42 Years Old and Going Strong

The year was 1978. The place was Taaiboschpoort, South Africa. Guillaume de Swardt had just installed the first Zimmatic pivot on his farm – which happened to be just the second Zimmatic pivot sold in the country. De Swardt remembers he bought it with the assurance that it should last 15 years.

“Besides that, Zimmatic pivots were also lightyears ahead of all other pivots back in 1978. They had more features and capabilities than most other brands,” said Fanie Botha, de Swardt’s son-in-law, who manages the farm’s irrigation today.

Today, that original pivot is still on the job.

“They really are tough. Look, we still need to do basic maintenance, as you should be doing on any pivot, old or new, but the fact that this one is still working without major issues is just astounding,” added Botha.

Upgraded, Not Outdated

The pivot has seven spans and irrigates 126 acres (51 ha). While the pivot is still going strong (only one pipe has been replaced and the original gearboxes are still working), it has undergone some changes over the years, including:

• Updated with FieldNET™ for mobile remote control
• New control panel
• Replaced: Firestone tires after 21 years; center drive motors after more than 10 years; driveshafts; sprinklers and rims

Based on the pivot’s quality and efficiency, de Swardt purchased a three-span Zimmatic in 1983 and a six-span in 1984/85. Botha recently bought two more Zimmatic two-span pivots. “Every time I buy a Zimmatic pivot, I know it will last for many years and eventually become my son’s equipment to farm our land with. And that’s what convinced me to make Zimmatic our preferred irrigation system,” he said.

From Durability to Machine Health

In the more than 40 years that this Zimmatic pivot has been hard at work, Lindsay has introduced technologies, tools and support that have revolutionized mechanized irrigation. Our latest contribution is the smart pivot with machine health capabilities, taking durability and performance to the next level. Through advanced machine monitoring, remote connectivity between the pivot and service technicians, and broader detection of application issues, growers will be able to discover and oftentimes correct machine issues before they develop into real problems.

With built-in durability and smart pivot machine health monitoring capabilities, Zimmatic pivots are designed to stand the test of time.