Anyone have a Rodenator ???

[Evans, Marv]

The gophers are in high gear around here. I'm so pissed, I'm going to make a rodenator - you know, one of those things you use to mix propane and air with an ignitor to blow up the tunnels. I have two propane weed burners I'm going to convert to use. Just ordered two gas check valves and will be looking for other parts I need. Anyone have any experience with one of these???? Anyone make one????

[id10t]

[gtc]

Just use an oxy acetylene torch.
What could go wrong?

[stevej37]

Have you tried the milk jug with water method?
Works every time for me.

[ben parrish]

Marv, we had an infestation of rats at our barn and chicken coop..I mean a LOT of rats. I found the Ratinator online and ordered it. It came with wild claims of catching 12 rats at one setting and other crazy claims. Well, we set it the first night and nothing, second night= nothing. Third night...holy sheet...16 in there. Over the next few weeks I took out over thirty rats between the barn and coop. Worth every penny. I move its location around and change up the bait to increase my odds.

[Evans, Marv]

Ben. The one I'm talking about pumps air & propane into gopher tunnels, which is ignited causing a small explosion that kills gophers and collapses the tunnels. I don't expect to win any battles with the gophers. I've been battling them since I moved into my home, using bait for a short period of time, drowning them, using gopher traps, etc., etc. I feel if I can collapse their tunnels on a semi regular basis, I can drastically reduce their impact, activities, & reproduction.

[Don Ro]

My mother married her second husband the summer after my sophomore year...he was a farmer.
During my last two summers of HS I would walk a couple of miles on a Sunday to an abandoned farm yard and shoot gophers with his scoped .22.
There were so many that eventually I'd wait for two or three to line up one behind the other (s). Pop! Two and three in one shot.
.
As a home owner years later, I had a heavy infestation in my back yard...virtually destroying the yard. Nothing worked - traps, poison, flooding, etc. No shooting in city limits, so I made a coupler for my truck exhaust and ran a pipe down one hole and covered all but one hole at which I set a nasty gopher trap. A couple of hours or so of idling, no more gophers. Nothing in the trap.
.
Would love to see a vid. or your project in action, Marv.

[Evans, Marv]

Don. I tried the exhaust thing with my truck (7.3L diesel). It was too much volume & blew the hose off the exhaust pipe. I might try a lawn mower or something similar. If I make this thing I'll post a video on here. I want to destroy or severely damage the tunnels. If I get it up & going, I'll start out with little pops and have my neighbor there to call 911 if necessary.

[Mike Andrew]

Good luck and keep us posted. Miserable varmints.

Buddy backs up to corn field and has a 'munk issue. Charged my A/C one day at his place and took my Gamo. While pulling vacuum, we hunted down 40 or so. You could see the grasses moving there were so many scurrying about. We didn't even begin to dent the population. Now he has added chucks burrowing under his driveway. I will advise him of your methodology as you perfect it as he is tiring of driveway repairs.
Ah, the good old days with M80's, Silver Salutes and 1/4 sticks......

[Evans, Marv]

If anybody wants to see how they work, just go to YouTube & put in "Robenator." There are also videos of home made ones too. Some are pretty crude but entertaining.

[flipper35]

I have done the exhaust trick when we liven in CA. Here we shoot them or the dogs get them. I would try the milk jug but the holes here would take more than a couple gallons of water.

[vash]

i would rent one. no?

i assume this would decimate your landscaping as well?

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

If anybody wants to see how they work, just go to YouTube & put in "Robenator." There are also videos of home made ones too. Some are pretty crude but entertaining.

You might want to fix that...this is what it brings up.



Milk jug will work with multiple holes...try it. Just have to watch for one entering the hole.

[Evans, Marv]

Here is my progress on my rodenator. I found out I have a bad check valve on the gas side, so will try to get another from a welding supply next week. I'll use my portable air tank for the air side. I'm hoping this will work. I think I have less than $75 in it. Don't have any moles, so can't say if it would positively work for them. Decimating the landscape isn't a concern, since the gophers are already doing that. If I can destroy/collapse the tunnels to deter them, I'll be happy. Plus I think It'll be fun.

[Don Ro]

OMG...I'm afraid of YOU!!!
.
Nice garage floor.

Get that rig a hummin' and send a vid.

[vash]

Videos please!

[vash]

What exactly do you pump down hole. Propane? Any oxygen?

[stevej37]

One year I had holes all over my yard with gophers. I heard about this method and by the end of the summer I had caught at least 20 gophers.
I haven't had any since. A gallon works fine..just have to see one go in the hole first.

[Don Ro]

I'll be damned...tricky.

[Don Ro]

You need a bigger boat ...er, jug.
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