Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
- I - 207476~
AGRICULTURAL SEEDER
This invention relates to agricultural seeder of the type generally known
as an air seeder in which seeds are conveyed from a central hopper to a number of
seeding elements carried upon a frame with the seeds being ejected into the ground
through ground cutting means provided on each of the seeding elements.
BACKGROI~ND OF THE INV'ENTION
Air seeders of this type have generally used either a knife or a cutting sweep which is
carried at each of the seeding elements by the frame so as to cut a furrow in the ground
~, into which the seeds are deposited. The depth of seeding is of fundamental importance
to the germination and must therefore be very accurately controlled. The seed must be
properly placed a required spacing from the soil surface and also taking into account
soil surface moisture characteristics and the sub-surface moisture to obtain the optimum
germination.
At the same time as the seeding process, it is highly desirable to effect
banding of a fertilizer material so that the fertilizer is located adjacent to but spaced
from the seeds so that once germination has occurred the roots can access the fertilizer.
It is common therefore to provide a second duct on the seeding element for
transportation of fertilizer to a position adjacent to but spaced from the seeds. It is
undesirable to place the fertilizer directly with the seeds due to the chemical burning
~ 20 effect which can be obtained.
.~ In rnany air seeders the depth of seeding is controlled by mounting the
^3 seeding element in fixed position on the frame and then by controlling the height of the
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frame relative to the ground as accurately as possible by providing a frame which can
flex at different positions so the height of the frame varies to follow as accurately as
possible the contours of the ground. However this approach has of course its
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limitations in that the frame necessarily must have some structural stability which thus
limits its ability to totally follow the contours of the ground. Thus some of the seeding
elements will at various times provide a depth of seeding which is too deep and other
. times the depth will be too shallow.
Attempts have been made to develop seeding systems in which the
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seeding elements are individually mounted upon the frame so that they can individually
follow the contours of the ground.
One example of an arrangement of this type is shown in U.S. Patent
, 4417530 (Kopecky) which shows a seeding element mounted upon a fixed tool bar with
the seeding element being free to move up and down, the depth of the seeding being
controlled by engagement of the packer wheel with the ground behind the seeding
action.
. Another example of an arrangement of this type is shown in U.S. Patent
:1~ 4311104 (Steilen) which shows a parallelogram linkage arrangement in which again the
depth of seeding is controlled by the rolling action of a trailing packer wheel.An older U.S. Patent 2357730 (Peacock) discloses a similar arrangement
~, in which fertilizer is deposited into a centre part of a furrow and seeds are deposited in
j two rows on either side of the centre part of the furrow through a second seeding
., element. Again the depth of the seeding action is controlled by a packer wheel.
;~j 20 In more recent years Halford in his U.S. Patent 4,762,075 has provided
an arrangement of this general type which is designed particularly for use in a "no-till"
. farming system in that the cutting action is effected by a narrow knife thus avoiding
disturbing soil on either side of the seeding and fertilizing action.
" In addition in a recent development Hiniker has disclosed in their
brochure for their machine known as "6150 Sweep Feeder" an arrangement similar to
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the patent of Peacock in which there is a forward cutting knife depositing fertilizer and
the subsequent double row feeding shank which deposits two row of sePds behind the
`~ fertilizer knife. Hiniker have provided two parallel packer wheels in place of the single
wide packer wheel of Peacock. Hiniker have also provided a coulter which is
positioned just in front of the fertilizer knife and is stated to be an independent depth -
gauge coulter which cuts through residue and maintains precise seed placement depth, -'
It is understood therefore that the coulter provides an independent initial cutting action
on the soil so as to avoid the remaining crop residue in a "no till" operation from
interfering with the proper depth control provided by the conventional arrangement of
10 the packer wheel and cutting knife assembly.
, 1 It is believed that the above examples are all heading in the right
~ direction in providing a seeding action which can be effected in relatively heavy crop ` ` '
';~ residue necessary in a no till operation while providing better control over the depth of
the seeding action. However there remains opportunity for significant improvements in
~` this field.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ; :
' ~ It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an
improved seeding appaMtus which further and more accurately controls the seedingdepth. '
~'1 ~ ~ 20 It is a further object of the present invention to provide a seeding
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; ~ ~ apparatus in which the collection or accumulation of crop residue is avoided.
. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a design of
-~ seeding element for a seeder in which the seeding sweep is properly protected by a trip
; ~ mechanism and yet is accurately controlled at a required depth. , -
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a seeding
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`` 2074765
apparatus for more effectively applying the seeds and fertilizer to the ground.
~; According to the invention, therefore, there is provided an agricultural
seeder comprising a frame, means for supporting the frame for transportation in a
direction of working movement across ground to be seeded, a plurality of seeder
elements mounted on the frame at spaced positions across the width of the frame for
applying seeds to the ground as the frame is moved across the ground, supply means
for supplying seeds to each seeder element, each seeder element including groundcutting means for cutting a furrow into the surface of ~he ground, seed feeding means
i for depositing seeds from the supply means onto the ground within the furrow,
:~ 10 mounting means mounting the ground cutting means of each seeder element for
~3 movement relative to the frame independently of the other seeder elements in a
1, direction to vary the height of the cutting means relative to the frame, and height
.~i control means for controlling the height of the cutting means relative to the ground
such that the cutting means moves relative to the frame to be maintained at a required
height relative to the ground surface, said height control means comprising a first
grounding engaging rolling element positioned forwardly of the cutting means, a
second ground engaging rolling element positioned rearwardly of the cutting means,
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:, interconnecting strut means rigidly interconnecting the first and second rolling elements
. ~ and pivot mounting means connecting the strut means to the ground cutting means to
-~ 20 allow pivotal movement of the strut means and the first and second rolling elements
... , relative to the cutting means about an axis transverse to the direction of movement such
~ 3
: ~ that vertical movement of either of the first and second rolling elements is
communicated to the cutting means.
~k~ One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
~, with the accompanying drawings in which:
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BRIEF DESCRIPI ION OF THE DRAWINGS
; Figure 1 is a side elevational view of one seeding element of a seeding
apparatus.
. Figure 2 is a plan view of a part of the seeding element of Figure 1 and
taken along the lines 2-2 in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan view of one part of the seeding element of Figure 1
and taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 of Figure 1.
, Figure S is a cross sectional view taken along the lines 5-S of Figure 1.
s 10 Figure SA is cross-sectional view along the lines SA-SA of Figure S.
Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines 6-6 of Figure 1.
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Figure 7 is a top plan view of the seeding apparatus including the
'~ feeding element of Figure 1, only some of the seeding elements being shown, the
~ remainder being omitted for convenience of illustration.
^~ Figure 8 is a cross sectional view along the lines 8-8 of Figure 7 on an
`~ enlarged scale.
Figure 8A is a top plan view of the control lever of Figure 8.
,~ Figure 9 is a view along the lines 9-9 of Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 10-10 of Figure 7 on
20 an enlarged scale.
i In the dMwings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
.~ in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPI ION
Turning firstly to Figure 7 the whole of the seeding apparatus is shown
in plan and comprises a main central fMme 10 mounted for movement across ground to
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be seeded on a front wheel assembly including a pair of ground wheels 11 and a rear
pair of spaced ground wheels 12. The frame is generally rectangular and formed from
Iongitudinal and transverse beams in conventional manner. A forward part of the
frame includes a hitch 13 for coupling to a towing vehicle. The front wheels 11 (see
. Figure 10) are mounted close together on an axle 1 IA. The axle 1 lA passes through a
;~ square post 13C which stands vertically upwardly therefrom. Each wheel 11 is carried
on a respective end of the axle I lA on either side of the post. On the front of the post
is mounted a pair of spaced lugs 13B which couple a rear end of the hitch pole 13 to
' the post by a transverse pivot pin 13A passing through the hitch pole and through the
.' l0 lugs 13B. This allows the hitch pole to pivot in a vertical plane relative to the post
-~ 13C.
i~ At a forward end of the main frame 10 is provided a vertical tube 10A
which is welded to and passes through a top plate 10B and a bottom plate 10C attached
~;1 to the top and bottom respectively of the main frame 10. The tube 10A receives a
Y vertical tube 13D welded to the top of the post 13C via a horizontal plate 13E.
-~ Rotationial movement between the inner tube 13D and the support tube 10A is provided
q
by a bushing 13H. Across the top of the inner tube 13D is welded a top plate 13J. ~-
The plate 13J is bolted to a cap plate 13F by bolts 13G. The cap plate 13G thus abuts
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the top of the support tube 10A and the bushing 13H to act as a top thrust bearing. The
`~i 20 horizontal plate 13E abuts the opposed end of the tube and the bushing and thus forms
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the opposed thrust bearing thus allowing rotation of the post 13C about a vertical axis
;,~ to cause steering movements of the front wheels 11 under force from the hitch pole 13.
, The details of the frame structure are not described as these will be
` apparent to one skilled in the art and do not form an important part of this invention.
The ground wheels 11 and 12 are generally fixed in height relative to the
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-7- 207~7~
frame since the frame maintains a constant height relative to the ground and does not
need to be raised and lowered as the seeding elements themselves are individually
raised and lowered as described hereinafter. This allows the hopper to be carried
directly on the frame, rather than as a separate trailer as is necessary with conventional
air seeders, since the weight of the hopper which varies with its level of fill does not
affect the weight applied to the seeding elements.
The frame further includes two wing frame sections 14 and 15 each of
which is connected to the mainframe section by a hinge connection parallel to the
direction of movement allowing the wing frame section to be folded upwardly in a10 transport position (not shown). The wing frame sections include ground wheels 16 for
carrying the wing frame section across the ground.
, The frame carries a hopper 17 which is divided into two sections 17A
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and 17B (Figure 8) for transporting seeds in one part of the hopper and fertilizer in the
-', second part of the hopper for application to the ground through the seeding elements.
At the bottom of the hopper is provided a cylindrical transportation duct 18 into which
:~ the materials from the hopper sections 17a and 17b fall by way of a metering
::3 arrangement schematically indicated at 19. The cylindrical duct 18 is divided into two
separate semi-circular duct portions by a central dividing wall 20 so that the seeds are
metered into one duct portion on one side of the central wall 20 and the fertilizer is
~-~ 20 metered into the second duct portion on the opposite side of the dividing wall 20. At
the end of the duct, the duct splits into two separate duct portions 21 and 22 leading
t respectively to distribution towers 24 and 23 of the type conventionally used on an air
~' seeder.
As shown in Figure 7 the distribution tower 24 splits into four separate
distribution ducts with the material from the duct portion 21 being equally divided
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amongst the four ducts which are then transported to four separate further distribution
towers 25 in conventional manner. For convenience of illustration the full plumbing
Iayout of the machine is not shown but the person skilled in the art will appreciate that
the ducts and distribution towers are used to rneter the materials for supply to the
. individual seeding elements.
The fertilizer and seeds are carried through the ducts for the distribution
and splitting action by an air stream generated by a fan 27 carried on the frame at a
' suitable location.
~, The central dividing wall 20 has an opening 26 at a position downstream
of the metering units 19. The opening 26 can be closed by a flap valve 28 which pivots
about a vertical pivot pin 29 having a handle 30 at the upper end exposed on upper
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'! surface of the duct 18. By the operation of the handle, therefore, the flap valve can be
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L~ moved from a fully closed position in which the dividing wall 20 is complete and fully
, separates the seeds and fertilizer material to various degrees of an open position in
, which a part of the flap valve 28 projects into the fertilizer duct portion to extract part
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; `~. of the stream of air and fertilizer flowing in that duct portion. It will be appreciated at
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the amount of fertilizer extracted will vary in dependence upon the angle of the flap
; valve 28. The handle 30 includes a vertically downwardly extending pin 30A which
- engages into a selected one of a plurality of holes in a plate 30B to set the required
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- ~ 20 adjustment of the flap valve 28.
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~; By using this simple technique, a portion of the fertilizer can be
extracted from the fertilizer duct and mixed with the seeds, the mixing action being
relatively intimate in view of the distribution towers. In this way, as explained
,~ hereinafter, the seeds can be applied to the ground in conjunction with a small
~ proportion of the fertilizer with the remaining proportion of the fertilizer being applied
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burning the seeds while allowing access of the roots from the seeds to the fertilizer.
~ In Figure 7 six of the seeding elements are illustrated and indicated at --.
30. These seeding elements trail behind a transverse frame element 31 and arranged
; alternatively on forward and rearward frame elements in conventional manner so as to
provide a seeding action across the full width of the frame while allowing sufficienti
space in between the individual seeding elements on each of the transverse frame
~ members. The remaining seeding elements are omitted from the frame structure in
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,b~ Figure 7 for convenience of illustration.
One of the seeding elements is illustrated in detail in Figures 1 through
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6. The remaining seeding elements are identical to the one illustrated in Figures 1
through 6. ~ ;
On a rear vertical face of the frame beam 31 is mounted a vertical
channel member 32 with an open face of the channel member 32 facing rearwardly and
defining two side flanges in parallel transversely spaced arrangement.
The seeding element further includes a mainframe member 33 formed of
a vertical channel member 34 and a horizontal channel member 35 which are connected
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at right angles with the channel member 35 at the base of the channel member 34. The
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channel members are arranged with the open face of the channel member 34 projecting
~- forwardly toward the channel member 32 and the open face of the channel member 35
projecting downwardly. -
Between the channel member 34 and the channel 32 is provided a
parallelogram linkage 36 including a lever 37 and a second lever 38 which are ofcourse parallel and each comprises a tubular member which is connected at a first end
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~ to the channel member 32 by transverse pins 39 and at its opposed end to the channel
member 34 by transverse pins 40.
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IO- 20747~5
This parallelogram linkage allows the main support frame of the seeding
element to move vertically, upwardly and downwardly in dependence upon the ground
position as described hereinafter. The parallel movement keeps the main frame
member 33 and ~herefore the seeding system at a constant angle to the ground as the
height varies.
In addition between the channel member 32 and a pair of lugs 41 on the
top face of the tubular lever 38 is provided a hydraulic cylinder assembly 42. The
assembly 42 includes a cylinder 43 and a piston rod 44. The cylinder 43 includes a
coupling sleeve 45 at its outer end carried on a transverse pin 46 at the top of the
--
1l lo channel member 32. The piston rod 44 includes a connecting sleeve 47 similarly
s connected to a transverse pin 48 between the spaced lugs 41 on the top of the tubular
lever 38. The cylinder is thus positioned so that an expansion stroke of the cylinder
~ will cause force on the main support frame vertically downwardly to apply downward
:Jj pressure to the seeding element and a retraction stroke of the cylinder will cause a
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lifting action of the seeding element for movement to a retracted or transport position
`J' raised from the ground.
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The cylinder 43 includes supply ports 49 and 50 for the expansion and
retraction strokes with hydMulic fluid being supplied from a central control unit 51
which is common to all of the cylinders of the individual seeding elements.
A control unit 51 is arranged in use to supply to the port 49 during
, operation of the seeding element hydraulic fluid at a constant supply pressure thus
providing a constant downward force on the seeding elements. However, the control
unit 51 will also allow the cylinder to float in that the fluid is supplied under a constant
pressure but can be supplied to and received from the cylinder in response to upward
, and downward movement of the seeding element caused by changes in ground height
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relative to the frame. This provides therefore a controlled floating action with a
constant biasing force. The amount of force can be varied by actuating a simple central
control arm (not shown) on the control unit to vary the hydraulic pressure.
In order to maintain the stability of the main support frame against side
,l! to side twisting movement, the levers 37 and 38 are formed from 4 inch to 2 inch flat
tubing.
The height of the main support frame 33 relative to the ground is
controlled by a walking beam arrangement 52 including a front rolling element orwheel 53 rotatable about a transverse axle 54 and a pair of rear rotatable elements or
~, lO packer wheels 55 each of which is rotatable about a common transverse axle 56. Each
of the wheels 53 and 55 comprises a semi-pneumatic tire portion 57 mounted upon a
.~, conventional rim and support disc 58 the details of which are not shown as it will be
. well known to one skilled in the art. The semi-pneumatic tire 57 is of the type which
, has a hollow interior but is not inflatable, and this defines a relatively wide band in
~r contact with the ground which allows some flexibility and rolls over the ground surface
without any cutting action. The wheels are of the type commonly used as a packer`~,4, wheel and the rear wheels 55 act as packer wheels as described hereinafter.
. ~ The shaft 56 is mounted for rotation on a strut 59 positioned between the
wheels and extending therefrom upwardly and forwardly. The strut 59 is welded to a
yolk 60 including a pair of side struts 61 and 62 which form a loop having a rear end
i welded to the sides of the strut 59 and a forward end straddling a rear part of the
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channel member 35. The shaft 54 is carried by a pair of forks 63 and 64 each welded
to an underside of a respective one of the side struts 61 and 62 so that an upper end
~, 63A, 64A is welded to the underside of the respective side strut at an angle thereto so
., a. to exteod downwardly and forwardly therefrom as shown in Figure 1. The iorks
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~ ` supporting the front wheel and the strut supporting the rear wheels thus form a common
.. ~ rigid structure for rolling on the ground in a tricycle type arrangement with the front
wheel forwardly of the seeding system as described hereinafter and the rear wheels
. rearwardly thereof, the layout being best shown in Figure 4 showing the front wheel
.. .
positioned on a centre line between the two rear wheels.
The walking beam system 52 is attached to the main support frame 33 by
~i an adjustment system generally indicated at 64. The connection and adjustment system
J 64 includes a main transverse pivot pin 65 attached to the upper most end of the side
. struts 61 and 62 and connected to the main support frame. The walking beam system is
.
l o therefore pivotal about the transverse pin 65 so that the front wheel can lift
.~ independently relative to the rear wheels and vice versa and the position of the main
support frame 33 is controlled in dependence upon a resulting position of the height of
the transverse pin 65 which is therefore dependent upon the combination of the heights
of the front and rear wheels.
The transverse pin 65 is connected to the main support frame by a lever
66 and by an adjustable strut 67. The lever 66 has a forward end pivoted on the pin 65
and the rearward end pivoted on a transverse pin 68 carried on a pair of lugs 69. The
, ~ lugs 68 are welded to the top surface of the channel member 35 and are therefore fixed
relative thereto. The position of the pin 65 relative to the channel member 35 can be
~; 20 adjusted by moving the adjustable lever 67. This acts therefore to adjust the height of
the wa1king beam arrangement 52 relative to the main support frame and thus relative
to the seeding system carried by the main support frame.
;~- The lever 66 comprises a pair of side straps connected by sleeves 66A
and 66B mounted on the respective pins 68 and 65.
The adjustable strut 67 is mounted at its lower end on a transverse pin 70
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connected to the lever 66 at a position just spaced from the pin 65. The upper end of
the adjustable strut 67 is connected to a pin 71 which includes a course adjustment
system defined by parallel plates 72 including a plurality of openings 73 into which the
pins 71 can be inserted as required. The length of the adjustable lever 67 can also be
adjusted in a fine adjustment by a turn buckle arrangement generally indicated at 74.
The seeding system is generally indicated at 75 and includes a curved
shank 76 extending downwardly from a shank holder 83 on the main support frame 33
to a sweep 77 mounted at the lower end of the shank 76. The upper end of the shank
76 is connected to the channel member 35 by the shank holder 83 which includes a
bushing 83D welded to a top face of the shank holder and includes a transverse pin 78
passing through the depending side flanges of the channel member 35. The shank is
mounted on the shank holder by a clamping plate 83F which is connected to a plate
83E welded to the top of the shank holder by clamping bolts. The shank 76 can thus
pivot about the pin 78 within the channel member about the horizontal axis of the pin :
from an initial working position as shown in Figure I to a trip position in which the
sweep moves rearwardly and upwardly to clear an obstacle. The trip action is effected
by the pivotal movement of the shank about the pin 78. This pivotal movement is
resisted by a pair of springs 80 carried on an upper surface of the horizontal web of the
channel member 35. Each spring surrounds a vertical leg 81 of a U-bolt which extends
from a head 82 at the upper end of each leg downwardly through a hole in the web 35A
of the channel member 35 to the U-shaped lower end of the U-bolt which is wrapped
around the forward end of the shank holder 83, and held in place by the bottom edge of
a front plate 83G. The simple engagement of the base of the U-bolt on the shank
holder allows the required pivotal movement therebetween.
In Figure I the shank is shown in its normal working position. In
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In Figure I the shank is shown in its normal working position. In
Figure S the shank is shown in the trip position in which the forward end of the shank
. is forced downwardly by the trip action of the impact of the obstacle with the sweep
thus pulling the U-bolt 81 through the web 35A and compressing the springs 80.
A set screw 86 extends through a spacer sleeve 83A carried on the shank
holder and passing through the conventionally provided hole in the shank to a position
abutting the underside of the web 35A. The cooperation between the hole in the shank
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and the sleeve also acts to assist the securement of the shank as'the shank holder. The
spacer sleeve abuts a nut 83C welded to the top of the shank holder and the position of
lo the set screw 86 relative to the nut 83C is locked by lock nut 83B. Thus in the normal
working position shown in Figure I the set screw 86 locates the position of the shank
tl by preventing further upward movement of the shank in response to the spring
pressure. This position can be adjusted simply by rotating the set screw in conventional
~t~ manner thus slightly pivoting the shank about the pin 78. In the trip action the set
screw simply moves away from the web until the trip is released and the shank moves
3 back to the normal working position. The set screw is used to finely trim the angle of
;~i the sweep 77 to maintain the lower cutting edge in an exactly required plane identical
to the plane of the sweeps of the other seeding elements thus taking into account
manufacturing variations which could otherwise cause a twisting of the sweep thus
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20 reducing its effective action. In many cases the sweep will be set exactly horizontal.
'~ In other cases a slight downward incline may be used, depending upon soil conditions.
.3 The seeding system includes the sweep 77 together with a seed supply
duct 87 for applying the seeds to the ground within a furrow below the surface of the
`'~t ground to a depth required and set by the adjustment of the seeding system.
~ Furthermore the seeding system includes a fertilizer banding device
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including a rearwardly and downwardly projecting banding knife 88 and a fertilizer
supply tube 89 positioned rearwardly of the sweep so as to deposit fertilizer into the
ground behind the action of the sweep. As shown in Figure 4 the banding knife 88
comprises a simple vertical plate which is located along the centre line of the sweep.
The knife 88 is clamped between two plates 90 which are welded to the rear face of the
seed supply duct 87 so as to extend rearwardly therefrom in spaced parallel
relationship. The fertiziler supply tube 89 includes two parallel plates extending
forwardly therefrom each arranged to lie against an outside surface of one of the plates
90 to form a sandwich locking the supply tube and the knife together and its depth can
be adjusted by moving the knife within the clamping plates 90 connecting the banding
knife to the shank so as to be carried thereby for movement therewith. In most cases,
the banding action of the banding knife is arranged at a depth beneath that of the
seeding action so as to form a band of the fertilizer between two rows of the seeds and
at a depth greater than the seeds so that the seeds from each of the two rows can access
the fertilizer by growing downwardly and inwardly toward the fertilizer band.
However this location of the fertilizer can be adjusted by the adjustment of the knife
88. The tube 89 comprises a simple metal tube which extends from an upper open
mouth connected to a supply duct 89A downwardly and rearwardly to a discharge
mouth at an upper rear face of the knife 88. The duct 89A is supplied with fertilizer
from the distribution system previously described and shown schematically in Figure 7.
The sweep 77 is shown in Figures 1, 4 and 6 and includes a lower most
cutting edge 91 Iying in a horizontal (or slightly downwardly inclined) plane as adjusted
by the set screw 86. The horizontal cutting edge includes a forward most apex 92 and
two diverging portions 93 and 94 which extend outwardly and rearwardly from the
apex at an acute angle. The lower most cutting edge 91 thus forms a shelf in the soil
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by cutting along the line of the lower most edge and lifting the soil above that line
away from the shelf for travel over the body of the sweep and back to the groundbehind the sweep.
The sweep body further includes two inclined surfaces 95 and 96 which
are inclined upwardly and inwardly from the respective cutting edge 93, 94. The
sweep further includes a generally horizontal or slightly inclined surface portion 97, 98
on each side of the sweep and connected from an upper edge of the surface 95, 96 and
extending inwardly therefrom. The surface portion 97, 98 is connected to an upwardly
and rearwardly extending connecting flange 99 which extends along a front face of the
shank 76 and is connected thereto by bolts 100.
As best shown in Figure 6, the seed supply duct 87 divides into two
separate duct portions 101, 102. A suitable splitting edge 103 is designed to separate
the seeds flowing through the duct 87 in the air stream generated by the fan into two
substantially equal streams of the seeds for separate seeding within the interior of the
sweep. Each tube 101, 102 extends into the sweep at a position forwardly of trailing
edges 104 thereof and within the triangular area defined by the inside edges of the
horizontal portions 97, 98. The tubes 101, 102 diverge outwardly to open discharge
ends 121, 122 a position underlying the body of the sweep that is within the area
bounded by the walls 95 and 96 and the horizontal wall 97, 98. In operation,
therefore, the seeds are discharged from the open ends of the tubes which extend into
the cavity formed by the sweep within the soil and are then covered as the soil falls
onto the seeds rearwardly of the sweep. The seeds are thus supplied in two separate
rows with little dispersion of the seeds out of the two separate rows.
In the case where the flap valve of Figures 8 and 9 is opened to bleed
fertilizer into the seed tubes, this fertilizer is then applied to the ground with the seeds
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to assist in growth immediately after germination.
, The knife 88 as best shown in Figure I ex~ends from a position at the
` ottom of the shank just behind the central flange 99 of the sweep rearwardly and
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downwardly to a height just below that of the bottom cutting plane of the sweep. The ~ -
length of the knife is such that its lower end is generally within the confines of the
sweep, that is forwardly of the trailing edges 104. : '' The depth of the sweep within the ground is accurately controlled by the
-~ height of the main support frame 33 relative to the ground which is itself controlled by
the walking beam rolling over the surface of the ground. Each individual seeding -
l o element is therefore controlled individually since it has its own walking beam
~ arrangement which therefore operates on the actual portion of the soil over which the
'! seeding element is running. The walking beam action including the front rolling
element 53 and the rear rolling elements 55 ensures an accurate control since the front
rolling element is responsive to undisturbed soil. The front rolling element also acts to -
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lift up the sweep in preparaeion for an increased depth and in preparation for any
obstacles which may be encountered. However the trip action of the sweep ensures that
the sweep is protected should it encounter an obstacle when lifted insufficiently by the
front rolling element 53.
~ The seeding action in two separate rows under a single sweep enables
; 20 seeding to be effected with one-half of the number of seeding elements that would be
necessary in the conventional seeding using single rows. The double packer wheelarrangement trailing the seeding action ensures that each row of seeds is properly
packed. The common height control of the seeding action and the fertilizer banding
ensures that the depth of the fertilizer is controlled properly with regard to the depth of
the seed.
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The pressure applied by the cylinder 43 under proper control of the
hydraulic pressure control system ensures a constant pressure downwardly onto the
packing wheels and the seeding system regardless of any changes in height or
movement of the frame. This allows the hopper to be carried by the frame since the
weight of the hopper which changes as the hopper empties does not in any way affect
the pressure applied to the seeding element onto the ground.
It is intended that the present seeding system is used in a low till or no
till farming operation so that generally the seeding action will take place in the presence
of considerable quantities of trash that is remaining crop residue from previous seasons.
Such crop residue can be within the soil, extending outwardly from the soil or simply
loosely spread over the soil. In any event it is well known in such seeding action that
the residue material can build up in front of the shank 76 in the curved area just above
the sweep. Should this occur, the build up rapidly leads to a plugging action which
prevents proper and continued operation of the seeding system. The present device
therefore includes an arrangement indicated at 105 for clearing any trash or crop
residue material collecting in the area in front of the shank 76. The trash clearing
system comprises a drive pulley 106 mounted on a shaft 107 for rotation about the
longitudinal axis of the shaft which is transverse to the direction of movement. The
shaft 107 is mounted within a sleeve 108 connected across the top of the side struts 61
and 62 and at a forward end of the strut 59. The shaft 107 projects outwardly from
each end of the sleeve 108 that is beyond the sides of the side strut 61 and 62. The
pulley 106 is driven by a belt 109 from a drive pulley 110 mounted on the shaft 56 of
the rear wheels 55. The pulley 110 is thus rotated by the shaft 56 which causes the belt
109 to drive the pulley 106 about the axis of the shaft 107 thus rotating the shaft. At
each end of the shaft 107 is mounted a support plate 112 and 113 each of which is
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rectangular and projects outwardly from the shaft 107 in a plane at right angles to the
shaft. Each plate carries a pair of tines 114 which projects substantially radially
t outwardly from the shaft 107 in the same plane as the supporting end plate. The tines
.. iare attached by a conventional clamping action to the plate. As the shaft is thus
rotated, the tines sweep around the axis of the shaft and thus, as will be apparent from
a study of Figures I and 2 this will cause the tines to move to the position parallel to
but spaced to the side of the shank 76. As shown in Figure 2 the tines just sweep past
the outside edges of the wheels 55. It has been found surprisingly that this action is
sufficient to knock or contact any material collecting in the hollow of the shank and
` t~ 10 will cause this material to move to one side of the shank and break away rather than to
'~t continue to plug. The tines on one side of the seeding element are offset at 90 relative
i to those on the other side so that the material is impacted sequentially from one side
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and then from the second side.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove
~t 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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