Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ROD WEEDER ATTACHMENT FOR AN AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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This invention relates to a tillage attachment
for mounting on agricultural implement of the type
comprising a tool bar, ground wheels for supporting the
tool bar for movement across the ground and means for
causing the tool bar to move in a direction transverse to
its length.
Rod weeders are known and are conventional
agricultural implements. These generally comprise a tool
bar mounted upon ground wheels and attached to a hitch
for movement of the tool bar across the ground. The rods
are then attached to the tool bar on shanks which extend
downwardly from the tool bar with the rods parallel to
the tool bar and mounted on bearings at the lower end of
the shanks. A number of separate rods can be arranged
across the tool bar to match the full length of the tool
bar. The rod or each of the rods is then driven by
suitable mechanism so that it rotates about a longitudin-
al axis in a reverse direction relative to a normal
rolling direction. Such a device is intended to work
just below the soil surface to cut weeds and to lift the
weed parts to the surface of the soil where they wither
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and die.
Rod weeders of this conventional type have been
well known for many years and have been manufactured and
sold in large numbers. However they have a number of
significant disadvantages, the most important of these
being that as the level of the ground varies relative to
the tool bar due to any local changes in surface height,
the depth of the rod relative to the surface of the
ground significantly varies and unless the rod is working
at exactly the right depth, its effectiveness is serious-
ly reduced.
U.S. Patent No. 3552496 discloses an alter-
native method of mounting the rods on the tool bar by way
of a number of flexible shanks which extend downwardly
from the tool bar and carry the rods. This arrangement
therefore allows some degree of flexing of the rods rela-
tive to the ground. The rod is driven by a spiked ground
engaglng wheel rearward of the rod.
Generally, therefore, it is well known that the
rod weeder arrangement is an effective tillage ~ool.
However the constructions available to date have not made
the best advantage of the rod weeder technique and is one
of the objects of the present invention to provide an
improved device for operating the rod weeder technique.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the first aspect of the invention,
therefore, there is provlded a tillage attachment device
for mounting on an agricultural implement of the type
comprising a tool bar, ground wheels for supporting the
tool bar for movement across the ground and means for
causing the tool bar to move in a direction transverse to
its length, the device comprising clamp means for
attachment of the device to the tool bar, pivot arm
means mounted on said clamp means so as to extend
rearwardly therefrom including a first porti.on extending
from said clamp means so as to be pivotal about a
horlzontal axis at right angles to said arm means and a
second rearward portion connected to the first portion at
a rearward end thereof so as to extend downwardly
therefrom, spring biasing means connected between said
clamp means and said first portion of said pivot arm
means for biasing said arm means downwardly around said
axis, a ground engaging wheel having an axle mounted on
said second portion of said arm means remote from said
clamp means such that the ground wheel runs on the ground
rearwardly of and follow'ng said tool bar, said ground
wheel having a ground engaging periphery arranged to
maintain said axle at a predetermined spacing from the
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ground, strut means rigidly mounted upon and extending
transversely to said arm means, two horizontally spaced
rigid shank means each rigidly mounted on said strut
means and extending downwardly therefrom for engagement
with the ground, a rod extending between said shank means
at respective lower ends thereof, the position of the rod
relative to the ground being controlled by the height of
the first portion of the arm means above the ground,
bearing means mounting said rod on each of said shank
means for rotation relative thereto about a longitudinal
axis of said rod, and drive means for communicating drive
from said ground wheel to said rod for rotating said rod,
said second portion of the arm means being mounted on the
first portion of the arm means such that in an operating
position thereof the rod is arranged at a vertical
spacing lower than the lowest point of the periphery of
the ground wheel and the ground wheel controls a working
depth of the rod ln the ground.
The device, therefore, is designed as an
attachment to the tool bar of an existing agricultural
implement. Thus ~or example the device can be attached
behind a cultivator so that the rod weeder attachment
operates behind the cultivator.
Each attachment is of limited width and is
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supported or guided relative to the ground surface by the
ground wheel. The vertical spacing the rod and the
ground wheel is rigid and fixed so the ground wheel
accurately controls the depth of the rod over a relative-
ly narrow width of the implement so the rod is properly
controlled to the re~uired depth. An adjustment mechan-
ism can be provided for example by forming the arm in a
first portion and a second portion with a second portion
inclined to the first and adjustable in its inclination.
Preferably the device includes a ~ingle wheel
arranged centrally of the device, the wheel having an
inflated rubber tire so that it can properly act as a
depth control while communicating drive from the wheel to
the rod.
In addition the arm is preferably arranged
substantially centrally and the vertical shanks are
supported on struts ext~nding outwardly to the sides of
the arm. Furthermore the arms can be formed as two
parallel bars clamped separately onto the tool bar and
extending separately rearwardly to the transverse strut
means.
The device can therefore be attached simply
behind any re~uired agricultural implement with the depth
of operation of the rod control separately of the tool
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bar strictly by the ground engaging wheel.
Wlth the foregoing in view, and other advan-
tages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art
to which this invention relates as this specification
proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference
to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which
includes a description of the best mode known to the
applicant and of the preferred typical embodiment of the
principles of the prPsent invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a top plan view of a tillage device
for attachment to a tool bar according to the invention.
Figure 2 is a view along the lines 2-2 of
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a view along the lines 3-3 of
Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a view along the lines 4-4 of
Figure 1.
In the drawings like characters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A tool bar of an agricultural implement is
indicated generally at 10 with ground wheels for the tool
bar and a hitch for the tool bar omitted for convenience
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of illustration but are of conventional type. Cultivator
shanks are indicated schematically at 11 to show that the
tool bar is of~a conventional agricultural implement for
example a cultivator.
The device comprises a clamp section for
attachment to the tool bar 10. The clamp section gener-
ally indicated at 12 comprises a pair of clamp members 13
and 14. Each comprises a plate 15 for attachment on a
front side of the bar 10 and a plate 16 for attachment on
a rear side with the plates coupled by bolts 16 crossing
over the top and bottom of the tool bar in conventional
manner. The rear plate 15 is attached to side plates 17
which define a lower pivot section carrying a pivot pin
18 and an upwardly extending spring receiving section 19
which carries a pivot pin 20 at an upper end for receiv-
ing a compression spring 21. Each of the clamp members
13 and lA is substantially identical and spaced along the
length of the tool bar.
The device further comprises a pivot arm gener-
ally indicated at 22 in the form of 2 parallel bars 23
and 24 which extend rearwardly and horizontally from the
pivot pin 18 so that each of the bars is pivotally mount-
ed about the hori~ontal axis defined by the pins 18 in a
respective one of the clamp members 13 and 14.
The bars 23 and 24 are biased downwardly by the
compxession springs 21 which are coupled between the
pivot pin 20 and a pivot pin 25 mounted transversely o~ a
pair of upstanding flanges 26 and 27 on the upper side of
the bar 23. Thus the bars 23 and 24 can commonly pivvt
upwardly and downwardly about the axis defined by the
pins 18 but are biased downwardly by the springs 21 with
upward movement against the spring bias being accommo-
dated by the pivot pins 25 and 20. A transverse bar 28
interconnects the bars 23 and 24 so as to maintain them
in common pivotal movement and so that the clamp members
and bars form a rigid interconnected structure which
resists twisting about an axis at right angles to the
tool bar 10 and symetrically relative to the arm section
22.
The arm section 22 carries on an outermost end
a flat plate 29 which is clamped to a transverse elong-
ated strut 30 by u-shaped clamps 31 and 32 which are
bolted through the plate 29. Welded to the transverse
strut 30 at positions aligned with the bars 23 and 24 is
a pair of plates 33 and 34 which are shown in plan in
Figure 1. The plate 33 shown in elevation in Figure 3
and the plate 34 shown in elevation in Figure 4. Each of
the plates therefore extends rearwardly of the strut 30
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and together they provide a pair of support plates ~or
pivotally mounting a second arm portion generally indi-
cated at 35 for carrying a ground wheel 35A. The second
arm portion 35 comprises a pair of two separate bars 36
and 37 which carry at their lower ends an axle 38 for the
wheel 35. The bars 36 and 37 extend generally upwardly
and forwardly from the axle 35 to a pair of pivot pins
39, 40 which pass through the plates 33, 34 respectively
and are aligned to allow common plvotal movement of the
second arm portion 35 relative to the first arm portion
including the plates 33 and 34.
That pivotal movement is halted at a required
location by an adjustment screw 41. One end of the
adjustment screw 41 is attached to an angle iron 42 which
extends across between the plates 33 and 34 and is mount-
ed upon a pivot pin 43 to allow the angle iron to move to
take up the required location relative to the screw 41.
The screw passes through one leg of the angle iron as
shown best in Figure 4 and the other end of the screw is
attached to a pair of lugs 44 which extend upwardly from.
a transverse bar 45 interconnecting the bars 36 and 37.
Thus by adjustment of the screw 41, the position of the
inclination of the rear portion 35 relative to the front
portion 22 can be adjusted so that generally the front
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arm portion is horizontal as shown in Figure 3 with the
rear arm portion extending rearwardly and downwardly
therefrom for engagement of the wheel 35A with the
ground. Adjustment of the inclination causes the trans-
verse strut 30 to be raised and lowered relative to the
tool bar 10.
The ground wheel 35A is of a type having an
inflatable rubber tire so that it can run on the ground
without causing significant alteration to the ground and
yet it is rotated by contact with the ground. In addi-
tion the contact of such a tire with the ground can
accurately control the height of the strut relative to
the ground. The length of the arms 36 and 37 can be
adjusted as they are formed from two separate portions
indicated at 36A and 36B coupled at a bolt 36C which is
positioned within a slot 36D.
On an opposed end of the strut 30 which extends
outwardly to respective sides of the arm 22 is positioned
a vertically downwardly extending shank indicated
respectively at 50 and 51. Each of the shanks is arrang-
ed at right angles to the strut and is aligned the
vertical plane and extends downwardly and slightly
forwardly to a yround engaging tire portion 52 which is
shaped to engage into the ground and move forwardly along
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the ground slightly beneath the surface with movement of
the tool bar. A lower rear edge of the shank carries a
bearing S3 within which is carried a rod 54 which extends
parallel to the strut 30 and at a position generally
vertically beneath the strut 30. The bearings 53 allow
the rod 54 to rotate about its own axis at a position
slightly ~eneath the surface of the soil.
Drive to the rod 54 is obtained from the ground
wheel 35A. Specifically a sprocket 55 is carried on the
axle 38 of the ground wheel within the confines of the
bar 36 which for this purpose is formed as a channel
section. The sprocket 35 carries and drives a chain 56
which extends along the bar 36 to an upper idler s~rocket
S7 carried on the plate 33. A second idler sprocket 58
is carried also on the plate 33 beneath the sprocket 57.
A drive shaft 59 extends from a sprocket 60 on the plate
33 to the end shank 50. The sprocket 60 is positioned
above the sprocket 58 so as to receive the outside of the
chain 56 and to define a return portion of the chain
directed down to the sprocket 55. Thus rotation of the
ground wheel 35A in a forward direction b~ forward move-
ment of the tool bar causes the shaf~ 59 to be driven in
a reverse direction that is a clock-wise direction as
visible in Figure 3. The shaft 59 communicates the drive
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from the wheel 35A to the left hand shank 50 within which
is positioned a pair of sprockets 61 and 62 one of which
mounted on the shaft 5g and the other on the rod 54 with
a chain 63 therebetween for directly communicating drive
to the rod 54. Thus in addition rod 54 rotates in a
reverse direction relative to the forward direction so
that in operation it tends to throw weeds to the surface
of the soil.
The shanks 50 and 51 comprise an upper plate
lO` portion 65 attached to the strut 30 and a downwardly
extending portion the angle of which can be adjusted by a
bolt 66 within a slot 67.
It will be appreciated therefore that the
device formed by the rearwardly and downwardly extending
arm portions carrying the single ground wheel 35A is
accurately located in its height by the engagement of the
ground wheel 35A with the ground. The height of the
strut 30 thus directly controls the height of the rod 54
in view of the rigid connection provided by the shanks 50
and 51. The length of the rod 54 is arranged to be of
the order of 5 feet thus defining the wid~h of operation
of the attachment device in the ground. This width is
sufficiently limited that the depth of the rod beneath
the ground can be accurately controlled by the running of
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the wheel 35A on the ground.
In an alternative arrangement (not shown) the
forward arm portion can be Eormed by a single bar singly
clamped to the tool bar. As a further alternative, the
bars 23 and 24 forming the front arm portion can be
spaced further outwardly toward the ends of the trans-
verse strut 30.
Since various modiflcations can be made ln my
invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently
widely different embodiments of same made within the
spirit and scope of the claims without departing from
such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter
contained in the accompanying specification shall be
interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting
sense.
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