Water Wagon Tow Capacity

[gwdixon]

If I understand you right, just watering trees, gravity flow will be fine and a pump really is not needed. That is putting water onto the ground at base of trees if I understand correctly.

I tried the gravity flow thing. Flow rhymes with slow - which is what it is. Painfully slow. Keeping the tank low to the ground makes it even slower. As the tank drains it gets slower yet. Did I mention "slow"?

I bought a little Honda water pump. Not the smallest but the next size up. It is a WX15 - 72 gallon/minute but it is run at about half throttle.

The pump cut the watering time in half. It is still 5 hours with all the moving of the tank, dragging hoses, and refilling the 450 gallons.

 

[AxleHub]

I tried the gravity flow thing. Flow rhymes with slow - which is what it is. Painfully slow. Keeping the tank low to the ground makes it even slower. As the tank drains it gets slower yet. Did I mention "slow"?

I bought a little Honda water pump. Not the smallest but the next size up. It is a WX15 - 72 gallon/minute but it is run at about half throttle.

The pump cut the watering time in half. It is still 5 hours with all the moving of the tank, dragging hoses, and refilling the 450 gallons.

For point of understanding,
1. how far are the trees from your water source?
2. How big an area are you actually watering?

 

[LD1]

The factor missed in your post, is torque.
Using your example of the ztr vs the bx. If yours is gas and 27 hp your actual cutting performance would be different than a 27 hp diesel. Why? Because horsepower is measured mostly in an unloaded condition. A loaded condition is reality.

Example - same deck widths but one is cutting 3 inch bluegrass and then cutting 5 inch bluegrass. Big difference in performance speed and numbers because TORQUE is different than hp.

Torque is what allows the BX to just flat out do things the craftsman wont.

But HP factors that time in and is a REAL world measure of how fast one can expect the work to get done.

Torque can be changed with gearing as well. If I wanted, I could make that craftsman have WAY more torque than the BX. But Speed would suffer.

The more HP, the quicker the work will get done, PROVIDED it has enough torque and ability to do the job in the first place.

 

[gwdixon]

For point of understanding,
1. how far are the trees from your water source?
2. How big an area are you actually watering?

1. The 450 gal. water wagon is used with a 100', 5/8" hose - so I'm within 100' of the water source.

If you mean the refill point, it is about 500 yards away.

Twenty years ago, when the original trees were planted, 1" black pipe was run from the well pump to the orchards along the fencelines. Multiple Rainbirds were used to water the 600 trees. The pump ran constantly for a week and changing the Rainbirds was a muddy mess. Then every three weeks from April to November the procedure was repeated. Eventually, the black pipe deteriorated, cracked, got "tractor disease", and other maladies.

2. The trees are located within a 5 acre area. Five stops are required to reach all of the new seedlings amongst the established trees.

The pump is used at half throttle since many of the trees don't have watering rings and the lower flow gives time for the water to soak in a bit.

Another thing that I discovered about gravity flow is that the trees that are uphill from the tank don't get much water without using a pump. Amazing how that works.

Too much information but you did ask.

 

[Smallplot]

I tried the gravity flow thing. Flow rhymes with slow - which is what it is. Painfully slow. Keeping the tank low to the ground makes it even slower. As the tank drains it gets slower yet. Did I mention "slow"?

I bought a little Honda water pump. Not the smallest but the next size up. It is a WX15 - 72 gallon/minute but it is run at about half throttle.

The pump cut the watering time in half. It is still 5 hours with all the moving of the tank, dragging hoses, and refilling the 450 gallons.

If you are using 5/8 inch hose it will be slow yes. But using a 2 1/2 in ball valve into the same size or slightly bigger hose is not slow. It would empty your tank in minutes and not hours like with a garden hose attached.

 

[AxleHub]

If you mean the refill point, it is about 500 yards away.

Twenty years ago, when the original trees were planted, 1" black pipe was run from the well pump to the orchards along the fencelines. Multiple Rainbirds were used to water the 600 trees. The pump ran constantly for a week and changing the Rainbirds was a muddy mess. Then every three weeks from April to November the procedure was repeated. Eventually, the black pipe deteriorated, cracked, got "tractor disease", and other maladies.

2. The trees are located within a 5 acre area. Five stops are required to reach all of the new seedlings amongst the established trees.

I admit to being confused. Tree seedlings take alot of watering for years - not just months. They need an inch of net water per week from whatever sources.

It would seem the amount of water needed and the amount of years involved getting the seedlings estalished would support getting a line running back to the property.

Once you have the line again, you could have several points where 200 feet of hose would then attach for watering the trees.

I would think using the BX to install the line would be a better use of the tractor. I'd also think you spend ALOT less total time watering over the next three years and you'd spend a lot less money compard to a trailer and years of fuel usage.

But the real end goal is to allow seedlings to become fully developing trees. Because your water supply is only 500 yards away, it seems this idea allows you to have a better job, less overall investmet of money, far less time invested AND an ability to get helpers easily when needed ( vacations, help in droughts, etc) whether it is a high school kid, friend, wife, or son/daughter, or parent).


Just my perspective.

 

[gwdixon]

If you are using 5/8 inch hose it will be slow yes. But using a 2 1/2 in ball valve into the same size or slightly bigger hose is not slow. It would empty your tank in minutes and not hours like with a garden hose attached.

Good idea. My 6" seedlings would appreciate all that water at once.

And 200+ of them would only require a few more fill ups of the water wagon.

 

[gwdixon]

I admit to being confused. Tree seedlings take alot of watering for years - not just months. They need an inch of net water per week from whatever sources.

It would seem the amount of water needed and the amount of years involved getting the seedlings estalished would support getting a line running back to the property.

Once you have the line again, you could have several points where 200 feet of hose would then attach for watering the trees.

I would think using the BX to install the line would be a better use of the tractor. I'd also think you spend ALOT less total time watering over the next three years and you'd spend a lot less money compard to a trailer and years of fuel usage.

But the real end goal is to allow seedlings to become fully developing trees. Because your water supply is only 500 yards away, it seems this idea allows you to have a better job, less overall investmet of money, far less time invested AND an ability to get helpers easily when needed ( vacations, help in droughts, etc) whether it is a high school kid, friend, wife, or son/daughter, or parent).


Just my perspective.

The particular type of tree, eucalyptus, is drought tolerant and can become self-sufficient in two years. The seedlings can survive on a deep watering once a month.

As stated, the water line idea was tried, sat idle for several years and was removed.

Once these seedlings are established the water wagon will be sold and result in no net cost - might even turn a profit.

 

[MikeInEburg]

Be mindful that there is a HUGE difference between a trailer and a wagon. A wagon has at least four wheels and a pivoting axle at the front. The consideration is that a trailer provides tongue weight to increase traction of tractor, where a wagon not only provides no additional weight, but is more susceptible to jackknife due to pivoting front axle.
Mike.

 

[NevadaMOGuy]

Thanks for all the suggestions and input guys. :thumbsup:

I talked to one of the companies sales guys today and ordered me a 300 gallon water wagon.

I was on the edge of getting the 200 gallon because of some ideas and concerns brought up in this thread, but the main selling point was there is only a $300 difference in price between the two and I can always put in less water.

$3300 should be a good investment in the hear-n-now and the future.