Dual Pivots

9-8-2009

Why do you need 2 laterals?

When the crop needs to get watered early and often.

Anecdotally done on carrots for germination. The seeds are small and sit close to the surface. Wind can blow the seeds away, so you want to stabilize the soil surface by keeping it wet.

Why do you need 2 laterals?

But at Mercer, they also get benefits on crops other than carrots because of the reduced runoff

2 Laterals

Primary lateral and secondary lateral. Follow the leader. Two speeds Two wipers

How quick is a lap?

Large tires, and 154 acre field: One lap in 5.5 hours That’s an irrigation every 2.75 hours

because there are two laterals

At Mercer, they sometimes change tires mid season to slow it down

Variable speed motor at the end

No spoking effect

Boom Drop Boom Drop Boom

How much water?

At Mercer, typically put out 7.5 gpm/acre With the duals, they put out 5.0

gpm/acre on each lateral, but there are 2 laterals, so the pivot requires 10.0 gpm/acre.

Nozzle size the same throughout

But how? By spacing the nozzles closer together

as the nozzles move out from the pivot point

At the end, the nozzles are on 30 inch spacing.

Train wreck potential avoided

Duals are protected three ways. Computer control Stops on the secondary lateral Stops on the main riser.

Salesmen Love Them

Baby carrots aren’t really babies