Years of meticulous research worth thousands upon thousands of rands are spent on plant and seed development for only the best growth and production. Just as much time, money and energy are invested in the development of fertilisers to give crops that boost needed to ensure favourable yields.

All this care and attention only makes sense if the farmer scientifically applies the most essential factor for growth, namely water, to his precious crops.

Irrigation technology kept up with developments in production, and farmers who wish to apply the right quantity of water with the correct drop sizes uniformly at the right time exactly where it is needed are invited to contact Irrigation Unlimited to learn about their irrigation solutions aimed at utilising every drop of water to the utmost.

Ocmis is the water-propelled king

Irrigation Unlimited is the importer and distributor of the products of the world leader in water-propelled irrigation technology, Ocmis. One of the secrets behind the success of Ocmis is the development of their unique turbine system with the impeller mounted directly on the input shaft of the gearbox. This prevents water loss and offers a greater choice of speed variations, even at low pressure and low water flow.

A self-propelled irrigator uses water-flow to propel the gearbox that pulls the sprayer through the field.

It works like this: a trailer with a pipe reel is parked on one side of the field at a hydrant. The end of the pipe is attached to a small cart with a canon sprayer. This cart is dragged to the opposite side of the field, the water supply is turned on and as the pipe is reeled in, it drags the cart back to the trailer while spraying water all the time.

The speed at which the sprayer is reeled in can be adjusted to apply more or less water per run.

Included with the machine is an explicit colour diagram showing the farmer exactly how to calibrate the irrigator in terms of water flow and water pressure. He also has a wide choice of sprayers to control drop size. The cart can also be equipped with a boom instead of a water cannon.

Four models are available in South Africa with water pipe lengths of 130 to 300 metres, suitable for the irrigation of areas from three to thirty hectares per week (see table).

Warehouses full of plans

The self-propelled irrigators are only one department in Irrigation Unlimited’s range of solutions. Their catalogue with joints, sprayers, sprinklers and parts is the size of the Johannesburg telephone directory. All these products are supplied to farmers via dealers, but it is also possible to place large orders directly.

The warehouse at Rayton near Pretoria has a covered area of 5 700 m². The manufacturing plant is in Cape Town, and various smaller manufacturers also supply products to Irrigation Unlimited.

Products are also imported from countries such as China, Spain and Italy, and every product must comply with strict international or ISO standards before it can become part of Irrigation Unlimited’s stock.

PVC, polypropylene, cast-iron and pressure couplings from 15 to 415 mm are included in the irrigation range, and a sprayer or sprinkler for every need can be supplied.

Tobie van den Heever and his team of experts also serve as dealers for South Africa’s popular self-propelled irrigator, Rotrix, in the northern parts of South Africa.

Call Tobie van den Heever on 012-736-2121 or 082-658-6054, or tobie@iunlimited.co.za for more information, or visit www.iunlimited.co.za to see their whole range of irrigation equipment.