Coupling unit, in particular for an irrigation apparatus.

摘要

A coupling unit, for example, for automatic irrigation apparatus, comprises a probe (32) arranged to connect within a mouth (33) of a hydrant to receive a water supply from the supply line (B) connected to the hydrant. The probe (32) is mounted on a chassis (14). The chassis has two wheels (10) by means of which it rides on an upper surface of the supply line (B) and guide wheels (12) which engage the side to the supply line (B) so that the coupling unit will follow the supply line (B). The chassis (14) is also supported from a steering head (28) and a flexible coupling including a bearing (29) and a jack (31), permits limited relative movement between the probe (32) and the steering head (28) to accommodate misalignment of the probe (32) with the mouth (33) of the hydrant. In an alternative embodiment the probe (32) is flexibly mounted on the chassis (14) which is fixed. In both embodiments a sensing mechanism (60) enables the probe (32) to be tilted relative to the hydrant.