The rodenator----

[Tom H C]

Any news on the homemade one?

Worked like a champ. It took only two times to get all the valve set. First time was for 35 seconds of gas and O2. Then I did a minute and I think thats the answer. Now to see if it really kills them. After the second blast I will be shocked if he is still alive. People that live below me (about 400ft away) heard both go off. They said the second blast was load. :0)

 

[charlz]

Worked like a champ. It took only two times to get all the valve set. First time was for 35 seconds of gas and O2. Then I did a minute and I think thats the answer. Now to see if it really kills them. After the second blast I will be shocked if he is still alive. People that live below me (about 400ft away) heard both go off. They said the second blast was load. :0)

Sorry, I didn't see your post requesting pics/info but it sounds like you got it figured out. I haven't used mine the last two years or so. After I cleaned out the infestation I just trap the one or two that stray onto my place. I was just out looking yesterday and one is making a bee-line across my neighbors place right towards mine.

I tried box traps but this trap, recommended by a neighbor, works the best.

The box traps they stuff with dirt but since the killing part of this trap is further back in the tunnel the dirt they are pushing sets it off and kills them.

 

[charlz]

I should add that blasting with oxy/propane is dangerous stuff. I have had some situations where I dug down pretty far to get to the main tunnel. I place the end in the tunnel and pack dirt around/over it to keep gas from coming back into the hole I dug. I have had some do that and they go off like a howitzer. It scares the crap out of you and I am surprised the sheriff or fire department never showed up due to panicked phone calls for miles around You just don't know what is going to happen until you hit the igniter button. Eye and Ear protection is absolutely mandatory.

 

[Pilot]

So how about something like this? Based on a demo in Chemistry class. Prof punched a hole in the bottom of a coffee can, turned it upside down and fed natural gas into it. Lit a match at the hole in the bottom (which was then on top since the can was upside down) and it burned until the air-gas mixture reached the correct concentration at which time it blew up.

So you open up a couple mole holes, blow into one with a leaf blower to make sure the tunnels connect as evidenced by a piece of paper wiggling in the wind at the outlet hole. Then fill the tunnels with propane. Light the propane at one end and stand back and it should blow when the right concentration of air and propane is attained. Too big an explosion maybe?

 

[Tom H C]

So how about something like this? Based on a demo in Chemistry class. Prof punched a hole in the bottom of a coffee can, turned it upside down and fed natural gas into it. Lit a match at the hole in the bottom (which was then on top since the can was upside down) and it burned until the air-gas mixture reached the correct concentration at which time it blew up.

So you open up a couple mole holes, blow into one with a leaf blower to make sure the tunnels connect as evidenced by a piece of paper wiggling in the wind at the outlet hole. Then fill the tunnels with propane. Light the propane at one end and stand back and it should blow when the right concentration of air and propane is attained. Too big an explosion maybe?

I don't know about that. But I can tell you if you pump way to much propane into it you will have one **** of a blast. I did one today with 2 minutes of propane and O2, and I can say you don't want to put much more propane then that in the hole. I'm sure people heard it from 1/2 mile away. I've only did it was few times now. It seems like the right mix at 1 minute is the answer. I wouldn't do it without making sure you have the right mix. Like Charls said eye and ear protection is absolutely mandatory. It can be very load, and one that I did shot dirt up about 20 + feet. It seems like the tunnel was not deep at all. I still want to play around with the mix a little more. Right now it just doesn't seem like it's pushing the propane down the hole enough. Don't get me wrong it's still blasting the hole good, but just doesn't seem to travel the full tunnel.

 

[65fl]

So how about something like this? Based on a demo in Chemistry class. Prof punched a hole in the bottom of a coffee can, turned it upside down and fed natural gas into it. Lit a match at the hole in the bottom (which was then on top since the can was upside down) and it burned until the air-gas mixture reached the correct concentration at which time it blew up.

So you open up a couple mole holes, blow into one with a leaf blower to make sure the tunnels connect as evidenced by a piece of paper wiggling in the wind at the outlet hole. Then fill the tunnels with propane. Light the propane at one end and stand back and it should blow when the right concentration of air and propane is attained. Too big an explosion maybe?

Natural Gas is lighter than air, but propane is heavier so it will not work using that method. Plus the scale difference between a coffee can and a gopher/mole village makes me doubt that even Natural Gas would work very well.

 

[Tom H C]

My gopher problem is a big one. I have been blasting the **** out of the holes over the last few weeks. I don't know if it's new gophers in the areas, but still have some. The last few times blasting I had been doing it a little different. I blast a area then find the end of the blasted hole. 99% of the time the hole is so long it doesn't blast it all. The I dig up that area and work on blasting the hole more. Did about 40' of one tunnel yesterday. We will see if that gets the little SOB.

I was talking to someone yesterday about what I am doing. He told me he had a issue with a lot of gophers. Then he started putting broken glass in the tunnels. He said it helps big time. Looks like I might try that around the yard and see if it helps.

 

[charlz]

Yep, same here, I usually walk along the 'blast line' find where firm ground starts again, dig down and blast again.

Overall what I find to be most effective is this time of year they tend to make long runs into new territory. Go out early in the morning when they are actively working, find the 'fresh' end, back up a few mounds and blast towards the area they are working. This is pretty much 100% effective.

I have had some gophers stop working for a few days and then start up again. Maybe they only got a mild concussion and took a breather while it wore off. When I first started using a blaster one heavily infested part of my field, between them digging it up and me blowing it up, looked like it had been tilled

 

[MasSaSeen]

Hi Charlz,

I am needing to make my own gophenator. Manufactured models are too pricey for me, and I have pastures being decimated. Any chance you could connect with me so I can ask you some questions about it? massaseen0-at-gmail (that's a zero, not an O).
Thanks,

 

[JerryK]

Sorry, but this is sounding more and more like Wiley E. Coyote trying to catch the Roadrunner. I know you guys are serious, but I keep getting this picture of large sections of your yards being blasted into near earth orbit, houses disappearing, trees ascue.... [ ]

 

[charlz]

Not quite that bad but when you get a good blast it will throw dirt 20-30 feet in the air no problem. In tight sod it will sometimes lift the ground in sheets, you can see it.... or feel it if close enough to the blast area. One thing about the tunnels is you are never sure where they go until you blast it.... might turn and come right back to what you think is a 'safe' area.

 

[The kid]

Not quite that bad but when you get a good blast it will throw dirt 20-30 feet in the air no problem. In tight sod it will sometimes lift the ground in sheets, you can see it.... or feel it if close enough to the blast area. One thing about the tunnels is you are never sure where they go until you blast it.... might turn and come right back to what you think is a 'safe' area.

I guess if you want to really mess up a nice lawn trying to remove these pest gas explosives will certainly do it very well. I guess I'm old fashioned. I bought some mole traps last summer asnd declared war on what I thought was a whole family of moles. Turned out to be only two. Very elusive two. I took wire survey flags to mark opening in the branches of tunnels. Then I started looking for the super highway. There is allways one or two that will travel nearly across yoour lawn totally underground with no hilling. After finding a deep underground tunnel. I used the wire flags to probe the ground about every ten feet. When I hit the tunnel I set a flag. I did this till I mapped out the entire tunnel across the yard. Now to test for activity. Moles don't like fresh air. I would take a finger and open a hole in the main highway. If it was filled the next day I would flag that spot. I would do that about three times in the entire run. Flag all the active runs. Now to set the traps.

These are specially designed for moles and will easily fit in a round tunnel. I would goto the middle of the long tunnel and set one in one direction and one in the opposite direction. So I had a good chance of catching at least one. It took about a week but cleared them out. Tried the gummy worms, pellets. poison peanuts. The spring loaded traps did the trick. Best part it you can shove them way back into the tunnel and cover the small hole you made and mold the dirt so only a small opening is left. I flag my traps and wait.

Here are the traps I used.

View attachment 303558 View attachment 303559

Trapline is the brand and they are stainless steel to prevent rust.

It won't be long before they coming ot of hybernation, but I'll be ready for them this time. No gas explosions, craters, freaking out the neigbors pets or swat teams showing up.