so ive been using an Agras T40 on my brothers farm for about a season and a half now and it works great but the cost to operate and maintain is just brutal for what we're doing. we're talking maybe 200 acres of soybeans and some corn, not a massive operation. a buddy mentioned XAG P100 and some other brands i havent heard of as alternatives and the price difference is significant enough that im actually considering it.

main thing im worried about is the pump reliability and nozzle clogging ? had one bad experience early on where a nozzle partially blocked and we didnt catch it for like 3 passes so theres a strip of field that got maybe half coverage. not a disaster but also not great. does anyone actually run non-DJI spray drones long term and how do you find the maintenance situation compared to Agras?

also curious if the mission planning software is anywhere near as polished because that terrain following on the T40 is honestly what i think makes the biggest difference when you have uneven ground

ran an XAG P40 for two seasons before upgrading, and honestly for a 200 acre operation it would probably be fine. the mission software is not as slick as DJI's but you get used to it. terrain following is decent, not T40 level but respectable. the bigger issue i found was parts availability ? when something breaks you're waiting, and for ag work timing actually matters. mid-spray season is not when you want to be waiting 3 weeks for a replacement flow sensor from overseas. that said, a guy in our area runs an Eavision and swears by it, so maybe it depends on who your local dealer is and whether they stock anything.

the nozzle clog thing is just ag drone life regardless of brand. i check every single nozzle before each flight now, takes 2 minutes and has saved me a few times already.

what liquid are you spraying mostly? fungicide, herbicide, both? asking because some of the cheaper pump setups really dont handle thicker mixes well and that can be where you see reliability drop off. DJI basically over-engineered the pump system on the Agras line which is why its expensive but also why it just works. not saying dont switch just factor in what chemicals you're running through it regularly