Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
- Traveling wheeled lawn sprinkler; travels along length of attached 5/8-inch hose
- Adjustable rotary spray arms; 2 speeds; auto shut-off ramp to stop sprinkler operation
- Rustproof c-iron construction; chip-resistant, powder-coat paint; assembly required
- Includes 1 sprinkler, shut-off ramp; hose not included
- 18.1-pounds; 2-year warranty
Nelson Sprinkler 1865 Rain Train Traveling SprinklerRAINTRAIN traveling sprinklers are the most durable and convenient lawn sprinkler ever built.Nelson Sprinkler 1865 Rain Train Traveling Sprinkler Features:; Introduced by Nelson in 1963 ; Covers up to 13,500 sq. ft.; Automatic shut-off; Cast-iron with chip resistant, powder-coat paint ; Rust-resistant die-cast iron body; Durable brass hose connection; Built-in automatic shut off; Ramp can be placed anywhere on hose; Powerful two-speed transmission; Adjustable spray arm with regular nozzle; Patented rear wheel cleats; Made in the USAWhile an automatic sprinkling system certainly ensures greener grass and nurtured flowerbeds during the sweltering days of summer, not every household comes equipped with such a system and they can be downright expensive to install. Historically, the alternative to the built-in sprinkler system has involved setting up a hose and sprinkler and then manually relocating the water source to several strategic lo
Rating: 
(out of 140 reviews)
List Price: $ 79.99
Price: $ 50.00
Nelson Cast Iron Square Spray Pattern Stationary Sprinkler Head #50951
- Square spray pattern up to 30-foot dia.
- Heavy-duty, cast-iron body with rust-resistant, powder-coat paint
- Pound of Rain
- 1-pound weight for stability
Square spray pattern of up to 30′ x 30′. Heavy duty, cast iron body with rust resistant, powder coated paint. Pound of rain – one pound product weight for stability and durability. For small areas or flower beds.
Rating: 
(out of 4 reviews)
List Price: $ 14.89
Price: $ 6.44
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Review by Al the Pal for Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
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We have used one of these for about ten years with great success. The tractor can even follow the hose around gentle 10′ radius curves. The little ramp clips on the hose and has a folding ground spike to keep it from slipping. When the tractor reaches the ramp, it pushes a shut off valve on the belly of the tractor. Very simple and effective. Part of our ramp finally snapped off, but it still works. We’ve never had a problem with the tractor. The adjstable spray wands allow you to regulate the size of the area covered. I suppose it can drag about forty feet of hose before it slows it down. That probably will vary depending on the depth and density of your turf and how straight the path is. You won’t be disappointed; this is a time-tested classic!
Review by S. Jentsch for Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
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After hearing so much about this unit, and seeing a couple of them in my neighborhood, I decided to give it a try, even though the price was higher than I ever expected to pay for a lawn sprinkler.I now know why so many people like it. It is very effective in watering the lawn, without spraying water high up in the air (less chance for evaporation, and not affected by wind as much), and it has hands-off operation once you set it up.Adjusting the spray diameter is easy, and using the hose as a way to set the travel path for the sprinkler to follow is a great idea. The adjustable speed allows you to decide how much water to apply and how much ground you want to cover in a period of time.Inspecting the yard afterwards shows that the ground is nicely saturated, and not needing to go out and move hoses is a welcomed change. This sprinkler is worth the purchase price!
Review by D. Watson for Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
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I’ve had my Raintrain for a little over a year now. I was initially very enthusiastic about it, but over time, I grew less satisfied with it.
Pros:
>For some reason, it’s mesmerizing to watch. After I get it set up, I always watch for a few moments to make sure the water throw is adjusted properly, and then I find myself watching it longer than necessary. There’s just something cool and relaxing about how the arms spin and the wheels turn and how it slowly moves along. From talking to some other people who own this and similar products, “sprinkler watching” seems to be a common phenomenon.
>The coarse spray is ideal for use in windy areas. You’ll get a lot less drift and evaporation using this than you would with a finer-droplet sprinkler.
>The adjustability is impressive. I have a long, 4-foot swatch of grass that would be difficult to water with most other sprinklers, but on the Raintrain, I can point the arms way down and keep the water where I want it. But I can also point the arms way up and throw the water for at least 50 feet.
>It’s quiet. The only sound it makes is the water hitting the grass.
>The shut-off feature is very handy and worked quite well (initially).
>It stands up well to neglect. I left both my sprinkler and the stop block sitting outside in the sun and snow all winter, and come spring, they seemed no worse for wear. Also, you are supposed to disconnect the sprinkler and let it drain after each use, and I’ve never done that, with no apparent effect yet.
Cons:
>This thing is really heavy, as it needs to be, but when you’re hauling it out to the north forty (okay, the back of a 6500-square-foot lawn), it’s a little cumbersome.
>The hose connection is awkwardly placed. It’s in the somewhat narrow space at the back between the wheels, so I find it a little difficult to get a good grip on the connector. There are also two inexplicable protrusions in the body of the sprinkler right next to the connector, and this makes it even harder to grip. This is why I never drain my sprinkler like I’m supposed to; I hate connecting it.
>The connector always leaks, even after I put in a gasket, and the hose sometimes loosens while it’s traveling.
>Getting the water to throw just the right distance is a pain. You have to turn on the water, see where it’s throwing, turn it off, walk out to the sprinkler, adjust the arms, walk back to the faucet, turn it on, see if that’s right, and then repeat until you have it where you want it, which might involve several tries.
>The water is thrown in a circle, but only to the outside of the circle. This is easily seen if you have the sprinkler set where it will be thrown on concrete. You can see the arc of the circle and the dry area inside it. The way the Raintrain gets all the ground covered is by advancing this outline through the yard. For this reason, the stationary setting on the sprinkler is useless. It will water the outline of the circle only.
>Because of the circle outline problem, the area at the beginning and end of the course will get half as much water as the rest of the yard (the beginning of the course will only be hit by the trailing edge of the circle, and the end of the course will only be hit by the front edge). To compensate for this, I turn off the water, pick up the Raintrain, and move it back at both the beginning and end so that the areas get covered by the half circle twice. This creates a lot of extra work for what I was hoping would be a labor-saver.
>I found that the Raintrain doesn’t deliver nearly as much water as it says it will. The farther you throw the water, the less depth of water you’ll put out (because the same amount of water is being spread out over a bigger area), but when I had the arms adjusted for a pretty narrow path, I only measured about a quarter inch of water (even on “low gear,” which makes it travel more slowly). This likely explains why I’ve struggled so much with keeping my lawn green since I got the Raintrain. With stationary sprinklers, you can leave them running as long as necessary to achieve the water delivery you need. But with the Raintrain, if you need more water than it delivers, your only option is to lay out the hose again and start it over, which is a lot of extra work.
>While the sprinkler seems overall pretty solid and durable, I knocked a big chip of paint off the “nose” when I set it up on end to attach the hose, and the bare spot rusted immediately.
>Laying out the hose for a straight line is simple, but if you want to do any curves, it takes a lot of practice and trial and error to create a path that won’t make the Raintrain “jump the track.” The tightness of curve it can handle depends on several factors, such as the height and density of the grass, the softness of the ground, and any small bits of yard debris the wheels might go over.
>The stop valve on the underside (which is triggered by the stop block) stopped working on mine during its second season. Now when it runs over the stop block, it slows down, and the arms start turning more slowly, but it doesn’t actually stop. This greatly reduced the handiness of the Raintrain for me.
Overall, this is a fun sprinkler, and it has its uses, but I’ve decided to try something else this summer. The Raintrain is just too cumbersome and time-consuming to set up for my particular needs.
Review by for Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
Rating:
I own (and have used heavily during the summer months for 20 years) a “heavier-duty version” of this Nelson sprinkler. The older model actually has a sand ballast bag inside the sprinkler body so it can maintain traction while pulling a long length of hose. Unfortunately, it finally just wore out to the point where parts are more than the cost of a new sprinkler. Since that model is no longer available I am purchasing this Model 1865. Neighbors on both sides of my property currently use a Model 1865 and are getting good service from them, so I’m confident it will provide dependable duty as my other one did.One important point that no one else has mentioned is the excellent availability of parts. I have kept my other model running for such a long time by occasionally replacing worn out parts. I think some dealers may carry a small inventory of parts, but I simply call the factory and they send the parts I need right away and at a reasonable cost. The sprinkler comes with a good “exploded view” drawing and parts list so parts and numbers are easily identifiable.
Review by Steve for Nelson 1865 Raintrain Traveling Sprinkler
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This would be a 5-star item except that Nelson apparently likes to make money by selling replacement gear boxes. The gears are made of cheap plastic that won’t even last one season, for me. I’ve examined the broken gear boxes; the broken gear is always the same one. Seems like Nelson could greatly improve the reliability of the unit without significantly affecting the cost if one or two of the plastic gears were replaced with brass or stainless-steel.
Review by Once in a while for Nelson Cast Iron Square Spray Pattern Stationary Sprinkler Head #50951
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I love this little sprinkler. With our community’s 60 pound water pressure it covers a decent sized area. It throws pretty large drops so the water falls back onto the lawn instead of blowing or evaporating away. And it doesn’t take long to saturate an area.
I did notice that since it has such a low profile, longer blades of grass next to it can get caught in the flow and interfere with the spray pattern. I just pluck them out of the way before I turn on the sprinkler. I’m not sure the pattern is all that sharp of a square, but it is square-ish, and that’s good enough in our yard.
I think it’s a great sprinkler for kids to play in. It has no moving parts to break and no sharp edges to step on. And the flow can be adjusted downward until it’s a gentle bubbler. It is cast iron and weighs a pound or two, so it could be painful if one of the kids decides to swing it around on the end of the hose like a mace. Other than that it should be great for play on a hot summer afternoon.
The sprinkler technology here is vintage and bone simple — it’s a cast iron chamber with a little hole in the top. There’s nothing to fail or break. With a little care — very little — it will last for years and years. You might want to smear a little grease in the threads to keep them from rusting, and occasionally remove it from the hose end to keep the two from rusting together. Every few years a spritz of spray paint will keep it looking like new.
Review by Kay Gray for Nelson Cast Iron Square Spray Pattern Stationary Sprinkler Head #50951
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Works very well on my narrow strip of grass. On one corner of the square the spray is a little shorter but does not cause much of a problem. The cast iron is heavy enought to keep it in place.
Review by A. Melenyzer for Nelson Cast Iron Square Spray Pattern Stationary Sprinkler Head #50951
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This thing is heavy! It works really well, but since my hose end is a little large, it is hard to twist it on and off. I have to use a pair of pliers sometimes to get the thing off the end of the hose! I like it though, it is a great product – would reccomend to the rest of the family!
Review by Jesse R. Black for Nelson Cast Iron Square Spray Pattern Stationary Sprinkler Head #50951
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Great little sprinkler, perfect for a smaller yard. Lots of pressure, water falls in small gentle drops, even coverage. Had lots of sprinklers, usually destroyed pretty quickly, used this numerous times, no moving parts to break. Pleasantly surprised.