Improvements in Travelling Lawn Sprinklers.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Apr., 1892-Accepted 28th May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CHARLES JONATHAN POOLE, of North Conway,
Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States of America.]
Improvements in Travelling Lawn Sprinklers.
I, WALLACE FAIRWEATHER of 62 Saint Vincent Street in the City of
Glasgow, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed
(as communicated to me) to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to travelling lawn sprinklers and more particularly to a
sprinkler in which the water used for sprinkling is at the same time made to propel
the machine over the ground. It is designed for use where a supply of water under
pressure may be had for watering lawns, gardens, hedges etc. It consists in a
vertical pipe mounted upon a body set on wheels, a vertical shaft adapted to rotate
in said pipe, said shaft being geared at the bottom with mechanism arranged to
propel the machine and carrying on its upper end a cap adapted to fit closely over
the upper end of the pipe said cap carrying sprinkler arms opening into the
chamber formed by the cap and pipe. It further consists in combining with the
hereinbefore described elements, stationary sprinkler arms opening into said pipe,
which said stationary arms may be made adjustable so as to throw the water at any
angle of inclination.
In the drawing herewith accompanying and making a part of this application,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of my improved sprinkler;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with pipe and sprinkler arms removed;
Fig. 3 is a detail showing the stationary sprinkler arms, and same letters refer to
like parts.
In the drawing a represents the supporting wheels, 6 the framework or body
supported on the axles of said wheels. Mounted on said body is a vertical pipe c
passing through said pipe is a vertical shaft d. The shaft d has on its lower
extremity a worm-gear e which meshes with a cog f set on a shaft g journalled in
bearings attached to said body. Set on shaft g is a pinion i which meshes with a
cogj loosely set on the axle and having in the side of the hub a clutch 7. Also
adapted to slide on axle k is a clutch m adapted to be slid into and out of engage-
ment with the clutch in cogj by means of a lever n which may be arranged in any
convenient way. The use of the clutch and lever is to enable the machine to be
propelled upon the ground without rotating the sprinkler arms by disengaging the
clutch. The shaft d carries on its upper extremity a cap o adapted to fit closely
upon the top of the pipe and to which are attached the rotary sprinkler arms p
opening into the chamber formed by the pipe and cap. In the rotary sprinkler
arms p are a series of openings q arranged on the same side of each arm.
At a
convenient place in the pipe is a nozzle opening to which the supply hose is
attached.
""
To guide the machine in any desired direction the frames in which the rear
wheel a is journalled may be pivotally attached to the body by means of a pivot
passing through it and by a bolt a passing through one of a series of holes in the
body of the frame s. Thus by changing the bolt from one hole to another any
desired direction may be given to the travelling machine.
In order to throw the water to a greater distance and at different elevatious and

page_text: to reach places that could not be reached by water from rotary sprinkler arms,
connect with the pipe laterally projecting pipes w to the ends of which are pivotally
attached adjustable sprinkler arms x. Said adjustable arms are attached to the
end of pipes w by a knuckle joint and may be turned so as to throw the water at
any angle of inclination desired, one arm throwing out in one direction and the
other throwing in the opposite direction or they may be turned so that both will
throw in the same direction.
The operation of my invention is as follows. The water is introduced to the
pipe under pressure through hose attached to the nozzle, the water escaping from
the rotary arms causes them to revolve and with them the cap and vertical shaft,
which in turn by means of the worm on its lower extremity imparts motion to the
mechanism before described which impels the machine over the ground. The
stationary arms act independently of the rotary arms and being adjustable may be
made to throw water in any desired direction thus adding much to the efficiency of
the machine.
The advantages of my improved sprinkler are that it may be made to travel
directly upon the lawn avoiding the necessity of tracks, guides or ways. Con-
sequently it may be used on any lawn or garden where a supply of water may be
had. It drags the flexible supply hose with it and the steering wheel may be set
so as to cause it to travel either in a straight line or in a circle of any desired
diameter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me, I
declare that what I claim is :
1. In a travelling lawn sprinkler, the combination with rotary sprinkler arms
mounted on wheels adapted to travel upon the ground of a long and flexible hose
attached to a water reservoir and to said sprinkler, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
2. A travelling lawn sprinkler having supporting wheels, rotary sprinkler arms,
a shaft carrying said sprinkler arms and a gear meshing with mechanism for
propelling the machine upon the ground and a flexible hose adapted to supply
water to said sprinkler arms, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In a travelling lawn sprinkler, the combination with a supporting frame and a
vertical pipe mounted thereon, of a rotary vertical shaft in said pipe, rotary
sprinkler arms attached to one end of said shaft and a gear on the other end
meshing with gear for driving the machine, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
4. In a travelling lawn sprinkler, the combination with rotary sprinkler arms
mounted on wheels adapted to travel upon the ground, and a long flexible hose
attached to a water reservoir and to said sprinkler, of an adjustable steering wheel
whereby the machine may be caused to travel in any desired direction, substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
5. In a travelling lawn sprinkler having a frame mounted on wheels adapted to
travel upon the ground, the combination with a vertical pipe mounted on said frame
and a vertical shaft adapted to rotate in said pipe, having on one end a cap carrying
rotary sprinkler arms and fitting closely the top of said pipe, and on its other end a
gear meshing with a system of gears for propelling the machine, and a long flexible
hose for supplying water to said pipe, of stationary sprinkler arms opening into said
pipe, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
6. In an automatically propelled lawn sprinkler, the combination with a frame
mounted on wheels, a pipe set on said frame and a long flexible hose connecting
said pipe and a reservoir, of a shaft adapted to rotate in said pipe carrying on its
upper end a cap having rotary sprinkler arms set therein and on its lower end a
worm-gear, a loose gear on a shaft journalled in said frame and meshing with said
worm-gear and with gear for propelling the machine upon the ground, and a clutch 5

page_text: adapted to fasten said loose gear or its shaft when in operation, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
Dated this Twenty-fifth day of April 1892.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.