Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~0805S4
The present invention relates to fertilizer applying
knife assemblies and more particularly to a long wearing knife
assembly having one end of an elongated fertilizer tube
secured to a shoe portion of a wear point and having a shield
positioned to define an air space surrounding the fertilizer
tube.
The principal ob~ects of t~e present invention are:
to provide a long wearing fertilizer applying knife assembly
capable of being connected to an agricultural implement and
operative for flow of fertilizer into a furrow opened by the
fertilizer applying knife assembly; to provide such a knife
assembly having an elongated shield surrounding and spaced
from an exterior surface of a fertilizer tube to define an
; air space surrounding the fertilizer tube; to provide such a
knife assembly wherein an end portion of the fertilizer tube
is secured within a recess in a trailing end of a shoe por-
tion of a wear point of cast high chrome alloy iron mounted
on and welded to an elongated shank connected to the agri-
cùltural implement; to provide such a knife assembly wherein
a leading portion and a shoe portion of the wear point have
a greater thickness than the shank and are welded thereto in a
manner so that the welds are protected by the greater thick-
ness of the wear point; to provide such a knife assembly
wherein the shield has leg portions secured to the shank by
; hard facing welds which each extend out~ardly from the shank
and the shield so that the shield is protected by the thick-
ness of the hard facing weld; and to provide such a ferti-
lizer applying knife assembly which is durable in construction,
positive in operation, economical to manufacture, and ~artic-
ularly well adapted for the proposed use.
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0 108055~
According to the invention there is provided a fertil-
lzer applying knife asse~bly comprising: (a) an elongated
shank capable of being connected to an agricultural implei.~ent
and having a leading edge and a trailing edge, said shank being
a planar member of steel and having opposite side surfaces and
a f~ee end; (b) a wear point of cast high chrome alloy iron
and having a leading portion in engagement ~ith said shan~ lead-
ing edge and a shoe portion in engagement with said shan~ free
end, (c) said wear point leading portion and shoe portion
having a thickness greater than the thickness of said shank;
(d) said wear point leading portion and shoe portion bein~
welded along the length thereof to said shank leading edge and
free end respectively with the greater thickness of the wear
point portions protecting said welds; (e) an elongated fertil-
izer tube spaced from and in trailing relation to said shank
trailing edge and having one end portion with discharge ports
adjacent said wear point shoe, said fertilizer tube having a
transverse dimension less than the thickness of the shank; and
(f) an elongated shield in trailing relation to said shank
trailing edge and secured thereto by welding, said shield andshank defining an elongated enclosure for said fertilizer tube
extending to adjacent the discharge ports thereof.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will
--become apparent from the following description takPn in connec-
tion with the accompanying drawing wherein are set forth, by
way of illustration and example, certain embodiments o~ this
invention.
The drawings constitute a part of the specification
and include an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
and illustrate various objects and features of the fertilizer
applying knife assembly.
Fig 1 is an exploded perspective view of a ferti- :
:
~ 108~)554
lizer applying knife assembly embodying features of the present
invention.
Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the fertilizer
applying knife assembly.
Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the
fertilizer applying knife assembly and taken on line 3-3 of
Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the
fertilizer applying knife asse~bly and taken on line 4-4 of
Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through the
shank and shoe taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present
invention are disclosed herein. However, it is to be under-
ætood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of
the invention which may be embodied in various forms. There-
fore, specific structural and functional details disclosed
herein are not to be interpreted as limiting but merely as a
basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teach-
2~ ing one s~illed in the art to variously employ the presentinvention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
' Referring more in detail to the drawings:
In the disclosed embodiment of the present inven-
tion, the reference numeral 1 designates generally a ferti-
lizer applying knife assembly capable of being connected to
an agricultural implement and which is operative for flow of
fertilizer into a furrow opened by the kni~e assembly 1. A
wear point 2 has a leading portion 3 and a shoe portion 4 in
.engagement with and secured to a leading edge 5 and a free
end 6 respectively of an elongated shank 7 which is capable
of being connected to an agricultural implement. An elongated,
fertilizer tube 8 is positioned adjacent a trailing edge 9 of
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the shank 7 and has one end poxtion 10 thereof secured adja-
cent a trailing end 11 of the shoe portion 4 of the wear point
2. An elongated shield 12 is spaced from and surrounds an
exterior surface of the fertilizer tube 8. The shield 12 is
illustrated as a tube surrounding the tube 8 and engaging the
shank trailing edge 9 and secured thereto by welding of hard
facing 14 on each side in a manner to resist wear of the
shild tube and to define an air space 15 surrounding ferti-
lizer tube 8.
The shank 7 is an elongated planar member having
opposite side surfaces 16 and 17. An upper end portion 18 of
the shank 7 has a plurality of suitable apertures and/or slots
19 therein adapted to receive suitable bolts 20 for securing
the shank 7 to a standard 21 depending from the agricultural
implement (not shown). The shank 7 is preferably arcuate in
a forwardly direction from the standard 21 as best seen in
~igs. 2 and 4. The shank 7 is preferably for,~ed of a conven-
tional mild steel alloy which is not damaged by welding.
The wear point 2 is formed of a hard long wearing
material, such as cast high chrome alloy iron. Such a material
has been used for the digger teeth and crusher rollers in rock
crushers. The wear point 2 is generally V-shaped when viewed
fr~m one side thereof, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 4. The
leading portion 3 of the wear point 2 is in engagement with
the leading edge 5 of the shank 7 and the shoe portion 4 of
the wear point 2 is in engagement with the free end 6 of the
shank 7.
The shoe portion 4 has sides 13 which diverge rear-
wardly so the trailing end 11 of the shoe portion 4 is sub-
30 stantially wider than the leading point. The trailing end ;
has a recess or downwardly and rearwardly opening groove 22
to receive therein the one end portion 10 of the fertilizer
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tube 8. The end of the shield tube 12 engages the rear or
trailing end of the shoe and the end of the fertilizer tube
portion 10 is secured in position by welding as at 22'. The
lower portion of the trailing end of the shoe is notched or
cut away as at 23 to permit discharge of the fertilizer or
ammonia into the soil through discharge ports 23' in the tube
8. The weld at 22' holds the tube 8 in place until it needs
replacing, at which time the weld is ground off, a new tube
inserted and weld at the same spot.
The wear point leading portion 3 and shoe portion 4
each have a transverse thickness greater than a transverse
thickness of the shank 7 whereby the shank leading edge 5 and
the free end 6 are protected from abrasion or impact of soil,
roots, rocks, and the like. The wear point leading portion 3
and the shoe portion 4 are secured by welds 16' and 17' to
the opposite side surfaces 16 and 17 adjacent the shank lead-
ing edge 5 and free end 6 respectively whereby the welds 16'
and 17' are protected by the greater thickness of the wear
point portions 3 and 4. The welds 16' and 17' are preferably
mild steel welds and form a good bond with the shank 7 and
the wear point 2.
The fertilizer tube 8 includes a substantially rigid
portion positioned adjacent and spaced from and in trailing
relation with the shank trailing edge 9. The fertilizer tube
one end portion 10 is received within the groove 22 and e~ctends
to the forward portion of the notch at 23. The fertilizer
tube end portion 10 has diametrically opposed discharge ports
23' therein for out~ardly flow of fertilizer therefro~. and
into a ~urrow opened by the wear point 2 and the shan~ 7. The
wing formed in the shoe by the greater width at the trailing
portion, groove 22 and notch at 23 pr~vides protection for the
tube 8 and tends to trap the fertilizer during application
.
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0 108~SS4
reducing loss into the atmosphere. The fertilizer tube has a
diameter or transverse dimension which is less than the trans-
verse thickness of the shank 7. The fertilizer tube 8 is
preferably formed of a substantially rigid material, such as
steel, which will remain in position adjacent the shank trail-
ing edge 9.
The shield 12 is an elongated tube member spaced
from an exterior surface of and surrounding the fertilizer
tube 8 in a manner to define an air space 15 surrounding the
fertilizer tube 8. The shield 12 has one end 24 therof sub-
stantially engagin~ the trailing end 11 of the wear point
shoe portion 4 fertilizer tube 8 extends beyond the end 24 s~
that fertilizer may flow outwardly through the discharge
ports 23 into a furrow opened by the wear point 2 and the
shank 7. The shoe has a lower-most, substantially flat face
27 which is inclined upwardly and rear~Jardly from the rounded
point to a medial p~rtion of the shoe, and is generally hori-
zontal therefrom to the groove 22.
The illustrated shield tube 12 preferrably has a
diameter not greater than the thickness or width of the shank
7 so the sides of the tube 12 are inwardly relative to t~
shank side surfaces 16 and 17 respectively. The shield en-
gages the rear edge of the shank 7 and is secured thereto by ~;
hard facing ~elds 25 and 26 each of which extend along the
length of and rearwardly from adjacent a respective one,of the
shank side surfaces 16 and 17 to respective of the exterior
side portions of the shield tube whereby the shiela 12 is
protected from abrasion and impact, as by roots, soil, rocks,
and the like, by the shank and the thic~ness of the hard
facing welds 25 and 26.
The shield 12 is preferably formed of a substantiallyrigid material, such as steel, which ~ill retain its shape when
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in use thereby ~aintaining the air space 15 surrounding the
fertilizer tube 8. The shield 12 is also preferably formed
of a material which will not be damaged by welding to the shank
7 by the hard facing welds 25 and 26.
The fertilizer applying knife assembly 1 is partic-
ularly adapted for application of a liquid fertilizer which
becomes gaseous upon vaporization by expansion into the ferti-
lizer tube 8. The expansion causes the fertilizer tube 8 to
become quite cold and to freeze. The air space 15 within the
shield 12 insulates the shank 7 from the cold fertilizer tube c~
and thereby substantially elim~nates freeze-up of the shanX 7.
When the shank 7 is prevented from freezing then the wear
point 2 is also protected from freezing, whereby the wear point
2 opens a furrow only of the width desired and thereby sub-
stantially reduces the possibility of escape of the gaseous
fertilizer from an overly large furrow.
It is to be understood that while we have illustrated
and described one form of our invention, it is not to be limited
to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described
and shown.
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