Aqua-Traxx PC ®

Pressure Compensating Drip Tape

Ag Irrigation

Until now sprinklers would have been An all-terrain, high performance

the only economical choice in these
topographical conditions...
driptape.

Application:
Aqua-Traxx PC is the industry’s only pressure compensat-
ing drip tape. Aqua-Traxx PC increases profitability by
saving water, energy and chemical costs and it allows
for optimum results on land that was once considered
marginal. The superior performance of Aqua-Traxx PC
takes drip tape to the next level.

We recommend Aqua-Traxx PC in these

applications:
• Ideal to irrigate crops in difficult
topographical conditions
• In areas of high wind where spray losses
and poor uniformity would be unavoidable
with sprinklers
• In areas with low or varying water pressure and
in installations requiring long laterals
...but now Aqua-Traxx PC is available.

Aqua-Traxx PC is the only pressure compen-

sating tape on the market today and the
only economical micro-irrigation alternative
to sprinklers in undulating terrain.

The breakthrough result of 30 years of

drip tape research, development and
manufacturing from Toro Ag Irrigation.

Aqua-Traxx ®

Pressure Compensating Tape

 Aqua-Traxx PC vs. Sprinklers

Advantages
• Increased Emission Uniformity (EU).
• Saves water.
• Saves energy due to water savings and lower
system pressures.
• Lower application rates nearly eliminate runoff
problems.
• Saves fertilizer and other chemicals.
• Saves labor cost. Fertilizer and chemical applications
are done through the system and there are no pipes to move.
• Easier access to the field for tractor operations.
• Avoids spray losses, evaporation and non-uniformity caused by windy conditions.
• Reduces diseases caused by high humidity, such as mildew.
• Systems are more economical due to smaller pipe size requirements, which are
made possible by lower flow rates.
• Reduces herbicide and weeding labor.

Versatility
• Aqua-Traxx PC is available in spacing
from 6” to 24”.
• Wide pressure operating range: 4 – 25 psi.
• Significant elevation changes either down
slopes or over undulating terrain.

Features:
Tube Emitter
• Seamless construction; no more splitting • Filter inlets - prevents debris from
at the seam entering the flow path
• Blue stripes, signature of quality and a useful • Turbulent flow path
installation aid. Blue stripes “up” insures • Pressure compensating
proper outlet placement
• Multiple laser slit outlets –
• Ultra-high strength and flexibility Less susceptible to back siphoning
and root intrusion
For an economic evaluation of Aqua-Traxx PC • Precise performance
advantages see Boss Farms Case Study.

Aqua-Traxx ®

Pressure Compensating Tape

 Aqua-Traxx PC vs. Non-Compensating Drip Tape

Allowable Pressure vs. Emission Uniformity (EU)

Aqua-Traxx PC Classic Drip Tape

Allowable
pressure 12.5 psi 3.5 psi
variation
Emission
Uniformity 90% 90%

Aqua-Traxx PC Case Study

The following is a comparison of costs using Aqua-
Traxx PC vs. sprinklers to irrigate iceberg lettuce in
Salinas, CA. The grower, Greg Lazzerini of Boss
Farms, has used sprinklers to irrigate part of his
farm due to severe slopes, which have made the
use of micro-irrigation impractical—until now. This
particular piece of ground is odd-shaped and has a
non-uniform downslope with a total elevation
change of 25 feet, with the longest lateral 550 feet
in length. Greg likes the many benefits of drip
tape, which he uses on most of his farm where
topographical conditions are favorable.
The results speak for themselves; in this case direct
savings of $326 per acre were realized over sprin-
klers. Benefits that are difficult to quantify, such as Yield increase:
earlier crop maturity and easier harvesting, were “I get a 15 to 20% increase in yield with drip over
also realized and are listed below. either sprinkler or flood. This is mainly due to the
increase in uniformity of the irrigation system and the
increase in quality due to less mildew.”

Aqua-Traxx ®

Pressure Compensating Tape

 Aqua-Traxx PC Case Study

Field Conditions:
Cooperator: Boss Farms, LLC Filtration: 200 mesh sand media
Owner/Manager: Greg Lazzerini Pump: Diesel gear head
Location: Salinas, CA Lateral runs: 550 feet
Crop: Iceberg lettuce Elevation difference: 25 feet downward slope
Bed Size: 40 inch
Planting date: 7/21/01
Harvest date: 9/24/01
Size of trial: 3 acres
Water source: Well water

Field layout: Aqua-Traxx

Total system pressure: 45 psi Design Emission uniformity: 92%
Inlet pressure: 6 psi (Aqua-flow program used)
End pressure: 12.1 psi Fertilizers and an aphid treatment were
applied through the system.
Aqua-Traxx PC product used: EAP5081245-750
Flow rate: .45 gpm/100 ft @ 10 psi
Spacing: 12 inches
Wall thickness: 8 mil
Application Rate: .13 inches/hour

Field layout: Solid-set Sprinklers

Total system pressure: 85 psi Emission uniformity: 60%
Inlet pressure: 70 psi (see water savings below)
End pressure: 80 psi All chemicals and fertilizers applied with
tractor operation.
3" aluminum sprinkler pipe
7/64" nozzle impact sprinklers
Spacing: 30 x 30 feet
Application Rate: .30 inches/hour

Aqua-Traxx ®

Pressure Compensating Tape

 Aqua-Traxx PC Cost Savings Summary

Costs per Acre Sprinkler Aqua-Traxx PC Cost savings

Water
Water use in % 100% 50%
Cost of water $0 $0 $0
Labor to establish $75.00 $55.00 $20.00
Energy usage
System pressure 85 psi 45 psi
Cost of power $130.00 $65.00 $65.00
Agricultural Chemicals
Pesticides, mildew spray $200.00 $100.00 $100.00
Labor to apply $73.75 $29.50 $44.25
Aphid Treatment $89.00 $77.88 $11.12
Labor to apply $14.75 - $14.75
Fertilizers $130.00 $104.00 $26.00
Labor to apply $18.00 - $18.00
Number of Cultivations 4 1
Cost of cultivations $36.00 $9.00 $27.00

Cost Savings per Acre $326.12

Direct Cost Savings:

Water Savings: Water savings
were realized by dramatically
improved emission uniformity
over sprinklers. Because of the
severe slope and heavy soils with
low infiltration rates, sprinkler
irrigation resulted in significant
amounts of runoff. That runoff,
in combination with windy con-
ditions and the use of non-pres-
sure compensating sprinklers,
yielded a system EU of approxi-
mately 60%.
Greg Lazzerini: “With sprinklers
on slopes, you can never really get
the field wet since a lot of the
water runs off—three or four days
later, you have to irrigate again”
In this case, Aqua-Traxx PC with
an EU of 92% and an application
rate of .13 inches per hour, one
third the application rate of the
sprinkler-irrigated field, resulted
in no runoff or non-uniformity
due to the windy conditions at
this location.
Energy Savings: The system
pressure used for sprinklers was
85 psi (Total Dynamic Head);
The Aqua-Traxx PC system pres-
sure requirement was 45 psi. The
lower system pressure, combined
with a 50% reduction in flow,
resulted in significant energy sav-
ings. Not reflected in the above
table are the energy savings real-
ized due to not having to pump
tail water. With sprinklers, all of
the runoff water pumped at 85
psi has to be pumped again as
tail water.

Aqua-Traxx ®

Pressure Compensating Tape

 Aqua-Traxx PC Cost Savings
Direct cost savings:
(cont’d)
Labor Savings: Labor savings in
the preceding table are a com-
parison between establishing a
drip tape system vs. a sprinkler
system. Greg Lazzerini reported
labor savings to establish the irri-
gation system with Aqua-Traxx
PC of approximately $20 per
acre. Other labor savings are real-
ized by injecting fertilizers and
other chemicals through the sys-
tem rather than applying them
by tractor.
GL: “I apply a treatment for aphid
control—this costs me $14.75 per
acre just to apply; with drip I don’t
have that cost.”
Fertilizer Savings: Greg uses
petiole samples to monitor crop
nutritional needs and applies fer-
tilizers accordingly. In this case
Greg reported a savings of $26
Other Benefits:
Environmental Concerns:
With Aqua-Traxx PC, runoff into
the Monterey Bay sanctuary is
one less thing to worry about.
Return Sump:
• Less energy to pump runoff water.
• Less area dedicated to return sumps.
Aqua-Traxx ®
Pressure Compensating Tape
per acre in fertilizer costs and an
additional $18 per acre that
would have been incurred had
the fertilizer been applied by
tractor. The fertilizer savings
were due to increased uniformity
and better placement of the
nutrients in the root zone.
GL: “With drip I get more fertilizer
in the root zone, so with sprinklers
I have to put more on. With drip I
also get a quicker response”
GL: “When you side dress you
have to put more down to make
sure that you have enough to
carry the crop through to harvest,
since we only have time for two
applications”
Pesticide Savings: One of the
major cost savings reported was
reduced fungicide spray to con-
trol mildew, which amounted to
$100 per acre. This was mainly
due to reducing the disease pres-
• Less possibility of the return
sump becoming a disease
receiver.
Less Compaction:
• Fewer tractor trips though the field.
• With a less-saturated field, har-
vesting is made easier and causes
less damage and compaction.
sure as a result of dramatically
reducing humidity.
GL: “With drip I cut down my
mildew sprays in half—with sprin-
kler I may have to spray four or
five times, with drip only two
applications are needed”
Cultivation: With sprinkler irriga-
tion Greg cultivates at least four
times each crop. In this case only
one cultivation was necessary,
with a cost of $9 per acre for
each pass, this adds up to a sav-
ings of $27 per acre.
GL: “With sprinklers I have to
break bottoms (cultivate) four
times, with Aqua-Traxx PC I only
have to break bottoms once—it
costs me about $9 per acre to do
this tractor work”
• Fewer tractor passes are need-
ed to prepare the ground for
the next crop.
GL: “With drip I have fewer tractor
passes to get the field ready for
the next crop. Every tractor pass
with a disk costs me about $22
per acre—it also takes less time
and time is money.”
 Aqua-Traxx PC Product Specifications

Performance Charts
Part Number EAP5XX0867-xxx Part Number EAP5XX0850-xxx
5/8" Diameter .67gpm/100’ @ 10 PSI 5/8" Diameter .50gpm/100’ @ 10 PSI
0% slope Inlet Pressure (psi) 0% slope Inlet Pressure (psi)
EU% 10 12 14 16 18 EU% 10 12 14 16 18
94 400 425 450 450 450 94 475 500 525 525 550
92 475 500 525 525 550 92 575 600 625 650 675
90 * 550 575 600 600 90 625 675 700 725 725

3% downslope Inlet Pressure (psi) 3% downslope Inlet Pressure (psi)

EU% 10 12 14 16 18 EU% 10 12 14 16 18
94 525 550 550 575 575 94 625 650 675 700 700
92 625 650 650 650 675 92 750 775 800 825 825
90 * 700 700 725 725 90 * 850 875 900 925

6% downslope Inlet Pressure (psi) 6% downslope Inlet Pressure (psi)

EU% 10 12 14 16 18 EU% 10 12 14 16 18
94 100 125 150 175 575 94 100 125 150 175 175
92 600 650 650 675 700 92 225 750 800 825 875
90 675 725 750 775 775 90 825 875 900 925 950

For complete length of run information consult the Toro Ag Aqua-Flow Program.
*Denotes lateral drops below minimum operating pressure before reaching an EU of 90%

Specifications
Coefficient of Variation (CV) All emitters ≤ 3%
Flow Exponent All emitters 0.2
Inside diameter 5/8 .635
Inside diameter 7/8 .875
Operating pressure range 4 – 25 psi See chart for
different mil
thickness
Hazen-Williams C factor All tube sizes 140
Minimum filtration requirementAll emitters 200 mesh
(74 micron)

Aqua-Traxx
Pressure Compensating Tape
®
 Aqua-Traxx PC Ordering Information

Product Range
Diameter Available Wall Thickness

5/8" 8, 10, 12 and 15 mil

7/8" 10, 12 and 15 mil

Wall Thickness Pressure, psi Min. Max Reel Length, Ft. Reel Weight, Lbs.
8 mil 4 16 7,500 63
10 mil 4 20 6,000 60
5/8"
12 mil 4 22 5,100 58
15 mil 4 25 4,000 61
10 mil 4 18 4,400 65
12 mil 4 20 4,000 61 7/8"
15 mil 4 22 3,000 62

Aqua-Traxx
Pressure Compensating Tape
®

Understanding
Flow Rates
Aqua-Traxx PC Product Part Number Individual Emitter Spacing Q-100 GPM per 100 ft.
Part Numbers Flow Rate GPH@ 10 psi inches @ 10 psi
0.20 GPH @ 10 PSI
X - denotes 5 for 5⁄ 8" diameter,
7 for 7⁄ 8" diameter or EAPXxx0667 0.20 gph 6" 0.67
xx - denotes mil thickness EAPXxx0850 0.20 gph 8" 0.50
Example: Nominal EAPXxx1234 0.20 gph 12" 0.34
How To Order: flow @ EAPXxx1625 0.20 gph 16" 0.25
EAP 5 10 08 67 10 PSI EAPXxx1822 0.20 gph 18" 0.22
Q-100 flow rate EAPXxx2417 0.20 gph 24" 0.17
at 10 psi
0.27 GPH @ 10 PSI
8" spacing
EAPXxx0690 0.27 gph 6" 0.90
10 mil thickness
EAPXxx0867 0.27 gph 8" 0.67
diameter as 5⁄ 8"
EAPXxx1245 0.27 gph 12" 0.45
Pressure Compensating
EAPXxx1634 0.27 gph 16" 0.34
EAPXxx1830 0.27 gph 18" 0.30
NOTE: Install Aqua-Traxx EAPXxx2422 0.27 gph 24" 0.22
with blue stripes up.

Ag Irrigation

Toro Ag Irrigation
1588 N. Marshall Avenue, El Cajon, CA 92020-1523, USA
Tel: +1 (800) 333-8125 or +1 (619) 562-2950
Fax: +1 (800) 892-1822 or +1 (619) 258-9973

www.toroag.com
ALT089 7/05