Anchor for center irrigation pivot
OwnerMichael J. Sorenseninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An anchoring apparatus for an irrigation system is disclosed. The anchoring apparatus includes a support base for securing to an axle of a support tower of the irrigation system. A threaded sleeve is secured to the support base and holds a shaft. The shaft has a threaded portion and an anchor portion. A motor secured to the support base is configured to rotate the shaft in a first direction about a longitudinal axis of the shaft to move the shaft along the longitudinal axis towards an anchoring position to secure and protect the system against wind and severe weather. The motor is also configured to rotate the shaft in a second direction about the longitudinal axis of the shaft to move the shaft along the longitudinal axis towards a disengaging position to lift the anchor portion of the shaft off of the ground.
Claims20
An irrigation system, comprising:
- a plurality of towers supporting an irrigation pipe, each tower of the plurality of towers including a pair of drive wheels and an axle extending between the pair of drive wheels;
- and
- a plurality of at least one anchoring units positioned on at least a subset of unit coupled to at least one tower of the plurality of towers, each the at least one anchoring unit comprising:
- a support base secured to the axle of a tower;
- a threaded sleeve secured to the support base;
- a shaft having a threaded portion and an anchor portion, at least a portion of the threaded portion of the shaft being enclosed within the threaded sleeve;
- and
- a motor secured to the support base, the motor configured for rotating the shaft in a first direction about a longitudinal axis of the shaft and moving the shaft along the longitudinal axis towards an anchoring position wherein at least a portion of the anchor portion of the shaft is drilled into a ground surface, the motor further configured for rotating the shaft in a second direction about the longitudinal axis of the shaft and moving the shaft along the longitudinal axis towards a disengaging position wherein the anchor portion of the shaft is lifted off of the ground surface.
An anchoring apparatus for an irrigation system, the anchoring apparatus comprising:
- a support base adapted to be removably coupled for securing to an axle of a support tower of the irrigation system;
- a threaded sleeve secured to the support base;
- a shaft having a threaded portion and an anchor portion, at least a portion of the threaded portion of the shaft being enclosed within the threaded sleeve;
- and
- a motor secured to the support base, the motor configured for rotating the shaft in a first direction about a longitudinal axis of the shaft and moving the shaft along the longitudinal axis towards an anchoring position, the motor further configured for rotating the shaft in a second direction about the longitudinal axis of the shaft and moving the shaft along the longitudinal axis towards a disengaging position, wherein the support base defines a sleeve of at least approximately 36 inches long.
An anchoring apparatus for an irrigation system, the anchoring apparatus comprising:
- a support base adapted to be removably coupled for securing to an axle of a tower of the irrigation system, the support base defining a sleeve;
- a threaded sleeve secured to the support base;
- a shaft having a threaded portion and an anchor portion, at least a portion of the threaded portion of the shaft being enclosed within the threaded sleeve, the anchor portion of the shaft including an auger;
- a motor secured to the support base, the motor configured for rotating the shaft in a first direction about a longitudinal axis of the shaft and moving the shaft along the longitudinal axis towards an anchoring position wherein at least a portion of the anchor portion of the shaft is drilled into a ground surface, the motor further configured for rotating the shaft in a second direction about the longitudinal axis of the shaft and moving the shaft along the longitudinal axis towards a disengaging position wherein the anchor portion of the shaft is lifted off of the ground surface;
- and
- a switch electronically coupled to the motor, the switch configured for preventing the shaft being rotated beyond a movable range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.