Winterization Tips for Mechanized Irrigation Systems

I’m KayDee Gilkey. Welcome to the Irrigation Minute brought to you by Reinke. Today we are talking with Reinke Director of Regional Sales Neil Lunzmann who will be sharing tips on how to best winterize your mechanized irrigation system.
Lunzman: “For the longevity of the system, they need to be taken care of — particularly this time of year. Cold weather is not good on anything that has water in it so certainly producers need to look at their systems to winterize them. One of the first things we do is to suggest that they position the system to be either directly opposing or directly into the wind. Normally that would be in a due north or due south direction. Draining the water from the pipeline — most systems have automatic drains — but as can happen that they don’t always work — it is good idea to tap on those to be sure the pipeline is drained. Checking the gear boxes and center drives for water and then refilling them with the proper lubricant is essential as well.”
He continues by reminding producers to check the tire pressure on each tower and inflate when necessary. Also check and tighten lug bolts if need. This time of year is also a great time to fill in wheel tracks in the field. If these become a common issue, you can look to improved floatation options for troublesome towers.
Lunzmann suggests making a list of items to be repaired and then making sure you get those repaired before spring.