# Irrigation



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I don't know a great deal about irrigation.....but the historic drought that I just went through has me thinking about irrigation.

I have a field that is basically 900'x1600' rectangle. Basically flat except for a 15' rise in elevation in the middle of the length. In other words the field lies in two planes. There is a substantial river at one end of the 900'. I would pump water from the river.

I have read where hose and reel is the most inefficient, but in my case I am thinking that it would be best for my situation. I am interested in opinion and information from our members that are directly involved with irrigation.

Regards, Mike


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Mike, A quick question comes to mind, first are you allowed to pump from your river in your area?

Larry


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Yes.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I don't think hose and reel are very efficient at all and I don't think I would ever own one for here. But for you who most likely could go sometime without using it and that you probably wouldn't have to be constantly using it even during a drought year it could work nicely for you. Especially a rectangles field.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Wheel line would work very well.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

I would look at a side role first to.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Waterway64 said:


> I would look at a side role first to.


What the heck is that?


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

PaMike said:


> What the heck is that?


It's a wheel line.
Just imagine a pipe running from one end of a field to the other. This pipe is running through the hubs of a bunch of wheels evenly spaced. Those lines have sprinkled every so often for even coverage. In the middle is a motor and chain drive on one of these wheels. It has four wheels usually. You fire up the motor and it rolls the line forward, across the field. You stop it and turn the sprinklers back on.


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## azmike (Jan 4, 2015)

I have an Italian PTO pump (700-800gpm) that would work as "insurance" during dry times.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

azmike said:


> IMG_0693.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tell me more.

Regards, Mike


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

We have a pump similar to that. Typically we used it with 3 inch sprinkler pipe to help corn to sprout. Which requiired moving the pipe string every 4-5 hours. Good times. Good tiimes. I've considered using it the last couple years to get hay to sprout, but thankfully it rained so it stays put in the shop


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## azmike (Jan 4, 2015)

Vol, I'll chat with partner/son about the pump. We got it in an equipment trade that included a lot of stuff! The guy we got it from irrigated out of a huge pond and did 50 acres or so.

The brand is Rovatti from Italy


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

I would recomend involving NRCS and getting professional help. I irrigate every acre I have. Over 45 years I have changed this place around two or three times which is expensive. NRCS can help you plan a functional working system and possibly help with cost of that system. I am preparing to put in a pivot this spring and they are doing both for me.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Vol, I had been thinking along the same lines as you were. Most of the trailer pumps, and PTO pumps put out LOTS of water...that can be good and bad. The smaller "trash" or portable pumps put out a smaller GPM(which you might be needing) but not enough pressure.

My idea was to find a smaller 4" trailer mounted pump, then a smaller irrigation reel. Many of the smaller irrigation reels hold about 500 ft of hose and can be moved with a UTV. The smaller reels can be found at auction of schools (watering sports fields) for a couple thousand dollars. Two small reels run off the 4" pump would cover about 5 acres per setup...


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Waterway64 said:


> I would recomend involving NRCS and getting professional help.


I have done just that  ....but I do like to hear from several sources on advice...especially on something that will be basically new to me. And I might add that there is very little irrigation in this area due to our annual rainfall averaging 50".....but every year it seems during late summer or early fall we invariably have a drought or a drought period.... and it really hurts the alfalfa production.

Regards, Mike


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Vol said:


> I don't know a great deal about irrigation.....but the historic drought that I just went through has me thinking about irrigation.
> 
> I have a field that is basically 900'x1600' rectangle. Basically flat except for a 15' rise in elevation in the middle of the length. In other words the field lies in two planes. There is a substantial river at one end of the 900'. I would pump water from the river.
> 
> ...


I don't know sqwaut about irrigation but there is a couple guys here useing a traveling gun system to empty lagoons.I think they are fairly low cost for a used one.Something like this


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

here is one in Kentucky

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/list/category/1149/other-equipment-miscellaneous-equipment?Manu=BAUER


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## gosh (Sep 28, 2014)

Used wheel lines and and lines are easily obtainable around this part of the country. The difference beteeen the two is HUGE.

We have three wheel lines that take care of the majority of our irrigation needs. But there are some pieces that are irregularly shaped, so I picked up some hand line to bring more acreage under irrigation. The results were really worth the effort....

When it's time to move the wheel lines, I shut off the pump. Allow 10 minutes or so to drain the lines. Walk out to the middle of wheel line to the mover as described by @Lostin55 and start the equivalent to a riding lawnmower gasoline engine. It drives the hydraulic pump which turns the chain driven gears and moves the entire quarter mile of pipe and sprinklers without disassembling. What a gift from God....

...BUT...

When it's time to move the hand line, we walk out to the end of the line and take the end piece off. Walk it to the next riser off the buried mainline. Drop pipe. Walk back. Get next piece of pipe. Walk pipe. Drop pipe. Walk back. Get next piece of pipe. Blah blah blah 15 more times or whatever. Then you start reassembling piece by piece what you just disassembled and moved all over again. If you think reading this paragraph is a pain in the ass, just wait till you do that 3 times a day for however long your growing season is. Short growing season here but it didn't take long for that to get really old. But good results, obviously.

You can buy a used wheel line out here for average price of $5000. Hand move line is much cheaper. New ones? I had to replace some pieces last year. A 4 inch diameter piece of aluminum pipe with no fittings, mind you, was $130 each for 40 foot length. Five foot tall wheels probably close to $100 each. Fittings for each end maybe total $75 for each piece of pipe. Now you need sprinklers, one for each piece of pipe, a riser, leveler, and rain bird sprinkler with nozzle, guessIng $30 for all that. Cheapest new mover probably $4000 and you need special pipe on each side of mover. From all that, you can probably price it out to cover your field. Oh, and you need an extra wheel for each end to keep ends from sagging.

Now if you find a used one, shipping becomes an issue. You get to tear it all down, unbolt each wheel from pipe so you can save space on the trailer. A pain, as you might imagine.

Hand line has a shipping advantage because disassembly is much easier. But you will pay for this later, I promise. You will pay many times over. But you will be in great physical condition!

Take a look at this website for more ideas: http://www.waderain.com/


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

He travels this direction occasionally...It wouldn't be a wasted trip.


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## gosh (Sep 28, 2014)

Lostin55 said:


> He travels this direction occasionally...It wouldn't be a wasted trip.


Well, that said, Vol, I'd be happy to show you the ins and outs of this if nobody else is closer. If you ultimately decide to pull the trigger on this type of system, you will need a trailer capable of hauling pipe that is 40 feet long.

In retrospect, I may have been a little too discouraging on the hand line. If your crop is burning up and this is your only option because of cost, then you do what you have to do...period. We use 3 inch diameter pipe for our hand lines and they are commonly available in 30 or 40 foot length. You just decide how long the individual sticks will be based upon your pressure (how far your pump will push the water out of the nozzles) and maybe even how much weight you want to carry when moving.

My ultimate goal on the hand lines is to accumulate enough used pipe at decent prices to create a "solid set", which you just leave it in place until you're ready to move it out of the way to cut hay.

And you'll likely need a mainline pipe to branch off of to run your sprinkler lines off of. They make portable mainline that is very handy for temporary use. Just sits right on top of the ground. But it gets in the way of your driving around, so you will want to plan accordingly.

Anyway, maybe somebody else has a better idea. I have come to realize that there is more than one way to skin a cat and a lot of that depends on where you live.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

The handline that Gosh calls it is what we used with the pump that azmike mentioned. I never have heard sprinkler pipe called handline but unfortunately that is what it is. Hand and walk. And you better hope your water source is clean from debris or you will be spending more time getting wet unplugging nozzles.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Teslan said:


> The handline that Gosh calls it is what we used with the pump that azmike mentioned. I never have heard sprinkler pipe called handline but unfortunately that is what it is. Hand and walk. And you better hope your water source is clean from debris or you will be spending more time getting wet unplugging nozzles.


I think it is a regional term. It is the only name that I know it by.


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## gosh (Sep 28, 2014)

Teslan said:


> The handline that Gosh calls it is what we used with the pump that azmike mentioned. I never have heard sprinkler pipe called handline but unfortunately that is what it is. Hand and walk. And you better hope your water source is clean from debris or you will be spending more time getting wet unplugging nozzles.


Haha. Unplugging nozzles. Yes indeed. It doesn't take long to learn to carry around a short piece of wire with you while you're out and about. Jab the wire into the clogged nozzle while the sprinkler is running and sometimes you can move the little pebble or whatever's in there just enough to restore the flow. Take the nozzle off and remove obstruction when you shut down to move the line.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

gosh said:


> Haha. Unplugging nozzles. Yes indeed. It doesn't take long to learn to carry around a short piece of wire with you while you're out and about. Jab the wire into the clogged nozzle while the sprinkler is running and sometimes you can move the little pebble or whatever's in there just enough to restore the flow. Take the nozzle off and remove obstruction when you shut down to move the line.


Even if you have a clean water source and the pipes have been apart for even a day we found you still better run water through them before putting a plug to pressure up. Mice are terrible to unplug.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Well I went by the NRCS office today and talked a bit. I told them that I was not interested in drip irrigation even if they gave it to me. So they are going to see if I can get some really good planning help. Very little irrigation in this part of the country when annual rainfall is 50"+ on average. But, I explained to them how alfalfa reacts to steady water and what a difference it could make in August and September in most years and possible much more in really droughty years like this one. We discussed the best way to energize and I told them I was not going to run electricity for half a mile to operate a pump...that I would do a diesel generator. They mentioned solar....I said that's fine if it is doable. So...here we go with months and months of planning and negotiating.

So I got signed up.....meaning I got my name thrown in the pot. I don't know if a single thing will come out of this but I should get a pretty good education.

Regards, Mike


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Vol said:


> Well I went by the NRCS office today and talked a bit. I told them that I was not interested in drip irrigation even if they gave it to me. So they are going to see if I can get some really good planning help. Very little irrigation in this part of the country when annual rainfall is 50"+ on average. But, I explained to them how alfalfa reacts to steady water and what a difference it could make in August and September in most years and possible much more in really droughty years like this one. We discussed the best way to energize and I told them I was not going to run electricity for half a mile to operate a pump...that I would do a diesel generator. They mentioned solar....I said that's fine if it is doable. So...here we go with months and months of planning and negotiating.
> 
> So I got signed up.....meaning I got my name thrown in the pot. I don't know if a single thing will come out of this but I should get a pretty good education.
> 
> Regards, Mike


They give away drip systems. I've been curious about drip systems for some flood irrigation fields I have.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Vol said:


> We discussed the best way to energize and I told them I was not going to run electricity for half a mile to operate a pump...that I would do a diesel generator. They mentioned solar....I said that's fine if it is doable. So...here we go with months and months of planning and negotiating.
> 
> Regards, Mike


Solar to run a irrigation pump??Maybe solar would be enough to fill a cattle tank but to irrigate I think he is dreaming.Well on the other hand it maybe highly subsidised


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

swmnhay said:


> Solar to run a irrigation pump??Maybe solar would be enough to fill a cattle tank but to irrigate I think he is dreaming.Well on the other hand it maybe highly subsidised


I use a small solar panel to run a bilge pump to get water out of a creek to water the cows. There are days we don't get enough sun to do that. And it's a 12V battery...


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

You could get enough solar panels to run anything but cost effectiveness is another story.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

Press them to get irrigation specialists to help you. Where you haven't irrigated you need the best advice you can get. If you have time for a road trip I would suggest you visit Teslan because he lives in a very diverse irrigation area
As for drip irrigation, if I could get enough help I would like to try it on a 60 acre flood irrigated field of my own. Cost here is really inhibiting. Do you have access to natural gas? I use propane when I pump but if I could natural gas would be cheaper.


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## gosh (Sep 28, 2014)

@azmike
@vol

Saw this item for sale today and thought of this conversation. Looks like they are using hose instead of pipe. And their sprinklers are more heavy duty than ours are, so they will stand up to higher pressure and spray farther.

https://www.ksl.com/classifieds/listing/42673928

Never used this type of setup before but there are enough similarities that I can give you an overview. The silver gizmo on the back is a hand primer pump. You have to pump that handle up and down until you fill the intake pipe and the pump itself full of water. Then you would turn on the PTO and open the valve and you're in business.

That hose with the ribbed sides and sturdier build would be the intake hose that goes into your river. Never really thought about having hoses in the field instead of pipe, so I have no idea of how they would hold up over time. Maybe a viable plan in your situation where it would not be used too often.

No idea what a fair price is.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

gosh said:


> @azmike
> @vol
> 
> Saw this item for sale today and thought of this conversation. Looks like they are using hose instead of pipe. And their sprinklers are more heavy duty than ours are, so they will stand up to higher pressure and spray farther.
> ...


I would think hoses would be much more difficult to move around then pipe. That pump can be used with pipe also. That is almost what our pto pump is like. They are simple things really.


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## gosh (Sep 28, 2014)

Teslan said:


> I would think hoses would be much more difficult to move around then pipe. That pump can be used with pipe also. That is almost what our pto pump is like. They are simple things really.


What are you thinking on a price for this? I really have no idea.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

gosh said:


> What are you thinking on a price for this? I really have no idea.


I really don't know. Ours is about 35 years old. These are the kinds of things people here buy at auctions. I would bet new they are $2000 or more. The pumps themselves can't be cheap.


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