What are the benefits of a hard hose vs soft hose traveling irrigator, and in which situations should one style be chosen over the other? This can be confusing and it is important that the correct machine suited to the situation is used to ensure high irrigation efficiency.
First up … why a travelling irrigator?
Whether they are a hard hose or a soft hose traveling or hose reel irrigators are a great alternative center pivot or lateral irrigation.
They offer you the benefits of irrigating without the commitment or initial expenditure required when designing and purchasing a full irrigation system.
They also allow you the flexibility to irrigate small irregular fields or undulating areas that may be difficult to irrigate with a pivot.
And although many salesmen tell you traveling irrigators are ineffective it is possible to achieve a high uniformity application of water when the proper sprinkler flow rate, operating pressure, and run spacings are selected.
So you have decided that a traveling irrigator is the best choice for you. Now there is another decision, hard or soft hose??
Soft Hoses
A soft hose travelling irrigator is operated by unwinding the entire length of hose off the reel and laying it out flat. the end of the hose is connected to a hydrant positioned in the center of the field. The cart is then moved manually away from the hydrant in each direction to irrigate.
This design comes with both advantages and disadvantages:
Pros
Reduced friction loss. As the hydrant for the soft hose is positioned in the center of the paddock a shorter hose waters the same area as the longer hard hose therefore friction loss is reduced.
Lower pressure required. Due to lower friction loss less pressure is required to run a soft hose.
Cons
Labour intensive. Requires either a tractor pull the cart or cable secured to two anchor points to roll the cart along.
Damage to Crops. The full hose length must be pulled out to begin irrigation. This can cause additional crop damage.
Hoses can be damaged. Travel paths must be clear of debris that can catch and damage the hose as it is dragged behind the cart.
Require more space. As the hose must be fully laid out a soft hose requires a wider travel path.
Therefore a soft hose is the machine for you if you have the labour available to manually move the trolley and struggle with low pressure. However, friction loss can be overcome in a hard hose by increasing the hose diameter. This allows the machine to run with lower pressure.
Hard hoses
A hard hose traveling irrigator is designed to sit at the edge of a paddock where it is attached to a hydrant. The trolley or sprinkler cart is then pulled out, the leftover hose can be left on the reel. Then as the machine irrigates the reel winds the cart back into the machine.
Pros
Flexibility with run lengths allowing irrigation in many different paddock sizes with one machine.
Reduced chance of crop damage as extra hose length is stored on reel.
Require less space therefore can be used in a narrow travelling lane.
Labour Efficient
Cons
Heavy when transporting as water is left in hose unless pumped out with a purge pump.
Higher center gravity. This gives the machine less stability on very rough ground. If this is a concern for you check out this article.
So there are benefits and downfalls to both machines. Soft hoses can be operated with very low pressure, however require a lot more space and labour to operate. Whereas the Hard hoses operate best with higher pressure and are more labour and time efficient. However hopefully this post has helped you get an idea of which machine will best suit your property.
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