"Sprinkler Guard" For Center Pivots

"Sprinkler Guard" For Center Pivots IRRIGATION Miscellaneous 27-6-20 Anyone who grazes livestock on center pivot irrigated pasture or wheat knows that cattle can chew on the motors and wiring, causing extensive damage. Another problem is calves lie down in the wheel ruts and get run over. Robert Hittle says his new patent pending Sprinkler Guard solves both problems. It's a portable electric fence that wraps around each tower, forming a rectangular enclosure. The system operates off any 110-volt, 12-volt, or solar-powered fence charger. A single electrified wire, or electric tape, runs the length of the irrigator about 1 ft. below the pipe, with a wire leading down from it at each tower. The rectangular fence is supported by a pair of T-shaped bars equipped with an insulator at each end. The T-bar slides over a 4-in. length of sq. tubing that you weld at an upward angle to the end of each base beam. To remove the fence for irrigating row crops you simply remove the T-bars. An attachment is available that's designed to keep calves from getting run over. An insulator on the T-bar supports a piece of wire with a short length of log chain attached to it. The chain hangs about 2 in. off the ground, directly in front of the tire. As the sprinkler moves forward, the electrified wire startles the calf into moving away from the tire. "It's easy to install and saves a lot of hassle," says Hittle. "It takes only five or six hours to install the entire system. The fence stays hot all the time, whether the irrigator is moving or stationary or whether it's going forward or backward. "We supply the T-bars and insulators; the farmer supplies the wire. Some farmers install a gate hook on one of the wires forming the corral, and another gate hook at the top of the vertical wire. That way if they want to switch from irrigating pastures to row crops, they can quickly unhook the wires and slide the T-bars out of the holders and then store the one-piece unit out of the way. The Sprinkler Guard has to be removed in row crops in order to keep the crop from damaging it, and to keep the Sprinkler Guard from damaging the crop. The gate hook on the corral provides easy access to the irrigator whenever you need to work on it." The Sprinkler Guard fits any brand of center pivot. Sells for $60 per tower. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Hittle, 1731 Road P, Liberal, Kansas 67901 (ph 620 624-3112; email: squeaky@swko.net).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.