This article appears in the June/July issue of Sugar Producer as part of our celebration of Smart Irrigation Month.
2021 is a year to pay close attention to pivot maintenance. A brutal winter and drier-than-normal conditions this spring place added importance on making sure pivots function efficiently and accurately. From the Great Plains to the Pacific Coast, nearly half of the U.S. is already experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions, and the current long-range forecasts offer very little hope for relief.
“Properly maintained pivots offer yield advantages and can reduce input costs,” says Brad Dunbar, regional sales manager with Lindsay Corporation. “Spending a handful of hours could translate to thousands more dollars in growers’ pockets come harvest due to reduced downtime and in-season service calls.”
Listed here are six areas where Dunbar recommends prioritizing maintenance efforts.
Top 6 Maintenance Must-dos:
- Pay special attention to components that could have been damaged by prolonged freezing temperatures, ice and snow, including sand traps, drain valves, end gun valves and the automatic valves that control water flow.
- Lubricate the pivot head to keep the pivot point moving freely during operation.
- Inspect drivelines. Worn joints and driveline bolts are easy to repair at the beginning of the season, but they can be challenging to repair later.
- Check sprinkler nozzles and replace as necessary to ensure proper pressure, which has a direct impact on water distribution uniformity and, ultimately, yield.
- Check oil in gear boxes and center drive motors.
- Check tire pressure to help maintain adequate flotation and prevent excessive gearbox wear.
Make sure to take any regional nuances into account and check with your local irrigation dealer on specific advice for your location.
The Future of Pivot Maintenance
As development of what Lindsay calls its Smart Pivot progresses throughout this growing season, the company will field-test a number of new capabilities to help growers better solve operational challenges, including reducing time spent on pivot maintenance.
Announced late last year, the smart pivot comes to life through two smart streams: Zimmatic machine health and FieldNET advanced agronomics. The machine health stream is designed to reduce risk and operational downtime. In the works is using edge computing and machine learning to streamline these efforts. Throughout the 2021 growing season, beta customers will experience the benefits of the pivot proactively identifying potential maintenance issues, such as low tire pressure and tower misalignment.
“The goal is to strengthen growers’ competitive advantage by making the pivot smarter and more self-sufficient,” says Reece Andrews, product manager at Lindsay.
The smart pivot is expected to be available for a limited commercial release in 2022. For more information, visit www.lindsay.com/smartpivot.