McCrometer Meters Superior for These Kansas Farmers and Irrigators

This article originally appeared in North American Farm Equipment Magazine on January 3rd, 2021.

Farmers and irrigation professionals understand how important it is to have reliable flow meters. Besides performing on a daily basis, they need to be easily compatible with state regulations yet still simple to use and long-lasting in the harsh farm environment.

For the Lawless family of Belle Plaine, Kan., there is no other brand quite like McCrometer and their superior products.

“McCrometer is an older and proven company, “says Mark Lawless. “They’ve got a lot of years and testing under its belt.”

Mark Lawless operates DML Irrigation and Lawless Seed with his brother David and father, Lindley. They are also farmers themselves and oversee several thousand acres consisting of cotton, corn, and soybeans. Of their land, roughly one third is irrigated.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources has several mandates and regulations in place regarding how, where, and how much water is used in irrigation. Before issuing a new water rights permit, the state requires that the system have a proper flow meter tube with an approved flow meter installed inside of it. On a regular basis, officials come out and monitor the meters to ensure they are functioning properly and accurately.

Having been in the irrigation business for over 12 years, the Lawless started off by putting systems in for neighbors as T-L Irrigation dealers. As the business grew, they expanded their services and covering a larger area than now extends into neighboring states. As their work involved doing more equipment support and installing new water lines, they took a close look at the different flow meters on the market.  

“We found that McCrometer has a very nice, well-made meter,” says Mark. “We’ve been selling and installing McCrometer ever since.”

Their device of choice is the McPropeller, which they use on almost all of the wells they install and have on their own farm. These heavy-duty meters are built to last, accurate, and easy to collect data.

With a flexible drivetrain and sealed ball bearings, the McPropeller’s design allows for easy service and requires no external power or batteries to work. It can also easily handle tough solids suspended in water without clogging.

McCrometer offers three different registers – mechanical, digital, and wireless which provide accurate and exact readings directly to the user’s website. (For their needs, the Lawless use has used the mechanical setup with great success and accuracy.)

After installation, officials from the state need to come out and verify the accuracy of new flow meters. There is a slim margin of error that meters are allowed to be within, but if not, they need to be shipped back to the supplier and successfully recalibrated.

Right out of the box, Mark says McCrometer always delivers them an extremely accurate and ready-to-go product.

“McCrometer always performs in that manner,” he continues. “Their meters give us the versatility we need here in the irrigation industry. We can put them in different locations and take care of our customers while meeting all their needs.”

The Lawless attribute McCrometer to being a strong component to their customer success and satisfaction. They report that have had excellent feedback about their installations from their customers and have also received several glowing referrals.

“They also give us excellent dealer support,” David Lawless adds. “They are great when we need to get a hold of them and always respond to our needs quickly.”

Installation for McCrometer meters is simple, fast, and easy. Two U-bolts fasten the meter to the tube. After about 10 minutes, it’s set up and ready to go.

Mark also appreciates that they have never needed to utilize the two-year warranty on McCrometer products. In fact, they have yet to replace any meters – some of which have been in continuous service for as long as 20 years.

In certain regions, water can be harder and more abrasive than in others. Kansas is no exception. Mark notes McCrometer products are made with stainless steel which is resistant to corrosion and is good at withstanding their poorer quality water.

McCrometer has some new products on the horizon that the Lawless look forward to utilizing once they are approved in Kansas. These include the Mc®Mag 2000 and the Dura Mag.

The brand new Mc®Mag 2000 comes with an easy-to-read flow meter that is both low cost and low maintenance. Like the McPropeller, it’s a heavy-duty meter that is easily installed and managed.

The modular design allows the owner to independently replace and service each piece. This meter offers mag meter technology for the price of a standard propeller meter. With a saddle-style design and DIY converter programmability, it has the added flexibility of being portable.

The Dura Mag, a battery-powered electromagnetic flow meter, will be particularly beneficial to certain wells that have lower water pressures, Mark explains.

In addition to five-year battery life, the Dura Mag has an internal datalogger that holds five years of data storage with several telemetry-ready output options.

After years of being repeat buyers and sellers, the Lawless couldn’t be happier with McCrometer products and customer service.

“McCrometer brings really good value to our dollar,” says Mark. “You know they make an exceptional product that will last.”

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