Leveling the Playing Field with Gun Technology

By Erik Skindrud, irrigation editor

 

This artificial turf field in Athens, Greece relied on a pair of Big Guns to wash dust from the field and to cool it in hot weather during the 2004 Olympic Games. The two units could hose down the entire field in a matter of minutes.

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Like its name implies, Big Guns (the name is trademarked by Nelson Irrigation Corp.) are big, high-pressure nozzles that can shoot water more than 300 feet. Because of the tremendous distance of throw of Big Gun sprinklers, the field can often be covered from the sides.

Like all irrigation systems, successful operation of a gun/quick coupler system depends upon good installation. The valve must be adequately supported to counteract the thrust of the gun and must be mounted in a vertical position. Nelson Irrigation recommends using a two-inch swing joint riser.

Quick-Coupling attachments let groundskeepers move guns quickly from one part of a field to another. Attachment points are completely covered during practice and play to reduce the risk of injury to athletes.

Quick Coupling Valves are mounted and concealed in underground valve boxes off the playing field. A quick twist will attach a Big Gun and key to a valve. Connecting a unique hydraulic assist smoothly powers the Big gun into action. Disconnection and moving the gun to the next valve location is just as easy. The system can also be equipped for semi-automatic operation, requiring a minimum of time and labor.

This allows you to deliver precise, reliable control without conventional electrical wiring. Ideal applications include hard-to-reach areas such as parks, cemeteries, athletic fields and other spots where it is not practical or economical to install a hard-wired controller.

Because of the tremendous distance of throw of Big Gun sprinklers, the field can often be covered from the sides. Matched with a traveler system, a single gun can irrigate a football field with a single pass from one end of the field to another.

While they owe their invention to irrigation, Big Guns are also used for a variety of other applications.

Set to spray with a higher trajectory, they are used to control dust and keep cattle cool in feed lots. They are also used to evenly spread wastewater for evaporation and in certain mining applications.

Golf courses and other sites that rely on sources of untreated water enjoy the guns for their consistent operation without clogging. Georgia?EUR??,,????'?????<

A close up shows that a modern Big Gun is an impressive piece of technology. The spray angle can be adjusted by up to 43 degrees to compensate for wind. Lowering the angle by three degrees results in a three-percent reduction of spray radius.

In just five minutes, turf managers at the field can apply one inch of water to the turfgrass. Other systems are bigger. Martin’s Valley Ranches and Golf Course in Mission, Texas, uses guns to irrigate the 27-hole golf course.

The course irrigates the fairways and roughs with a total of 256 guns and uses pop-up sprinklers for the greens and tees.

for more information: www.nelsonirrigation.com