Center Pivot Service Business

Center Pivot Service Business IRRIGATION Miscellaneous 27-1-7 "My teenage boys made good money last year servicing center pivots thanks to equipment we originally designed for our own use," says Bob Wegener, Lindsay, Neb. Wegener had been looking for an easier way to service the 10 center pivots on his own farm. The key piece of equipment he came up with is a 1/2 hp electric gear drive pump that pumps 140 weight oil at 1,200 psi through a 1/4-in. dia. hose at a rate of a quart a minute û even at temperatures in the 40's and 50's. It makes it easy to fill gearboxes from a 12 1/2-gal. oil tank. "Before we came up with this system, refilling the gearboxes was a pain so we didn't do it as often as we should. Now it's a relatively easy process that doesn't take long," says Wegener, who spent a lot of time locating just the right pump to handle the heavy-weight oil. He mounted the oil pump, a 5,000-watt generator, reservoir and an air compressor on a trailer that he and his boys pull behind an ATV. It worked so well the boys started hiring out to neighbors. They charge $7 per tower. The first thing they do is empty the gearbox or drain out any water, depending on the job. Then they refill it. They also lube the ball joints on the tower alignment control rods and grease the zerks below the collector ring on the center tripod. And they pump up the tires as needed. The trailer-mounted service system worked so well a neighbor asked Wegener to put one together for him. The system is now on the market for $1,100, which includes the pump system, hoses, and air compressor. Add $300 for trailer. Model without compressor sells for $900. Contact: Bob Wegener, Rt. 1, Lindsay, Neb. 68644 (ph 402 428-5535; E-mail: rlwegen@megavision.com).

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