Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BACKGROllND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new and usefull improve
ments in packer and harrow units adapted to be detachably
secured behind a agricultural implement such as a discer or
seeder so that the ground is smoothed and packed behind the
agricultural implement.
Attempts have been made to combine two or more im-
plements behind a tractor but these are usually not satis-
factory and are difficult to hitch so that they follow the
contours of the ground accurately.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention overcomes these disadvantages and
one aspect of the invention provides a packer and harrow
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unit for attachment to an agricultural implement such as a
discer and the like, which includes a rearwardly situated
transverse frame member comprising in combination a frame,
means to detachably and pivotally secure said frame behind
said agricultural implement, ground engaging wheels attached
to and supporting said frame, means to detachably and pivotal-
ly secure soil packer components to the rear of same frame, a
harrow support tube mounted transversely of said frame for
partial rotation thereon, means to detachably secure harrow :
frames to said tube and to said agricultural implement and
fluid operated ram means operatively connected between said
frame and said tube for partially rotating said tube and hence
raising and lowering said harrow frames relative to the ground,
said means to detachably and pivotally secure said harrow frames
to said agricultural implement including a harrow support bar, :
a clamp assembly detachably securable to the rearwardly situated
transverse frame member of said agricultural implement, a hanger
bracket depending from said clamp assembly including a lower,
substantially horizontal, apertured plate, a U-shaped bracket,
pin means extending from the underside of said bracket for
pivotally supporting said U-shaped bracket within said horizon- .
tal apertured plate, for pivotal movement in a substantially . .
horizontal plane, and clevis means on the front end of said
harrow support bar for pivotally connecting said bar within said
U-shaped bracket for pivotal movement in substantially vertical
and horizontal planes. -
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Another aspect of the invention is to provide a unit
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of the character herewithin described which is simple in con-
struction, economical in manufacture and otherwise well suited
to the purpose for which it is designed.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantag~s as ;
will become apparent to those skillea in the art to which this
invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention
consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of
parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings in which:
DESCRIPTION OF TH:~ DR~WINGS :: ~
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Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device attached to
a rear transverse member of an agricultural implement. -
Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure l.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the
attachment of the device to the agricultural implement.
Figure 5 is an exploded isometric view of the attach-
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ment shown in Figure 4.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in de~
tail, reference character 10 illustrates generally, the rear
side of an agricultural implement such as a discer seeder and
it includes a transverse frame member 11 to which the invention,
collectively designated 12, may be detachably secured.
The invention includes a frame collectively designated
13 comprising a transverse rear member 14 having a plurality of
hitch members or beams 15 extending forwardly therefrom substan- :~
tially at right angles to the lonsitudinal axis of the rear mem- ::
ber 14 and in spaced and parallel relationship as clearly shown
in Figure 1. They are connected to the rear member as by weld-
ing (not illustrated) but of course they can be bolted together
if desired, and may be connected to the implement as herein-
after described.
A harrow support tube collectively designated 16 spans
the hitch members 15 forwardly and parallel to the rear member
14 and this support tube is supported for partial rotation with-
in bearings 17 on the hitch members 15. Further bearings 17 may
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be provided on the ends of relatively short struts 15A which
extend forwardly from the rear member 14 intermediate the .
hitch members 15.
A plurality of harrow support arms 18 extend in spac- : ~
ed relationship from the support tube 16 and these are apertur- :
ed as at 19 for the engagement of harrow frame chains 20 which ;:
in turn support conventional harrow frames shown schematically
in Figure 3 by reference character 21. Supported rearwardly of ~;
the implement frame member 11 by arms or bars 54 and connected .
to member 11 as will hereinafter be described.
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The frame 13 also includes/brace structure collec-
tively designated 22 which takes the form of a pair of longi-
tudinally extending members 23 each secured by an outer end
thereof to adjacent the outer end 24 of the rear beam or mem-
ber 14 as by welding and inclining upwardly and inwardly to-
wards the center of the rear beam 14 to be joined in a common
apex 24 substantially centrally o the rear member 14 and
spaced thereabove as clearly shown in Figure 3. Vertical
struts 25 extend between the member 23 and the rear beam 14
for improving the strength and stability of the structure.
A fluid operator in the form of a piston 26 and ~ -
cylinder 27 is provided with the cylinder 27 being pivotally :~
secured by the rear end thereof to a bracket 28 mounted on .
the center strut specifically designated 25A of the brace
structure centrally thereof and just below the apex or com-
mon locus 24.
An actuating arm 29 is secured to the tube 16 and
extends therefrom and the distal end of the piston rod 26 is
pivotally secured to the distal end of the arm 29 as by pivot-
al attachment 30. The fluid operator or ram assembly is oper-
atively connected to a source of hydraulic power (not illus-
trated) normally carried on the towing vehicle such as a trac- :
tor (not illustrated).
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Extension of the piston and cylinder assembly
causes the arms 18 to move downwardly due to the rotation
of the tube 16 thus lowering the harrows 21 into contact
with the ground. -
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However if it is desired to transport the device,
then these harrows are raised by retracting the fluid opera-
tor thus raising the harrows clear of the ground.
The frame 13 is also supported above the ground by
a pair of castoring wheel assemblies collectively designated
31 one upon each of the outermost hitch members 15 and these
are supported for pivotal action upon offstanding brackets or
members 32 secured to the outermost members 15.
The castoring wheel assemblies are conventional in
construction and it is not believed necessary to describe
same further.
Packer components shown in phantom by reference
character 33 are detachably secured to the rear of the rear
member 14 upon packer hitches 34. In this embodiment, these
hitches include curved bars 35 bolted to the rear member 14
and extending rearwardly therefrom and having a ball connec-
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tion 36 adjacent the distal ends thereof upon which the packer
frame hitch portion 37 may be detachably engaged. The harrow
components are conventional in construction and may comprise a
rotatable coil 38 mounted within the castoring frame 39.
Means are provided to detachably secure the harrows
to the rear transverse member 11 of -the agricultural implement -
10 and details o~ the preferred embodiment are shown in Figures : ~:
4 and 5.
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A clamp assembly collectively designated 40 comprises
a plate 41 and a lower hanger plate 42 clamped around the mem-
ber 11 by means of nut and bolt assemblies 43.
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The hanger bracket portion 42 includes the horizontal
part 44, a vertical portion 45 and a return portion 46 which is
substantially horizontal and parallel to the aforementioned
part 44. ~-
This return portion 46 is apertured to receive a pivot
pin 47 of a U-shaped bracket 48 with the pin depending downward-
ly from the lower side wall 49 of the U-shaped bracket 48.
The two spaced and parallel substantially vertical
walls 49A of the bracket 48 are apertured as at 50 to receive
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a pivot pin 51 also engageable through a pair of spaced and `
parallel apertured plates 52 secured to and extending from
the rear end 53 of a harrow support bar 54 which extends rear-
wardly and is secured to the harrow frame or assemblv 21. ;
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Conventional means (not illustrated) are provided to
maintain the pin 51 in position and may take the form of a nut
and bolt pivot pin assembly or a headed bolt with a split pin
through the distal end thereof.
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Means are also provided to maintain the vertical pin ;
47 within the apertured portion 46 of the hanger bracket and
once again this may take the form of a nut engaging the screw
threaded end of the pin 47 or a split pin engaging through an -
aperture 54 of this vertical pin.
It will be noted that the mounting of the U-shaped
bracket within the hanger bracket 42 permits pivotal movement ;~
in a horizontal plane and that the clevis formed by the plates
52 mounted upon the horizontal pin 51, allows movement of the
device in a substantially vertical plane. -
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It should be observed that the engagement or fit of
the pins 47 within the portions 46 is quite slack so that some
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side to side movement is available to the harrow support bars
54 extending from the harrow sections.
The somewhat universal characteristic of the hitch
means to the rear member 11 permits the individual harrows to
follow the contours of the ground and to flex to a certain ex-
tent so that the harrows follow the contours at all times and
thus eliminate skipping.
Withdrawal of the pins 51 allows easy and rapid con-
nection and disconnection of the harrows from the agricultural
implement 10 and of course it will be appreciated that the de-
vice is readily suited for use behind discer seeders which may
consist of two or more units articulately connected together
to make a relative wide draft seeding device.
The connection of the beams 15 is by means of a hor-
izontal pivot pin 55 extending through the front end 56 of the
beam and through a support bracket 57 secured to and extending
rearwardly of the transverse frame member 11 as shown in Figure
2.
Since various modifications can be made in my inven-
tion as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely
different embodiments of same made within the spirit
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and scope of the claims without departing from such
spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter con-
tained in the accompanying specification shall be inter- ~ :
preted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
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