Rotating Tires Pull, Push Irrigation Pipe

Rotating Tires Pull, Push Irrigation Pipe TIRES/WHEELS Miscellaneous 31-3-28 I did a double take when I walked by this machine at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif. I'd never seen anything like it. Inventor Paul Burkner of Lodi, Calif., told me the 3-pt. mounted "Golden Retriever" was designed specifically to handle "Certaloc" irrigation pipe, using rubber tires to push 30-ft. sections of pipe out into the field at the beginning of the growing season and then pulling it back out at the end. The unit can handle pipe ranging in size from 3 to 12 in. in diameter. Four pairs of hydraulic-powered tires grab the pipe sections which roll on top of four idler wheels. Each driven tire is operated by a separate hydraulic motor. "There's never been anything like it. It lets you move up to 2,000 ft. of 3-in. dia. lateral pipe with the risers attached, or up to 500 ft. of 12-in. dia. main pipe," says Burkner. "And, you can move the pipe in either direction. You can push 500 ft. of pipe one way, and then 500 ft. the other way without ever having to move the machine. Coupling and moving a 30-ft. pipe section takes only about 15 seconds. "People are amazed that this machine can move heavy pipe such a long ways down the field. The secret is that the hydraulic motors have a lot of torque and squeeze against the pipe to get a good grip. The machine is quite heavy so it takes a 50 hp or larger tractor to operate it." There are two sets of valve controls, one for pushing the pipe and one for retrieving it. Each set has control levers for gripping the tires to the pipe and also for moving the pipe forward. The machine sells for about $30,000. "Several large California vegetable growers are already using the machine, including Grimway Farms (carrots) and Drisco Farms (strawberries). Some irrigation companies have bought units and rent them out to smaller farmers," notes Burkner. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Paul Burkner, Ag Industrial Mfg., 110 S. Beckman Rd., Lodi, Calif. 95240 (ph 800 700-2461 or 209 369-1994; fax 209 333-0736; pburkner@agindustrialmfg.com; www.agindustrialmanufacturing.com).

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