Centre Pivot & Linear Systems
Large-area mechanised centre pivot and linear move irrigation systems for commercial staple and industrial crop production.
A centre pivot system irrigates 50-500 hectares uniformly in a single automated operation, replacing labour-intensive surface systems.
Centre pivot and linear move irrigation systems mechanise water application across large commercial farm blocks at the consistency and scale that gravity surface and smallholder drip systems cannot match, enabling commercial staple, sugarcane, potato and industrial crop production under reliable irrigation. Jos•Hansen supplies and commissions Lindsay Zimmatic and Reinke centre pivot and linear move systems, covering design, civil works, pump and power specifications, GPS field mapping, variable-rate irrigation (VRI) configuration and full commissioning. Precision variable-rate irrigation adds a prescription-based application layer that adjusts water depth per GPS-mapped zone within each pivot circle based on soil type, crop stress and drainage characteristics.
100-500 ha coverage
A single centre pivot system with 400-500 metre lateral arm length irrigates 50-80 hectares per circle, with multi-span configurations covering commercial blocks from 100 to 500 hectares in continuous automated operation. Pivot systems replace the labour, water distribution infrastructure and daily management burden of equivalent surface or overhead irrigation across large-scale production.
Variable rate irrigation
GPS-controlled variable-rate irrigation enables the pivot to apply different water depths per sector of the circle based on soil type variation, drainage zone mapping or crop stress data from drone surveys. VRI eliminates over-irrigation in well-drained sectors and under-irrigation on heavier soils within the same pivot circle, improving water use efficiency across non-uniform fields.
Remote operation
Lindsay FieldNET remote management platform allows pivot operation, speed adjustment, start-stop control and alarm monitoring from any internet-connected device. Farm managers can start and stop irrigation, check current tower position and receive fault alerts from the field without physically attending the pivot, reducing management labour on large multi-pivot installations.
Hydraulic and civil design determines system performance across the production life.
Centre pivot performance depends on correctly matched pump capacity, pipe diameter, tower spacing and drive motor specification for the specific field size, elevation profile and soil infiltration rate where the system will operate. Jos•Hansen pivot design includes site survey, field topography mapping, soil infiltration rate measurement, pump and power specification, mainline sizing and civil works scope, ensuring the commissioned system delivers design application uniformity across the full pivot circle life of 20-25 years. Pivot span and lateral length are selected to maximise block coverage while maintaining the clearance and turning radius required for field operations at harvest. Electrical supply specification includes generator sizing, cable runs, motor protection and earthing requirements for the specific site.
Variable-rate irrigation matches water application to soil variability within the circle.
Most large commercial blocks contain soil type variation that results in different infiltration rates, water holding capacity and drainage behaviour within the same pivot circle. A fixed application depth set for the average soil type over-irrigates the sandy sectors and under-irrigates the clay sectors simultaneously in every irrigation event. Lindsay Zimmatic VRI systems use GPS-positioned tower control to vary application depth per arc segment of the pivot circle based on a management zone map derived from soil sampling, drone survey data or field observation. Zone maps are designed by Jos•Hansen agronomists from soil profile data and loaded into the FieldNET controller before season start, with seasonal updates as additional data accumulates from soil sensors and drone surveys.
Remote monitoring and telemetry reduce management labour on large installations.
Lindsay FieldNET and Reinke ControlStar remote management platforms transmit real-time pivot position, speed, pressure and motor status data to the cloud, accessible via web browser and mobile app from any location. Fault detection algorithms identify motor stalls, low pressure events and guidance errors before they develop into costly structural failures, alerting the maintenance team via SMS or email within minutes of an abnormal operating condition being detected. Multi-pivot installations across a large estate can be managed from a single dashboard showing the operational status of every system in the network. Historical operation logs record every irrigation event with timing, depth and any fault events, providing a complete irrigation record for crop production documentation.
Technical specifications.
System brands
Lindsay Zimmatic, Reinke Irrigation
Lateral arm lengths
100 m to 500 m; multi-span configurations for blocks up to 500 ha
Application rate
6-25 mm per revolution depending on speed setting and nozzle package
VRI capability
GPS sector-based variable-rate application per arc segment; FieldNET integration
Remote management
Lindsay FieldNET / Reinke ControlStar cloud platform with mobile app
Design scope
Site survey, hydraulic design, civil works, commissioning and operator training
Expected operational life of a correctly designed and maintained centre pivot system, making installation the long-term irrigation infrastructure investment for commercial farm production
Maximum irrigated area coverage achievable with a multi-span centre pivot system in a single automated operation, replacing the labour and infrastructure of equivalent surface irrigation
Average water use efficiency improvement from GPS-based variable-rate irrigation versus fixed application rate across soil-variable pivot circles in commercial potato and maize production
Why Centre.
Automated large-scale coverage
A single pivot system irrigates 50-500 hectares in one automated operation, replacing the daily labour and water distribution management of surface irrigation systems at equivalent scale.
VRI soil-matched application
GPS variable-rate control applies different water depths per management zone within each pivot circle, eliminating simultaneous over- and under-irrigation on soil-variable blocks.
Remote monitoring
FieldNET telemetry provides real-time fault detection and operation alerts from any device, reducing pivot inspection labour and response time to equipment failures.
Full design to commission
Jos•Hansen manages the complete process from site survey and hydraulic design through civil works, commissioning and operator training with a defined performance guarantee.
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