Apparatus and container for enabling lifting and manipulation of nursery stock by an adjustable lift

Abstract

A plant transportation system is disclosed. At a high level, the system includes specially-designed pots which include lift-fixtures, such as eyebolts, which are specially-oriented and aligned to receive poles or tines from a lifting mechanism. In this way, each of at least two tines of a lifting attachment can pass through two lift-fixtures on the pot. In this way, when the lifting attachment rises, the plant in the container remains stable and vertical. Moreover, it also allows the lifting attachment to potentially pass through and hold multiple pots. A vehicle having such a lifting attachment may then transport the plants to a planting site, or to another transportation vehicle such as a flat-bed truck.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 ) A plant container comprising:
 a body formed of a flexible material, the body sized to receive a quantity of soil and a root base of a plant; and   four eyebolts attached to a top of the body, the eyebolts structured to receive a lifting tine through two of the four eyebolts, and capable of supporting a weight of the body, soil, and root base of the plant when lifted by the lifting tine.   
     
     
         2 ) The plant container of  claim 1  wherein a first and third of the four eyebolts are aligned through a first transverse axis of the body, and wherein a second and fourth of the four eyebolts are aligned through a second transverse axis of the body, and wherein each eyebolt is large enough to allow passage of a first lifting tine through the first and second eyebolts and passage of a second tine through the third and fourth eyebolts. 
     
     
         3 ) The plant container of  claim 1  wherein the four eyebolts are formed of a material rigid enough to stand upright without external support. 
     
     
         4 ) The plant container of  claim 1  wherein the body and eyebolts are formed of a biodegradable material. 
     
     
         5 ) The plant container of  claim 1  further comprising a supporting stitching extending from each of the four eyebolts vertically down to a base of the body, the stitching crossing across a bottom of the body and joining to opposite supporting stitching on an opposite side of the base. 
     
     
         6 ) The plant container of  claim 1  further comprising a soil within the body. 
     
     
         7 ) The plant container of  claim 6  further comprising a plant within the soil and supported by the body. 
     
     
         8 ) The plant container of  claim 1  wherein the body further comprises a vertical slit along its height, the vertical slit openable to allow insertion of the soil and the root base, and closable to secure the soil and root base in the body. 
     
     
         9 ) The plant container of  claim 8  wherein the vertical slit is closable by at least one of a hook and loop connector, zipper, a plurality of ties, a clasp, and a clamp. 
     
     
         10 ) An adjustable lift attachment connectable to a tractor comprising:
 an attachment plate having a rectangular shape;   two tines extending from a front of the attachment plate, the tines sized and configured to pass through two eyebolts of a plant container, wherein the tines are laterally moveable along a width of the attachment plate.   
     
     
         11 ) The adjustable lift attachment of  claim 10  further comprising at least one plaint container, the at least one plant container comprising:
 a body formed of a flexible material, the body sized to receive a quantity of soil and a root base of a plant; and 
 four eyebolts attached to a top of the body, the eyebolts structured to receive a lifting tine through two of the four eyebolts, and capable of supporting a weight of the body, soil, and root base of the plant when lifted by the lifting tine; 
 a soil within the body, and a plant within the soil and supported by the body; and 
 the plant container held by the two tines, one of the two tines passing through two of the four eyebolts, and the other of the two tines passing through the other two of the four eyebolts. 
 
     
     
         12 ) A tractor, the tractor comprising the adjustable lift attachment of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         13 ) The adjustable lift attachment of  claim 10  further comprising four tines extending from the front of the attachment plate, the four tines arranged laterally along a bottom of the attachment plate, and the four tines being laterally moveable along the width of the attachment plate. 
     
     
         14 ) The adjustable lift attachment of  claim 13  wherein each of the four tines is telescoping in length. 
     
     
         15 ) The adjustable lift attachment of  claim 13  wherein tines are unevenly spaced such that a space between a middle adjacent two of the four tines is greater than a space between the two outer of the four tines and the adjacent of the four tines. 
     
     
         16 ) The adjustable lift attachment of  claim 10  wherein a rear of the attachment plate comprises a universal quick attach connection formed into the attachment plate. 
     
     
         17 ) The adjustable lift attachment of  claim 10  further comprising attachment lips extending along a top edge of the rear of the attachment plate. 
     
     
         18 ) A tractor, the tractor comprising the adjustable lift attachment of  claim 16 . 
     
     
         19 ) The adjustable lift attachment of  claim 10  wherein the attachment plate comprises a plurality of apertures through which the two tines may pass, the two attachment tines passed through two of the plurality of apertures; a latching mechanism positioned on the end of each of the two tines, the latching mechanism comprising a pin receiver and a pin, the pin sized to prevent an end of the pole from passing through the aperture in which it is passed through. 
     
     
         20 ) The adjustable lift attachment of  claim 19  wherein at least one of the apertures has an elongate shape allowing a lateral motion of the pole while being retained in the aperture.