Patent ID: 7066414

Claim:
The method of reducing stress in a center pivot irrigation system during a period of time that the system is not functioning and is experiencing cooler temperatures with the system having: a) a pivot support assembly including a horizontally extending pipe portion; b) an elongated irrigation pipeline, having inner and outer ends, supported upon a plurality of spaced-apart drive towers; c) the inner end of the pipeline being fluidly connected to the horizontally extending pipe portion of the pivot support assembly; comprising the following steps: d) fluidly disconnecting the inner end of the pipeline from the horizontally extending pipe portion of the pivot support assembly; e) maintaining the inner end of the pipeline in alignment with the horizontally extending pipe portion of the pivot support assembly during the time that the inner end of the pipeline is disconnected from the horizontally extending pipe portion of the pivot support assembly to facilitate the fluid reconnection of the inner end of the pipeline to the horizontally extending pipe portion of the pivot support assembly when the system is going to be used to irrigate.