When the temperatures start heating up and the sun shines well into the afternoon, our lawns can really take a beating. With less rain during the warmer summer weather, lawns are almost always at risk of drying out.
Some of us may be fortunate enough to have an underground/pop-up sprinkler system installed to help manage our lawn’s watering. But for many homes, this is not an option.
This means we have to use portable sprinklers. But larger lawns are often difficult to keep watered with most sprinklers. The coverage area is too small and it often involves constant moving of the sprinkler, which is a hassle and causes us to skip watering altogether.
The solution is a sprinkler that covers a larger area, which helps minimize the hassle and how often they have to be moved.
Below, we’ll look at the top sprinklers with large coverage areas for large lawns so you can keep your lawn green with less effort.
Types of Sprinklers
For this roundup, we tested a few varieties of sprinklers that worked best for large area coverage. Each has its benefits and drawbacks, but they offer options for different situations.
Oscillating Sprinkler
By design, these offer larger coverage than a standard stationary sprinkler. The fan-shaped water dispersion covers a wide area and the movement helps to create coverage that is more uniform and evenly distributed.
They are also generally lightweight and durable, making them easy to move around the lawn or store after use.
Impact Sprinkler
These are popular in commercial settings but they also work well for large home lawns. The sprinkler spreads water in a uniform circular pattern as the pressure rotates the spray head. The flow of water is regularly placed in contact with the striking arm, which helps to redistribute the stream and create even coverage.
Traveling Sprinklers
These use some type of locomotion and will follow a track around your lawn to create larger coverage from a smaller sprinkler. Instead of trying to shoot the water farther, the sprinkler itself simply moves in a set pattern around the lawn.
Rotary Sprinklers
These have rotating spray heads that deliver water in a circular pattern. They don’t have as large of a coverage area due to their design, but these can often be easily connected to increase their coverage.
Top Sprinklers For Large Lawns
Melnor XT Oscillating Sprinkler
Price: $55
Oscillating sprinklers are great for large lawns due to their design and they also work great for irregularly shaped lawns. The Melnor XT is a great example of this and also comes at an affordable price with a decent warranty.
The Melnor XT weighs in at just under 2 pounds, making it easy to carry around and place in different areas. It also has a strong coverage area of 4,500 square feet, making it a good choice for large lawns.
It also has adjustability for both flow and width so you can customize it to the area that needs to be watered.
The only downside of this affordable sprinkler is that it’s not as heavy-duty as some of the other models on this list. So this likely won’t last a lifetime. But the warranty is good and you should get plenty of seasons of this if you treat it properly.
Nelson Traveling Sprinkler Rain Train
Price: $75
This sprinkler almost looks like it could be a toy, but it actually works very well in the right conditions.
This robust sprinkler comes with a lifetime warranty, which is nice and sets it apart from many other sprinklers on this list.
It works by following a track that you can place around your lawn. The sprinkler then travels back and forth along the track. That’s a good thing since the unit weighs in at around 17 pounds, so you definitely don’t want to be carrying this from spot to spot.
But that weight also means it’s well-built and should last for years and years with proper care.
With a maximum coverage of 13,000 square feet, this sprinkler can tackle larger lawn sizes without a problem. Best of all, you only have to set it up once per watering.
One thing of note though is that the Rain Train can’t handle rough terrain. You’ll want a well-manicured lawn free of obstacles and uneven areas for this to work best as it can sometimes get stuck.
Orbit Zinc Impact Sprinkler
Price: $65
The Orbit tripod-based sprinkler looks like it may be difficult to move around, but in some ways, it’s easier. The higher tripod design means you don’t have to bend over to pick these up off the ground to move them. That may be a good option for those with bad backs or limited mobility.
The tripod folds up easily for storage, then deploys just as easily when it’s time to place it on the lawn. They only weigh about 5 pounds each, so despite the robust design, they are easy to move.
Being an impact sprinkler, you get nice circular coverage. You also get that unmistakable impact sprinkler sound which some people just love. It can really remind you of summertime or a trip to a baseball field.
The only downside we found with this sprinkler was the rather short warranty. The unit seems well built, but we would like to see a longer warranty on a product like this.
GrowGreen Rotating Lawn Sprinkler
Price: $35
For simplicity and ease of use, it’s hard to beat a rotating lawn sprinkler. The Growgreen model sports a large area of coverage of up to 3,600 square feet. That’s on the lower side of the models in this roundup, so it may not be best for the largest lawns. But it’s still decent coverage and you can easily move this unit around, which weighs well under 2 pounds.
These can also be connected together so that you can get extended coverage pretty easily. Considering the low cost, it’s not a bad choice and an easy way to cover a large lawn rather easily and without much effort.
These are also virtually silent, so those who don’t like the noise of an impact sprinkler will enjoy the peace and quiet with this one.
Dramm 15087 Impulse Sprinkler
Price: $45
This is another impact-style sprinkler but sits flush on the ground instead of using an elevated tripod or stand like the Orbit. This reduces the overall coverage slightly but also makes it easier to store and easier to move around in some cases.
At full water pressure, these can cover 3,600 square feet, although there have been some users that have noticed under higher pressure, the unit will not rotate and will just spray in one direction. We never noticed this issue but if you have very high pressure from your hose, it may be something to consider.
Overall, this is a good impulse sprinkler that is very easy to move around. You can’t connect these together like a similarly sized rotary sprinkler though as there simply isn’t enough pressure from a normal hose to drive more than one.
Large Lawn Sprinkler Overview
Depending on your lawn and your requirements, there should be at least one sprinkler in this round-up that works well for you.
Our most reliable choices were the Melnor oscillator and the Orbit impact models. These provided good, adjustable coverage that was very consistent. Although they may not be the best choice for everyone.
For more adjustable coverage, something like several rotary sprinklers connected together will give you the most options. This is especially true for irregular lawns that have areas tucked away that can’t be reached easily by a large sprinkler spray.
Most importantly, choose something that you don’t mind setting up and tearing down. Because if it’s too time-consuming, you may skip watering altogether when your lawn really needs it.
