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To prevent accidents involving injury or death, do not allow anyone near the
tractor or Gopher Getter while the tractor is in motion. Always follow all safety
instructions provided with the tractor.
Risk of expensive damage and possible injury. Always check for and avoid
underground pipe or other lines in the area you will be working.
To avoid extensive damage to your machine:
•
Never backup or turn while the machine is in the ground
•
Always replace the shear bolt with an identical grade 2 bolt.
•
Never over tighten the one inch bolt attaching the knife to the frame or the shear
bolt. They should loosely clamp the knife and allow it to pivot when the shear bolt
fails.
•
Always limit your speed to 5 mph or less.
•
Avoid large rocks, tree roots, concrete, and culverts whenever possible. Limit
your speed further in areas with these hazards.
•
Stop quickly when the shear bolt fails.
•
Never add more than 500 lbs. combined of weight and down pressure to the
machine.
The advice and tips 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.
Space your treatments 20 to 30 feet apart in straight, parallel lines in areas active with gophers or
bordering areas with high population of gophers that are not treatable (like a neighbor’s CRP).The
Gopher Getter will apply approximately 2 lbs/acre of Elston Gopher Getter Bait when the burrows are
spaced 20 to 25 feet apart, as shown in Figure 15. These application rates are the average over a whole
field and assume an average infestation that requires approximately one third of the field to be treated. If
the infestation is more severe, the application can be as high as 6 lbs/acre with the factory setup. The
bait will be most effective if applied when gophers are active but high quality food is scarce. Spring and
fall are the most effective times - especially spring. When you use any type of gopher bait during the
summer, expect reduced control results.