Abstract: A linear move has its opposite end towers alternately made the master or lead tower to cause the move to first swing slightly one way to give corrrective endwise movement in one direction and then swing slightly the other way to give corrective endwise movement in the opposite direction. A control mechanism determines which end tower is the master tower and includes a feeler device positioned within a guide furrow. A main line supplies irrigation water under pressure through an interconnected long elastic hose, rigid U-shaped tow tube, and short hose to the end tower. A cable on a winch drum mounted on the end tower is connected to the tow tube and, when the end tower is not moving, a winch motor drives the drum to pull in the cable, the tow tube and the end portions of the hoses connected to the tow tube so that, as the move moves, it does not pull the heavy long hose but only pulls the lighter short hose.

Abstract: An irrigation line move operates fully automatically for twenty-four hours and includes a prime mover carriage carrying a gasoline engine which drives a pipe of a wheel line through a hydraulic drive system, and the wheel pipe, through a first planetary transmission, drives a shaft paralleling the pipe. The shaft drives a slave carriage through a second planetary transmission. The engine is started under the control of a circuit having a stepping switch which sequentially shuts off water to the line, allows the line to drain, starts the engine to move the line, stops the engine, and turns on the water to the pipe. The above cycle is repeated after a given time of irrigation. The first planetary transmission includes a chain driving a plurality of planetary sprockets.