Hand move sprinkler systems are a series of light weight pipeline (aluminium, plastic or layflat) sections that are moved manually from one zone to the other (see pictures). Hand move sprinkler irrigation systems are normally the lowest cost sprinkler systems which offer growers flexibility and are the easiest systems to maintain.  They are very labour intensive, therefore, are  usually found in areas where man power is abundant or the labour cost is low.

In a typical hand move sprinkler irrigation system a mainline is installed from the pump to the field where a submain breaks the field into small blocks. The submain has a series of hydrants with take-off valves to provide water to the lateral. The mainlines can be either aluminium above ground or buried PVC. The submain and laterals are aluminium pipes with couplers and fittings made of aluminium or galvanised steel. The couples and fittings (because of the gaskets) allow the pipes to be easily drained, un-coupled, moved and re-coupled.

After a section of the field has been irrigated, the hydrants are closed and the laterals are drained and carried to the next position.

Impact sprinklers (more than one on a rigid aluminium or PVC pipe) or big volume/heavy duty - also called large area sprinklers/guns - are equally spaced along the lateral lines. The sprinklers are mounted on risers.

Alternation in riser heights, spacing of sprinklers/laterals and water application rates make these systems suitable for almost any crop, except to tall growing field crops - due to difficulty in repositioning laterals.  The flexibility of the hand move sprinklers will adapt to oddly shaped fields, to any variety of crops and to any soil conditions.

Power requirement is based on the sprinkler type (low, medium or high pressure).

Careful design is needed to match the sprinkler spacing, application rate and the infiltration rate of the soil. Efficiency can range between 65-75 %.

Turn-key price for a hand move sprinkler system would be around 2,100-3,900 AUD/ha.