Kifco T40x1320 - Two Axle 380,601 - Present Operator Manual - Manual (Page 10)

P/N 19302460 Copyright © April 2012 by Kifco ® Inc.
Polyethylene Tube
Precautions for Handling
The polyethylene irrigation tube is a durable product that will operate reliably for many years if handled
properly and given a reasonable amount of care.
Medium Density Polyethylene is a semi-rigid product that retains its shape when it is not pressurized but can
also be wound on a drum or spool without damage. This characteristic makes it feasible to pump fluid through
it while it is rolled up on a reel.
A few simple precautions need to be observed to prevent damaging the tube when operating your Water-Reel.
1. When starting a new Water-Reel for the first time, you must pull the tube all the way out in order to
correctly tighten the new tube on the spool. It is also important to follow the timing Instructions on
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of this manual. The Water-Reel must be timed on the first run.
2. Never transport the Water-Reel with the anti-return pawl disengaged! The tubing will become loose and
tangled. Do not attempt to operate your Water-Reel if there are any coils of tube that are loose or mis-
placed. If loose coils of tube are noticed after pulling the tube out, they must be tightened by rotating the
spool with the hand crank. If this is not possible, pull all of the tube out before attempting to rewind the
tube.
3. Never try to move or relocate the machine if the tube is not fully rewound onto the machine.
4. Never pull the tube off the machine other than by pulling on the sprinkler cart (straight out from the ma-
chine).
5. Never run over the tube with any kind of vehicle and avoid pinching or pulling the tube around objects.
Never bend the tube sharper than 25 times the inner diameter of the tube.
6. If the tube is frequently pulled out only a portion of its complete length the tube remaining on the drum
will become loose. Occasionally it will be necessary to pull all the tube off the drum to tighten the remain-
ing coils.
7. Be careful when operating other equipment near the tube. Make sure the tube doesn’t get gouged or
punctured.
8. Never leave tube pulled out on ground for more than 12 hours prior to your irrigation run.
9. Avoid using the PTO or engine drive to rewind the tube when it is not pressurized. When the tube is not
pressurized during rewind the tube will flatten and the rewind mechanism cannot function properly. Keep
the tube pressurized when rewinding!
10. The Water-Reel’s gearbox is equipped with a brake to prevent coils of tube from becoming loose on the
tube spool due to freewheeling of the drum. Loose coils of tube will make the level-wind mechanism ap-
pear to be out of time. In this case, the level-wind system will be damaged and a mis-wrap will occur.
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