Bauer has made a handful of improvements to its Rainstar E-series reel irrigators that should make them easier to operate and maintain.

These include replacing the 10 bolts that hold the side guard in place with catches, allowing quicker access to the reel-drive turbine and gearbox.

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There’s also a larger battery that is now kept charged by a more efficient solar panel. It is still fitted flush to the cover, but can now be propped at an angle to harvest energy from the sun more effectively.

This powers the Ecostar 6000 controller’s 4.3in LED touchscreen and supplementary membrane buttons, with users able to store up to 12 different programmes – saving the hassle of entering individual parameters for every irrigation session.

Remote access allows operators to stop and start the Rainstar, adjust retraction speed, check on the status of the machine and receive error messages via a smartphone.

Thanks to a digital input on the irrigator’s water meter, the Ecostar 6000 controller also records the session and a running total of water used.

Other changes include more easily accessible pipe drum bearings should they need attention, and the option of retrospectively installing brakes on the two- and four-wheel chassis.

The Bauer E-series comprises five models from the E 100 to E 500, each available with from seven to 11 different diameter and length combinations of Bauer’s own polyethylene (PE) pipe, manufactured at the group’s principle factory in Voitsberg, Austria.