Hot or Not? Gilmour Traveling Sprinkler
By Audra Heaslip
The Gilmour Traveling Sprinkler is a cast iron, green-and-yellow model of the classic John Deere tractor. It follows the path you lay out with the water hose, covering up to 13,500 sq. ft. of lawn, and the manufacturer says its adjustable spray arms water at a diameter ranging from 15 to 55 ft. Gilmour also says the 2-speed traveler will follow up to 200 feet of hose before the sprinkler’s shutoff ramp automatically stops it and turns off the water.
User reviews at Amazon and at DrillSpot are a toss-up between one-star (hate it) and five-star (love it). Some folks say the sprinkler works especially well for odd-shaped yards and that kids get a kick out of it. Others complain that the gears strip themselves and the plastic internal parts fall apart right away. Are the Deere design and the cool factor of a self-propelling sprinkler enough to part with $70 - 100? Let us know in comments.
Traveling Sprinkler [Gilmour]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google]
July 1st, 2009 at 9:03 am
You want the Nelson: http://www.amazon.com/Nelson-1865-Raintrain-Traveling-Sprinkler/dp/B00002N6AN
Nelson makes huge models that you’ve probably seen on sports fields and where new grass is planted commercially, they’ve adapted it for smaller areas and make a decent unit.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:49 am
Comments on Amazon aren’t very positive, looks like most give it a NOT.
http://www.amazon.com/John-Deere-4010J-Traveling-Sprinkler/dp/B0001ANC7M/ref=pd_cp_hi_1
July 1st, 2009 at 10:14 am
Semi-Not: If you lay out more than 50′ of hose, the weight of the water-filled hose exceeds the ability of the sprinkler to drag it.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:46 am
I have one of the yellow rain trains I like very much.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:40 am
NOT - I wouldn’t want to see anything with a JD logo on it in my yard.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:53 am
I like mine. Came with a ramp that engages a shut-off valve on the belly of the beast. Sweet. Also has 2 settings for throwing different amounts of water.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Wow, a blast from the past, sorta.
Dad had something similar when I was growing up. It was already old in the 60s and to my knowledge is still working today. It was all cast iron but didn’t mimic the look of a tractor even though they do kind of resemble each other. The thing weighed a ton. Dad could set out a loop of hose and it would do the entire lawn with no supervision. It’s a great idea but it sounds like this one suffers from “let’s take a good idea from an old product and make it from cheap plastic crap.” syndrome. Too bad.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:50 pm
We had a similar (in theory), sprinkler in the 60″s. The one the folks had was actually a hose reel, that followed the hose, and wound up the slack as it traveled.
I believe it was a Melnor brand, and for our yard I remember it worked very well
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:38 am
I have the YardWorks (yellow) tractor and it is a godsend for my property which is 120′ long and 40′ narrow. Saves a lot of hassle moving sprinklers. (The Nelson appears to be a rebranded version of the same model). One caveat is that the shut-off ramp doesn’t always work on unlevel ground (like lawns) so I have mine on a timer to make sure it stops. It *can* follow the hose over gradual arcs but I have found it best not to, as it occasionally skips the hose and runs off somewhere else if it’s not dragging the hose straight behind.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:41 am
Not. You don’t want this Gilmour one or the Nelson Rain Train. They are both plagued with the same problems: stripped gears, inability to go up even the slightest hill, an “off” valve that sticks. So, you end up with a tractor sprinkler than can’t go or, worse yet, keeps going off the hose but doesn’t shut off. My wife chased her mom’s Nelson sprinkler all over the neighborhood her entire childhood.
If you really want a tractor sprinkler, you want the National Walking Sprinkler (https://www.nationalwalkingsprinkler.com/). This is the original walking sprinkler that every other company (poorly) copies. It may cost more up front, but it is well worth the slight extra cost in lack of frustration. It pulls hundreds of feet of hose, drives up mild inclines, and just works.
@SteveC: check out the link above. It is probably the sprinkler you remember your Dad having.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:15 am
I live in NJ What is a sprinkler? HAAA HAAA HAAAA
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:09 am
I have the yellow traveling sprinkler by Nelson (model 1895) and it is *very hot*. I’ve used it since 2001 and haven’t had any problems. I like that it has a plastic ramp that I can place over hose and the sprinkler will shut off when it reaches that point on the hose. I also like that follows the hose where I want it to go and every square inch along that line will get watered. I’ve had a lot of people that enjoy just sitting on the porch talking while we watch it move across the lawn.
Notes:
- I’ve used it with a 100ft hose and haven’t had a problem with it pulling that around. (But I also have 70-80 lbs of water pressure, if that makes a difference.)
- I agree with the person that commented about making sure not to do curves that are too sharp. Just takes a little trial and error to get a feel for it.
- Nelson’s web site says they introduced theirs in 1963. YardWorks seems to be a Canadian brand. The Gilmour version seems *really* similar to the Nelson model. Since Gilmour and Nelson are both owned by Robert Bosch Tool Company, that would explain the similar design. I’ll leave it to someone else to decide/comment if the parts are of the same quality.
July 3rd, 2009 at 3:46 am
The one Chris posted looks really hot, but the other one seems like more of a gimmick.
July 9th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
My John Deere Travelling sprinkler tipped over and broke the plastic tee fitting the first time I used it. It has been on the shelf since I can’t find replacement parts. Without replacement parts I give it a big NOT.
July 11th, 2009 at 2:59 am
To: Allen Bormuth
Can find parts at (www.lrnelsoncorp.stores.yahoo.net) or call 1-800-NELSON-8 (1-800-635-7668) M-F 8a-5p. The spray arm assembly (#77506) is priced at $10.00, have to purchase whole assembly — tee fitting not available alone. As for stripped gears — the entire motor assembly (#77376) is priced at $13.00.