Sprinkler Thread!

[daveamkrayoguy]

Almost the end of Summer, but not too late to post sprinklers you use to water your garden, wet your lawn or use to play in!

Here's a vintage Lustro--Ware, plastic sprinkler that my grandparents owned for 50-to-60-years, before my mom took it in & recently made it my own personal heirloom, and great fun for my daughter and I to jump through on these very hot days:

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Unfortunately, it being decades old & made out of plastic (even as high quality as they used in those days) water comes through the holes, but also where it shouldn't, and out of the seams & the cracks, that years of water & sun & summer heat has caused a few leaks to form in:

 

[whirlcool]

A few years ago we installed an in ground watering system. One of the best investments we ever made. No more hauling around hoses and no more watering the sidewalk. Just 12 minutes every other day keeps the lawn nice and green. Our water bill actually went down a few $ after we put the system in.

 

[hydralique]

When I was a kid I loved those little tractor style sprinklers that would slowly propel themselves using the hose as a track but haven't seen one in decades since sprinklers have mostly been replaced by built in systems. The systems are nice but I've found it handly to have a simple sprinkler or two around as system zoning rarely corresponds exactly to need, especially on older systems where trees have grown larger and the shady areas need less water than areas with no shade.

 

[arbilab]

A fave was the Sunbeam rotary creeper. I think you can still get a plastic imitation of the original but all the charm has gone out of it. Knob on top set the pitch of the arms from a 5ft circle to 40ft. In the base was a geared stainless tape. You staked the tape and the sprinkler wound it back in, pulling itself as it went. When it reached the stake it shut off.

 

[rp2813]

I was intrigued by the tractor sprinklers until I thought about the prep work needed to operate them.  Then I decided I didn't want one anymore.  Plus, I didn't have a large enough patch of lawn to require one.

 

The only vintage hose-end sprinkler I own now is a bright red "Squarespray" type (slogan: "It Gets The Corners") that I found in un-used condition at a thrift store recently.  They're still sold in stores but are made with cheaper parts than they used to be.  What else is new, huh?

 

I set up the Squarespray for the grandkids if they're over here on a hot day.  Turning on a row of the in-ground system just isn't as fun.

 

[whirlcool]

We had one of those lawn tractor type of sprinklers. When you set the hose out you laid it down according to the track you wanted it to follow. No guide tapes needed.
When it got to the end of the hose by the faucet it would hit a little valve that would turn the water off.

We had a huge back yard then and it did save us some work. How fast it traveled was dependent on how good your water pressure was. And it was heavy too, the main body was made out of cast iron. I think we paid about $50.00 for it on sale at Home Depot back around 1993 or so.

Unfortunately it was lost during our move to this house. I have seen them in the last year or so at Home Depot.

 

[arbilab]

I remember the tractors too. I remember them jumping the hose and winding up in the street. No setup on the Sunbeam. Set it at the start point, stake it at the end. Pretty much straight line, though did come with an accessory spike that could allow it to turn corners. I never used that.

I found a picture of the Sunbeam on ebay. Let's see if this works. The trigger engaged the gears. The lever turned shutoff on/off. The bulb at the end of the chain is what stopped the travel and if selected stopped the water.

 

[hydralique]

Whoa, what a nice formica tabletop!

 

[rp2813]

I have always liked those totally kick-ass "Rain King" sprinklers.  I didn't know they made a traveling model as well.

 

[petek]

Two or three years ago I was at Liquidation World here in town (owned by Big Lots now) and they had a pallet load of those heavy metal Sears "Craftsman" gray tractor sprinklers for iirc $25 so I bought two and gave one to my niece who has a large lawn. I kept one for myself because our underground sprinkler system only does the backyard. Our front lawn really wasn't big enough for it but it worked great and rather than not use it I gave it to the next door neighbors who have a large backyard as well.. He loves it.  Sears may still sell them I haven't looked.  It even has two speeds on it.  Lowes last year had a clearance on all metal Gilmour sprinklers, all types for $15 so I picked up a really nice impulse one and whatever you call the ones that spray up in a fan shape and sweep back and forth.. is there a name for those?  The sprinklers I like best though are the Gilmour adjustable pattern impulse sprinklers with that guide ring you can adjust the spray to avoid areas like sidewalks etc as it moves around.  I'd really like to find one of those travelling sprinklers that rolls the hose up as it moves along. Haven't seen one in eons. 

 

[twintubdexter]

Those Sunbeam sprinklers were on everyone's lawn when I was a kid. They were always fun to watch. I'm not sure that homeowners would leave a nice hose-end sprinkler out front today. When I was in store management for a large hardware chain based in San Jose, there was a kid that came in once or twice a week with a sprinkler he snitched from someone's lawn. He was a smart thief since he was careful to bring in only sprinklers we carried. He would tell the person at the customer service desk he was returning the item for his parents. At that time the company had a very generous return policy and gave cash refunds without a receipt up to a certain amount. They have wised-up since then. After he tried this several times I pulled him aside and told him I knew exactly what he was doing, handed him my business card and told him if there was a problem he should bring mom and dad in and we could discuss it. He never came back so maybe I put an end to a life of crime...yeah right!

Hey Ralph..."kick ass?"...I'll bet you were part of one of those East Side motorcycle gangs that hung out in Tropicana Village.

 

[rp2813]

Joe, I was just really impressed with how much water those Rain Kings could throw -- and how far.  I wonder how many RPM those things could get up to.

 

For about 20 years we had one of those adjustable Gilmour "Pattern Master" impulse sprinklers.  They're great for watering irregular shaped areas.  For being made of plastic, it never failed us.  Still have it, but no need to use it with built-in systems front and back now.

 

[petek]

Doesn't look like the Craftsman tractor is available anymore   

 

 

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07169284000P?sid=comm_sears_productpg

 

[arbilab]

Sunbeam Rain King really whizzed (pun) on narrow settings. Which also made it reel in the tape much faster than when set wide. So it was relatively consistent in the amount of water regardless of the setting.

My last several houses I couldn't find a good traveler so I settled for the golfcourse type. Chik-chik-chik-chik-dt-dt-dt-dt-dt-dt. Inelegant but cheap and effective.

 

[frigilux]

I purchased two of these oscillating sprinklers at Ace Hardware back in the spring, and I love 'em! You can fine-tune the width of water dispersion, which is important in my yard. You can adjust it down to about 1 foot in width for really narrow areas.

 

[streakers]

Firstly - what an awesome and timely thread!

Down under - garden sprinklers have always been an interest to me - particularly when I worked in a Hardware store as well... Being one of the driest continents as well helps!

Being that we've just returned from a couple of weeks away - and that our local area hasn't had rain for the last 43 days, things are starting to look pretty crispy. Dragged out the hoses and sprinklers yesterday to give things a good soak...

Used what is referred to here as a 'Water Tractor' or 'Rain Train' -

http://www.popeproducts.com.au/prod...p-garden-accessories/sprinklers/water-tractor

And then also for the smaller areas a 'Rain Wave' -

http://www.popeproducts.com.au/prod...se-amp-garden-accessories/sprinklers/rainwave

However - I'm hoping some of you from across the pond may be able to assist in one query I have... Husbear and I are currently going through the the prelim stages of moving to the USA (he's from Ohio) and I wondered if my 'garden toys' would be worth packing? More specifically - here - we use 'click-on' fittings and generally 1/2 inch hoses - are these the standard in the USA?

Or will I just donate them all and start afresh over there? Note - I do want another travelling sprinkler...!

Cheers and thanks for the help guys! PS - Love the pics - please keep posting!

 

[petek]

That Ozzie tractor looks very familiar like I've seen it for sale somewhere here a few years back

Personally unless you really love em and are packing light I wouldn't bring them all this way... you'll always find something over here. 

You can even get remote controlled sprinklers now so you can play around with the sprinkler from the comfort of your lawn chair. Nooo don't have one, yet. When I see one on clearance maybe. 

 

the most common click on fitting I see out there are the Gardena type

 

 

 

[iheartmaytag]

My sprinkler of choice is:

A Nelson tractor sprinkler.
Most of the time I can lay out the hose and just like a Showtime rotisserie I set it and forget it.

I said in most cases, sometimes it will jump the hose in a turn and take off across the yard all by itself. what I like the most is you can set it for a fast run or slow and really soak the ground. Thank God I have a irrigation well. I want to have an in ground system installed, but until then. I will continue to drive my little yellow tractor.