Portable film wrapping system

Portable apparatus adapted to be moved along a circular locus around an article disposed at a wrapping station so as to be capable of wrapping the article in wrapping film, comprising:

• a manually movable portable push-cart;
• a drive wheel mounted upon said portable push-cart and engageable with a horizontal surface for rotatable movement along the horizontal surface as said portable push-cart is moved relative to the horizontal surface;
• a vertical mast member mounted upon said portable push-cart;
• a carriage vertically movable upon said vertical mast member;
• a roll of wrapping film mounted upon said carriage;
• a lift sprocket operatively connected to said drive wheel so as to be drivingly rotated in response to said rotatable movement of said drive wheel;
• a lift cable drum;
• a lift cable having a first end connected to said lift cable drum and a second end connected to said carriage;
• and
• a clutch mechanism for moving said lift cable drum between a first position at which said lift cable drum is rotationally connected to said lift sprocket so as to be rotated by said lift sprocket in response to said rotatable movement of said drive wheel whereby said lift cable is wound upon said lift cable drum so as to cause vertical movement of said carriage, and said roll of wrapping film mounted thereon, along said vertical mast member such that spiral wrapping of the article within said wrapping film can be achieved as said portable push-cart is moved around the article disposed at the wrapping station, and a second position at which said lift cable drum is rotationally disconnected from said lift sprocket whereby said lift cable is no longer wound upon said lift cable drum such that said carriage remains at a particular elevational level upon said vertical mast member whereby concentric wrapping of the article within said wrapping film can be achieved as said portable push-cart is moved around the article disposed at the wrapping station.