Finding the best traveling sprinkler that can help you achieve neat and highly maintained gardens can be a bag of experience. The market is flooded with numerous brands and models and there’s much more to consider like features and performance capabilities. Luckily, we have significantly reduced the load of work for you with our product reviews and extensive buying guide.
When rounding up the 4 best top rated traveling sprinklers on our list, we considered a few crucial features. They include coverage area, body material, hose compatibility, spray distance, and dimensions among others. The coverage area and spray distance will determine how fast you will cover your expansive garden that covers acres or your small backyard lawn. The body material determines how sturdy and durable the sprinkler is and whether it can withstand regular usage without faltering. You have to consider the sprinkler’s dimensions based on the storage space you have for it.
Other features: self-propelled, three position speed control, automatic shut-off, fits the 5/8-inch garden hose
Though simply styled, this traveling sprinkler is incredibly sustainable and barely requires maintenance. Its cast-iron body painted with powder-proof paint gives it a low-profile racing-like look but its actually one of the main reasons why the sprinkler maintains its performance for a long period.
The type of cast iron used to make the Orbit 58322 is resistant to rust and corrosion. It is also weatherproof. You can use it in any weather at any time without worrying about causing it damage in any way.
Essentially, the sprinkler is self-propelled. It depends on water pressure to propel itself along the hose path you have set for a watering system. It is therefore advisable to use a water pipe with an adequate diameter size (5/8-inches) so it can facilitate enough pressure build-up that can propel the sprinkler as well as push water through it.
The Orbit 58332 allows you to use the 3-position speed control function to change the speed easily. What’s more, on top of its perfect capability of traveling along the hose paths that you pre-install for it comes with adjustable spray arms that can distribute water to areas as far as 15 to 50ft in diameter.
Thanks to the sprinkler’s rotary spray system your garden will flourish evenly with the even distribution of water.
If you have a large garden covering several acres of land or a medium-sized lawn, this should be your go-to traveling sprinkler. It covers space of up to 13.500 square feet and it can move along 200-ft hoses.
If you enable the sprinkler on top gear, it will travel at a top speed of about 37ft per hour while sprinkling ¼-inch water. When in low gear, it can move at a speed of 21ft per hour while sprinkling ½-inch of water.
In sum, this is one of the best rotating traveling sprinklers out there. Its multiple innovative features elevate it to a class of its own hence its popularity among many gardeners. Plus you don’t have to spend a fortune to own it.
Other features: self-propelled, 2 speed gearbox, travels up to 200 ft., automatic shut-off, 20 to 120 PSI recommended water pressure, 2-year warranty, for use with ⅝’’ or ½” garden hose
This is a top-rated premium quality traveling sprinkler that can operate on the littlest amount of pressure, even as low as 20 PSI to ensure your garden or lawn gets enough water. It offers solid durability with its cast iron construction and unparalleled efficiency with its innovative features.
The Watex WX44 is built to offer you a lifetime top-notch performance. The heavy-duty cast iron enhances its durability and sturdiness. It adds substantial weight to the sprinkler ensuring it remains steady on the ground throughout.
The sprinkler is self-propelled. It is dependent on water-pressure to facilitate its internal transmission which in turn make the wheels turn.
You will be able to cover your expansive lawns and large gardens with so much ease as the sprinkler can cover an impressive area of about 13,500 sq. feet. Once you connect it to your pre-set hose watering system, it will travel along 200ft of the path while spraying water.
The Watex only has 2-speed settings which is not a deal-breaker as you will mostly rely on water pressure for speed. So, if you live in an area with a high-pressure water supply, the sprinkler will travel faster. Though it can work pretty well even in areas with low pressure.
Another thing worth mentioning is that this sprinkler doesn’t work well with small hoses, thus it is not the best for light work. You can use 5/8 or ½-inch hoses for optimum results.
Without forgetting, the sprinkler has all-terrain wheels that keep it steady in different types of terrain ensuring it doesn’t get bogged down.
Lastly, the sprinkler is backed by a 2-year warranty which bumps up your confidence in its quality. It is also fitted with exceptional shut-off ramps that cut off the water supply automatically as well shut down the sprinkler.
All considered this is one of the best traveling sprinklers that you can actually rely on for watering the largest lawns like golf fields or extra-large vegetable, fruit, and flower gardens.
Other features: automatic shut-off, adjustable aluminum spray arms, 40 psi min water pressure, can move 60 feet per hour.
Nelson is one of the few cool and famous brands that don’t need an introduction. It is one of the traveling sprinkler pioneer brands. That already speaks volumes of the quality of this product. The brand’s early entry has done it so much good. It produces some of the best innovative traveling sprinklers.
The 818653-1001 has an attractive stylish design but has beastly capabilities with its rugged build. The cast iron body guarantees you an exceptional lifetime performance as well as adds it some good weight that ensures it remains steady to the ground.
When it comes to even water distribution in your garden and lawn, this sprinkler comes to second to none. It lives up to its name by watering your vegetation like rain. It owes this wonderful feature to the shape of its arms.
What sets this sprinkler apart the most is the adjustability of its arms. You can adjust each of the arms to your best-preferred curve or even align it to the angle of the water. These adjustments enhance its spray distance enabling it to throw water as far as 50ft.
As if that’s enough, you can adjust the sprinkler’s arms to throw water in various patterns of your liking.
Essentially, the sprinkler travels at an impressive rate of 60ft per hour along a 200-ft hose path and can cover a whopping 13,500sq ft. It has a standard tractor system that drives it. With the 3-speed setting, you can moderate the sprinkler’s spray distance and intensity.
Overall, this is one of the best traveling lawn sprinklers out there. It not only comes from a renowned brand but also has a couple of innovative features that set it apart from so many traveling sprinklers on the market.
Other features: rotary spray, high traction wheels, lifetime limited warranty
This is the best traveling sprinkler you can get for the best penny-worth. It packs a punch with several first-rate features and is highly preferred by many gardeners for its high-traction wheels.
The Melnor 4501 boasts of a solid cast iron body meant to last you a long while. It will probably outlast many of your equipment and machinery. Its high traction wheels will ensure it keeps going without faltering on your stony and boggy backyard terrain.
With its rotary spray system, you can rely on the sprinkler to take good care of your thirsty garden without your supervision. It can water an area of about 13,500sq feet and with its 15 to 50ft spray distance and shut itself down when it’s done thanks to the automatic shut-off feature.
The best thing about this sprinkler is that you can customize it to work and do everything like you want. You can adjust the spray arms to spray any distance between 15 and 50ft and you can set it to spray at high, neutral, or low. This makes it the most ideal traveling sprinkler for any various sizes of gardens and lawns.
The cherry on top is the generous limited lifetime warranty offered by the manufacturer. It gives you more confidence in its quality and efficiency.
In a nutshell, this is one of the best traveling sprinklers money can buy. Its attractive price tag gives it a competitive edge over many other sprinklers within its range.
Now that you’re wondering why it took you so long to discover how much you need a traveling sprinkler, you need tips on how to get the best from all the bunch out there. This section has all the information that will help you make an informed choice including; the types of garden sprinklers, their benefits, and the features to consider before buying one.
Other than traveling sprinklers, there are other garden sprinklers that you can use to efficiently water your garden or lawn. They include:
Rotary or rotating sprinklers have 2 or more arms that spin to spray water in a complete circle. Each arm has a sprinkler head built on its end and the sprinkler’s gear is turned by water pressure to rotate the arms to disperse the water in a circle. Rotary sprinklers are ideal for large gardens and lawns.
These are characterized by the small tractor that moves on wheels and a hose guiding their track. A traveling sprinkler moves along a pre-installed hose path on its own and covers a large flat area evenly without overwatering. They are ideal for large flat areas like a golf course lawn or front and back gardens and lawns.
These depend on a powerful water pressure to rotate the arms in a circular pattern and they make a distinctive sound because of the spray comes out full of force. The spray is wind resistant and the water covers a pretty good distance. You can adjust the spray distance, force, and pattern on most impact sprinklers. They are best suited for large lawns and gardens.
These are the simplest, inexpensive, and easiest to use. They come in various designs, shapes, and sizes so you can pick your best-preferred spray pattern. However, they don’t distribute water far enough to effectively water large areas but are perfect for smaller areas. Also, most of them work well with low pressure and can distribute large volumes of water. To avoid overwatering, you would have to be there to monitor the sprinkler and move it often.
These usually consist of a long tube or barrel with multiple nozzles along their length. They produce a wide rectangular watering pattern that mimics a waterfall. Water comes out in thin streams from the nozzles and the sprinkler’s tube or barrel rotates to move the water jets from side to side. Oscillating sprinklers are the best for varying sizes of rectangular lawns or gardens.
There are a couple of pros that come with owning a traveling sprinkler including:
This is the most obvious reason for buying a traveling sprinkler. You will not be making much effort and you will end up saving a lot of water as it allows you to control the volume of water that flows out.
You don’t have to carry large buckets or manual sprinklers across your extra-large garden or lawn covering several acres. A traveling sprinkler can roam around the garden and water it evenly as you go on about with other important activities of the day. Some will even shut down on their own when done.
One of the best things about traveling sprinklers is that operating them is no rocket science. They are pretty straightforward to set and up and use and most of them come with user manuals with clear instructions.
This is one of the most crucial aspects associated with traveling sprinklers. All your plants would flourish evenly as they would all be equally watered. It is because of the limit on pressure and direction of the flow of water that the sprinklers are able to disperse water uniformly.
Here are some of the features that you must consider before paying for a traveling sprinkler:
This is an essential feature to look out for as it determines how fast the sprinkler will finish watering your garden or lawn regardless of its size.
Go for a sprinkler that can cover 11,000 sq. feet and above like the Orbit 58322 Traveling Sprinkler reviewed above.
The more adjustable the sprinkler the more versatile it is. Be sure to pick a sprinkler with adjustable arms so you can customize the spray distance and pattern to your liking for optimum results. Also, a sprinkler with high adjustability can be used to water areas of different sizes and terrain.
The longer the spray distance the faster you will be able to cover a wide and large area. Go for a sprinkler that can spray up to 55ft like the Nelson 818653-1001 Traveling Sprinkler reviewed above. It’s even better if the sprinkler offers a spray distance range so you can customize it for optimal results.
Most traveling sprinklers depend on water pressure to propel themselves as well as spray water to the furthest possible distance. If you live in an area with a low water pressure supply you will have to choose a sprinkler that can operate at the lowest pressure like the Watex WX44 Traveling Sprinkler and Sprinkler Hose Bundle above. Or read our compilation of the best sprinklers for low pressure! It can function on pressure as low as 20 PSI.
This determines the durability and sturdiness of the sprinkler. Cast iron is the best material as it is highly durable and guarantees the sprinkler’s steadiness during use. It should be painted to prevent rust as well as improve the sprinkler’s aesthetics.
The hose diameter is a key aspect to consider. Some sprinklers are only compatible to a specific size of hose pipe and the hose diameter determines the force with which the water comes out hence affecting the spray distance.
Warranty does not only give you more confidence in the sprinkler’s quality but also gives you the chance of reaching out for help in case you encounter any problems in your usage.
This should be amongst your top considerations if your garden or lawn is on stony and boggy terrain. Choose a sprinkler with high traction wheels to avoid instances of the sprinkler ever getting stuck.
This is a matter of personal preference. You can get a high quality traveling sprinkler within your budget as they vary in prices. You don’t have to hurt your wallet to get a high-quality sprinkler. The Melnor 4501 Traveling Sprinkler reviewed above is pretty affordable but offers superior features in most high-end sprinklers.
With the points above, choosing the best traveling sprinkler from the entire lot out there should be a breeze. Picking any of the products from our list wouldn’t be a bad idea at all. Of the 4 top-rated sprinklers we reviewed, the Orbit 58322 Traveling Sprinkler stood out as our best overall choice. It is a beast when it comes to functionality thanks to its fantastic innovative features like an automatic shut-off.
The Watex WX44 Traveling Sprinkler and was our premium pick and it set itself apart with its premium quality build and its ability to work with the lowest water pressure. If you live in a low water pressure area, this should be your go-to sprinkler.
The 3rd position went to the Nelson 818653-1001 Traveling Sprinkler. It is one of the few traveling sprinklers that balances beauty and functionality well. It also comes from a pioneer brand and packs a couple of first-rate features that make it an unbeatable purchase.
