[jessehurlburt]

I had never heard of or seen a traveling sprinkler until yesterday when I saw a video of the Nelson Raintrain.
http://www.lrnelson.com/products/sprinklers/traveling-sprinklers/rain-train-cast-iron/

I know a lot of folks here have in-ground irrigation, but has anyone ever given these a try? For someone who literally can have a blast sitting outside watching a oscillating sprinkler for an hour, I feel like this would be so much fun to set up and watch with a beer or 3. :lol: I am getting one!

This is too funny..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e0yIhlSsIg

 

[Ware]

I have one. If you want to go all out, check out National Walking Sprinkler - all metal construction and made in the USA.

They offer several models and every replacement part imaginable. They compare their sprinklers to the Nelson here.

They are neat to watch, but take a little time to set up if you are OCD, and definitely not as efficient as an in-ground system (but don't cost as much either). I've been meaning to sell mine, but they are heavy, so shipping might be cost prohibitive.

 

[gene_stl]

There used to be one called "the Rain Train". on that YT video it looks to me like Orbit and Nelson came out of the same factory in different Livery. Looks like the National is the one to buy.

 

[social port]

I came across these last year and was really intrigued. I ended up deciding (perhaps wrongly) that they were impractical for putting down an inch of water for a large lawn.
I do recall, though, that while I was thinking about getting one, I happened to see one in a nearby neighborhood. It was pretty amusing: I was just driving along and then all of a sudden, I saw this little tractor moving across the yard. I had to stop the car and "just look at it"

 

[jessehurlburt]

I just pulled up the manual and how much water it gets down is dependent on the width you set the spray too. For a huge lawn this might not be practical, but I think I could get 3/4"-1" with this set on low in my yard.

 

[SGrabs33]

I've got the National B3. It works great for my backyard which is relatively nice and square. It has two settings. Slow will put down 7/8" and the fast will do 1/2". Changing the setting just requires a socket and can be done in a few minutes. I just usually leave mine set on 7/8". I've never done an audit of how much it actually puts down.

The think is built like a tank and will follow the hose any way you lay it. I do not think there is an auto cut off for the National like their are for some other brands.

It's great to put out during the summer after I get home from work. It can put down an inch on my backyard in 3-4 hours I think.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll try and answer them.