Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
ROW CROP PLANTI~R
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Technical Field
This invention relates to a row crop planter
and, more particularly, to a planter unit having means for
forming a seed trench, closing the seed trench and gauging
planting depth.
Prior Art
Heretofore, others have provided disc openers
for forming a seed trench. U.S. Patent 564~604, for
instance, discloses a pair of staggered discs for opening
a seed trench. In U.S. Patent 2,924,189, a pair of
rearwardly converging vertical diSC5 are employed to
simultaneously mulch the marginal portions of the furrow
and close the furrow or seed trench. The beforementioned
discs may also be used to create mulch for small seeds
deposited on top of the soil. In U.S. Patent 2,691,353, a
pair of discs are used to create a seed trench followed by
a pair of discs employed to close the seed trench over
deposited seed. In U.S. Patent 3,450,074, a combined disc
opener and gauge wheel is utilized for planting. In U.S.
Paten~ 2,685,243, a pair of planter gauge wheels are
disposed at the laterally outer sides of a pair of disc
openers with the gauge wheels individually vertically
adjustable relative to the disc openers. Xn U.S. Patent
4,009,668, a pair of gauge wheels are disposed at
laterally opposite sides of a pair of disc openers and in
rearwardly offset relation thereto so each gauge wheel
engages the ground at about the point the associated disc
opener leaves the ground.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention contemplates the use of a
pair of combined gauge wheel and seed trench closing means
which serve to close a seed trench, control the depth
planting and support the planting unit. By combining seed
furrow closing discs with gauge wheels, the weight of the
planter unit is used to insure proper penetration of the
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closing discs and thus, proper covering of the seeds
deposited in the furrow. The present invention finds
particular utility in a row crop planter unit adapted for
connection in towed relation to a draft appliance, such as
a tool bar, and each planter unit includes a frame on
which a trench forming means, such as disc openers are
mounted. Upon movement of the planter unit through the
field in a planting operation, the trench forming means
cuts a seed receiving trench in the soil so as to receive
kernels of seed deposited by seed drop means. The planter
also includes ground engaging means for covering the
deposited seeds, controlling depth of planting and
supporting the planting unit as it performs its planting
function. The ground engaging means includes a pair of
laterally spaced slicing discs rotatably supported on the
frame and operable to slice the soil at laterally opposite
sides of and in close proximity to the seed receiving
trench whereby the soil definin3 the opposite sidewalls of
the trench is moved laterally inwar~ly to close the trench
over the seed. The ground engaging means also includes a
pair of gauge wheels adjacent the laterally outer sides of
the slicing discs and connected to the latter to coaxially
rotate therewith. The gauge wheels are not only operable
to control the depth of planting, but also support the
planter unit. The planter unit may also include press
wheel means disposed rearwardly of the ground engaging
means to urge the slices of soil firmly into the trench in
covering relation to the deposited seed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention is illustrated
in the drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a side view of a planter unit;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial side view showinq
the combined gauge wheel and closing disc unit used in the
present invention;
Fig. 3 is a rear view of the showing of Fig. 2
with parts broken away for illustration purposes;
sz
Fig. 4 is a rear view of the lower portion of
the planter unit with parts broken away for illustration
purposes;
Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the ground
engaging components of the planter unit of Fi~. l;
Fig. 6 is a view taken along the line VI-VI in
Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a view taken along the line VII-VII in
Fig. 5;
Fig. 8 is a view taken along the line VIII-VIII
in Fig. 5;
Fig. 9 is a view taken along the line IX-IX in
Fig. 5; and
Fig. 10 is a schematic top view of the
components illustrated in Fig. 5.
DETAILE~ DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to Figs. 1 through 4, a planter unit
12 is connected to a draft appliance in the form of a tool
bar 13 by a pair of parallel links 14, 15. The forward
ends o~ the links 14, 15 are pivotally connected on
parallel transverse horizontal axes to a tool bar bracket
16 by pivot bolts 17 and the rear ends of the links 14, 15
are pivotally connected to a mast portion 18 of a planter
unit frame 21 b~ a pair of transverse pivot bolts 19. The
tool bar 13 may be connected to a tractor hitch or may be
towed by a tractor in which event vertically adjustable
wheels (not shown) would be mounted on the tool bar foe
raising and lowering the latter. Appropriate stops or
lift abutments, not shown, are provided to cause lifting
of the planter unit 12 upon predetermined raising of the
tool bar 13. The planter unit frame 21 includes an upper
subframe 22 and a lower subframe 23 with the mast portion
18 interconnecting the subframes. A pair of forwardly
converging tcash clearing discs 26, 27 are rotatably
mounted on a vertically adjustable disc support ~8 in a
lead position at the front of the frame 21. The support
28 is adjustably secured to bracket structure 29 extending
forwardly from the subframe 23. Seed trench forming means
(PS~
-- 4
in the form of a pair of disc openers 31, 32, ~hich are
staggered in the fore and aft direction, are rotatably
mounted on longitudinally spaced axes 33, 34 on a support
35 rigid].y secured to the subframe 23. The front ends of
the disc openers 31, 32 are disposed between the rear
portions of the trash eemoving discs 26, 27. In other
words, the rear portions of the trash removing discs 26,
27 are disposed at the laterally outer sides of the front
portions of the seed trench opening discs 31, 32. A
scraper mechanism 41 is provided to clean the laterally
inner faces or surfaces 46, 47 of the trench opening discs
31, 32.
A seed tube 36 deposits seed in the trench 39
formed by the trench forming discs 31, 32 as seed is
delivered from the seed hopper 37 by a plate-~ype seed
singulator mechanism 38. The seed hopper 37 is pivotally
connected at its forward end by the upper pivot bolt 19,
which also serves to pivotally connect the upper parallel
link 14 to the mast 24 of the frame 21. An intermediate
Z0 portion of the seed hopper 37 is supported on an upstand-
ing bracket 43 secured at its lower end to the subframe 23
by a cap screw 44. An upper horizontal portion of the
bracket 43 is secured to a cradle part 48 of the hopper by
a cap screw 4g.
The support of the floatingly mounted planter
unit 12, the gauging of planting depth and the closing of
the seed receiving trench is achieved by a pair of ground
engaging means in the form of a pair of combined slicing
discs and gauge wheel assemblies 51, 52. Referring
specifically to assembly 51, the assembly includes a gaugewheel 50 comprised of a ~ero pressure tire 53 mounted on a
rim 54 having two parts 55, 56 which are secured to a hub
57 by four bolts 58 and four nuts 59. The hub 57 is
mounted on the forward end of a walking beam 31 for
rotation about a generally transverse axis 60. A slicing
disc 61 of greater diameter than the tire 53 is also
secured to the hub 57 by the bolts 58 and nuts 59 so as to
be rigidly secured thereto for rotation with the tire 53
~193~ 2
-- 5 --
about the axis 60 of the gauge wheel assembly 51. The
laterally inner edge of the tire 53, at its tread sur~ace
79, is in contact with the laterally outer sur~ace of the
slicing disc 61. The combined gauge wheel and slicing
disc assembly 52 is similarly comprised of a gauge wheel
~4 and a slicing disc 66 secured to a hub 86 mounted on
the front end of a walking beam 82 for rotation about a
generally transverse axis 67. The slicing discs 61, 66
are disposed at an angle "a" of approximately 8 from a
vertical longitudinal plane 68 and therefore have an
include~ angle therebetween of approximately 16. It is
believed the included angle can be varied from near zero
to 30 and still provide a satisfactory trench closing
functionO In the illustrated embodiment of the invention,
this angle is fixed rather than adjustable for the sake of
simplicity of construction.
It will be noted the zero pressure tire 53 has
built-in support ribs 71 in abutting relation to the
flexible ground engaging tread portion 79 of the tire 53
to provide a firm support for the tread portion when the
latter engages the ground. The flexing of the tread
portion of the tire causes sticky soil to fall off,
thereby preserving the integrity of the gauging function
of the gauge wheel. The slicing discs 61, 66 are disposed
at a preferred slight angle of one and one-half degrees to
the direction of travel of the planting unit during the
planting operation. In other words, the slicing discs are
rearwardly converging in a fore and aft direction with a
total included angle of three degrees. It is believed
satisfactory seed covering can be achieved with the
slicing discs set at, or rearwardly converging at, between
a zero degree included angle and a twenty degrees included
angle. The trench filling and gauge wheel assemblies 51,
52 are individually mounted on the pair of walking beams
81, 82 which are pivotally mounted intermediate their ends
to a bracket 85 on axes 83, 84 longitudinally spaced from
one another a distance which corresponds to the staggered
relationship or spacing o the axes 60, 67 of the slicing
SZ
discs 61, 66. The axis 83 is parallel to the axis 60 and
the axis 84 is parallel to the axis 67. Also the spacing
between axes 33, 34 is equal to the spacing between axes
60, 67. The hubs 57 and 86 of the gauge wheels 50, 64 are
rotatably mounted on the forward ends of the walking beams
81, 82 and the rear ends of the beams 81, 82 ace connected
by bolts 87 and nuts 88 to opposite ends of a cable 91
which is reeved about a grooved pulley 32 rotatably
mounted on a U-shaped support 93 by a pivot pin 94. A
threaded rod 96 has its lower end welded to the pulley
support 93 and a hand wheel or nut 97 has a threaded bore
in threaded engagement with the threaded rod 96. The
beams 81, 82, the cable 91 and the pulley 92 provide an
equalizer mechanism or walking beam support for the gauge
lS wheels 53, 64. By turnin~ the hand wheel 97, the eleva-
tion of the planter unit 12 is adjusted whereby the depth
of the seed trench can be varied so as to change the depth
of planting. A finger 98 is welded to the pulley support
93 and its free end extends through a vertical slot 99 in
the lower subframe 23 to prevent the support 93 from
turning from its illustrated position. The equalizer
mechanism minimizes seed trench deviations caused by the
gauge wheels rolling over rocks, clods or the like.
Trench firming wheel means in the form of a
press wheel 101 is provided to insure coverage of the seed
102 as shown in Fig. 9. The press wheel is mounted on a
wheel support lever 103 for rotation about a transverse
axis 104 and the front of the lever 103 is pivotally
mounted on a transverse axis 106 on the bracket 85, which
in turn is secured to the unit subframe 23. The press
wheel 101 is resiliently biased into ground contact by a
tension coil spring 107 connected at its upper end to an
arm 108 on lever 103 and connected at its lower end to the
bracket 85 through an eye bolt 109 whose lower threaded
end carries a nut 111. As shown in Figs. 4 and 9, the
press wheel includes a pair of axially or laterally spaced
and laterally and radially inwardly converging conical
s;~
tread surfaces 112, 113 which engage the sliced soil at
opposite sides of the trench 39.
The hopper 37 is divided into three separate
compartments by suitable means, not shown, so as to hold
suitable quantities of seed, herbicide and insecticide.
The insecticide and the herbicide, delivered, respec-
tively, through tubes 116, 117, are metered by a metering
device 118 driven by a chain and sprocket arrangement.
OPERATION
1~ During a planting operation, as illustrated in
the drawings, the planter unit 12 floats in relation to
the tool bar 13 to which it is connected by parallel links
14, 15. Thus, the planter unit is supported by the
combined earth slicing disc and gauge wheel assemblies 51,
52. The weight of the planter unit puts down pressure on
both the seed trench furrow opening discs 31, 32 and the
slicing discs 61, 66 to not only insure formation of a
seed trench but also insure slicing the opposite banks of
the seed trench to cover the deposited seed. Since the
slicing or covering discs 61, 66 along with the gauge
wheels 53, 64 bear the weight of the planter unit,
penetration of hard soil is achieved and a constant amount
of soil is moved to cover the deposited seed. The planter
support wheels 50, 64 are in close proximity to the trench
forming discs and, thus, the depth of the seed trench, and
hence the planting depth, is not adversely affected by
ordinary changes in ground contour found in most fields.
The effect on planting depth of encountering clods, stones
or similar abrupt irregularities in the ground surface is
reduced by the equalizer mechanism formed by the walking
beams 81, 82, the cable 91 and the pulley 92. Having the
seed covering discs 61, 66 at the points of gauge wheel
support also insure uniform soil penetration over uneven
ground and adequate covering of the seed deposited in the
trench by the singulating mechanism 38 and seed tube 36.
If the slicing discs 61, 66 where located a substantial
distance from the gauge wheels, the penetration of the
S2
slicing discs would not be uniform when uneven ground is
encountered.
The spring-loaded trench firming wheel 101 with
its conical tread surfaces 112, 113 additionally insures
seed coverage and firms the ground in the trench covering
the seed.
In summary, our invention provides both accurate
depth control a..d good seed coverage by use of slicing
discs to cut the banks of the seed trench and gauge wheels
close to both the slicing discs and the seed trench
forming means.
