How to water trees with barrels in loader

[sixdogs]

(We needed a way to water our tree seedlings and came up with this idea years ago. I presume others have done similar but searched and didn't see anything.
The photos show how we put plastc barrels in a loader, strap them in and put spigots in the bottom of the barrel to connect a hose. One bucket for small tractor, more for bigger.
The bottom fitting connector things I got mail order but TSC has them for double the price. I use a garden hose thread adaptor to connect to a 10' length of hose and raise the loader. As I drive from tree to tree my wife waters each one. We have a shallow "moat" around each tree so they fill quickly and our watered seedlings do much better than otherwise. We can do 50 in 30 minutes and they are 10ft apart in a row. You could also water a garden.

Notes. Use a TIGHT strap as the buckets want to naturally slide out as they empty. Keep the strap low and chains don't work. Have rear tractor ballast and no turns or bumps with loader up or you could flip over. Water sloshes around so first gear and 4WD. My JD5520 with 3 buckets could maybe lift 3500-4500 lbs on it's own but is shaky with only 1500 lbs of water off the ground.
We start watering with the loader only a couple feet off the ground and lift as needed. No kids or dogs are ever around and we anticipate a bucket failure at any moment to be on the safe side. I've never had a problem and that's why I've never had a problem.
To put the plasic nut on the fitting inside the barrel you need one of those push button automotive parts retrivers with srnall grab "fingers" on the end (or 36" arms). The plastic petcock is from Home Depot and we use a hose quick disconnect to make things easier.
Hope I have helped someone. I'll post a photo of trees and watering "moats" later if anyone wants.

 

[Deadman]

I put a tank on a carry-all on the back of my JD2520 so it handles the weight better. It works well. I was scared to put it in the bucket of my small tractor.

I put the spicket coming off the side, and I never get off the tractor. I let the water spray right on the tree, and then move up to the next tree. I also add a mountain of "Miracle Gro" to the water.

 

[Cat_Driver]

I would run drip lines to all the trees and have one central delivery point.

You can use the set up you have BUT connect the drip irrigation and raise the bucket up high enough to let gravity take over. Be careful not to tip the tractor OR have a counter weight on th rear.

Pull up, connect, lift the bucket, and go get some other work done or have a beer. Come back in an hour or so and your done.

I'm always one for automation.

Plan B:

Get a 12Volt Motor home pump and do the same thing but with some pressure behind it. The pump can be run from a second battery.

 

[Brandon1107]

I have two of the large plastic totes with a metal frame around it. It's set up to be picked up by forks and has a valve at the bottom with a 2 inch cam lock connection. One to fill and haul water to a remote location and the other is stationary with timer and drip system. I can usually get 3 to 4 weeks of watering daily out of one fill. I used this system to plant 4 red oaks out in the pasture.

Cat Driver looks like we were thinking the same thing at the same time.

 

[JFS2295]

When I planted 1,000 scotch pine seedlings that were too far for our 4" irrigation well, I took 10mil plastic and lined my Ranger 4x4 pickup bed and would fill it up. Using some 1" vinyl tubing and copper tube, I set up a siphon system where I could water each seedling out the pickup window by keeping the outlet below the bed's bottom.

You have to drive carefully to prevent the water from sloshing, and finally put a sheet of plywood over the bed to keep most of the water in when it did move around.

Years later

[URL=http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2085570690030312918AJgIMU][/URL]

 

[Deadman]

Thats alot of weight for a little ranger, wow! :laughing:

 

[Qapla]

sixdogs - I noticed in the pics that you use a ball valves with "T" handles. Since this is something you are going to do many times over a prolonged period of time, have you considered using ball valves with "Lever: handles.

If they had lever handles, you could get a universal wire pull control (like a universal choke cable or a lawn mover throttle cable) and make a way to mount it near the front loader controls. That way you could turn the water on and off without ever having to get off the tractor. In fact, you could pull up to the tree, turn it on, let it water, turn it off without needing an extra person to walk along near the tractor.

You could also use irrigation valves fitted with DC latching solenoids. That way, you could just use a switch hooked to the tractor power to turn the water on/off.
Just a thought.

 

[sixdogs]

sixdogs - I noticed in the pics that you use a ball valves with "T" handles. Since this is something you are going to do many times over a prolonged period of time, have you considered using ball valves with "Lever: handles.

If they had lever handles, you could get a universal wire pull control (like a universal choke cable or a lawn mover throttle cable) and make a way to mount it near the front loader controls. That way you could turn the water on and off without ever having to get off the tractor. In fact, you could pull up to the tree, turn it on, let it water, turn it off without needing an extra person to walk along near the tractor.

You could also use irrigation valves fitted with DC latching solenoids. That way, you could just use a switch hooked to the tractor power to turn the water on/off.
Just a thought.

The plastic connectors were cheap and once the water in on we hook a 10 ft hose to it (see photos) and I drive in 1st gear while the wife walks along and waters the trees. I build a shallow moat ariund each tree seedling and we fill with water in maybe 15 seconds. We rarely have to turn it off until done. Trees are 10 ft apart in rows with maybe 50 in the row and it takes 20 or 30 minutes.
When I had to get off and on a lot I filled three buckets from the barrels and carried to the nearby trees. With the shallow "moat" around trees, I could dump the water and go. This method was pretty quick as well.

 

[JFS2295]

I believe I loaded it until the springs were to the rubber stoppers. Speed around the yard was like 1-2 mph to keep the water in the bed, and yes it did need to be in 4wd.

 

[Deadman]

I built rings around my trees that are like 4 inches tall, they are all horse Manure, do they help hold the water, and drive nutrients to the trees at the same time! :thumbsup: