Flange w Hub G2 381 2 Blade Flange G2 382 3 Inner Bearing G2 383 4 Bearing Cap G2 384 A 1 4 28 SAE LT Grease Fitting N A 4 Not Available Separately ...
Page 27: ... found to be defective as referenced above will be corrected as referenced in the previous paragraph at no charge for parts provided by original factory or labor but will include freight paid by buyer Failure to use original factory parts voids this warranty Elston Manufacturing Inc products received by Elston Manufacturing Inc after one 1 year from original shipment date to customer will be corre...
Page 28: ...ELSTON MANUFACTURING INC 706 N Weber Sioux Falls SD 57103 1 800 845 1385 www elstonmfg com ...
