Safe-T-Lawn

[Wet_Boots]

With all the overseas manufacturing of controllers, it's a little more difficult to be all that enthusiastic about any of the entry-level controllers.

[irrig8r]

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

Robert Hardie sure did a lot of cool things for the irrigation industry, to this day.

I thought it was James Hardie. Australian industrialist. No?

What did he do besides consolidate a few companies? (Hydro-Rain, Safe-T-Lawn and Rain Jet) and then somehow position them (along with Irritrol and Richdel) to be acquired by Toro... how was reducing all that competition good for the industry?

Sounds like he made a killing in asbestos too... (pun intended.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hardie

Look at the logo:
http://www.ir.jameshardie.com.au/jh/home.jsp


I installed a lot of HR-6100s, and a few Hr-6200s. A handful are still in use. (I wish they would die.)

[irrig8r]

Originally Posted by FIMCO-MEISTER

Different company I believe. Not affiliated with the HR of my youth.

Correct. The new Hydro-Rain appears to be related to Orbit. Their facilities are right next door to each other in Utah... I Google mapped them a while back. I think they maybe even shared a phone number.

[irrig8r]

Originally Posted by Wet_Boots

So there was a HR-6000? Never paid much attention to solid state controllers at that time. There was an alarmingly large pile of presumably-dead circuit boards near a test bench at the Hardie factory.

The HR 6000 was all push buttons, like the Rain Bird CRCs.

[irrig8r]

James Hardie Irrigation, Inc.
Incorporated by Ripp, John G., Borgardt, Bryon G, Dale, Robin W., Stofle, Ken F., Goldberg, Allan M., James Hardie Irrigation, Inc. is located at 788 Fairview Dr Carson City, NV 89701. James Hardie Irrigation, Inc. was incorporated on Tuesday, November 30, 1976 in the State of FL and is currently not active.
Source: Public Record data - Department of State - Division of Corporations.

Source: http://www.corporationwiki.com/Nevad...c-2562552.aspx

[Wet_Boots]

I never liked those kinds of controllers. CRCs or Toro IC8s or Richdel whatevers, not for me.

I think Safe-T-Lawn might have cataloged some plastic zone valves of their own design. They would have looked something like the Hydro-Rain "Century Series" but would have been piston-type valves.

[irrig8r]

Originally Posted by Wet_Boots

I never liked those kinds of controllers. CRCs or Toro IC8s or Richdel whatevers, not for me.

I think Safe-T-Lawn might have cataloged some plastic zone valves of their own design. They would have looked something like the Hydro-Rain "Century Series" but would have been piston-type valves.

I'll look in my old ARCO Parts book... the loose leaf binder version. Always a good reference manual. ARCO was spun off from Automatic Rain Co. and changed to R-Co and now known under different ownership as The Source.

Lots of old RB clocks and manuals here:
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/su...m#discontinued

[sprinklerchris]

Originally Posted by FIMCO-MEISTER

Different company I believe. Not affiliated with the HR of my youth.

The Ericksens of Orbit purchased rights to the Hydro-Rain name. I believe the Toro folks had let them lapse since Hydro-Rain was merged into Hardie/Irritrol.

So Hydro-Rain product today is a dressed-up version of Orbit.

[Wet_Boots]

I wonder what Orbit paid for what was essentially an abandoned trademark. Kind of reminds me of my first VCR, which was an Emerson, an old radio name bought by someone to stick on cheap imports.