Lifting device for towable irrigation towers

A lifting device which can be attached to an all terrain vehicle (ATV) for lifting towable irrigation towers, each of said towers mounted on an axle with wheels that are movable between a first position perpendicular to the axle and a second position parallel with the axle, said axle having a drive shaft motor mounted on the axle for driving the wheels, said lifting device comprising:

• a support frame having parallel arms, each said parallel arm is pinned or bolted at a first end to a clevis attached to an underside of the ATV, a support platform attached at a second end of the parallel arms, said support frame movable between a first position wherein the support frame is oriented parallel to ground and a second position wherein the support frame is lifted above the ground, a parallelogram linkage mounted on the support platform, said linkage having an upper rail and a lower rail and first and second support links, said first and second support links connected with pivots at opposite ends of each of the first and second support links to the upper and lower rails, a hydraulic cylinder connected between the upper and lower rails, the hydraulic cylinder with a base end and a pivot end connected with first and second pivot mounts between the upper and lower rails, the first pivot mount positioned adjacent to and spaced inward from the first support link connected to the lower rail and the second pivot mount positioned adjacent to and spaced inward from the second support link connected to the upper rail, first and second C-shaped saddles on the upper rail for cupping the axle of the tower and spaced apart a distance sufficient to accommodate the drive shaft motor;
• said parallelogram linkage movable by the hydraulic cylinder between a first position wherein the upper rail is below the axle of the tower so that the lifting device may be positioned below the axle and a second position wherein the upper rail is parallel to the lower rail and spaced a distance by the first and second support links above the lower rail sufficient that the C-shaped saddles raise the axle of the tower a distance that the wheels of the tower are lifted above the ground and may be rotated;
• a winch mounted on the ATV with a cable attached to the support frame operable for moving the support frame between the first and second positions, said cable with an end attached to the ATV and passing through first and second pulleys mounted on the support platform;
• and a suspension limiter for stopping movement of the support frame in a direction of the second position of the support frame such that the support frame does not contact the underside of the ATV.

A lifting device which can be attached to an all terrain vehicle (ATV) for lifting towable irrigation towers, each of said towers mounted on an axle with wheels that are movable between a first position perpendicular to the axle and a second position parallel with the axle, said axle having a drive shaft motor mounted on the axle for driving the wheels, said lifting device comprising:

• a support frame having parallel arms with a lug at a first end of each of said parallel arms for attachment of the arm to an underside of the ATV, a support platform attached at a second end of each of the parallel arms, said support frame movable between a first position wherein the support frame is oriented parallel to ground and a second position wherein the support frame is lifted above the ground, a parallelogram linkage mounted on the support platform, said linkage having an upper rail and a lower rail and first and second support links, said first and second support links connected with pivots at opposite ends of each of the first and second support links to the upper and lower rails, a hydraulic cylinder connected between the upper and lower rails, said upper and lower rails formed of C-shaped channel steel and said support links formed of C-shaped channel steel with legs of the C-shaped channel support links pivoted between legs of the C-shaped channel rails, the hydraulic cylinder with a base end and a pivot end connected with first and second pivot mounts between the upper and lower rails, the first pivot mount positioned adjacent to and spaced inward from the first support link connected to the lower rail and the second pivot mount positioned adjacent to and spaced inward from the second support link connected to the upper rail, first and second C-shaped saddles on the upper rail for cupping the axle of the tower and spaced apart a distance sufficient to accommodate the drive shaft motor;
• said parallelogram linkage movable by the hydraulic cylinder between a first position wherein the upper rail is below the axle of the tower so that the lifting device may be positioned below the axle and a second position wherein the upper rail is parallel to the lower rail and spaced a distance by the support links above the lower rail sufficient that the C-shaped saddles raise the axle of the tower a distance that the wheels of the tower are lifted above the ground and may be rotated;
• a winch mounted on the ATV with a cable attached to the support frame operable for moving the support frame between the first and second positions;
• a suspension limiter for stopping movement of the support frame in a direction of the second position of the support frame such that the support frame does not contact the underside of the ATV;
• and auxiliary batteries for powering the winch and a hydraulic pump for powering the hydraulic cylinder mounted on a back rack of the ATV.