Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
by Nelson
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List Price: Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
Customer Review: Nice at first, big design problems later on
Summary: 2 Stars
I got a Nelson Raintrain to water irregular lawn areas. It looks great at first, shiny yellow body of massive heft, but things get much more problematic when you actually use it over time.
THE GOOD--The unit worked well for three months when it travelled over densely thatched lawn with no blemishes or irregularities. Then there is the real world of real lawns. Here's what I found.
THE BAD--If the lawn has a gap 2-3 inches or more between solid grass, one wheel would dig down and spin, digging deeper and deeper. The unit would stop, and occasionally tip over. The manual said such a scenario is likely to strip the gears, but mine did not. You must exercise extreme caution using the Nelson Raintrain with newly sodded ground, as gaps in the sod will cause this problem.
You cannot use it on newly seeded lawns, as it will dig into the mud for reasons described just above.
Past about 60 feet the hose becomes too heavy to drag, so the unit occasionally stops and more likely tips it over if there's much of any turn.
If there is a sharp turn with radius less than about 5 feet, the unit sometimes jumps the hose and heads off on its own, stalling somewhere.
The amount of water delivered has only two settings, high and low speed, whereas the average user may need more variation and control.
The overall amount of water deposited may be too light. The streams of water rather thin, so the reviewer who said the total accumulation for both travel speeds was ? inch was likely correct. I want to touch up after a light rain and soak it when I have new sod.
Very occasionally one of the sprinkler arms would be thrown off.
You cannot use a timer with this unit more than once, as you must reposition the travelling unit before each run. If you need to go away for a few days, this defect can be critical. I must take two trips this Summer and water $800 of new sod, so I just bought a bunch of new watering equipment from Amazon.
You cannot adjust the sprinkler heads, which are fixed, from a stream to a mist. They really deliver more of a stream than a spray. The pattern they deliver is not even, but when it travels it will be except at the beginning and end of the run.
Often they break. If the reviews here at Amazon are any guide, likely over time they break, but not usually in the first few months. Mine simply stopped spraying water after three months. When I determined the water passages outside the gearbox were clear, I read the Amazon reviews and threw the unit out. I would have spent a couple hours repairing it the first time; it would likely have broken again; I am leaving on a trip before replacement parts could be in place; and I can't use this unit with timers in any case for trips.
The massive metal body is a wonder to behold but the entire rest of the unit is lightweight aluminum and plastic. I found myself taking great care putting the unit down in my shed, afraid I might bump and bend the lightweight aluminum sprinkler arms.
For all the reasons above, you must keep an eye on this unit every half hour or so or you are taking a chance.
In summary, the Nelson Raintrain is a neat idea for watering irregular lawn areas but too mechanically complex for the task. It has enough design flaws that they would likely not be corrected even if the mechanisms were more sturdy. Instead I'd recommend an alternative strategy with more reliability and the same or less cost.
THE ALTERNATIVES--To water my irregular areas I am switching to more standard sprinklers daisy chained together with short hoses. I can leave these fixed and use timers. The highly rated products on Amazon I plan to get are:
*Nelson Adjustable Pattern Control Gear Drive Sprinkler with Flow Control on Rezimar Wheel Base #50250, likely the best sprinkler but it does not have a built-in inlet and outlet, so I'll put it as the last one in my daisy chain.
*Nelson 50230 - Whirling Vane Sprinkler, has inlet and outlet built-in
*Nelson oscillating sprinklers
*Nelson Triple Spray
And for the timer I'm getting
*Orbit 62001 Lawn & Garden Hose Digital Watering Timer And Valve" Tools & Hardware
Customer Review: Not for new lawns being seeded
Summary: 2 Stars
I tried to use this on my brand new lawn which was seeded (i.e., not sodded). This was a bad idea and did not work. As soon as the ground beneath the Rain Train was damp, the front wheels started to sink into the ground. Before long, it stopped moving forward and the front wheels were completely sunk in.
Because this thing is pretty heavy and the front wheels are very narrow, I cannot imagine this being usable for new seed-based lawns. Maybe it would work fine with sod.
I will clean the mud off and store it in my garage until I have grass and try again and update my rating (probably next spring). Back to pulsating rotary sprinklers! I'm trying my luck with this one: Gilmour Extra Large Coverage Sprinkler #999ZS
Customer Review: Luv it!
Summary: 5 Stars
It does take some time getting used to setting up the sprinkler, but after a couple of times, I know the drill. Had a problem with one of the arms, and emailed Nelson regarding same. They were quick and courteous regarding replacing the part. Since water restrictions are looming in South Texas, plan on getting a lot of use out of this handy gadget.Customer Review: Good concept sprinkler - poor reliability
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this sprinkler in 2008 to water an acre or more of grass, only to have it 'derail' and get stuck - subsequently stripping the cheap plastic gears. So, I replaced it and last I knew, at the end of the season it worked fine. Well, it's now 2009, I just set it out for the first time and the gears appear to be stripped again for some unknown reason. I won't be buying this model again until the gears are as sturdy as the tractor!Customer Review: Nelson Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler Easily falls over, and...!?
Summary: 1 Stars
I have a 1/2 acre lawn, and most is on a gentle slope.
If I try to go sideways, it fell over EASILY (top heavy/too narrow)!
Even when I go up/down, it falls over at the slightest bare spot!
It also commonly does not shutoff when it gets to the ramp- goes a ways & falls over.
The stuck sprinkler arms often dig a large hole, when it falls over!
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I finally gave up & had a Rainbird buried system professionally installed-
I have to replace 3/4 broken Rainbird heads a year (usually discovered after I see large dead spots!)!
The Rainbird heads "supposedly" have a 5-year warranty, but the "only" local authorized dealer balks at replacing them (I show him the installation receipt too!).
Catch22!- If I TRY & complain to Rainbird, the refer me back flaky dealer!
It is now a mix of Rainbird/Hunter heads.
I have only had the new Hunter heads section a year, and I hope they last longer/more dependable!?
The Rainbird heads cover MUCH better though, and hope their new model replacement heads last better (no new ones bad in 2-years?)?
I wish I could offer you a more viable solution!?