The Remarkable Dragon Spine Pump
A Dragon Spine (water ladder or in Thai rahad) is a low lift pump with sprockets that move a chain of paddles through a slanted trough. Water is lifted as the paddles push the water up the trough. Often sized for one person turning the wheel with push pull handles, but at times up to eight for rotary drives. The pump’s name comes from its resemblance to a dragon’s spine. The Dragon Spine pump has been used for millennia for irrigation and drainage and is still used by farmers in Southeast Asia. The Dragon Spine pump may have been first … Continue reading