Center Pivots

Aqua Valley is a representative of Valmont industries base in Nebraska USA. Valmont Irrigation with its “VALLEY” brand of pivots is recognized as the leading pivot manufacturer for the last fifty years. Valmont created the industry in 1954 and continues to be the largest manufacturer of center pivots and linear systems in the world producing over 8,000 systems per year in six facilities. Valmont Irrigation manufactures more than one half of the world’s yearly production of center pivots. Valley has installed pivots in over 100 countries round the globe.

Center Pivots are a low pressure system with very accurate water distribution; they are the cheapest and fastest way to develop large scale farms. You only have one main line running to the center of the field which supplies the center pivot. From there you have a single steel pipeline suspended off the ground by steel towers made up by different spans. The Cost of each span is the same so every span you add the radius of the circle is extended and the area under the pivot increases exponentially to make the ha price reduce the larger the pivot is.

You can grow virtually any crop under a valley center pivot, with 3 different crop clearances available:

Standard 3 m
High Clearance 4 m
Ultra High Clearance 5 m

So when the pivot is being designed one of the requirements is to tell the designer which crops you would like to grow most field crops just require a Standard clearance when you want to grow Sugar cane or Oranges then you will have to look at the higher machines.
Center pivots can work on slopes up to 15% basically if you can cultivate the land mechanically and harvest it then a center pivot will be able to work on these slops.

The main crops Grown in east Africa include the following:

Seed and commercial Maize
Vegetable Crops for Local and Export Markets
Lucerne for Local and Export Markets
Rice
Coffee
Fodder crops
Wheat Barley Oats

Water Source

Pivots are installed all over the world using varying water sources due to the size of the pivot emitters there is not a problem with blocking nozzles. The Sprinkler outlets are situated along the top of the pivot so any large particles will travel to the end of the pivot where they will be deposited. A manual or automatic valve can be place at the end of the pivot to flush out the system if there is a buildup of debris in the pipe.

We have installed pivots using the following water sources:

Rivers
Dams
Lakes
Boreholes

AV has not installed any filter system on the pivots that we have installed. When pumping off rivers we try and locate suitable area that has less debris in the water.

PIVOT STRUCTURE

Structure hot dip galvanization of outstanding quality with a thickness pipes – min. of 2.9 mils.
Angle & plates – Min. of 3.4 mils & plates over 6.4mm thickness is 3.9 mils.
Truss Rods – min. of 3.6 mils.
Wheels Rims – min. of 3.0 mils.
A pipeline diameters range from 5”, 6 5/8”, 8 5/8” and 10” with a 12 gauge heavy wall with 192 cm outlet spacing. Heavy Duty re-enforced outlet welded with a special design above the pipe to prevent internal friction losses. It increases the thickness around the outlet orifice, which makes it stronger, durable and easier to maintain during goosenecks replacement.
Valmont uses a unique design for span-to-span connection which uses a 2-inch high strength forged steel ball hitch for maximum flexibility and rotation between spans. It also allows easy maintenance for changing the rubber boot. The Valmont span connection is universally known as the most dependable and durable design in the industry.
All gearboxes are manufactured in Valmont’s USA facilities with the Valley exclusive heavy-duty seals protecting the gearboxes from dirt, oil leaks and shafts wear. Valley is known for having the strongest an most reliable gear boxes in the industry. Valmont is the only pivot manufacturer worldwide that produces its Gear Boxes in USA. Our gearboxes are mounted to 12” wide heavy-duty rims.
All center drive gear motors are rated at a high service factor of 1.3 & manufactured by Baldor or US Motors (made in USA) with high protection against moisture, dirty and corrosion with class F insulation.
All sprinkler components are manufactured in the USA by Senninger Irrigation and mounted on re-enforced and UV stabilized flex drops (Made in Canada, USA and South Africa), with 10/15 PSI regulator on each sprinkler with 192 cm between outlets and closer on over hangs when required by higher flows.
Span cable: 11 conductors minimum 12 gauge (Made in USA and South Africa) that includes one additional conductor for Valmont’s special design on override safety circuitry.
Valley control panels are made by VALMONT USA coated with double protective coating for corrosion protection. The Control Panel has the functional capabilities detailed in our CAMS control panel brochure.
All tires are rated as special heavy duty R-1 with thick wall and weigh a minimum of 60 Kg. each before mounting and designed to work in extremely harsh conditions for longer life.
All rims are 12 inches wide for a better traction, better wheel tracks and are hot dip galvanized to Valmont specifications and weight a minimum of 35 kg.
All structural fasteners are grade #5 minimum strength
Tower boxes and micro switches are produced in the USA to Valmont specifications.