Australia first drip line run

Australia has been selected to be the first country to commercially manufacture and supply the new John Deere D5000 Flow Regulated Drip Line.

The installation of the D5000 Drip Line extruder in John Deere Water’s Melbourne production facility is a big milestone for the Australian irrigation industry.

Specifically designed for Australian conditions and applications, the D5000 is available in various configurations to meet the needs of growers.

Diameters of up to 27mm make the drip line ideal for long run lengths often required in agricultural sectors, such as vineyards, cotton and almonds.

Developed with a pressure regulating capability of 50–350kPa, it provides increased flexibility for Australian growers. The increased pressure envelope is highly useful when working with high pressure irrigation systems for long lateral lengths and undulating terrain where the pressure at bottom of slopes can easily build to more than 300kPa.

Five years of research and testing were undertaken to develop the John Deere D5000 Drip Line. Additional in-field trials were conducted globally to test the product in a wide range of conditions.

The results of all tests found that the John Deere D5000 Drip Line continued to provide high uniformity and resistance to clogging even after foreign particles were deliberately added into the water source.

When developing the John Deere D5000 Drip Line, John Deere Water’s engineers specifically wanted to build a product that was highly resistant to clogging.

The result is the development of a dripper with three large inbuilt parallel inlets and a labyrinth with a large cross sectional area. The combination of these two features provides significant clogging reduction by creating more area for foreign particles to flow.

Increasing the product’s reliability is a unique self cleaning function within the dripper, utilising an efficient process called pressure differential regulation.

As dirt particles build up in the dripper, pressure builds up against the top layer of the diaphragm.

A pressure imbalance is created, causing the diaphragm to open to release the particles. Once the particles are released, the diaphragm resumes normal flow regulation.

Results of comparative clogging tests reveal that the John Deere D5000 is the most clog-resistant mainstream drip line product on the market.