US2788242A - Reaction type traveling sprinkler - Google Patents

Description

April 9, 1957 1. JEPSON REACTION TYPE TRAVELING SPRINKLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 12, 1949 INVENTO'R; jzl/ar g/s pls'm BY 4c a V Q April 9, 1957 P N 2 2,788,242

REACTION TYPE TRAVELING SPRINKLER Filed Nov. 12, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 12 fig? Cie 0.5% BY 4 7 April 9, 1957 l. JEPSON REACTION TYPE TRAVELING SPRINKLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 12 1949 REACTION TYPE TRAVELING SPRINKLER Ivar Jepsou, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application November 12, 1949, Serial No. 126,857 4 Claims. (Cl. 299-50) The present invention relates to sprinklers particularly adapted for watering lawns, gardens, golf courses and the like, and more specifically to a self-propelling or traveling sprinkler wherein the sprinkler physically moves over the area to be sprinkled, thereby permitting a larger area to be covered than would otherwise be possible. Specifically the present invention is animprovement on prior copending Jepson application Serial No. 107,653, filed July 30, 1949, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

The conventional method of sprinkling lawns and the like comprises a stationary sprinkler which is placed in a predetermined position for. sprinkling the area immediately surrounding the sprinkler. When this area has been covered with water sufficiently, the sprinkler is manually moved to a new area. Occasionally forgetful people permit their sprinklers to operate for hours located in the same place. This obviously results in an excess of water being applied to the lawn or area being sprinkled with an undesirable expense for the wasted water.

It is a common practice for most people to sprinkle their lawns in the late afternoons, and in dry seasons when everyone is sprinkling their lawns at this time, the water pressure is reduced so that a much greater sprinkling period is necessary for the same water distribution than would be the case if the pressure were normal. If it were possible to water the lawns later in the evenings when everyone is asleep, more satisfactory sprinkling would be accomplished since at that time the water pressure would be at its maximum value. With the general type of sprinklers employed, however, this would necessitate someone remaining awake periodically to move the sprinkler to a new location so that complete coverage of the lawn is obtained. In the copending application referred to above, there is disclosed a self propelling sprinkler which moves itself over the desired area to give complete coverage and automatically shuts itself oil? when this has been accomplished whereby no attention to the sprinkler is necessary and the occupant of the house can go to bed and still accomplish complete sprinkling of his lawn to the best advantage at times when the water pressure is high and other conditions for sprinkling are optimum.

In the above referred to copending application there is discussed a novel type of sprinkler in which traction with the hose supplying the sprinkler with water is provided to propel the sprinkler forward. This has numerous advantages set forth in the copending application over self-propelling sprinklers which depend upon traction with the ground for causing movement thereof. The present invention is concerned with an improved arrangement which may readily be associated with any hose in a simple and expeditious manner and which provides ample traction for all sizes and types of conduits normally employed to supply water under pressure "to sprinklers.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention nited States Patent 2 to provide a new and improved self-propelling lawn sprinkler.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a self-propelled sprinkler including improved means for providing traction with the conduit supplying water to the same to cause forward movement thereof.

Still another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a sprinkler of the self-propelled type adapted to grippingly engage the hose to cause forward movement thereof including improved means for readily associating the sprinkler with the hose.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic traveling sprinkler embodying the present invention and showing its association with a conventional hose for supplying water under pressure thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view partly in section of the automatic sprinkler shown in Fig. 1.;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view with certain portions thereof cut away of the sprinkler shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings there is disclosed a self-propelled sprinkler generally designated at 10 which is connected to a source of water under pressure through a conduit such as a conventional hose generally designated at 11, the hose being provided with the usual coupling 12 for making connection with the sprinkler it). The drawings illustrate the present invention as embodied in a sprinkler especially designed for sprinkling lawns, golf courses and the like.

The traveling sprinkler 10 of the present invention may comprise any suitable means for distributing water over a substantial area which area may be fixed or variable. For example, the traveling sprinkler 10 may be provided with a fixed nozzle arrangement for distributing water over a predetermined area when a predetermined pressure is applied thereto. Preferably, however, the water distributing means comprises a rotary reaction type of device whereby the mechanical energy produced in rotating a sprinkler head may also be employed for propelling the sprinkler over the area to be watered. As far as the present invention is concerned the rotary reaction type sprinkler may take any form Whether adapted to watering a fixed area for a particular location of the unit or Whether it "be provided with means for adjusting the area covered for any given location thereof. Preferably, and as illustrated in the drawings. the means for distributing water over a predetermined area comprises a rotating sprinkler arrangement such as is disclosed and claimed in Iepson Patent 2,335,281 granted November 30, 1943 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

Considering first the rotary sprinkler element which is substantially identical to the one disclosed in the above mentioned lepson patent, the sprinkler 10 comprises a movable carriage generally designated at 14 upon which is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis a nozzle carrying head generally designated at 15. in the illustrated embodiment the head 15 is hollow and threaded onto the upper end of a hollow bearing stud 1-6 which is "suitably journaled in means to be described hereinafter supported on the carriage 14. The hollow bearing exrsseaa stud 16, in addition to supporting the head 15, also delivers water under pressure to the hollow head 15 to which are attached a pair of tubular nozzle members 17 and 18. The tubular nozzle members 17 and 13 are designed so as to utilize the reaction force of the water jet delivery therefrom to cause rotation of the nozzles and the head 15 about the vertical axis of the bearing stud 1d. The tubular nozzles 16 and 17 are illustrated as being disposed with their longitudinal axes arranged at an acute angle with respect to the vertical axis of the bearing stud 16 and furthermore inclined downwardly. Each of these nozzles is provided with a plurality of discharge orifices 2i and the outer ends of each nozzle are closed by screw caps 21 which are removable for cleaning purposes. The nozzles 17 and 18 are furthermore rotatable about their longitudinal axes in response to adjustment of a suitable indicator knob 22, whereby the area of distribution of water from the sprinkler may be adjusted over a range which, for example, might vary from an area of to 50 feet in diameter with constant water pressure supplied to the sprinkler 11). The details of the nozzle adjustment form no part of the present invention but are fully disclosed and claimed in the above mentioned .iepson patent.

As is illustrated in the drawings, the hollow bearing stud 16 is mounted on the movable carriage 14. This carriage 14 is supported upon three rollers or wheels comprising the wheels or rollers 26 and 27 disposed at opposite sides thereof and a guide roller 23 disposed at the rear of the carriage 14.

The carriage 14 includes a plurality of separate castings Eda, 30b and 30c respectively, each preferably formed of a light die casting alloy such as an aluminum alley or the like, and a sheet metal cover member 31 which provides a streamlined appearance for the entire carriage 14. The sheet metal cover member 31 preferably completely encloses the top and sides of the carriage and is provided with suitable openings through which portions of the sprinkler may protrude. The guide roller 28 supports the rear of the cover member 31 and is pivotally mounted as indicated at 32 to a U-shaped bracket 33 welded or otherwise secured to the cover member 31. This guide roller 28 is furthermore provided with a central depression to receive the hose 11 therein and hence guide the carriage 14 to follow the hose 11.

As best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, the castings 30a and 30b define a gear chamber 36 for a reduction gear mechanism to be described hereinafter which gear chamber is disposed near the forward portion of the carriage 14. The casting Bite, on the other hand, is supported above the casting 30a as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings. Preferably the cover member 51 is provided with an opening 37 at the upper front center thereof over which the casting 3G0 is disposed. The lower portion of the casting 300 is provided with a peripheral flange 38 engaging with the top surface of the cover member 31 and suitable fastening means such as stud bolts or the like hold the cover member 31 and the castings 30a, 3% and She in the assembled relationship shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The casting 360 projects upwardly from the carriage 31 iaud includes an upper threaded portion 39 for receiving a threaded bushing 44 which in turn removably supports a bearing sleeve 41 within which the bearing stud 16 is rotatably journaled. The casting She further includes an integral downwardly inclined conduit portion 42 adapted to be connected to a short conduit section 63 which terminates in a conventional hose coupling 4-4 for making connection with the coupling 12 associated with the hose 11. With this arrangement, when water under a suitable pressure is supplied to the hose 11, this water is supplied to a water chamber 45 defined within the upper portion of the casting 300 into which the hollow hearing stud 16 extends. This bearing stud is provided with a plurality of openings 46 which are normally disposed within the chamber and through which water under pressure may flow to reach the hollow bearing stud i6 and eventually the hollow head 15 and tubular nozzles 17 and 18. The cover member 31 is provided at its rear with a suitable opening 48 through which the conduit 4-3 may extend.

For the purpose of converting the relatively high speed rotary motion of the bearing stud 16 to a low speed driving torque applied to a pair of traction rollers 49 and 56 described in greater detail hereinafter, there is disposed within the gear chamber 36 a suitable reduction gear mechanism whereby the carriage 14 may be propelled forwardly at a rate within the range of 25 to 50 feet per hour depending upon the setting of the control knob 22 and, of course, also to some extent upon the pressure of the water supply connected to the conduit i3. Essentially the reduction gear mechanism comprises a horizontal shaft 51 disposed within the gear chamber at. As indicated in the drawings, this shaft is journaled at its ends in suitable bearings 52 defined within the chamber 36. The shaft 51 is further provided, adjacent to each end, with worm gear sections specifically designated as 53 and 54 respectively. At the central portion of the shaft 51 and fixedly mounted thereto, is a gear 55 disposed to be drivingly engaged by a worm gear 56 formed on the lower end of a vertical shaft 57 which is effectively an extension of the bearing stud 16. It will be understood that the shaft 57 may be integral with the bearing stud 16. From the standpoint of ease of manufacture, however, it may be preferable to have the bearing stud 16 and the shaft 57 manufactured separately and subsequently integrally related by a drive fit or the like as indicated at 58. The vertical shaft 57 is journaled in a suitable bearing 59 supported by the casting 390 where the shaft 57 extends outside the water chamber 45. The lower end of the shaft 57 is adapted to be in engagement with a suitable thrust bearing 69 comprising a nylon button or the like for taking the vertical thrust of the shaft 57 which includes the vertical thrust of the bearing stud 16 by virtue of the rotating sprinkler head 15. The casting 30a is provided with a suitable opening at the upper end thereof into which the shaft 57 may extend for driving engagement of the worm portion 56 thereof with the gear 55.

For the purpose of transmitting the rotary motion of the shaft 51 which rotates at a considerably reduced speed as compared with the speed of rotation of the shaft 57, to a still lower speed of rotation of the traction rollers 49 and 59, there are provided a pair of members 62 and 63 respectively each having an integral tubular sleeve like extension 62a and 6311 respectively. Preferably the members 62 and 63 are disposed within the gear chamber 36 with the sleeve like extension 62a and 63a having their longitudinal axes disposed in a vertical direction and protruding beneath the casting 30b through suitable elongated openings 64 and 65 defined therein. Suitable fingers 66 integrally formed on the casting 39a within the gear chamber 36 preferably hold the members 62 and 63 in the positions shown. As best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings suitable bearings 67 are mounted within each of the sleeve like extensions 62a and 63a respectively into which are journaled shafts 68 and 69, the shaft 63 being associated with the sleeve like extension 6211 while the shaft 69 is associated with the sleeve like extension 63a. Fastened to the upper end of the shaft 68 is a gear 7% disposed in driving engagement with the worm portion 53 associated with the shaft 51. Similarly fastened to the upper end of the shaft 69 is a gear 71 drivingly engaged with the worm portion 54 of the shaft 51. The Worm portions 53 and 54 are so arranged as to cause rotation in the opposite directions of the shafts 68 and 69. To produce forward motion of the carriage 14, the roliers 49 and 50 must rotate in counterclockwise and clockwise manner respectively as viewed in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

weenie As is clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the traction rollers 49 and 50 each comprise an annular traction portion 71a preferably formed of a molded rubber or plastic having a concave exterior surface for conforming to the periphery of the hose 11 to provide the necessary traction. A pair of end plates 72 and 73 are disposed, one on either side of the traction portion 71a, the elements 71a, 72 and 73 being integrally related by suitable fastening means 74. The rollers 49 and 50 are attached for rotation with the shafts 63 and 69 respectively in any suitable manner. As illustrated, each shaft is provided with a portion of reduced cross section at the lower end thereof extending through a suitable opening in the associated plate 73 and the end of the shaft is peened over as indicataed at 75 to complete the assembly. The plates 72, on the other hand, are provided with large enough openings to accommodate thevsleeves 62a and 63a and similarly the annular traction portions 71a have large enough center openings to accommodate the sleeves 62a and 63a.

It will be understood that to provide the necessary traction, the rollers 49 and 50 must be biased toward each other into driving engagement with the exterior surface of the hose 11. To this end there are provided a pair of tension springs 78 and 780. which are connected to the members 62 and 63, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, to tend to bias the rollers 49 and 50 toward each other. Such relative movement of the rollers 49 and 50 toward each other is permitted by virtue of the elongated slots 64 and 65 respectively.

With the arrangement described thus far it will be apparent that the heavy tension springs 78 and 78a will make it diflicult to spread apart the traction rollers 49 and St) for insertion of the hose 11 therebetween. In accordance with the present invention, each of the members 62 and 63 is related to an associated lever member, the member 62 being associated with a lever member 79 while the member 63 is associated with a lever member 80. These lever members are pivotally supported, as indicated at 81, to the casting 30b and are provided with manually engageable extensions 79:: and 80a which extend through suitable openings 82, defined in the forward end of the cover member 31. The other ends of the lever members 79 and 8d are provided with suitable spaced finger members 83 effectively forming a forked extension to receive therein the sleeve like extension 62a and 63a of the members 62 and 63 respectively. It will be apparent that if the ends 79a and 80a are moved toward each other, the sleeve like extension 62a and 63a will be moved apart against the bias of the tension springs '73 and 78a, whereupon the hose 11 may be disposed between the traction rollers 49 and 50.

For the purpose of guiding the movement of the castings 62 and 63 to maintain them in proper relationship when inserting or removing the hose from between the traction rollers 49 and 50, the castings 62 and 63 each preferably include a toothed portion 86 cooperating with suitable rack members 87 integrally formed on the casting 30a within the gear chamber 36. Effectively there is provided a rack mechanism which upon actuation of the lever member 79 and '80, causes limited rotational 'movement of the members 62 and 63 while at the same time causing relative movement toward or away from each other of the sleeve like extensions "62a and 63a. it will thus be apparent that there is provided a very simple arrangement for positioning the hose 1]. between the traction rollers 49 and 50 while at the same time insuring that these rollers provide positive driving traction for'a'ny size hose or conduit and regardless of the type of mate rial of which the hose or conduit is formed.

With the arrangement described thus far, it will be apparent that there is provided a traveling sprinkler which propels itself by traction with the hose over any area to be sprinkled. Furthermore by appropriate adjustment of the control knob or button 22, a wide or narrow strip on either side of the base may be s'prinkled sacraments with the will of the operator. Without more, however, the sprinkler will continue to operate until the water supply is shut off. For the purpose of automatically stopping the forward movement of the self-propelling sprinkler 10, there is provided an automatic shut off mechanism very similar to that disclosed in the prior copending Jepson application referred to above. To this end there is provided a stop member which is attached to the hose 11 at any suitable place and it is adapted to engage the end of a trip lever 91 protruding through a suitable opening defined in the cover member 31 at the forward end thereof.

For the purpose of causing actuation of the trip lever 91 to stop rotative movement of the sprinkler head 15, it is necessary that actuation of the trip lever 91 cause the water supply to the sprinkler head 15 to be shut off. For accomplishing this purpose the bearing stud 16 is movable vertically to a limited extent but sufficiently so that the openings 46 may be moved upwardly into the bearing sleeve 41. In accordance with the present invention, the thrust bearing 60 is mounted on a vertically movable plate 93 which is attached to the lower ends of a. pair of vertically disposed rods 94, one located 'on either side of the shaft 57. These rods '94 extend through suit able openings defined in the casting 30a and the upper ends are interconnected by a plate which has a central opening through which the shaft 57 may extend. Effectively the members 93, 94 and 95 define a rectangular frame member supporting the thrust bearing 60. A suitable compression spring 97 concentrically arranged with respect to the shaft 57 is compressed between the plate 95 and the casting 30a normally tending to bias the plate 95, and consequently the thrust bearing 60gand shaft 57 in an upward direction to tend to close the valve effectively provided by the openings 46 which are movable from the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings into the sleeve bearing 41.

In order to prevent the spring 97 from normally shutting ofi the water supply to the sprinkler head 15 when it is desired to operate the sprinkler, a latch mechanism is provided to hold the thrust bearing 60 into its lowermost position, and consequently to maintain the spring 97 in its compressed condition. To this end the trip lever 91, which is a reciprocally movable member disposed in a suitable groove 98 defined in the upper surface of the casting 30b, is provided with a pair of upwardly extending hook shaped latch members 100 which are adapted to engage the ends of the latch 93 in the manner shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, thereby maintaining the thrust bearing 60 in its lowermost position. A suitable bar or strap 101 extending across the groove 98 and fastened to the casting 36b prevents the latch-like extensions 1'00 from moving upwardly under the bias of compression spring 97, thereby retaining the thrust bearing 60 in its lower-most position.

For the purpose of maintaining the latch members 100 in latching engagement with the plate 93, the forward end of the latch member 91 protruding outside the gear chamber 36 is provided with a portion of reduced cross section to receive a compression spring 103 whichhas oneend in engagement with the exterior of the gear chamber and the other end in engagement with the shoulders 104 defined by virtue of the cut away portion of the trip rod 91. This compression spring tends to bias the trip lever 91 towards the left as viewed in Fig. 2 of the drawings. When the forward motion of the sprinkler 19 causes the end of the trip lever 91 to engage the stop 90, continued forward movement will cause the rod 91 to move to the right as viewed in Fig. 2 of the drawings with the consequent release of the latching means and upward movement 'of the shaft 57 under the bias of the spring means 97 whereupon the water supply to the head 15 is effectively shut oif.

To prevent the leakage of water from the water chain her 45 during both the opened and closed condition of :the automatic valve effectively provided by a limited vertical movement of the bearing stud 16 there are provided a plurality of sealing gaskets designated as 106, 107, 108 and 109 respectively. The sealing gasket 106 is disposed around the bearing stud 16 above the sleeve bearing 41 to prevent water leakage around the bearing stud 16 when the sprinkler is operating. A suitable compression spring 110 concentrically arranged with the bearing stud 16 and having one end in engagement with the sprinkler head 15 biases the sealing gasket 106 into its sealing position. The sealing gasket 108 is very similar to the gasket 106 and is concentrically arranged with the shaft 57 Within the water chamber 45. A compression spring 111 biases gasket 108 into sealing engagement with the bearing 59 so as to prevent water leakage from the lower end of the water chamber 45 when the automatic shut oil valve as described above is in its effectively open condition as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The sealing gaskets 107 and 109 concentrically arranged with the hearing stud 16 and the shaft 57 respectively prevent water leakage from the chamber 45 when the automatic shut off valve is closed or in other words when the bearing 'stud 16 is moved upwardly so that the holes 46 are within the sleeve bearing 41. Under this condition the gasket 107 is disposed in sealing engagement with the lower end of the sleeve bearing 41 and the gasket 109 is in sealing engagement with the lower end of the bearing '59. When the gaskets 107 and 109 are in their sealing positions the sprinkler is not rotating and consequently the gasket material is indicated as directly engaging the cooperating sealing surface. The sealing gaskets 106 and 108, on the other hand, must provide a satisfactory seal between relatively rotating members and hence are constructed to provide this type of seal as is clearly apparent from Fig. 2 of the, drawings.

When the sprinkler has automatically shut itself off, it may be re-set in a very simple manner merely by depressing the sprinkler head 15 thereby stressing the compression spring 97 and causing the latching plate 93 to move down the inclined faces 100a of the latching memher 100 until latching engagement is provided by virtue of the biasing spring 103 associated with the trip lever 91.

In view of the detailed description included above, the operation of the self-propelled sprinkler 10 of the present invention will readily be understood by those skilled in the art and no further discussion is included herewith. To initiate operation of the sprinkler 10, it is merely necessary to position the hose 11 on the surface to be sprinkled in such a manner as to determine the path which it is desired for the sprinkler to follow in its movement over the lawn surface. The obstruction or stop member 90 is then attached to the hose 11 at the point where it is desired to step forward movement of the sprinkler. The end of the hose not connected to the water supply .is then connected to the coupling 44 and the levers '79 and valve referred to above in the open position shown in Fig; 2 of the drawings. Thereafter water under pressure may be supplied to the hose 11 and the sprinkler will operate with the head 15 rotating at high speed and "the carriage 14 moving forwardly by traction with the hose 11 ata relatively low speed. The hose 11 connected to the sprinkler. 10 is pulled by the carriage 14 until the obstruction or stop plate 90 is reached. It will be apparent that the small loop of hose disposed at the rear of the sprinkler when the sprinkling operation is initiated will gradually increase in size until the stop plate is engaged by the trip lever 91. When the latter event occurs, the water supply to the sprinkler head 15 is auto ticular embodiment of the present invention, it is not desired that the invention be limited to the construction shown and described, for it will, of course, be obvious to those skilled in the art, that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the present invention in its broader aspects, and it is therefore aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A sprinkler of the rotary reaction type having nozzles revolving about a vertical axis comprising a support for rotatably supporting said nozzles, a pair of pivotally mounted lever members, a pair of rotatable members one supported on each of said lever members and adapted to receive a water supply conduit therebetween, means for causing said rotatable members to move towards each other to grip said conduit therebetween comprising spring means connected to said lever members, means responsive to rotation of said nozzles for rotating said 'members to cause said sprinkler to propel itself along in response to the conversion of water under pressure supplied thereto through a hose or the like to mechanical motion, means for supporting said carriage, means defining an elongated opening in the bottom of said carriage, a member mounted on said carriage including a sleeve like extension depending through said opening, a pair of spaced vertical shafts supported by said carriage and drivingly connected to said water motor, one of said shafts being journaled in said sleeve like extension, a pair of friction drive rollers one connected to each of said shafts for receiving therebetween said hose, means for biasing said sleeve like extension toward a predetermined end of said elongated opening to cause said rollers frictionally to engage a hose disposed therebetween whereby said sprinkler is pulled along said hose in response to operation of said motor, and a lever means connected to said extension for moving the same toward the other end of said opening whereby relative separation of said rollers occurs.

3. In a self-propelling lawn sprinkler, a movable carriage, a motor associated with said carriage and rotatable in response to the conversion of water under pressure supplied thereto through a hose or the like to mechanical motion, means for supporting said carriage, means defining a pair of spaced elongated openings in the bottom of said carriage, a pair of members mounted on said carriage each including a sleeve like extension depending through a different one of said openings, a pair of spaced vertical shafts supported by said carriage and drivingly connected to said water motor, each of said shafts being journaled in a different one of said sleeve like extensions, a pair of friction drive rollers one connected to the lower end of each of said shafts for receiving therebetween a water supplyhose, means for biasing said sleeve like extensions toward adjacent ends of said elongated openings to cause said rollers frictionally to engage a hose disposed therebetween whereby said sprinkler is pulled along said hosein reponse to operation of said motor, and

lever means connected to said extensions for moving said extensions toward the other ends of said openings whereby said rollers are moved apart.

4. In a self-propelling lawn sprinkler, a movable carriage, a motor associated with said carriage and rotatable in response to the conversion of water under pressure supplied thereto through a hose or the like to mechanical motion, means for supporting said carriage, means defining a pair of spaced elongated openings in the bottom of said carriage, a pair of members mounted on said carriage each including a sleeve like extension depending through a different one of said openings, a pair of spaced vertical shafts supported by said carriage and drivingly connected to said water motor, each of said shafts being journaled in a different one of said sleeve like extensions, a pair of friction drive rollers one connected to the lower end of each of said shafts for receiving therebetween said hose, means for biasing said sleeve like extensions toward adjacent ends of said elongated openings to cause said rollers frictionally to engage a hose disposed therebetween whereby said sprinkler is pulled 10 along said hose in response to operation of said motor, lever means connected to said extensions for moving said extensions toward the other ends of said openings whereby said rollers are moved apart, and means for guiding said extensions during such movement to different portions of said openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Life, pp. 125-6; vol. 26; No. 24, June 13, 1949.

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