At Komet, we follow our own guiding principle: once we have identified a grower’s need, we go out of our way to find a solution. Most recently this has resulted in our innovative Komet Precision Twister (KPT) PC-180 Part Circle sprinkler.
The Challenge
Making the most of your available field is a vital part of successful agricultural farming. To ensure a maximum yield, every square-inch of productive soil needs to be sufficiently irrigated. Naturally this also includes the crops growing right next to the wheel tracks of your irrigation system.
However, this efficient use of area comes at a price: if a suboptimal wheel track option is chosen, the water might be prone to collecting inside the tracks – turning them into muddy, deep ruts that can pose great challenges for the irrigation system’s functionality and performance.
The core problem with muddy tracks is the lack of traction, which causes wheel slipping. In addition, as the pivot struggles to move across the soft ground, it inevitably slows down, or can get stuck altogether, which can even lead to structural damage of your equipment. All the while, the irrigation system’s water output remains constant – resulting in an unchecked (and potentially damaging) overwatering of certain sections of the field.
The solution
The most popular dry wheel track solutions are part circle sprinklers. They are installed around the tower, and irrigate the area around the wheel tracks in a 180-degree pattern. This ensures that all of the crop is watered, but the tracks themselves are kept dry. Up until now, part circle sprinklers have usually come in the form of either fixed-spray or rotating stream devices. Both types fulfill their primary purpose – but neither are geared towards maintaining uniform water application.
The product
And that’s where we come in: the Komet Precision Twister (KPT) PC-180 Part Circle is a new concept for 180-degree irrigation, that provides both dry wheel tracks, as well as a consistent droplet size and uniform water application throughout the wetted area. It is currently the only product on the market to offer both of these features.
As part of our irrigation training on the topic of Wheel Track Options we demonstrate how to create dry wheel track solutions without compromising any aspect of irrigation.
