LR Nelson Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
Manufacturer: Nelson
Garden Hose, Sprinklers & Accessories Sprinkler Type: Above Ground Base Style: Wheel Type: Turbine Rotary Options: Travelling Sprinkler Thread Size: 3/4-8 NH
Amazon.com Review:
While an automatic sprinkling system certainly ensures greener grass and nurtured flowerbeds during the sweltering days of summer, not every household comes equipped with such a system and they can be downright expensive to install. Historically, the alternative to the built-in sprinkler system has involved setting up a hose and sprinkler and then manually relocating the water source to several strategic locations every thirty minutes for several hours. Despite all the detail and time this manual system receives, the sprinkler never quite makes contact with certain patches. Likewise, swamping also occurs at times because homeowners generally have more important things to worry about than whether it is time to switch the sprinkler. Luckily, the folks at LR Nelson are employed to worry about finding comprehensive watering methods for busy homeowners who don't have the means, time, or desire to dig up the yard to install and intricate system of sprinkler pipes. Responsible for a bevy of creative lawn care solutions, the Peoria, Illinois outfit introduce this ingenious Raintrain traveling sprinkler.
With a rustproof cast iron construction, the sprinkler waters up to 13, 500 square feet, though covering a lesser area of 11,9000 square feet ensures more effective performance. The sprinkler arms adjust for varied spray patterns and arcs, throwing water from 15 to 56 feet. The sprinkler waters as it travels along a hose on a preset route, much like an electric model train, except with a hose as the rails. To water, the homeowner lays out the hose as desired, taking care to avoid dramatic corners or turnabouts that may result in hose kinks or a derailed sprinkler. A front wheel runs on the hose with the two traction-ready rear wheels bestride. The hose connects to the posterior of the sprinkler. For the best results, LR Nelson recommends a 5/8-inch hose, though a 1/2-inch hose may suffice, up to 200 feet in length. For sprinkling termination, the user places a shut-off ramp on the hose to lift the sprinkler off its "rails," while simultaneous stopping operation. The shut-off ramp should be installed with at least five feet of hose between it and the spigot. The traveling sprinkler operates at two motor speeds, high and low. On high power, the sprinkler travels approximately 37 feet per hour, with a 1/4-inch water application. On low power, the sprinkler moves at a 21 feet per hour rate with a 1/2-inch water application. The simple installation requires no tools. The sprinkler weighs 18.1 pounds upon shipping. --Jessica Reuling
Lowest Used Price: USD 45.99
Lowest New Price: USD 48.28
- Traveling wheeled lawn sprinkler; travels along length of attached 5/8-inch hose
- Adjustable rotary spray arms; 2 speeds; auto shut-off ramp to stop sprinkler operation
- Rustproof c-iron construction; chip-resistant, powder-coat paint; assembly required
- Includes 1 sprinkler, shut-off ramp; hose not included
- 18.1-pounds; 2-year warranty
Model: 1865
Release Date: 2004-07-01
Nelson Traveling Sprinkler
This is an excellent product and works trouble free. Repair parts are readily available should they be needed.
POS
1 is way too many stars for this product. The main unit is cast metal and weighs perhaps 20#. The gears are light weight plastic and have a life expectancy of about 50 hours. That comes to B00002N6AN per hour cost of operation. Of course, there is no warranty. I understand they used to have metal gears and would last a lifetime. But alas, now they are made in China (in spite of what the catalog sheet says) and are junk. I wouldn't bother to try to use it, if someone gave me one - much less buy it!
very easy to manage
This is a great sprinkler if you're just needing to put a small amount of water down. The most it can put down in one pass is 1/2" of water. It is typically better to water deeply vs. just get the top part of the soil wet, which this seems to do. My grass is very thick, so it takes more water to get down to the roots, but when it gets down there, it stays for awhile, because the soil is clay, and the grass is thick. It takes a certain amount of water to get the grass blades saturated enough to let the water begin soaking into the ground. When I only have a 1/2" of water to work with each time, it doesn't seem to get much into the soil, promoting a shallow root system.
Other then that, this sprinkler is very easy to use. It's not very precise, but that didn't bother me much at all because I have a large lawn. Nelson's customer service is outstanding! They replaced the entire gear mechanism on it with only spending a few minutes on the phone.
Plastic Gears
I have 3 of these and have replaced the gearbox in all 3 and now all 3 are stripped out again. Won't buy another 1.
Best one yet
I have used many different traveling sprinklers since I was a child and this is the best I have ever used. I currently own two, the John Deere which I have owned for 5 months and a Nelson 1865 Raintrain which I have owned for around 7 years. Even after its time in service, the Nelson is performing much better than the JD.
I am a former military member and have had to take care of many different lawns and this sprinkler has worked well on all of them. The ability to adjust the speed of the movement and the circumference of the spray has been a lawn saver on many occasions. One of the best things about the Nelson 1865 is its ability to pull long hoses. I currently use a 150 ft hose and it has never slowed the sprinkler or pulled it off track. At the current price, you will never find a better bargain for a poor man's auto sprinkler system. I love this thing so much I have decided to order anther one to replace the John Deere.
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