Equipment for laying out / rolling up an elongated flexible member

Abstract

Equipment for laying out or rolling up an elongated flexible member such as a hose 17 includes means for supporting a bobbin 16 on which the elongated flexible member is wound, and means for moving th

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to equipment for laying out / rolling up an elongated flexible member such as a hose or a cable. The equipment of the present invention has been developed with a special reference to equipment for supplying stock water i.e. water for use by farm animals being grazed in a paddock, and will therefore be described with particular reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the same equipment, or the same equipment with minor modifications, could be used for any application which requires the laying out / rolling up of an elongated flexible member. Background Art Stock water is supplied to farms either by a water race system, in which a water race extends along one side of a paddock and / or by a permanent water trough connected to a piped in water supply. Generally, one permanent water trough is provided in each paddock. Either of the above systems is satisfactory, providing the stock are grazing the entire paddock, and therefore can access the water from anywhere in the paddock. However, it frequently is advisable to break feed a paddock i.e. to erect an intermediate fence across a paddock, so that only a selected section of the paddock is grazed. The intermediate fence is moved at intervals so that eventually the whole paddock is grazed. It can be inconvenient, or even impossible, to arrange the intermediate fence so that animals being break fed can access the water supply without having to walk back across the area which has already been grazed; this is undesirable because it can leave the grazed-off area muddy and / or damaged. Positioning additional drinking troughs in the paddock to cater for break feeding can be very labour-intensive:-the trough needs to be positioned in the break feeding area, and a hose needs to be laid out from the permanent water supply down to the trough. This involves dragging a hose down the length of what may be a very large paddock; the friction between the hose and the grass is relatively high, so there is a correspondingly high risk of damage to the hose. When the additional drinking trough needs to be re-positioned, the surplus hose has to be rewound onto a support or pulled to the new position; this is time-consuming and laborious. Similar problems arise when laying out or rolling up elongated flexible members such as hoses or cables e.g. electrical cables. Laying out a long section of hose or cable frequently is performed by pulling the hose or cable to the required position; this can be very heavy work and also has the potential to damage the hose or cable. Moving a section of hose or cable to a different position also is time-consuming heavy work. Disclosure of Invention An object of the present invention is the provision of equipment which enables an elongated flexible member such as a hose or a cable to be easily and quickly laid out in the desired position, and easily and quickly gathered up to be moved to a new position. An object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is the provision of equipment for supplying stock water so that water can be supplied to stock quickly and easily, wherever on the paddock they are being grazed. The present invention provides equipment for laying out or rolling up an elongated flexible member, said equipment including: • means for supporting a bobbin on which the elongated flexible member is wound; • means for moving the bobbin relative to the supporting means such that the bobbin is moved between a first position in which the bobbin can rotate freely relative to the supporting means and a second position in which the lowermost part of the bobbin is in ground contact. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the elongated flexible member is a water supply hose. The supporting means may be a trailer designed to be towed by a vehicle or may be supporting means built into or supported upon the front or rear of a vehicle. Preferably, a supplementary water trough is removably mounted adjacent the bobbin. In a first embodiment, the supporting means is provided on a trailer and the means for moving the bobbin relative to the trailer includes means for moving the trailer wheels up or down relative to the body of the trailer, such that the bobbin is in contact with the ground or out of contact with the ground. In a second embodiment, the means for moving the bobbin includes means for moving the bobbin relative to a supporting framework secured to the trailer or secured to the front or rear of a vehicle. Brief Description of Drawings By way of example only, a first embodiment of the present invention is described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a side view of equipment in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention in the “transport” configuration; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the equipment of Figure 1 in use; Figure 3 is a perspective view of equipment in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention in the “transport” configuration; Figure 3a is a perspective view of the opposite side of part of the equipment shown in Figure 3; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the equipment of Figure 3 in use; Figure 5 is a close-up view of part of the equipment shown in Figure 3; and Figure 6 is a diagrammatic side view of a detail of Figure 3a. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a trailer 10 is provided with a draw bar 11 of known type, to enable the trailer to be towed by a farm vehicle. The trailer is provided with a cradle 12 which is adapted to receive a drinking trough 13 mounted on a circular framework 14. The framework 14 also supports a regulating valve 15 of known type. The trailer also supports a bobbin 16 upon which long length of water hose 17 is wound (typically 300 metres in length); the bobbin 16 is freely rotatable about an axle 18 through the centre of the bobbin. The bobbin 16 is formed with an inner annular frame 16a with circular sides 16b secured together and spaced apart by spaced cross braces 16c. Two spaced parallel flanges 16d are secured around the outer perimeter of each of the sides 16b, with the plane of each flange co-planar with the plane of the corresponding side. The trailer 10 is mounted upon a pair of opposed wheels 19. Each of the wheels 19 is mounted for rotation about an axle 20; the axle 20 is supported upon an arm 21 which is pivoted to the trailer chassis by a pivot 22. The upper section 21a of the arm 21 passes through a guide bracket 24 secured to the chassis of the trailer; the upper end of the section 21a of the arm is connected to a winch 25 by a wire 26. The winch 25 may be manual or powered; in the embodiment shown, the winch 25 is manual and is rotatable by a handle 27. When the winch 25 is wound to shorten the length of wire between the winch and the arm 21, the arm 21 pivots to raise the axle 20 and the wheels 19, just enough for the frame of the bobbin 16 to come into contact with the ground. When the winch 25 is wound in the opposite direction the axle 20 and wheels 19 are lowered and the bobbin 16 is moved out of ground contact. The above described equipment is used as follows: the end 30 of the hose 17 is connected to a water supply, generally the water supply supplying one of the permanent troughs. The trailer 11 is then towed down the paddock to the desired position for the trough 13. As the trailer is towed down the paddock, the “pull” of the hose 17 rotates the bobbin 16 about its axle 18, so that the hose 17 carried on the bobbin 16 is laid out down the length of the paddock. When the trailer reaches the desired position for the drinking trough 13, the trough is removed from its cradle 12 and positioned on the paddock. A hose 31 connected to the regulating valve 15 of the trough 13 is connected to the free end of the hose 17, so that water can be supplied into the trough 13. The regulating valve 15 is set to regulate the amount of water supplied into the trough so that the level of the water in the trough remains constant. When the next strip of paddock is to be grazed and the trough 13 needs to be moved to a new position, the hose 31 is disconnected from the hose 17, the trough 13 tipped out to empty it, and replaced on the cradle 12. Since the new trough position is likely to be closer to the water supply than the first trough position, the surplus hose 17 is rewound onto the bobbin 16 by winding the winch handle 27 so as to raise the axle 20 and the wheels 19 and thus allow the frame of the bobbin 16 to come into contact with the ground. The trailer is then towed, and the ground contact on the bobbin frame rotates the bobbin, and this winds the surplus hose 17 back onto the bobbin. Once the desired position is reached, the winch handle 27 is wound in the opposite direction to lower the wheels 19 and take the bobbin 16 out of ground contact, and the trough 13 is positioned in its new position and connected up to the water supply as described above. It will be appreciated that the above-described allows water supply hose to be laid out and wound back up without unduly stressing the hose by dragging it across the paddock, and without having to laboriously manually rotate the bobbin to wind the hose back onto the bobbin. A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 3-6. In this embodiment, a trailer 50 is provided with a draw bar 50a of known type, to enable the trailer to be towed by a towing vehicle. The trailer is provided with a cradle 42 which is adapted to receive a drinking trough 43 mounted on a circular framework 44. The framework also supports a regulating valve 45 of known type. The trailer 50 also supports a bobbin 46 upon which long length of water hose 47 is wound (typically 300 m in length). The bobbin 46 is formed in the same manner as the bobbin 16 described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 and is freely rotatable about a central axle 48, the outer ends of which, 49, 49a, are fitted with external bushes, 51, 52 and washers 53, 54 (Figure 5 only). The length of the axle 48 is substantially perpendicular to the length of the towbar 50a. As shown in Figure 3 only, the flanges of the bobbin 46 may be formed with a series of spaced protruding cleats 46a, to prevent the bobbin from becoming bogged in muddy ground. The bobbin 46 is mounted upon a pair of spaced support arms 55, 56 each of which is pivoted at one end to the rear crossmember 57 of the trailer. The support arms 55, 56 are tied together by a cross piece 60, so that the two support arms pivot together. A turnbuckle 61 is pivoted at one end to one of the support arms 55 and at the other end to a rear support frame 62 on the trailer. The turnbuckle is of known design and rotation of the turnbuckle using the handle 63 raises or lowers the support arms 55, 56 relative to the trailer. The free end of each of the support arms 55, 56 is formed with a hook 64, 65 which is dimensioned to receive the external bush 51, 52 on the adjacent end 49, 49a of the central axle 48, to support the bobbin. The washers 53, 54 lie on the opposite side of the hook 64, 65 to the bushes, so that each end of the central axle is positively located on the corresponding lifting arm. To secure the ends 49, 50 of the axle 48 in the corresponding hooks 64, 65, a pin 70, 71 is inserted (see Figure 5) to extend between an aperture 75 formed through the corresponding hook and opposed aperture 76 formed through an upright 77. The heights at which the bobbin is supported relative to the ground can be varied quickly and easily by adjusting the turnbuckle 61 to raise or lower the bobbin. Thus, to use the equipment to lay out a length of hose, the turnbuckle 61 is adjusted to raise the bobbin clear of the ground, and then the free end of the hose 47 is connected to a water supply and the trailer 50 is then towed down the paddock to the desired position for the trough 43. As the trailer is towed down the paddock, the “pull” of the hose 47 rotates the bobbin 46 about its axle 48, so that the hose 47 carried on the bobbin 46 is laid out down the length of the paddock. When the trailer reaches the desired position for the drinking trough 43, the trough 43 is removed from its cradle 42 and positioned on the paddock. The free end of the hose 47 is connected to the regulating valve 45 of the trough, so that the trough can be filled with water in known manner. When the next strip of paddock is to be grazed and the trough 43 needs to be moved to a new position, the hose 47 is disconnected from the trough, the trough is tipped out and replaced on the cradle 42. Since the new trough position is likely to be closer to the water supply than the first trough position, there is likely to be surplus hose 47 to be rewound on to the bobbin 46. To achieve this, the turnbuckle 61 is adjusted so that the bobbin 46 is lowered until the lower edge of the bobbin 46 is in ground contact. The protruding cleats 46a prevent the bobbin from becoming bogged in muddy ground, and when the trailer is towed to the new position, the ground contact on the bobbin frame rotates the bobbin, winding the surplus hose 47 back on to the bobbin. Once the desired position is reached, the turnbuckle 61 is adjusted to raise the bobbin 46 out of ground contact, the trough 43 is positioned in its new position and is connected up to the water supply as described above. For some applications, it is necessary / desirable to be able to remove the bobbin from the trailer entirely, as shown in Figure 4. The end of each hook 64, 65 furthest from the turnbuckle 61 is formed as an inclined surface 72, 73, to allow the bobbin 46 to be removed from, and reconnected to, the trailer 50. To disconnect the bobbin 46 from the trailer 50, the pins 70, 71 are removed, and the turnbuckle 61 is rotated to lower the bobbin 46 until the lower part of the bobbin touches the ground. The trailer is then driven forwards and the friction between the bobbin framework on the ground is sufficient to raise the bobbin out of the hooks 64, 65 and down the inclined surfaces 72, 73. Once the bobbin has been removed from the trailer, the trailer can be driven back to pick up another bobbin and lay out a further hose if required. To reconnect the bobbin 46 to the trailer 50, the bobbin 46 is pushed towards the trailer 50, allowing the ends 49, 50 of the axle to travel up the corresponding inclined surfaces 72, 73 until the ends 49, 50 of the axle rest in the hooks 64, 65 respectively. The pins 70, 71 are then inserted to secure the ends 49, 50 in the hooks 64, 65. The bobbin 46 may then be raised out of ground contact by adjusting the turnbuckle 61. It is envisaged that for some applications, it may be advantageous to form the hose 47 in sections, so that a length of hose can be laid out, and then disconnected from the remainder of the hose on the bobbin, so that the remaining length can be laid out in a different location. For some applications, it may be advantageous to be able to load a further section of hose onto an empty bobbin, rather than replacing the bobbin. In this case, one side of the bobbin frame is designed to be dismountable from the remainder of the frame so that a replacement coil of hose may be slid onto the bobbin and the side frame then replaced. With this arrangement, the bobbin would be mounted on only a single lifting fork 55 rather than the pair of forks, to allow side access. In the drawings, the bobbin is represented as lying with the plane of the bobbin in a substantially vertical plane, but it will be appreciated that this is not essential:- the bobbin could lie with the plane of the bobbin inclined to the vertical, providing the bobbin can be moved into and out of ground contact. As shown in Figure 3a, a pair of parallel arms 80, 81 are each pivoted at one end to a vertical up stand 82, 83 which is rigidly secured adjacent the free end of each of the support arms 55, 56. The arms 80, 81 support two spaced fingers 85 at the ends of the arm is remote from the pivots, with the length of each of the fingers at an acute angle to the length of each of the corresponding arms. The arms 80, 81 can be pivoted to the position shown in Figure 3 a so that the fingers 85 lie between the flanges of the bobbin 46 and provide a guide for the hose carried on the bobbin, when the hose is being laid out or wound on, or pivoted to the position shown in Figure 4 so that the fingers are out of the way if the bobbin is to be removed from the trailer. A support frame 90 is mounted on the trailer short distance away from the towbar connection, to support a friction brake 91, which is shown in more detail in Figure 6. The friction brake consists of a tube 92 which holds a compression spring 93 and a casing 94 containing a brake pad 95; one end of the brake pad 95 projects from the end of the tube 92. The brake pad may be made of any tough, resilient, high friction material and is mounted on the support frame 90 at a position such that it bears against the rim of one of the flanges 16d of the bobbin 16 / 46. The bobbin 16 / 46 can be raised by adjusting the turnbuckle 61 as described above and the harder the rim of one of the flanges 16d is pressed against the brake pad 95, the more the bobbin is braked, to prevent the bobbin from freewheeling when the hose is being either laid out or wound up.

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