Abstract: The present invention is a lifting system that can be used to construct cylindrical grain bins. It includes sets of identical, telescoping jacks actuated by hydraulic cylinders and an hydraulic system having separate hydraulic circuits that serve each set of jacks. The separate hydraulic circuits include identical pumps and control valves. The pumps and the control valves can be operated in unison to supply equal amounts of hydraulic fluid to the sets of jacks so that all of the jacks may be raised or lowered in unison. The lifting system can be used to uniformly lift successive rings of a grain bin structure made up of connected panels. After a first ring is lifted, a second ring can be attached to the lower edge of the first ring. The second ring is then lifted and the process is repeated until the grain bin is completed.

Abstract: The windshield scanning system of the present invention includes a windshield scanner apparatus, a general purpose digital computer and an output device. The windshield scanner apparatus further includes a scanner which is adapted to crawl across a large portion of a windshield surface. The general purpose computer is programmed to receive scanner image data and analyze representative samples of the scanner image data to determine either the general surface condition of the windshield or the surface condition given by the worst sample. The computer output device is used to display the results of the analysis.