A wise, winning recipe helps Dirk van Zuydam of Weenen, KZN, to harvest a yield of up to 40 tons potatoes from one hectare. He says the key to his success is the Ocmis two Ocmis travelling irrigators supplied by Irrigation Unlimited. He acquired the first Ocmis irrigator in 2015 and today he is the proud owner of five of them.

“In the past I needed a team of 16 labourers to move the irrigation assembly between the lands. With the Ocmis travelling irrigators only two helpers are required to do the same work. In the process I save the wages of 14 workers and finally the irrigator pays for itself,” says Dirk.

“The irrigators are versatile and can irrigate irregular lands where a centre pivot machine cannot do the job. They can also be used to irrigate different crops. I use then not only for irrigating potatoes, but also mealies and dry beans,” says Dirk

When a farmer irrigates with the Ocmis portable irrigation reel, there are no bits and pieces of land that are not serviced and every piece of land is utilised productively. A further advantage is that other work, such as overhead fertilising, is made much easier. The reels can be removed from the lands to allow tractors and implements unimpeded movement. When not in use, they can be locked away in the store out of the way of possible thieves.

No loss of plants

Similar to other projects proper planning is most important. Dirk leaves two open rows where there are supply valves to prepare a “road” where the irrigator can run. By doing this, he does not lose any of his input.

“There are no hidden costs. It was not necessary to change anything when I changes from the quick-coupling system to the Ocmis irrigators. The only thing I had to pay for, was the irrigator itself,” says Dirk.

“I’m also impressed by the fact that I can store the reels with their pipes under roof in the off-season. If not, one has to leave big capital outlay items standing on the land at the mercy of moth and rust. By doing this, I Make sure that the machines remain in good condition during the off-season.”

Dirk explains that his Ocmis irrigator is driven by an electric motor of 22 kW and a KSB 50/250 pump. The water is pumped from the Boesmans River. The Ocmis travelling irrigator carriage is fed through a 100 mm thick, 300 metres long. Dirk’s system needs less than 7 bar pump pressure to feed water to the sprayer; however the high pressure is not a prerequisite to make the pump work effectively at a lower pressure.

Four versions of this water-driven irrigator are available:

• The R1/1-model is fitted with a 75mm thick pipe, 220 metres long. It irrigates 1,23 to 1,85 hectares per run, depending on the water pressure.

• The R2/2-model is fitted with a 100 mm thick pipe, 300 metres long. This model irrigates 2,02 to 2,96 ha at a time.

• The Ocmis MRR 58/200 can be used for smaller fields and gardens. This sprayer irrigates a maximum area of 1,1 ha per 200 m run. It has a 58 mm feeder pipe.

• The Ocmis MR 40/130 has a 40 mm pipe, 130 metres long and can irrigate a maximum of 0,56 ha per 130 m run.

All models work efficiently with water pressure of 4,3 to 10,4 bar. The spray range of the R2/2 can be adjusted by changing the spray nozzles – from a 24 mm nozzle to a 30 mm nozzle, or by adjusting the water pressure.

Ocmis sprayers also have various settings on the gearbox where the farmer can regulate the amount of water that is sprayed by adjusting the speed at which the irrigator carriage is reeled in.

“The versatility of these irrigators is the main advantage,” says Dirk. “The only maintenance required is to make sure that the gears have enough lubricant. Apart from the sprayer heads, which I preferred to make bigger, I have had to do any other work on the machines. Everything works – there is just nothing that breaks.”

For more information regarding the excellent Ocmis irrigators, which makes irrigation a feast of efficiency, contact Tobie van den Heever on 082-658-6054 or 012-736-2121. Alternatively you can send an email message to tobie@iunlimited.co.za or visit the Ocmis website www.iunlimited.co.za .