The History of the Buckner Rocker Jet - Part 1: Fingal Orr and the Pre-Rockers
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- Опубликовано: 3 июл 2024
- The Rocker Jet is one of the most recognizable sprinkler associated with Buckner Manufacturing Company. They manufactured and sold many versions of them from the mid-1940’s to the very early 1980’s. It was used in home lawn sprinkling, athletic field watering, agricultural and golf course irrigation, and for dust control. For the month of July, we’ll be telling the history of this amazing sprinkler in a collaboration between me and my good friend Kerry in California, releasing a portion of the story and displaying the sprinklers of the era neing covered each Thursday.
In part 1, we will take you back to the invention of these vertical impact sprinklers by Fingal C. Orr, who was a relative new comer to America when he filed his patent application in 1927. We have a very rare working example of one of Orr’s sprinklers to show in operation. We close the video with Buckner’s move into this product line with what some folks call the “pre-Rocker Jets” they introduced when Orr’s patent expired in 1946.
Stay with us through July, as we share an iconic sprinkler in American irrigation industry history. We hope you enjoy this discussion of an important sprinkler with the companies and men who created it.
Let’s see the Rockers red glare! 💥
Thanks for watching!
#fresno #irrigationsystem #agriculture #golf #irrigation #buckner #rockerjet #californiahistory #sprinklers #sprinklersystem #impactsprinkler
Best one yet I shared it with a bunch of my friends in the industry.... they loved it!
Thanks, Frank! I think that Orr Kerry has steals the show! Glad to hear some folks in the business are getting to see it. Thanks for sharing it!
That's an incredible collection of Rocker Jet vertical impacts! Great Part 1 video!
Thank you! Part II should go up Thursday evening.
Great Job Bill ! The History of this great American Engineering and Manufacturing has stood the test of time with some of these heads exceeding 70 years old and still working well today; a few still in daily use. The rocker Jet is truly an engineering Marvel during a time when competition was trying to out wit each other and produced some truly unique designs..... The Rocker Jet being a great product to compete against RainBird horizontal impact sprinkler.
Thanks for your hard work, dedication to showcase a pioneer in the irrigation industry !
Thanks, Kerry! Your collection, amazing system, beautiful setting, encyclopedic knowledge, and passion for the subject all make these collaborations great and a pleasure to create.
Bill, you did it! You knocked this video out of the park! What an amazing collection of Rocker Jets that you assembled along with Kerry’s collection from California to be presented. Its is very well edited along with the detailed history that is provided from you both! Who could ask for more!!
I have always loved seeing the Rocker Jets in action. I did not realized that so many different models of them were made over the years. Amazing! It’s kinda ironic that out of all the sprinklers I have in my collection, that I do not have 1 Rocker Jet in there. One day I will find some. We are all so fortunate to be treated to a wonderful display that is showcase for all to enjoy and especially starting off with the Orr sprinkler.
I am looking forward to seeing the other upcoming parts in your series.
Thank you for sharing this amazing video!…
Thanks, Dave! I would not have guessed you don’t have a Rocker Jet in that diverse collection of yours. No doubt you will one day.
I think your Thompson Commander repair video, the Skinner videos you made, and if Kerry and I are lucky these collaborations we’ve done leave something behind about the industry that wasn’t there before. This gives me an idea for a playlist.
Thank you, Im glad you enjoy the show! I appreciate that so many other people actually appreciate and enjoy watching the incredible sprinkler of the past. I am fortunate to be able to have many of these heads operate in our system.
The Rocker Jet has always been a favorite of mine since a i was a small kid. The City of San Diego Parks was predominately Buckner until the 70's and I grew up seeing and playing with Rockers on Quick Couplers and many on permanent systems; they are a fond memory. I am glad to share the sights and sounds of my collection: and thanks to Bill to spend the many hours to edit and produce a wonderfull show for us all to see and learn.
This is why I can’t make sprinkler videos; you two are like the Quintin Tarantino / Robert Rodriguez mashup, and I would be over here like the kid fresh out of film school without an assistant.
Amazing video and I love the content. I think I have quite a few items in my collection, but I doubt I will ever be able to be on the level of either of you. Well done!
That’s hilarious. I would encourage you to make videos if you want. It’s so great to see people’s collections. I’ll probably put out a retrospective around my three-year anniversary later this summer that will make you wonder why I ever kept making them.
Thank you, It is a joy to share the great past of irrigation equipment for others to enjoy... Bill does an incredible job with the historical research and info about the great pioneers who invented modern irrigation and the great company they founded; and tireless hours of editing to show a great passion to showcase an interesting product so many people take for granted. I have been "obsessed' collecting sprinklers for over 50 years.
@@kerryvinci5287 that sounds fantastic. I can only imagine the kind of space your entire collection must occupy.
WOW, what can I say, MORE, MORE. I so wish I could find these besides the expensive prices on ebay. It was neat seeing my 762 in operation. I have to find a way to test without watering the entire neighborhood and everyones home too. I have to build a wire defuser to help reduce the distance so I can potentiall give it a try. I have loved these rocker jets from the time I first saw them as a way to water the har-tru tennis courts. I was sad when they were removed and the system replaced. I think these sprinklers would last forever, as they are extremely well built, and no spring to break. I have the Gilmour design which I have not tested yet and will share it. Thank you for sharing this and am looking forward to more.
I would absolutely love to see the Gilmour version. I’ve never seen Rocker Jets on har-tru courts, but any courts I was around when they would have been an option were concrete. I remember when Hunter came out with the I-42 high speed rotor for them, but I believe that’s gone now.
Fantastic piece! Waiting anxiously for pII.
By the way, I really enjoy the East West collaboration you have going here. Between the two of you and others on this section, I think a very thorough and provocative story of the irrigation industry from the people, the companies, the patents and what’s left today. I honestly don’t think any kind of reference material like this exists today.
Thanks again for putting together such a cool perspective on the Buckner Vertical Impact.
Thanks! I don’t think Kerry gets anywhere near the share of the credit he deserves, but I agree. What all of us share here is creating a collection of knowledge that doesn’t really exist in one place anywhere.
Thank you! Definitely a great story to tell and nice to share these great engineering marvels with others that can appreciate the unique history behind them....
You really can't appreciate the engineering and progression improvement of the product, until you see the many differences in the same model type of head when they are all laid out together and the changes aren't always obvious; I learned a lot just sorting through many heads to show here with Bill, and his research into the great history of the founders/inventors is an education we can all learn something new together...
Buckner was a true pioneer in the irrigation industry with some complex designs along the way, usually to compete against the other manufacturers without infringing on patents at the time.... The Rocker Jet was Buckner's way to provide a very Robust, but simple and reliable head for field and Quick Coupler use on for parks and fields to compete against Rain Bird's very reliable patented Impact head; Buckner took the Orr design and perfected it and was able to produce and market the head to success in the 50's/60's.
Okay, this video tops the rest of your fantastic material, by tons! The second best, IMHO, was in the father's day video at the point when your daughter nonchalantly flailed that old RB 40 around saying something like "so, it's got a spring , and it spins...". Anyway, today I almost lost it when you said at 8:05 , "...about this same time an engineer who would be PIVOTAL in Buckner's adoption..." Am I the only impact sprinkler nerd who caught this cute Easter egg in the word salad? Seriously though, that Orr gravity drive sprinkler in action was simply wonderful - a once in a lifetime treat for me to see. A thousand thanks for your amazing work - it looks like a labor of love! Happy 4th!!! Your devoted fan - Ruben🙂
Thank you! You watch with a keen eye and ear. Rachel will be pleased to hear her (to her) very sincere and accurate portrayal of my “blah, blah, blah” was well received.
Kerry’s collection makes all the difference in these collaborations. That Orr 46A was a once in a lifetime experience for me, too.
Appreciate the time and attention you give these things.
What a great collection Bill! Well done sir ! Rocker Jets are one thing I do not have as of yet. Fantastic video !
Thanks! So many of the cool things in these collaborations comes from Kerry’s collection, his knowledge, and the incredible setting he has. Meeting people like you guys has been the best part of doing these videos.
That is a great start on the history of the pre rockers. Great videos and pictures of the very early models. Those are truly neat. I need to find someone to fix my 1.25" dual nozzle rocker. It has bad arm bearings which cause it to short stroke. It does work otherwise though just doesnt move sometimes. The dealer where i got mine have a few of them there. I should look and see if they have one that doesnt have bad bearings. They also have a few others there i should take a look at. Great videos and pictures of kerri's collection as well! Those are awesome. Thank you for sharing and i will look for part 2!
Thank you. Good luck with the 250. We have some video of a couple of them running for part II.
Dear Bill, great movie! We've been over this before, only I've forgotten it again. The Buckner Joker turns to the right. I can just about explain that. But what happens with the pitch circle sprinklers? I'm hoping for part 2
Thank you! We’re still doing full circles in part 2. So, you’ll have to wait until part III on the 18th for that answer. Short answer is those have a split lever that has spoons on the left and right that divert water opposite each other. The trip mechanism changes the horizontal angle of lever, changing which side gets hit by the stream, thereby changing the direction of travel. We’ll get some closeups.
I do have a question, if I may. At the end of the video the scene switches to a location that seems to have a 1-inch copper riser popping out of a solid granite boulder with an old RB 65D atop it, as though mother nature placed it there herself. Is this a residential home, or some heavenly impact sprinkler garden?
It is a residence. I’m impressed by people who use copper risers. There are no words for my co-conspirator who core drills boulders and installs copper risers through them. I’ve never asked, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he protects the copper in the stone from abrasion, too. The History of the Turf Bird video from seven months ago shows more of his yard, as does The History of the Buckner Cam Rotor from about 9 months ago. Those varieties of cam rotors weren’t installed for the benefit of the video. That system is mind-blowing. More to come.
Ha.... Its definitely an Brass Impact sprinkler garden for sure! A home to many good ol brass heads. Great eye on the Copper riser out of the Boulder; many of them are touted on copper, stabilized and protected from damage by the Rock, and yes the copper is wrapped... That head is a Rain Bird 65C.
@@kerryvinci5287 Wow, just wow. I looked back at the video again and I just noticed what appears to be an old Thompson ranger impact not too far away, again rising out of a stone! Your yard is like a dream to me. I've drooled over impacts since I was a little kid and I never imagined such a place as yours. Go ahead and laugh, but I jokingly imagine having the old RB 40 that my mom bought me at a swap meet back in the 70's somehow attached to my tombstone! 😆 Seriously though, you must be a really dedicated collector. Thank you so much for sharing some of it. Your dedicated fan - Ruben
What is the huge sprinkler behind you on the floor?
That is a Rain Bird 100B. It has a 3” male inlet. Very large sprinkler. Second largest in the collection.
@@antiquesprinklers The 2nd largest? That's crazy! Funny story. When I was just a little kid I was fascinated with sprinklers. I would collect sprinkler heads from my appointments when I was like 6 years old and got in big trouble so the maintenance guy brought me a box of them so I would stop taking his. The golf course had the turf ones I was really into and we saw one at a hardware store when I was 9 and I did chores for 3 weeks to save the money to buy it. Mom thought I was nuts. Lol
@richpianaproject4862 you never know what’s going to click! Smart, and decent, maintenance guy.
@@antiquesprinklers that's true!
@@antiquesprinklers is that 100B hard to find?