Sadly, less than 20% of e-waste is recycled annually.

How Hunter is Helping

At Hunter Industries, they’re striving to improve that figure by expanding our Irrigation Controller Recycling Program to customers nationwide.

Since launching our pilot program 2.5 years ago, we’ve recycled more than 12,000 lbs of controller e-waste through our partnership with nonprofit organization Blue Star Recyclers. We’ve also helped support their mission of creating jobs for people with autism and other disabilities through their recycling operations.

“Our partnership with Blue Star Recycling has allowed us to provide jobs for capable, yet often overlooked workers while doing our part to establish a healthier planet. By sharing our resources, we hope to encourage more businesses to ethically recycle as we work toward a more sustainable future,”

said Warren Gorowitz, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Hunter Industries.

How Customers Can Help

By getting involved, those who work in the irrigation industry can provide critical employment opportunities while keeping e-waste out of landfills through ethical recycling. Participation requires minimal effort and cost:

• Sign up for a free Hunter Preferred Program (HPP) account.
• Collect old irrigation controllers from customers and contractors.
• Ship the collected controller e-waste to Blue Star Recyclers. Hunter Industries will pay the recycling fees!

For Gold and Platinum HPP members, the company will cover shipping fees too.

At Hunter Industries, they’re committed to creating a sustainable organization that achieves a balance between the people we serve, the planet we impact, and the profits we earn. This program is just one of the ways we’re striving to safeguard our world for future generations while caring for the global community and the people in it.

Source: Hunter Industries

The post Irrigation Controller Recycling Program Expands Nationwide appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Horizon Distributors has compiled the following guide to help you navigate finding the perfect irrigation system so your client’s landscape can thrive.

Surface irrigation involves water being distributed using watering cans or hoses, sometimes using a sprinkler attachment. By applying water to the soil’s surface, water is then able to seep through to the plant’s root system.

While surface irrigation is one of the most common types of irrigation for homeowners, it is also the most inefficient. It requires more manual labor and offers little room for automation and a lot of room for human error. This can cause under and overwatering.

Surface irrigation is problematic for both the wellbeing and aesthetics of your client’s property. Sharing these facts with a potential client can help sway them to install an inground irrigation system. We recommend using the process as a supplement to other more sophisticated irrigation systems.

Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation systems involve small, uniformed applications of water directly to the plant’s root area. This system is ideal for non-turf areas, including flower beds, vegetable gardens, and container plants. It is also great for areas located on less even terrain or exposed to windy conditions.

This controlled method is far more efficient and environmentally friendly. Not only does the direct application help prevent evaporation and runoff, but the process can also be automated when synced to a smart irrigation controller. This helps prevent unnecessary labor and water waste.

Sprinkler Irrigation

Sprinkler systems are the most iconic form of landscape irrigation methods. While many people probably associate sprinklers with golf courses and childhood summers, these systems provide versatile, efficient irrigation options. These systems also offer water waste management potential when installed with irrigation controllers.

Sprinkler heads can be set up above ground or be installed to pop up and retract during watering. In order to help conserve water, smart irrigation controllers can use local weather reports to adjust watering schedules.

Blended Irrigation Systems

By combining drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, you can maximize the potential of both methods while also using water more responsibly.

Sprinkler systems are best suited for turf areas on a property. Drip irrigation systems are ideal for more concentrated plant features, such as flower beds, bushes, and trees.

In order to make the most of your blended irrigation system, it is important to install a smart controller.

Irrigation Supplies for Landscaping Businesses

Horizon Distributors is one of the largest U.S. irrigation wholesale suppliers. Partners include Hunter, Rain Bird, Toro, Lasco, NDS, ADS, and more. Here is a breakdown of the irrigation supplies we offer:

Irrigation Sprayers and Sprinkler Heads

Most irrigation systems use either rotary sprinkler heads or spray sprinkler heads to water landscapes.

Irrigation spray heads are used to ensure grass and turf, flower beds, garden beds, and shrubs are watered adequately. Sizes are measured by the height the riser comes up out of the turf when activated and range between 2” – 12.” These spray heads are typically installed about 15’ apart from each other.

Irrigation spray heads help to maximize efficiency while minimizing water use, liability concerns, and affiliated costs.

Rotor Sprinklers for Irrigation Systems

Rotor sprinklers rotate a stream or streams of water over turf. These systems offer great advantages for both commercial and residential landscapes. Rotors are ideal for expansive areas of turf.

Their more expansive spray range and lower precipitation rate prevent certain areas from being over or underwatered. The range allows for even water coverage across a large area, while still managing to conserve water and lower costs.

Rotor sprinklers typically run between 45-50 PSI. This is a higher pressure rate. This allows them to water a radius ranging from 15-50+ feet. Plastic or stainless steel risers are available for commercial-duty rotor systems.

Irrigation Controllers and Sprinkler Timers

Irrigation controllers or irrigation timers are the brains of the operation.

Smart irrigation controllers use local conditions to dictate the best time to turn your systems on. Smart irrigation controllers will not start the system while it rains. By taking the weather conditions into consideration, these controllers help prevent overwatering. These controllers are also capable of synching up to other add-ons such as soil and wind sensors. This helps to tailor the irrigation system to the landscape’s environment.

Horizon offers standard and commercial irrigation controllers for indoor and outdoor applications. These are very simple to install and program. The system setup allows you to purchase one base unit with the option to add more stations as needed.

Irrigation Pumps

Irrigation pumps work using three basic components: an inlet, pump system, and outlet. A pressure change in the pump system pushes the water from an area of high pressure to one of low pressure, causing the water to be dispersed through the system’s inlet into the pump and finally through the outlet.

There are two main types of irrigation pumps: displacement pumps and centrifugal pumps.

Displacement pumps are more commonly used for dispensing thicker liquids, so they are not as common in irrigation systems unless it is a fertilizer injector that works to mix and disperse fertilizer and water.

The majority of irrigation pumps are classified as centrifugal pumps. These pumps use centrifugal force to distribute water. An “impeller” spins the water, forcing it out the pump’s casing and through the outlet to water the designated area.

Some centrifugal pump systems will use a multi-stage approach. This is a system of multiple impellers and casings. Water migrates from one impeller to the next with pressure increasing at each stage.

Some centrifugal pumps require priming so that there is water present in the inlet pipe and the casing before starting the pump. Others are self-priming and don’t require this extra step.

Types of centrifugal pumps include the following:

• End-suction centrifugal pumps are the most common type. These pumps push water through the system instead of pulling it and operate best when its water source is no more than a few feet lower than the pump.
• Submersible pumps are fully waterproofed systems that are completely installed underwater, including the motor.
• Turbine pumps are somewhat similar to submersible pumps, but while the pump is mounted underwater, it is attached by a drive shaft to a motor mounted above the water.
• Jet pumps are ideal for sucking up water that is significantly below the pump. There are “shallow well” and “deep well” varieties of the jet pumps to reach varying water source depths.
• Booster pumps are basic centrifugal pumps simply used to boost water pressure to a higher pressure value for ideal dispersion.
• Floating pumps are submersible pumps that are attached to afloat. These floats are anchored in a body of water, keeping the pump in place under the water. Pipes or tubes transport the water to the irrigation system.

Additional equipment may be needed to support your irrigation pumps. You can consult with our experts at Horizon to ensure you’ve got everything you need to guarantee your system installation is a success.

Drainage

Drainage, or stormwater management, consists of detaining, retaining, or providing a discharge point for stormwater to be reused or infiltrated into the groundwater. Drainage product applications include the following: French Drain systems, basins, filters, grates, downspout adapters, pop-up emitters, channel drains, and permeable pavers.

Standing water can be a landscaper’s greatest enemy. Standing water can attract pesky mosquitoes, drown plants and turf, and even cause structural damage to buildings on the property.

It’s just as important to understand the art of drainage as it is to understand irrigation. The two go hand in hand. But don’t worry, the pros at your local Horizon store are available to answer any questions you might have.

Source: Horizon

The post Horizon Explains How to Choose the Right Irrigation System appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

A farmer from Grande Prairie, Alta., was tired of climbing in and out of his tractor to engage and disengage the power take-off while bagging and extracting grain, so he built a remote-controlled device to make these jobs easier.

“It goes into the cubbyhole and then attaches to the screw points the little padded cushion attaches to. You have two actuators that can pull two different hydraulics, and then there’s the PTO mechanism that controls this switch on and off, and the RPM dial,”

said Vincent Pawluski, owner of RcFarmArm.

He went to great lengths to design the remote-controlled device in a way that wouldn’t threaten his tractor’s warranty.

“This is purposely built to get around the CAN bus systems because when you start tying into CAN bus systems if there is ever a problem on the CAN bus side, or error codes, the last guy that touched it is the guy who gets in trouble. That’s just how it works,”

Pawluski said.

“John Deere will blame me if there is something messed up in the CAN bus, whether it is my fault or not, because I’m the third party guy.”

He said the RcFarmArm engages all the control surfaces just like a human finger does, so the equipment manufacturers can’t argue the tractor isn’t being controlled the way it was intended to be.

“We’re not really hacking into anything, and it installs in like five minutes,”

Pawluski said.

The RcFarmArm draws power from a standard accessory power point in the tractor, and it also has a backup 12-volt battery that can be used to power the arm if it gets disconnected from the tractor’s power.

The system can also be used to control six customizable functions, and to turn the tractor on or off.

“A second module that fits over the top of the key, and it turns the key with two actuators, one to turn it on and a second one to turn the key to start it. There’s an E (emergency) stop on the arm and an Estop on the remotes. It brings all the actuators back to their off positions, which will turn the key on the tractor off,”

Pawluski explained.

So far, he has built an arm that fits the 8000 and 9000 John Deere tractors, as well as the 7000 series if they have the full armrest with fingertip hydraulic controls.

He also is developing a model for the John Deere R series.

For the Case tractors, he has a model that fits the 2011 to 2020 tractors, in the Maximums, Quadtrac, and Pumas series.

For the applications for which Pawluski built the RcFarmArm, bagging and extracting grain, the tractor is not put in gear because the pressure of the auger pushes the tractor when bagging, and the plastic pulls the tractor when extracting.

However, he is building a steering module that will be able to move the steering wheel to help keep everything straight.

On the remote, there are six indicator lights that visually alert the operator as to which functions are on.

“We have it set up that you need to press two buttons on the remote to start the PTO, and the two buttons are as far apart as possible on the remote. So you pretty much need two hands to start the PTO and to engage the starter of the tractor. So hopefully, there would be very little chance of accidental engagement of the PTO or the starter.”

Operators can still drive the tractor when the arm is installed.

“The gear shift is left accessible, and in the final design we have one remote that is attached to the armrest, so that should stay in the tractor at all times because otherwise, you would have to remove the key-switch module to start the tractor,”

Pawluski said.

The third hydraulic control on the tractor is also accessible because it is not connected to the RcFarmArm, and the tractor’s RPM can be controlled with the foot control.

“The starter system and the arm we’re going to be selling for right around $5,000, and then the price on the optional steering control motor is yet to be determined,”

Pawluski said.

Source: RC Farm Arm

The post RcFarmArm Owner Presents His New Wireless Tractor Controller appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Accurate positioning is the cornerstone of site-specific management. It is not only required for accurate operations, but expansive data collection, enabling farm professionals to compare different types of information, such as yield, soil type, and fertility, for better decision making. The technology is used for machine operations and all associated tasks where tracking location data is relevant to crop optimization, including soil preparation, seeding, crop care, and harvesting.

To support the range of agricultural applications, the receiver, and steering controller uses the new Topnet Live correction services. Plus, with the option of Skybridge, users can maintain network connection during any RTK interruption.

Brian Sorbe, VP of global product solutions, said,

“Topcon receivers are designed to suit virtually any agricultural machine type, make, and model. Equipped with progressive reception and tracking capabilities, with the option of manual guidance or complete autosteering, the receivers are suitable for any size or type of operation. With access to the full range of correction services through the AGS-2, Topcon provides farmers with the right fit for their operation with accuracy on demand. Each unique farming operation may have different accuracy requirements and this approach will benefit their operation.

“Calibrated to accuracies of within two centimeters, the new correction services provide reliable pass-to-pass precision. Through a constantly improving network and a variety of cost-effective subscription models, the service delivers reliable connection stability across the globe. With these new offerings, Topcon continues to offer powerful solutions to suit the variable demands of agriculture,”

Sorbe said.

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