DETAILS OF IRRIGATOR

Press, 22 December 1978, Page 7

DETAILS OF IRRIGATOR

Low labour input and low water pressures, thus requiring less power, are the principal features of the Omme travelling irrigator, referred to in these pages last week. (We reprint the working details today to clarify the situation caused by several transposed lines of type.) Built on a four-wheeled chassis, the Omme carries a drum with 300 metres of hose and incorporates a water-powered unit for self-propulsion. Operation simply involves coupling up to a hydrant, towing the unit to the extent of its hose-line, or as far as required, then switching on the pump. At any one of three speeds, it tracks back to the hydrant, the direction being controlled by two guide wheels running on either side of the hoseline. A particularly useful feature—just the sort of thing a farmer-inventoi-

would consider—is that the irrigator is ideal for odd-shaped paddocks, for the hose can be laid to any pattern and the machine will travel accordingly. The arms of the Omme, measuring 25m, are fitted with double-nozzle sprinklers which, at a stretch, will span 100 metres. Compared with the “big gun” systems, this newcomer operates under quite low pressures—2.6 kpa, or 40 to 701 b per sq. in. For demonstration purposes at Coutts Island recently, the Omme was hooked up to a main powered by a 100 h.p. motor; however, a 30 h.p. motor would have been able to cope. To the regular irrigater, one of the best points is that when the run or the job is completed, the hose is already neatly rolled up. The unit has simply to be towed to another position. The New Zealand makers

of the Omme, Harvin, Ltd, of Christchurch, also say that with a stretch of 300 m, the hose capacity is up to 50 per cent greater than the “big gun” machines already on the market. Another very practical aspect about the Omme is that it irrigates only behind the wheels, so avoiding any problem of pugging or even getting stuck. There was no doubt about the efficiency of the water-driven propulsion—there was no longitudinal strain on the hose. The capacity of the irrigator is given as 2.75 hectares, or seven acres a day, with applications of up to 65mm (2.6 in an hour. For the crop of oats on which it was demonstrated, it was set to run at less than half a metre a minute (or 18in) at which it was applying Perhaps not the least of 1.25 in.