US 7,546,963 B2Granted

Centre pivot irrigators

OwnerNicolaas Laurisse Sielinginventor

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Abstract

Connecting apparatus for use with centre pivot irrigation equipment that includes a boom supported on ground wheels and made up of one or more pipes arranged to rotate about a water supply pipe to which the boom is connected. The apparatus is provided with a U-shaped flexible pipe assembly for connecting the boom to the water supply pipe so as to enable the boom to move radially towards and away from the water supply pipe as it rotates while remaining connected thereto. This radial movement causes the distance between the ground wheels and the water supply pipe to vary and reduces the damage caused to a crop and the land in the path of the wheels. The apparatus includes a structure that is rigidly connected to the inner end of the boom. The structure may include rails that slide over a seat mounted on the water supply pipe.

Claims11

Dependent claims

Connecting apparatus for use with irrigation equipment that includes a pipe assembly comprising one or more water delivery pipes arranged to rotate about a central location while being supported above the ground by one or more ground wheels, the connecting apparatus being provided with means for connecting the pipe assembly to a water supply facility in such manner as to enable the pipe assembly to rotate about the central location while remaining connected to the water supply facility, and means to vary the distance between the or each ground wheel and the central location as the pipe assembly rotates, including a flexible connector, a take up member mounted on the water supply facility, and means for mounting the flexible connector between the pipe assembly and the take up member in a configuration to allow the flexible connector to be wound onto the take up member and therefore shorten the distance between the pipe assembly and the central location.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.