Self-propelled irrigation apparatus

Claim 1

A SELF-PROPELLED IRRIGATION APPARATUS COMPRISING AN UPSTANDING WATER SUPPLY PIPE, AN ELONGATED HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED WATER DISTRIBUTING PIPE HAVING ONE END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPLY PIPE FOR MOVEMENT OF SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE ABOUT SAID SUPPLY PIPE AS AN AXIS, A MAIN MOBILE SUPPORT DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE ADJACENT THE OTHER END THEREOF AND FIXEDLY CARRYING SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE, A PLURALITY OF DISCHARGE NOZZLES SPACED ALONG SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE BETWEEN ITS ENDS FOR SPRAYING WATER ONTO THE LAND AS THE DISTRIBUTING PIPE MOVES ABOUT SAID SUPLY PIPE AS AN AXIS, A PLURALITY OF INTERMEDIATE MOBILE SUPPORTS ARRANGED TRANSVERSELY OF AND AT SPACED POSITIONS ALONG SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE, MEANS ON EACH INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT SUSPENDINGLY SUPPORTING THE ADJACENT PORTION OF SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE, AN UPSTANDING FRAME RISING FROM SAID SUPPORT, A PENDULUM WITHIN AND HAVING THE UPPER END PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED FROM SAID FRAME AND HAVING THE LOWER END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE ADJACENT PORTION OF SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE, ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVE MEANS ON EACH INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT, A CONTROL ELEMENT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE ELECTRIC MOTOR OF EACH INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT AND OPERABLE TO ENERGIZE THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND ACTIVATE ITS INTENDED DRIVE MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAGGING BEHIND OF THE INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT AND TO DE-ENERGIZE THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND STOP ITS INTENDED DRIVE MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH RESTORATION OF SAID INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT TO A POSITION OF ALIGNMENT WITH SAID MAIN SUPPORT, AND ACTUATING MEANS OPERATIVELY-CONNECTED TO THE CONTROL ELEMENT ON EACH INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT, SAID ACTUATING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF UPSTANDING LEVERS DISPOSED WITHIN THE FRAME OF EACH INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT AND ON OPPOSED SIDES OF AND SPACED FROM SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE AND CONNECTED TO THE FRAME FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT TOGETHER ABOUT SPACED HORIZONTAL AXES BETWEEN THE UPSTANDING POSITION AND POSITIONS SLOPING FROM ONE OR THE OTHER SIDE OF THEIR AXES, AND MEANS CONNECTING THE ADJACENT CONTROL ELEMENT TO SAID PAIR OF LEVERS FOR MOVEMENT WITH THE LATTER LEVERS, ONE OF THE LEVERS OF EACH PAIR BEING IN BEARING CONTACT WITH SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE UPON EXECUTION OF THE MOVEMENT OF THE PAIR OF LEVERS TO ONE SIDE OF THEIR AXES TO SHIFT THE CONTROL ELEMENTS TO ENERGIZE THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND ACTIVATE ITS ATTENDANT DRIVE MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAGGING BEHIND OF THE INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT AND THE OTHER OF THE LEVERS OF EACH PAIR BEING IN BEARING CONTACT WITH SAID DISTRIBUTING PIPE UPON EXECUTION OF THE MOVEMENT OF THE PAIR OF LEVERS TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THEIR AXES TO SHIFT THE CONTROL ELEMENT TO DE-ENERGIZE THE ELECTRIC MOTOR AND STOP ITS ATTENDANT DRIVE MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH RESTORATION OF THE INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT TO A POSITION OF ALIGNMENT WITH SAID MAIN SUPPORT.