Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
7~t
The present invention relates to a machine for
dispensing seed and fer-tilizer.
A machine of this type is known from German ~tility
Model 78 03 ~19. The advantage of this machine is that it
allows seed and fertilizer to be applied to the soil
simultaneously in a single operation. Separa-te control
mechanisms for the two metering devices allow the arnounts of
seed and fertilizer ejected to be adjusted independently of
each other.
The disadvantage of this machine, however, is that
only small amounts of finely granu~ar seed can be dispensed
to an inadequate degree, by means of the fine sowing wheels.
Furthermore, the arrangement and drive of the agitating device,
in the storage tank for fertilizer of this device, has a
detrimental effec-t, since it crushes the grains of fertilizer,
which cannot tolerate pressure and grinds them down in a flour-
like mass. It is thus lmpossible to spread pressure sensitive
fertilizers with this known machine. Moreover, the known
machine cannot be used to spread coated seed, since the
agitating device in the seed tank damages the coating.
It is an aim of the present invention to improve
the known machine Eor dispensing seed and fertilizer,
eliminating the disadvantages mentioned.
In one aspect of the present invention there is pro-
vided a machine for dispensing seed and fertilizer, the
machine comprlsing at least two storage tanks each equipped
with outlet apertures, a meteriny device and pipelines opening
into coulters, being connected to each oE the tanks, the
metering device of the storage tank intended for seed comprising
a series of conveying wheels comprising a combination of a
normal sowing wheel with large teeth and a-t least one fine
sowing wheel with smaller teeth, each normal sowing wheel
~eing arranged to rotate upon the shaft of the metering
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device and one of the fine sowi.ng wheels being secured to the
shaft, at least one of the fine sowing wheels being adapted to
be connected to a normal sowing wheel by means of a coupling
element adapted to be locked in two operating positions, and
the metering device of the storage tank intended for fertilizer
comprising a series of differently designed sowing wheels,
the conveying wheels of the metering devic.e being adapted to
be driven, through a controllable transmission, from a mobile
source of power having adjustable r.p.m., and an ag:itating
device being located in the storage tank intended for seed,
and wherein the agitating device arranged in the storage tank
in~ended for seed, is adapted to be disconnected from its
drive.
These measures eliminate the crushing and grinding
of pressure sensitive coated seed. One important advantage
is that the agitating device, which is needed for seed which
does not flow easily, can be quite simply uncoupled and thus
halted in operation. The a~itating device can thus be easily
switched on and off by simple means.
The agitating device in the storage tank for seed
must be rendered inoperative whenever pressure sensitive seed,
such asrape seed or seed coated with active substances, is
being dispensed. In this connection, one embodiment of the
invention permits the agitating device to be removed from the
storage tank. Thus the flow of seed to the conveying wheels
is not impeded by the agitating device, which is not required
for ejecting this type of seed.
According to the present invention, the fine sowing
wheels comprise two toothed rings arranged side by side and
having small teeth, and the conveying wheels for fertilizer
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are in the form of fertilizer sowing wheels. ~s a result of
this, the fine sowing wheels spread finely granular seed very
uniformly, while the conveying wheels, in the form of fertilizer
sowing wheels, meter the fertilizer accurately. In order to
prevent fertilizer in the storage tank from being crushed,
the storage tank for fertilizer contains no agitating device.
In order to achieve simple design and production o-f
the conveying wheels, provision is made, according to the
invention, for the teeth of the fine sowing wheels and the
normal sowing wheels of the seed conveying wheels to have the
same basic tooth shape. At the same time, the same conveying
and metering requirements are obtained for the smaller and
larger teeth. A particularly satisfactory metering effect is
obtained in that the smaller and larger teeth have an involute
tooth shape.
In order to be able to produce the sowing housings
efficiently in large numbers, provision is made, according to
the invention, for the conveying wheels to be arranged in the
sowing housings, and the sowing housings for the two types of
conveying wheels are similar. In order to be able to use the
narrower fertilizer sowing wheels in the sowing housings
designed for the wider seed sowing wheels, provision is made
according to the invention, for the fertilizer sowing wheels
to be narrower than the seed conveying wheels, for the sowing
housings to have the same internal dimension, and for distance
washers, i.e., spacers to be arranged between the internal
surfaces of the lateral walls of the sowing housings and the
fertilizer sowing wheels. The washers also reduce, very
considerably, friction hetween the sowing housings and the
fertilizex sowing wheels, thus allowing the metering shaft with
the fertilizer sowlng wheels to run more freely.
3~
The invention is illustrated ~y way of example in
the accompanying drawings wherein:
. FIGURE 1 is a part sectional side elevational view of
a machine in accordance with the present
invention'
FIGURE 2 iS a sectional view taken through a fertilizer
sowing wheel in accordance with the present
inven-tion for the fertilizer metering device,
FIGURE 3 is a partial representation of the fertilizer
sowing wheel taken along line III-III in
Figure 2,
FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken through a conveying
wheel in accordance with the present invention
for the metering device intended for seed
and
~IGURE 5 is a partial representation of the conveying
wheel taken along line V-V in Figure 4.
The machine is equipped with a storage tank 1 for
seed and with a storage tank 2 for fertilizer, each of the
tanks 1 and 2 comprising a plurality of outlet apertures 4
arranged at right angles to the direction of working travel
indicated by ar'row 3. By means of slide 5, outlet apertures 4
may accordingly be closed or opened to provide different sizes
therefore. Arranged externally of each storage tank is a
metering device 6, the upper metering device in front of each
outlet aperture comprising, in front of each outlet aperture ~,
a conveying wheel 7, and the lower metering device comprising,
in front of each outlet aperture 4, a conveying wheel 8 in the
form of a fertilizer sowing wheel. Conveying wheels 7 and 8
are fitted to shafts 9 mounted rotatably on storage tanks 1 and
2, both the upper conveying wheel 7 and the lower conveying wheel
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8 beln~ partly enclosed by sowing wheel housing 10. Sha~ts
9, and thus conveying wheels 7 and 8, are driven by right-hand
(i.e., counter rotating as viewed in Figure 1) running wheel
11 of the machine, through chain drives 12 ,13, freewheel trans-
missions 14 and chain drives 15,16.
Locate~ within each freewheel transmission 1~ is an
eccentric mechanism 17 comprising a double eccentric 19 secured
to input shaft 18. Arranged upon output shaft 20 is a freewheel
21 upon which is located a lever arm 23 adapted to be applied
10, flexibly, by spring 22, to double eccentric 19. Located above
freewheel 21 is a self-locking, rotatably mounted eccentric
24 acting as a suppor for lever arm 23. Eccentric 24 is
equipped with an adjusting lever 25 which extends to adjusting
scale 26. Stop 27 on scale 26 is infinitely adjustable and can
be locked in position by Turn screw 28.
In the setting shown in Figure 1, adjusting lever 25
is in the 0-position and eccentric 24, with lever arrn 23 at
point 29 on the periphery of the eccentric, is farthest away
from bearing pin 30 oE eccentric 2~. At this time, the parts
20 of lever arm 23, adapted to contact double eccentrics 19, are
lifted to such an extent that they no longer come into contact
with double eccentrics 19 and output shafts 20 of Ereewheel
transmission 1~, and thus conveying wheels 7 ,8, remain
stationary, even while running wheel 11 is rotating.
Mounted rotatably within storage tank 1 for seed is
an agitating device 31 which is also driven from right hand
running wheel 11 of the machine, through chain drive 12, input
shaft 18 of freewheel transmission 1~, and chain drive 32.
While the machine is in use, seed in storage tank 1
30 is introduced into the soil, in an amount corresponding to the
r~p.m. o~ conveying wheels 7, through sowing housings 10, pipe-
lines 33 and 34 connected thereto, and shares 35 arrangedalternately in two rows one behind the other. Fertilizer,
in storage tank 2, passes, in an amount determined by the
r.p.m. of conveying wheels 8, to sowing housings 10, whence
it is in-trc duced into the soil through pipelines 36 and 27
and shares 35.
Conveying wheel 8, illus-trated in Figure 2 and,
secured to shaft 9, and designed as a fertilizer sowing wheel,
carries on its periphery, cams 38 arranged in two rows staggered
10 in relation one to another. Outer lateral surfaces 39 form, in
relation to lateral walls 40 of sowing housing 10, an out-
wardly directed angle 3. Rear surfaces 42 of cams 38, as
seen in direction 41 of rotation of fertilizer sowing wheels
8, fall away obliquely to the rear. Fertilizer sowing wheels
8 are of width B which is narrower than internal dimension A
of sowing housing 10. Arranged between inner surfaces 43 of
sowing housing 10 and fertilizer sowing wheels 8, upon shaft 9,
are spacer washers 44.
In contract to this, conveying wheel 7, shown in
20 Figures 4 and 5, comprises normal sowing wheel 46 equipped
with large tee-th 45 and of sowing wheel 48 equipped with smaller
teeth 47. Normal sowing wheel 46 is shown in the lower half
of Figure 5, while fine sowing wheel 48 is shown in the upper
half thereof, normal sowing wheel 46 being mounted rota-tably
upon shaft 9 ancl fine sowing wheel 48 being secured thereto.
Arranged displaceably within normal sowing wheel 46 is a coupling
element 50 provided with two grooves 49 which are spaced from
each other. Coupling element 50 is locked by means of a ball
51 which is urged, by a spring 52, against coupling element 50
30 and is held in the normal sowing wheel 46 by means of screw 53
and spring 52. As a result of this arrangement, coupling
element 50 may be set to two operating positions. In the
position shown ,in Figure 4, the left-hand outer part of
coupling element 50 is engaged in bore 55 arranged in left-hand
lateral wall 54 of sowing housing 10 which encloses conveying
wheel 7 on both sides. In this operating position, shaft 9
drives only fine sowing wheel 48 which delivers fine seed, in
particular, in appropriately small amounts, to pipelines 33 and
34. In the other operating position 50', shown in dotted line,
coupling element 50 has been withdrawn from hore 55 and is in
engagement with norrnal sowing wheel 46 an~ fine sowing wheel 48.
In this position 50', both fine sowing wheel 48 and normal
sowing wheel 46 are driven by s.haft 9 and deliver seed to pipe-
lines 33 and 34.
In order to permit coupling element 50 to be pushed
from operating position 50' back to the other operating position,
a bore 57, in alignment with bore 55, is located in right-hand
lateral wall 56.
Teeth 45 of normal sowing wheel 46 have the same
basic shape as smaller teeth 47 of fine sowing wheel 48 and
both are of involute type. Teeth 45 and teeth 47 are thus
arranged in two toothed rings located side by side.
Conveying wheels 7 and 8 are arranged in similar
sowing housings 10 having the same internal dimension A.
Agitating device 31 comprises a shaft 58 with
agita-ting pins 59. The end of shaft 58 carries a coupling
60 with a coupling pin 61 by means of which shaft 58 may be
connected to, and used to drive, chain-drive 32. In order to
halt rotation of shaft 58 with pins 59 of agitating device 31,
coupling pin 61, which connec-ts shaft 58 with chain-drive 32,
is removed from coupling 60. Furthermore shaft 58 of agitating
device 31 can be removed from storage tank 1, thus permitting
the agitating device to be removed from storage tan~ 1, if
necessary.
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