Pivot designs of the future

Pivot manufacturers recently revealed “concept” designs of the future to show attendees. One of the most unusual features of the innovative prototypes was Lindsay Irrigation’s self-leveling tower, on which each leg could be individually raised and lowered. 

“In the last few years, most advancements in irrigation pivots have involved electronics, monitoring, remote control, etc.,” says Sahil Sharma, Lindsay Irrigation product manager. “So we challenged our engineering team to push the boundaries and see what is possible in terms of structural improvements. Our goal in putting it on display was to get customer feedback and learn more about the producers’ needs and desires.”

Sharma says they found customers’ greatest desire is to have pivots with even more intelligent monitoring systems, which is something Lindsay is currently testing in its new “smart pivots.”

“If the pivot has a flat tire or is stuck, they want to know which tower is stuck or has a flat, instead of walking the field trying to find it,” he explains. “Customers want a machine that can tell them when something is wrong, instead of them having to search for the problem. Fortunately, system health is one of the main focal points of field trials we’ll be conducting. One feature of our smart pivots is to detect tower misalignment, which can be an indicator of other problems, in order to reduce downtime.”

Protection against wind

However, Lindsay’s concept pivot was still a source of excitement for those who could see its potential. The height-adjustable towers, for example, were designed, in part, to lower in advance of high wind predictions. Instead of blowing over in a storm, the pivot could be dropped down to tire level to anchor the unit.

“On the other hand, we had some growers who thought the concept would be valuable in its ability to be raised and lowered in response to crop height, especially alfalfa,” Sharma says. “It could be dropped close to the ground as plants emerge and be raised as the crop gets taller, saving water in the process.”

Others thought the self-leveling ability would be valuable in steep hills.

Of course, the concepts didn’t stop there. Another Lindsay innovation is the base tower, which consisted of three carbon-composite legs in place of the traditional four-leg, steel tower.

“The initial idea was to reduce weight and improve corrosion resistance,” Sharma says. “As a tripod, it could also be preassembled to just fold out in the field and dramatically reduce installation time.

“Like the auto manufacturers who introduce their concept cars, we really don’t know how many of these ideas may actually come to fruition by us or any other pivot manufacturer,” he concludes. “We simply allowed our engineers to flex their innovation muscles to see what’s being done now and what can be done in the future.”