4.2.3.1 What is the up-front capital cost of a centre pivot system?
Capital costs: The capital cost of pivot systems can vary considerably, depending upon the specification of the machine, the supply infrastructure, the cost of connecting electricity, and to a certain extent, the competitiveness of the supplier.
An example of the cost of a recently installed machine (2005) is given below. It is a 390 m (48 ha) 7-span pivot with a system capacity of 16 mm/d. It has no end gun, and is fitted with boombacks and wobbler sprinklers.
 | The pivot | $ 106,000 |
| Supply mainline (250 mm, 400 m), suction | $ 21,000 |
| Pump, motor and filter | $ 16,000 |
| Electrical installation | $ 6,000 |
| Pump shed, concrete slab | $ 5,000 |
| Electricity supply extension | $ 15,000 |
| Total | $ 169,000 |
Note: To compare this with border-check irrigation costs in Step 4.1.3, make sure that you allow for all costs such as sowing pastures, fencing, whole farm plan preparation and ideally a drainage reuse system.
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