Abstract: A drive unit for an irrigation system comprising, a pair of vertical tower members, a base beam, a pair of drive wheels, a sensor, a hydraulic unit and a pair of connecting rods. A pair of drive wheels each is pivotally connected to the front end and the back end of the base beam. Each of the pair of drive wheels are operably connected to a gearbox and a motor. An electrically controlled hydraulic unit is coupled with the sensor and includes a pair of pistons for pulling or pushing the connecting rods. The sensor mounted on the pipeline detects the stress on the pipeline and activates the hydraulic unit. When a change in stress is detected in the pipeline of the irrigation system, the sensor triggers the hydraulic unit that pulls or pushes the connecting rods to turn the drive wheels and to reduce the stress on the span of the irrigation system.