irrigators anyone know much about them

[seedman stains]

Im a novice at this did a bit last year used the neighbours hose reel which is at the end of its life whats the make RM like?ive seen a one that places its self on the ground where as the old one was on a mounted chassis any difference between the 2.Would a bauer be a better buy bits probably more expensive because its Austrian?Fire away

 

[Exfarmer]

RM I believe are an Italian make, used to be very complex with not a great reputation, when they first appeared.
Perot and Bauer have been among the best.
how big a machine are you looking at?
Are you buying new?
if you are looking second hand, I would be very careful about machines off sandy soil, or worse still flinty they may need a new hose!

 

[ridger]

We would need an irrigator in june and then reverse it the rest of the year to put the water back in the streams where it belongs

 

[seedman stains]

Probably secondhand 90or 100 x400 ish the hose ,on the old one its goosed is there different qualities of hose?When did RM first appear?

 

[melted welly]

Im a novice at this did a bit last year used the neighbours hose reel which is at the end of its life whats the make RM like?ive seen a one that places its self on the ground where as the old one was on a mounted chassis any difference between the 2.Would a bauer be a better buy bits probably more expensive because its Austrian?Fire away

we have an RM and it’s ok......... you can get the parts from the javelin guy who does Irrifrance kit as well and is really really helpful, can’t remember name offhand though.
2 major flaws with the RM reel I’ve found are:

1. The pipe on ours is pretty crap, and it has a horrible habit of splitting at the gun end. Ours is a late 90s model, and this pipe was a warranty replacement after the original stretched and burst in the first yr. Ours tends to bend as it lifts the gun. This is because when it pulls in, it lifts the gun by pivoting on the lifting frame, using the pulling motion on the pipe as the means to pivot the frame and lift the gun. Ours would split on average once a season, but sometimes do the whole of one or 2 seasons then split several times the next. Not hard to fix yourself but a massive pain in the arse, fiddly and time consuming.

2. It needs to be lowered onto the ground to rotatate it into work position. It’s a bit of a nuisance, especially if your ends aren’t bowling green level or have been tracked. You’ve to power it round with tractor hydraulics and the motor is pretty weak so in less than perfect conditions you need to put the shoulder into it whilst simultaneously holding the spool handle.

On the whole you get what you pay for, it’s not a premium product in my opinion but it works away, the computer control unit is very accurate and reliable and when it’s going in easy conditions, it’s a fine bit of kit, but ours suffers from quality issues. I’m sure in the intervening 20 odd yrs since we purchased ours, the pipe issue would’ve been addressed but I’d be checking it closely on 2nd hand machine for scratches, gouges, damage and flat spots.

Also have a wrightrain which is older and totally mechanical, personally I prefer using it as you can set the angle of the reel on the chassis and pull it along the end without the palaver of setting it straight behind the tractor every time to do so. Makes for a much faster move than the RM.

 

[melted welly]

Probably secondhand 90or 100 x400 ish the hose ,on the old one its goosed is there different qualities of hose?When did RM first appear?

bought one late 90s, I think there was some financial problems not long after as we had a warranty claim that was a problem to sort out. I thought they’d gone bust but must’ve been bought. Javelin import them.

 

[Will 1594]

Buy a perrot , 110 pipe , ,4 here and an irrimec , irrimec gives more bother than others put together ,
They just work , and if you ever need help or parts Rst at sedge fen ,are the boys , superb back up
After 20 years you may find corrosion in chassis where water comes through , new ones have external pipework ,
We should have a new one coming this time ,and wondering if raindancer gps is worth having

Just read your post again , do not buy a sit down one , biggest pain in arse ,going , ones on chassis so much easier to line up and use , if you want a serious go with a sit down ,come here in end march april and use it and then use perrot , know which one you will take ,

 

[seedman stains]

Cheers for the replies salesman never tell you any of these things( as usual ) so the RM is off the list then Bauer than?

 

[Exfarmer]

I am not certain that RST would extend their services to France.
Definitely do not buy a sit down model!!!
for a 400 metre hose I would definitely go to a 110 hose.
We too have had issues with a hose, right at the gun end. This was caused by the gun trolley plumbing, had been made at the wrong angle causing problems.
I have always got on well with the Wright Rain machines but it was helped by a good local dealer. here in the UK they were cheaper than Perot.
One issue with all machines
if you have one with tractor driven hydraulic lift and turntable turning, make sure you tractor will not flick the lever into neutral as soon as the manual lever on the machine is operated. There is nothing more frustrating and on my last machine I had it converted back to a manual pump, on the lift it is just as quick time you have connected the services. If you are on the level and keep them greased manual turning is not an issue but you will need it if you are on any slope.
If you buy second hand and the hose looks good , make sure it has not just been turned round. A trick which is fine to do if the hose is only 30 -40% worn, but if left till it is on its last legs as is often the case to sell it , will not be doing the buyer any favours

 

[Will 1594]

Ex farmer , regarding connecting pipes up you have a little spool block on your irrigator bar , so you have constant flow , and free flow return so no pressure on pipes when you take them off , and pick up hitch off back of tele handler for hooking up .
ghonkni should start making stuff like this to sell

 

[Exfarmer]

Ex farmer , regarding connecting pipes up you have a little spool block on your irrigator bar , so you have constant flow , and free flow return so no pressure on pipes when you take them off , and pick up hitch off back of tele handler for hooking up .
ghonkni should start making stuff like this to sell

some tractors were far worse than others I used an old 4240 where the spools were non adjustable and I would forever be jumping in and out of the cab.
just a handy tractor which did little else in its later life. I dont think we ever had issues with Case

 

[Pukekohe_Grower]

Get an Ocmis. Love them here in New Zealand. Dont buy an Irrimec by the way.