SUMMARY (since this review is so long):
I think this works fine if used in straight lines with a 100ft or less hose and are able to keep an eye on it while in use. I think it will last a reasonable amount of time if the sprinkler is always lifted from and placed parallel with the ground with two hands (not letting the arms hit the ground), always putting the sprinkler away after using it (not leaving it in the sun or inclement weather), and don't overtighten the compression fittings for the arms.
If 100ft or more of hose is to be used, the sprinkler needs to turn during use, or you are looking for a "hands off" solution, then continue reading below.
WHAT:
"Orbit Tractor 58322 Traveling Sprinkler, (Pack of 1), Green"
WHY:
My backyard is something around 75ft by 100ft. Watering it by hand takes hours. Using a sprinkler I have to move around is prone to over/under watering and interrupts whatever I am doing to move the sprinkler. I wanted something that would provide even coverage and water distribution while also being "hands off" once set up.
PROS:
- Works great when used in straight lines or with hoses 100ft and under
- Angle of the arms is completely adjustable to set how wide of an area to water
- Two travel speeds allows for lightly watering in high speed or double the watering in low speed
CONS (explained below):
- Easy to "derail" and start traveling unconstrained through your yard
- Arms can come out of the spinning T coupler and waste a lot of water
- Sometimes doesn't stop when running over the ramp that is supposed to shut it off
- While the body is cast iron, the wheels, stop valve, spinning T-coupler, and "motor assembly" are all plastic
This sprinkler easily gets pulled/pushed off of the guide hose in a few situations. Turns have to be gentle and somewhat large (I found 5ft radius or larger works well enough). If a lot of hose is being dragged behind the sprinkler (75-100ft or more total in my case), it is likely that it "derails" even with big gentle turns. I can clearly see the whole sprinkler getting pulled and tilted to the side with the dragging hose. This is with my lawn cut at 2.5-3in. What I found is pulling the loop of hose that is getting dragged so that it is in front of and alongside the path will greatly decrease the likelihood of the sprinkler "derailing" as long as the length of hose it is dragging is kept at or under 50ft in total.
On two occasions, I have had one of the arms pop out of the spinning T-coupler on the top of the sprinkler. That results in much less travel speed, coverage, and the sprinkler just dumping a ton of water out within a few feet of the sprinkler. Considering that the whole spinning T-coupler that holds the arms in and attaches to the body of the sprinkler is plastic, I don't dare to use tools on it to tighten the arms in more than I can do by hand. The arms are just straight metal pipes and it is a simple compression fitting that holds them in. There is nothing that holds the arms captive to the sprinkler if the compression fittings are not completely tight which is unfortune as simply adjusting the arm angle is enough to loosen the fitting where the arm could come loose during use but not enough to be apparently too loose.
On two different occasions now, I have had the sprinkler not stop after reaching the stop ramp. The first time I checked on the sprinkler only to find it had traveled past the stop, derailed, and was still running. The second time I found the sprinkler to be sitting on the ramp not moving but still running with the back wheels digging up the grass and the stop valve only partially depressed resulting in the sprinkler spinning at a lower speed. This is with my lawn at 2.5-3in of height and the sprinkler on flat ground. Perhaps this has something to do with water pressure, I really can't say for sure, but I usually see 60-65psi at the wall with the sprinkler running (though 100-105psi when shut off).
As for all of the plastic parts, I am certain they will fail long before the cast iron body does. If I don't pick the whole sprinkler up with two hands, just lifting it by the front handle often results in the arms hitting the ground thus putting undue stress on the plastic spinning T-coupler. The hose attachment, while brass, is connected to the plastic drive mechanism so I suspect that any sudden yank on the hose to either side of the sprinkler could result in that snapping the plastic housing. The fact that an entire drive mechanism assembly with wheels is readily available for purchase is not a good sign to me in terms of long-term durability.
POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS:
I think there are numerous improvements that could be made to turn this 3-star product into a 5-star one. Firstly, change the front wheel design so that the wheel sits behind the pivot point (like a shopping cart wheel) instead of being directly below the pivot. That will improve its ability to follow the hose without getting pushed over it by the back wheels. Second, widen the track width of the rear wheels. With the wheels close together, simply dragging the hose behind the sprinkler after a turn causes the whole unit to tilt towards the side with the dragging hose. By widening the back track width, side-to-side stability would be improved and also help keep the front wheel from "derailing". Third, provide some means of holding the arms captive to the spinning T-coupler so that they cannot pop out of the sprinkler during use even if the compression fitting is not completely tight. Fourth, improve the stop ramp and stop valve design for more consistent and reliable stopping.
OVERALL:
As seen in the summary at the top, I think this sprinkler is going to work fine and last a good amount of time when treated well and used in constrained situations. Once you wish to go beyond 100ft of hose or add turns, the idea of a "hands off" solution really goes out the window which is unfortunate since that is exactly my use case and why I got this sprinkler to begin with. I plan to do several modifications and improvements to the sprinkler and will report back on my findings.
