Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02210231 1997-07-11
Title: Agricultural Implement Having Means for Lowering Toolbar for Transport
The invention applies to agricultural implements of the kind having ground-engaging
tools mounted on raisable wings. The wings are placed in a lowered position for
operation, and are folded up into a raised or non-operational position, for transport.
When the wings are folded up into the raised position, the centre of gravity of the
implement is then rather high. This can be a problem in that during transport the
implement can all too easily tend to tip over, and the implement can become rather hard
to control for steering etc during transport. As a result, the implement can be
transported on highways only at a rather slow speed.
The invention is aimed at providing a means for lowering the centre of gravity of an
implement, being an implement of the kind in which wings are raised for transport,
whereby the implement can be transported on roads at normal speeds.
General Features of the invention
In an implement with left and right tool-bar wings, the wings are pivoted, for folding or
raising, about respective left and right hinge pivots, which are located on a central tool-
bar section. The central section is the section that carries the mechanical structure of
the implement, i.e the wheels, the means for towing the implement, etc.
In the invention, means are provided for lowering the central section, after the wings
have been raised. Preferably, an interlock means is provided, which may be hydraulic
or mechanical, for preventing the wings from being lowered while the central section is
lowered.
~iled nescri~tion of Preferred Frnbodiment.s
CA 02210231 1997-07-11
Title: Agricultural Implement Having Means for Lowering Toolbar for Transport
The invention applies to agricultural implements of the kind having ground-engaging
tools mounted on raisable wings. The wings are placed in a lowered position for
operation, and are folded up into a raised or non-operational position, for transport.
When the wings are folded up into the raised position, the centre of gravity of the
implement is then rather high. This can be a problem in that during transport the
implement can all too easily tend to tip over, and the implement can become rather hard
to control for steering etc during transport. As a result, the implement can be
transported on highways only at a rather slow speed.
The invention is aimed at providing a means for lowering the centre of gravity of an
implement, being an implement of the kind in which wings are raised for transport,
whereby the implement can be transported on roads at normal speeds.
General Features of the Invention
In an implement with left and right tool-bar wings, the wings are pivoted, for folding or
raising, about respective left and right hinge pivots, which are located on a central tool-
bar section. The central section is the section that carries the mechanical structure of
the implement, i.e the wheels, the means for towing the implement, etc.
In the invention, means are provided for lowering the central section, after the wings
have been raised. Preferably, an interlock means is provided, which may be hydraulic
or mechanical, for preventing the wings from being lowered while the central section is
lowered.
I )et~iled nescription of Preferred Fmbo~iiments
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By way of further explanation of the invention, exemplary embodiments of the invention
will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig 1 is a rear elevation of an agricultural implement that embodies the invention;
Fig 1 a is the same view as Fig 1, but shows a toolbar of the implement in a raised
position;
Fig 2 is the same view as Fig 1, but shows the toolbar in a folded up, raised, position;
Fig 2a is the same view as Fig 1, but shows the toolbar in a folded-up, lowered, position;
Fig 3 is a side elevation of the implement, showing the toolbar in the folded-up, raised,
position
Fig 4 is the same view as Fig 3, but shows the toolbar in the folded-up, lowered,
position;
Fig 5 is a close up of some of the components in an alternative construction
The apparatuses shown in the accompanying drawings and described below are
examples which embody the invention. It should be noted that the scope of the
invention is defined by the accompanying claims, and not necessarily by specificfeatures of exemplary embodiments.
Fig 1 is a view from behind the implement 20. The implement 20 is mounted behind,
and towed behind, an air-seeder 23, having a seed hopper 24.
The implement 20 has left and right side wings 25,26. In Fig 1, the side wings are
shown in the lowered, operational position. Several ground-engaging tools are mounted
on the wings 25,26. The actual tools may comprise seed planters, or the like, but the
tools are shown diagrammatically at 27.
Fig 1 shows the tool-bar 28, comprising the left and right wings 25,26 and a central
section 29, in the lowered, operational position. The central section of the tool-bar
resides at a height H1.
Fig 1 a shows the condition of the implement when the central section of the toolbar has
been raised to a height H2. The wings 25,26 of the toolbar are raised in unison,
CA 02210231 1997-07-11
whereby the tools 27 are raised clear of the ground.
Fig 2 shows the tool-bar 28 in the raised, folded, non-operational, transport position.
Left and right hydraulic rams 30,32 are actuated to move the wings 25,26 between the
two conditions. The rams 30,32 are fed from the tractor's hydraulic supply, and are
under the control of the tractor driver.
The magnitude to which the height H1 should be set is determined in accordance with
the requirements of the ground-engaging tools 27. The magnitude of the height H1 is
controlled by two hydraulic rams 35,36 (Fig 3). If the rams 35,36 are operated to raise
the height of the tool-bar 28, some weight is transferred off the tools 27, and onto the
wheels 37,38.
To move the wings 25,26 to the folded-up position (Fig 2), first the tool bar is raised, to
the height H2 (Fig 1 a) The rams 30,32 are then operated. Fig 3 shows, in side
elevation, the condition when the wings have been raised to the fully-folded-up position,
the central section 29 of the tool-bar being still at the raised height H2 off the ground.
Now, the rams 35,36 are operated to lower the central section 29, back down to the
height H1, the position as shown in Fig 2a and Fig 4. When the lowering movement of
the central section is complete, the central section lies at a reduced height H1 above the
ground.
When the central section 29 of the tool-bar is lowered in this way, of course the wings
25,26 being secured to the central section, descend also. The centre of gravity of the
implement therefore descends by approximately the same distance. The magnitude of
the lowering can be several inches, and this can make a considerable difference to the
steering and handling of the implement on the road.
When the central-section 29 of the tool bar 28 is lowered, and the tool bar is in the
centre-down-wings-up condition, it will be understood that it would damage the tools if
the wings were then to be lowered into the operational condition. Therefore, a safety-
blocking means is provided, to prevent the wings 25,26 from being hinged downwards
CA 02210231 1997-07-11
relative to the central section 29, when the central section has been lowered.
A mechanical latch engages the wings when they are fully raised. The latch prevents
the wings from being unfolded when the centre section of the toolbar is in the lowered
position. The operation of the latch is such that, In order to release the wings, the
centre section must first be raised. The latch does not interfere with the relative
movements between the centre section and the wings, once the wings are lowered.
The mechanical latch is released by a trigger connected to the wheels that raise the
centre section Raising the centre section triggers release of the mechanical latch,
allowing the wings to be lowered.
In an alternative construction, the safety-blocking means comprises a valve 39, through
which hydraulic fluid is supplied to the rams 35,36. If the valve 39 is closed, pressure
cannot be applied to the rams 35,36 in the sense to cause the wings to hinge
downwards. The valve 39 includes a stem 40, and the stem is operated by the up/down
movement of the central section 29.
Fig 5 is a close-up of the area of Fig 4 around the valve 39 and surrounding
components. When the central-section is down, as in Fig 5, the stem 40 is clear, and
the hydraulic supply to the rams 35,36 is blocked. When the central-section has been
raised to height H2, and it is now safe to lower the wings, the stem has been
automatically pushed in, and the hydraulic wing-lowering operations can commence.
It may be noted that the rams 35,36, which are used for raising and lowering the central
section, are often present already on the type of implement with which the invention is
concerned. The rams are used to adjust the set height H1, i.e to adjust the ground
engagement force of the tools.
In considering the manner of operation of the rams 35,36, it may be noted that, if the
rams were to be drained, it would be desirable that the central-section would adopt its
down-condition (Figs 1,2a,4), rather than the central-section-up-condition of Figs 1a,2,3;
and it may be noted that this preference is present in the system as described.
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It should be noted also that, if any tools were mounted on the central section of the tool-
bar, of course those tools would have to be moved first, in order to permit the central
section to be lowered. The invention is therefore intended for use mainly on those
implements in which the central section does not have any tools. However, if the central
section does have tools, and if it is economical to provide a means for moving the tools
to the extent that the central section can be lowered, then the invention can beworthwhile and applicable in that case also, in that the lowering of the centre of gravity
as permitted by the invention might be critical in that case also.
