Automatic multiple move irrigation line

• US 4,291,837 A
• Filed: 11/13/1979
• Issued: 09/29/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lyndle G. Gheen
• Original Assignee: Lyndle G. Gheen
• Inventors: Gheen, Lyndle G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwadron, Martin P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chambers, A. Michael
• Application Number:
  US06/092,950
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 137/344, 239/709, 239/721, 239/69, 239/70, 239/177, 239/124, 239/718
• US Class Current: 239/70
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/09 Watering arrangements making use of movable installations on wheels or the like

Abstract

An irrigation line move operates fully automatically for twenty-four hours and includes a prime mover carriage carrying a gasoline engine which drives a pipe of a wheel line through a hydraulic drive system, and the wheel pipe, through a first planetary transmission, drives a shaft paralleling the pipe. The shaft drives a slave carriage through a second planetary transmission. The engine is started under the control of a circuit having a stepping switch which sequentially shuts off water to the line, allows the line to drain, starts the engine to move the line, stops the engine, and turns on the water to the pipe. The above cycle is repeated after a given time of irrigation. The first planetary transmission includes a chain driving a plurality of planetary sprockets.

Claims

1. In an automatic multiple move irrigation line,

an irrigation pipe,

wheel means supporting the pipe,

a prime mover,

motor means drivable by the prime mover for driving the wheel means,

starting means for starting the prime mover,

solenoid means for actuating the starting means,

means for supplying water under pressure to the pipe, timing circuit means for periodically actuating the solenoid means.

water control means responsive to the timing circuit means for shutting off the water supplying means before each actuation of the starting means, drain means resonsive to said circuit means for draining the pipe before each actuation of said starting means,

means for stopping the prime mover at the end of each predetermined move of the line,

the water control means being responsive to the timing circuit means for actuating the water supplying means to the line only after the prime mover is stopped each time to sprinkle,

and means responsive to a predetermined number of cycles of moves and sprinklings for actuating the water control means and prevent further actuation of the solenoid means.

2. The line of claim 1 wherein the prime mover comprises a gasoline engine,

the starting means including a starter for starting the engine, the timer means including means for actuating the starting means a plurality of times until the engine is started.

3. The line of claim 2 including a remote control manual override switch at one end of the line for actuating the starting means.

4. The line of claim 3 including a remote control manual override switch for running the engine at said end of the line.

5. The line of claim 1 including reversible transmission means driving the wheel means and driven by the prime mover and manual control means for reversing the transmission means to reverse the direction of movement of the wheel means.

6. In an automatic multiple move irrigation line,

an irrigation pipe,

a plurality of wheels keyed to the pipe,

wheel carriage means,

transmission means for rotating the pipe,

drive means carried by the carriage means and including a prime mover for driving the transmission means,

programming means for automatically periodically starting and running the prime mover,

means responsive to movement of the pipe over a predetermined distance for stopping the prime mover,

and counting means for establishing a predetermined maximum number of moves of the pipe and for preventing further starting of the prime mover after the last of the maximum number of moves of the pipe occurs and including manually operable means for starting the programming means, the programming means including means for opening valve means to sprinkle for a predetermined period of time after the manually operable means has started the programming means and for closing the valve means at the end of said predetermined period of sprinkling time, the line including automatic drain means, said drain means responsive to a timing means for draining the line prior to the starting of the prime mover, said timing means responsive to said programming means, the programming means serving to start the prime mover a predetermined period of drain time after said end of the period of sprinkling time, coupler means for connecting the engine to the transmission means, the programming means serving the actuate the coupler means to connect the engine to the transmission means after a predetermined warm up operation of the engine, the programming means including means for stopping the engine after a predetermined move, the programming means including means for again opening the valve means and repeating the above-outlined cycle.

7. The line of claim 6 wherein the prime mover comprises an internal combustion engine including a starter,

the programming means including actuating means for repeatedly actuating the starter a predetermined number of times,

and means responsive to running of the engine for rendering the actuating means ineffective.

8. The line of claim 6 wherein the programming means serves to repeat the cycle a predetermined maximum number of times.

9. In an irrigation line,

a plurality of sections of pipe joined together to form a pipe line,

a plurality of wheels supporting and keyed to the pipe sections,

a prime mover carriage,

means for energizing the prime mover carriage for a predetermined number of cycles of a predetermined duration and for preventing the energization of the prime mover carriage after the occurrence of the predetermined number of cycles,

means on the prime mover carrriage journaling one of the pipe sections,

a prime mover on the prime mover carriage,

a bull gear keyed to the pipe line and driven by the prime mover,

a slave carriage,

means on the slave carriage journaling a second one of the pipe sections,

a shaft,

means on the pipe sections journaling the shaft in a position extending along the pipe sections from one of the carriages to the other and revolving the shaft as the pipe sections are rotated,

a plurality of pairs of sprockets arranged around and revolved with the shaft,

the sprockets of each pair being keyed together,

first chain means connecting one sprocket of each pair together,

drive chain means meshing with some of the other sprockets,

means driving the drive chain means in synchronism with the drive of the bull gear,

means keying one end of the shaft to one sprocket of one of the pairs of sprockets,

and planetary transmission means at the slave carriage for driving the second one of the pipe sections.

10. The line of claim 9 including annular means mounting the pairs of sprockets on said one of the pipe sections.

11. The line of claim 10 wherein the annular means includes spaced first and second discs and a plurality of aligned pairs of bearing means on the discs,

a plurality of shafts journaled in the pairs of bearing means and carrying and keyed to the pairs of sprockets.