Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
CULTIVATOR
This invention relates to a narrow width or small size cultivator device
which can be pulled by an ATV type vehicle or yard type tractor and which has
the
capability for attachment of a number of conversion components for providing a
series of available end uses for the device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Yard work or small scale cultivation often requires the use of narrow
width equipment to be pulled by smaller vehicles such as particularly the ATV
which
has developed a wide market in recent years. For this purpose, specialised
designs
have been developed for pull-type mowers, blades and other equipment for use
with
the ATV. However no cultivator has been proposed which provides an effective,
simple and inexpensive design for attachment to the ATV.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the present invention, therefore to provide a cultivator
which may be suitable for attachment to a light towing vehicle such as an ATV.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a cultivator
comprising:
a cultivator frame including a plurality of horizontal parallel tool bars
and a pair of rails interconnecting the tool bars to hold the tool bars at
right angles to
a direction of forward movement of the frame;
each tool bar having mounted thereon a plurality of shanks each for
carrying a ground working tool;
I I i II
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
2
a pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame for carrying the frame in
movement across the ground;
the ground wheels being mounted on a support member mounted for
pivotal movement relative to the frame and including an actuation arrangement
operable between the support member and the frame for raising a height of the
frame relative to the ground;
and a hitch for connecting to the vehicle for applying a towing force
from the vehicle to the cultivator, the hitch extending forwardly from a
forwardmost
one of the tool bars;
said actuation arrangement including a lever and an electric actuator
for receiving electric power from the vehicle for operating said lever;
the support member including a horizontal shaft mounted on the rails
of the frame at the forwardmost one of the tool bars and extending outwardly
relative
to the rails to a respective end of the shaft arranged beyond a respective end
of the
forwardmost one of the tool bars;
each end of the shaft carrying a respective one of the ground wheels
such that the ground wheels are located outwardly of the ends of the
forwardmost
one of the tool bars and outwardly of the rails;
a rear one of the tool bars having a length greater than that of the
forwardmost one of the tool bars so as to extend to a position rearwardly of a
respective one of the ground wheels.
Preferably there are three tool bars including the forwardmost tool bar,
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
3
an intermediate tool bar and the rear tool bar and wherein the actuator is
mounted
on an intermediate one of the tool bars and extends therefrom to the lever.
Preferably there is provided a pair of extension arms, each having a
shank thereon at an outer end thereof and each having a clamping assembly at
an
inner end thereof arranged for attachment to an outer side of a respective one
of the
rails at said intermediate one of the tool bars so as to define an extension
of the
intermediate tool bar outwardly of the respective rail
Preferably the intermediate one of the tool bars is of a shortest length
and is located wholly between the rails, wherein the forwardmost one of the
tool bars
is of an intermediate length and wherein said rear one of the tool bars is of
the
longest length.
Preferably the rear tool bar has ends thereof projecting outwardly from
the rails for receiving thereon an attachment collar of an accessory.
Preferably there is provided a ground roller for rolling over the ground
behind the rear tool bar, the roller having a pair of towing arms each at a
respective
end of the roller and extending forwardly therefrom, each towing arm having a
collar
at a forward end thereof with an open mouth facing to one side thereof for
engaging
onto a respective end of the rear tool bar.
Preferably there is provided a hiller attachment comprising a pair of
plate members attached to the shanks of a forward one of the tool bars and to
the
shanks of a rearward one of the tool bars so as to be carried thereby at an
angle to a
forward direction.
i ii
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
4
Preferably there is provided a potato digger attachment comprising a
transverse plate attached across two shanks of one of the tool bars so as to
lie at
right angles to a forward direction and a plurality of separator bars mounted
on the
plate and diverging rearwardly and outwardly therefrom.
Preferably the electric actuator comprises a cylindrical housing
mounted in a clamping sleeve for adjustment of the cylindrical housing
longitudinally
of the sleeve, the sleeve being mounted on the frame for pivotal movement
about an
axis transverse to the sleeve.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a
cultivator comprising:
a cultivator frame including at least one horizontal tool bar and a pair of
side rails to hold the tool bar at right angles to a direction of forward
movement of
the frame;
said at least one tool bar having mounted thereon a plurality of shanks
each for carrying a ground working tool;
a pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame for carrying the frame in
movement across the ground;
the ground wheels being mounted on a support member mounted for
pivotal movement relative to the frame and including an actuation arrangement
operable between the support member and the frame for raising a height of the
frame relative to the ground;
a hitch for connecting to the vehicle for applying a towing force from
i i ii i
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
the vehicle to the cultivator;
wherein there is provided a pair of wire support members for
dispensing wire from the frame, each wire support member comprising a
horizontal
support plate, a vertical post standing upwardly from the horizontal support
plate and
5 an attachment collar mounted underneath the horizontal support plate with an
open
mouth facing horizontally for engaging onto a respective exposed end of said
at
least one tool bar.
According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a
cultivator comprising:
a cultivator frame including at least one horizontal tool bar and a pair of
side rails to hold the tool bar at right angles to a direction of forward
movement of
the frame;
said at least one tool bar having mounted thereon a plurality of shanks
each for carrying a ground working tool;
a pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame for carrying the frame in
movement across the ground;
the ground wheels being mounted on a support member mounted for
pivotal movement relative to the frame and including an actuation arrangement
operable between the support member and the frame for raising a height of the
frame relative to the ground;
a hitch for connecting to the vehicle for applying a towing force from
the vehicle to the cultivator;
i , ~n n
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
6
wherein there is provided a harrow bar mounted on the frame so as to
be carried rearwardly of a rear one of said at least one tool bar, the harrow
bar
comprising a horizontal support bar having a plurality of harrow tines
extending
downwardly therefrom, a pair of support arms extending upwardly and forwardly
from the support bar, a pair of support posts mounted on the frame each having
a
top end for receiving a respective one of the support arms, each arm being
connected to the top end of the respective support post for pivotal movement
about
a pivot axis, and a spring biasing assembly providing downward spring force on
the
arms, the spring biasing assembly comprising a pair of pins attached to a rear
one of
said at least one tool bar and extending upwardly therefrom, the pins being
curved
about said pivot axis and each pin carrying a spring having an upper end
engaging a
removable stop and a lower end engaging the respective arm.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a
cultivator comprising:
a cultivator frame including at least one horizontal tool bar and a pair of
side rails to hold the tool bar at right angles to a direction of forward
movement of
the frame;
said at least one tool bar having mounted thereon a plurality of shanks
each for carrying a ground working tool;
a pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame for carrying the frame in
movement across the ground;
the ground wheels being mounted on a support member mounted for
i ~ i ~i
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
7
pivotal movement relative to the frame and including an actuation arrangement
operable between the support member and the frame for raising a height of the
frame relative to the ground;
a hitch for connecting to the vehicle for applying a towing force from
the vehicle to the cultivator;
wherein there is provided a disker attachment for the cultivator, the
disker attachment including a longitudinal receptacle portion, a front pair of
disk
support arms mounted on and extending outwardly from the receptacle portion
and a
rear pair of disk support arms mounted on and extending outwardly from the
receptacle portion, the receptacle portion being arranged to receive a central
pole of
the cultivator therein.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a cultivator
comprising:
a cultivator frame including a plurality of horizontal parallel tool bars
and a pair of rails interconnecting the tool bars to hold the tool bars at
right angles to
a direction of forward movement of the frame;
each tool bar having mounted thereon a plurality of shanks each for
carrying a ground working tool;
a pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame for carrying the frame in
movement across the ground;
the ground wheels being mounted on a support member for pivotal
movement relative to the frame and including an actuation lever operable for
raising
I I i .I
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
a height of the frame relative to the ground;
a hitch connected to the cultivator and extending forwardly therefrom to
a hitch connection for connecting to the vehicle;
wherein a rear tool one of the tool bar has rectangular ends thereof
projecting outwardly from the rails to the sides and defining an exposed end
of the
tool bar;
and an accessory mounted on the rear tool bar including a pair of
forwardly extending arms, each arm having a rectangular sleeve attached to a
forward end thereof at right angles thereto and engaged over a respective one
of the
exposed ends so as to hold the arms extending rearwardly from the rear tool
bar at a
predetermined angle relative thereto.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a
cultivator comprising:
a cultivator frame including at least one horizontal tool bar and a pair of
side rails to hold the tool bar at right angles to a direction of forward
movement of
the frame;
said at least one tool bar having mounted thereon a plurality of shanks
each extending downwardly from the tool bar to a position adjacent the ground
and
including a lowermost portion thereof extending forwardly and downwardly for
attachment to and for carrying a ground working tool;
a pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame for carrying the frame in
movement across the ground;
I I i ~i
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
9
the ground wheels being mounted on a support member mounted for
pivotal movement relative to the frame and including an actuation arrangement
operable between the support member and the frame for raising a height of the
frame relative to the ground;
a hitch for connecting to the vehicle for applying a towing force from
the vehicle to the cultivator;
wherein there is provided a scraper blade having a bottom blade
portion defining a substantially horizontal blade edge and a rear containment
portion
connected to and extending upwardly from the blade portion, the blade portion
having a back wall extending upwardly and rearwardly and attached to the
lowermost portion of each of at least two of the shanks of said at least one
tool bar,
in replacement for the ground working tools thereof, for movement thereby
across
the ground.
Preferably said at least one tool bar includes a forwardmost tool bar
and a rear tool bar and wherein the blade portion is mounted on the rear tool
bar in
replacement for the ground working tools thereof and wherein the ground
working
tools of the forwardmost tool bar are arranged to engage the ground forwardly
of the
blade portion.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention there is provided a
cultivator comprising:
a cultivator frame including a plurality of horizontal parallel tool bars
and a pair of rails interconnecting the tool bars to hold the tool bars at
right angles to
I i I .I
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
a direction of forward movement of the frame;
each tool bar having mounted thereon a plurality of shanks each for
carrying a ground working tool;
a pair of ground wheels mounted on the frame for carrying the frame in
movement across the ground;
the ground wheels being mounted on a support member for pivotal
movement relative to the frame and including an actuation lever operable for
raising
a height of the frame relative to the ground;
a single elongate hitch pole connected to the frame and extending
forwardly therefrom centrally thereof to a hitch connection at a forward end
of the
hitch pole for connecting to the vehicle, the hitch pole being arranged in
between
and spaced from the rails;
wherein the frame includes a first collar mounted on a bottom of a
forwardmost one of the tool bars through which the hitch pole slides and a
second
collar mounted on a bottom surface of an intermediate one of the tool bars
into
which the hitch pole engages, the hitch pole being connected to at least one
of the
collars by a connection pin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a cultivator according to the
present invention.
i ii a
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the cultivator of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the cultivator of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the cultivator of Figure 1 showing the
addition of a scraper blade accessory.
Figure 5 is a vertical cross sectional view through the scraper blade
accessory of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a vertical cross sectional view showing the rear tool bar and
a wire dispensing accessory attached thereto.
Figure 7 is a top plan view of the rear tool bar of the cultivator showing
the attachment of a roller accessory.
Figure 8 is a side elevational view of potato digger accessory for the
cultivator.
Figure 9 is a top plan view of the potato digger of Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a top plan view of the cultivator including a hiller
accessory.
Figure 11 is a top plan view of a disker accessory for use with the
cultivator of Figure 1.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The cultivator shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 comprises a hitch pole 10
having in a forward end a coupling 11 for attachment to the hitch of an ATV
type
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
12
vehicle or a yard tractor. The coupling has a series of holes allowing the
hitch pole
to be attached at a required height. The hitch pole is in the form of a square
tube
which is a simple straight tube with a transverse hole at a rear end for
connection to
the remainder of the cultivator.
The cultivator further comprises further comprises a frame 12 having a
front transverse tool bar 13, an intermediate or middle transverse tool bar 14
and a
rear transverse tool bar 15. The tool bars are interconnected by a pair of
parallel
rails 16 and 17 at right angles to the tool bars. The rails 16 and 17 are
spaced apart
on either side of a center line of the cultivator at which the hitch pole 10
is located.
The length of the intermediate tool bar 14 is equal to the spacing between the
two
rails so that the tool bar is welded across between the two rails and does not
extend
on either side of the rails. The front bar 13 is welded to the ends of the
rails 16 and
17 and projects outwardly beyond the rails to free open ends 13A and 13B. The
rear
bar 15 also is welded to the ends of the rail 16 and 17 and projects outwardly
beyond those rails to free ends 15A and 15B.
Underneath the front tool bar 13 is provided a collar 10A in the form of
a square tube having an inside shape matching the outside surface of the hitch
pole
10 so that the hitch pole can slide into the collar 10A and thus hold the
hitch pole in
place underneath the front tool bar 13. A second similar collar 10B is located
under
the middle tool bar 14 and the rear end of the hitch pole is attached to the
collar 10B
by a transverse pin 10C passing through the collar and through aligned holes
in the
rear of the hitch pole. Thus the frame is rigidly attached to the hitch pole
for forward
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
13
movement therewith.
A horizontal cross shaft 19 extends across the frame mounted in pillow
block bearings 20 carried on top of the front tool bar 13 and the rail 16 and
17. The
cross shaft 19 extends outwardly beyond the front tool bar 13 and carries on
its ends
a pair of depending arms 21 and 22 which are attached to the shaft for
rotation
therewith about a longitudinal axis of the shaft in the bearings 20. Each arm
carries
at its lower end a hub 23 of a ground wheel 24. The shaft 19 is attached to a
lever
25 which extends upwardly and rearwardly to an upper end 26 at which is
attached
the forward end of an electric actuator 27. The electric actuator is mounted
in a
stansion 28 carried on the middle bar 14. The electric actuator is carried on
a sleeve
27A, which can be loosened by bolts 27B. This allows the electric actuator 27
to
further extend to a different range of movement, particularly when the an
accessory
is attached where the height of the frame may be required to move through a
different range to raise and lower the accessory to operating and raised
positions.
The sleeve is mounted on a pivot pin 29 allowing the electric actuator 27 to
pivot
while actuating forward and rearward movement of the upper end of the lever 25
in
an arc around the shaft 19. This movement causes pivotal of the wheels about
the
axis of the shaft so as to raise and lower the wheels relative to the frame
12.
The electric actuator is provided since this can be actuated by electric
power from the tractor. Particularly when used with an ATV, electric actuator
can
use the battery power from the ATV and does not require any hydraulic supply
which
is generally not available on an ATV system. As an alternative, however, the
I i; .I
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
14
movement of the lever can be effected by a hand crank system in the form of a
jack
between the stansion 28 and the lever 25.
The wheels 24 are mounted outside the ends 13A and 13B of the front
tool bar so that they can pivot forwardly and rearwardly in that area outside
the front
toolbar and in front of the middle toolbar.
The frame carries a plurality of S tines 30 of a conventional
construction. Each S tine has a clamp member 31 which can be clamped onto the
tool bar at a selected location along the length of the tool bar. From the
clamp, the S
tine extends rearwardly in a generally horizontal direction and then curves
upwardly
around the clamp and the tool bar in an upper section 32 following which the S
tine
curves downwardly and rearwardly as indicated at 33 to a forward lower end 34
which carries a conventional sweep 35.
As best shown in Figure 2, the middle tool bar 14 carries S tines 30 at
positions thereon immediately adjacent the rail 16 and 17 respectively. The
front
tool bar 13 carries two S tines each arranged at a position immediately
adjacent a
respective one of the ends 13A, 13B. The rear toolbar carries a centre S tine
directly on the centre line of the frame and two further S tines each at a
respective
one of the ends 15A, 15B, the lengths are arranged such that the spacing
between
the tines is substantially equal.
The basic cultivator attachment therefore comprises the frame 12
attached to the hitch pole together with the five S tines. The frame is
mounted on
the ground wheels which allow the cultivator to be raised and lowered by the
pivotal
I I i ~i
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
action of the shaft 19. This simple cultivator attachment can be readily
attached to
the ATV vehicle for operation across the ground and can also be detached,
disassembled and stored.
A number of accessories are also provided for the basic cultivator
5 attachment as described above.
As shown in Figure 2, the frame is supplemented by the addition of two
attachments 14A and 14B each of which comprises a tubular member of the same
cross section as the bars 13, 14 and 15 and an inner plate 14C welded to the
end of
the attachment bar. On the plate 14C is mounted a pair of U-clamps 14D which
10 engage around a respective one of the rails so as to clamp the plate 14C on
the
outside surface of the rail with the attachment bar extending outwardly. At
the outer
end of each attachment bar is a further S tine 30. The length of the
attachment bars
14A and 14B is arranged such that the S tines at the ends of the attachment
bars
are equi-distantly spaced beyond the outermost S tines which are on the rear
bar 15
15 at the ends 15A and 158. The attachment bars 14A and 14B therefore can be
supplied as an accessory for attachment to the basic frame if required to
increase
the width of the cultivator. The basic width of the cultivator is defined by
the tines at
the ends of the rear bar and in some cases is only sufficient power to pull
that width
of cultivator through the ground. If more power is available or if the soil
conditions
allow, the accessory provided by the attachment bars can be added.
A further attachment comprises a harrow bar 40. This comprises an
elongate tube extending across the full width of the rear bar 15 on which is
attached
i i ~ ~i
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
a plurality of harrow tines 41 which extend downwardly from the bar 40 to the
ground
in a conventional harrowing action. The bar 40 is attached to the frame by a
pair of
arms 41 which extend upwardly and forwardly beyond the rear tool bar 15 to a
pair
of upstanding posts 42 each carried on a respective one of the rails, 16, 17.
The
arms 41 are spring biased downwardly into contact with the rear edge of the
rear bar
by a spring system 43. Each spring system comprises a pin 44 passing through
a hole in the arm with the pin shaped in an arc surrounding the axis of a
pivot pin 45
at the top of the arm. A spring 46 is wrapped around the pin 44 so as to be
compressed between the upper side of the arm 41 and the underside of a cross
pin
10 47 which holds the spring in place on the pin 44. The harrow attachment is
therefore
a simple device which can be readily mounted in place by insertion of the pins
45
holding the arms to the top of the post 42 and by mounting of the arms on the
pins
44 with a cross pin 47 holding the spring in place. The harrow can therefore
simply
move upwardly and downwardly against the spring action.
15 Turning now to Figures 4 and 5, there is shown a further accessory
which can be used with the basic cultivator described above. This accessory
comprises a land leveller blade generally indicated at 50 which is mounted on
the
rear tool bar 15 by use of the S tines 30 of that rear tool bar. The land
leveller blade
50 comprises a vertical back wall 51, an inclined scraper wall 52 and a re-
enforced
plate 52A extending downwardly and forwardly from a bottom edge of the back
wall
51. Two side walls 53 are connected by welding to the back wall and the
scraper
wall and extend forwardly therefrom to confine material within the area of the
scraper
I i li
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
blade to carry material forwardly in front of the rear wall and the scraper
wall. The
scraper wall includes two holes by which it is bolted to respective ones of
the S tines
30. The scraper wall is arranged at an angle so that it is carried on the
lower end 34
of the S tine and extends directly downwardly and forwardly therefrom. The
cultivator thus acts as a land leveller in that the front four cultivator
blades act to
work the surface of the ground in front of the scraper blade and the scraper
blade
carries the work material forwardly in a levelling action.
In Figure 6 is shown a further accessory mounted on the rear tool bar
15. The further accessory comprises a pair of wire reels 55 and 56 each for
carrying
a reel of wire and for unrolling the wire as the frame is moved forwardly. In
this
accessory the cultivator tines can be removed or may simply be lifted away
from the
ground so as to be inactive. The reels 55 and 56 each comprise a flat circular
disc
57 and a central vertical post 58. On an underside of the disc is mounted a
collar 59
with an open side face 60 which can slide onto the free end 15A, 15B of the
rear tool
bar and can be clamped in place by a clamping bolt 61. Thus each reel is
carried at
the end of the rear tool bar with the post standing vertically upwardly
therefrom.
In Figure 7 is shown a further accessory which comprises a roller 65
for rolling on the ground behind the rear tool bar 15. The roller 65 is
carried on a
shaft 66 attached to the ends of a pair of arms 67 and 68 by bearings 66A. The
forward end of each arm is welded to a square collar 69, 70 which has an open
mouth 71 slipped onto a respective end 15A, 15B of the rear bar 15. The collar
is
clamped in place by a bolt 72. The arms are therefore at a fixed angle
relative to the
i ii
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
collars and extend rearwardly and downwardly from the tool bar 15 and thus
support
the roller 65 at a fixed height difference relative to the tool bar 15. When
the wheels
are thus raised, the weight from the frame is applied to the roller and thus
causes
the roller to be applied with pressure to the ground in a rolling action. In
the
embodiment shown, the roller is smooth. A roller with a series of spikes can
also be
provided for aeration of the soil.
In Figures 8 and 9 is shown a further accessory used for digging
potatoes. This accessory comprises a blade portion 73 in the form of a flat
plate
with a plurality of fingers or tines 74 extending upwardly and rearwardly from
a rear
edge of the plate. The plate carries a pair of rearwardly extending tabs 75.
The
spacing between the tabs is such that the tabs match the positions of the
tines of the
centre tool bar 14 so that with the sweeps removed the tabs 75 can be bolted
to
respective ones of the tines 30 to hold the blade 73 at an angle inclined
upwardly
and rearwardly from a front cutting edge 76 to the tines 74 at the rear edge.
The
blade 73 thus cuts into the ground in a row or hill of potato plants and the
tines act to
lift the potatoes up onto the top of the soil while separation from the soil
and manual
picking.
In Figure 10 is shown a further accessory in the form of a pair of hilling
plates 77 and 78. Each of these comprises a generally vertical backplate 79
and a
downwardly and forwardly inclined bottom plate portion 80. The plates 77 and
78
are arranged for attachment to the tines 30 of the front tool bar 13 and to
the tines
of the tool bar 14. Thus each of the plates is inclined rearwardly and
inwardly
i i ;i
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
19
since its forward end is attached to the tine 30 spaced outwardly of the rail
16 and its
rear end is attached to the tine 30 of the tool bar 14 which is spaced
inwardly of the
rail 16. The two plates therefore act to scrape the ground surface and carry
the soil
so scraped inwardly into a hill in the space 81 between the rear ends of the
two
plates.
In Figure 11 is shown a further accessory in the form of a discer. This
accessory comprises a pair of tool bars 85 and 86 forming front and rear tool
bars
respectively. Each tool bar includes a central apex 87 on a center mounting
line 88.
The rear tool bar 86 is inclined so that the apex is forward and the trailing
ends 86A
and 86B trial rearwardly from the apex. The front tool bar 85 is reversed so
that the
outside ends 85A and 85B are leading relative to the apex 87. The tool bars
are
connected by a pair of parallel rails 89, 90 on respective sides of the center
line 88.
The tool bars are also connected by outer rails 91 and 92 adjacent the outer
ends of
the tool bars. Thus the rails connect the tool bars and form a rigid structure
lying in
a common horizontal plane.
Each of the tool bars carries a plurality of discer elements 93 which are
carried in conventional manner on shafts supported from the tool bars and
spaced
downwardly from the tool bars so that the discer elements engage the ground
underneath the tool bars. The discer elements are dished in conventional
manner.
The discer elements on the front tool bar are dished so that on each side of
the
centre line 88 they face inwardly. The disc elements on the rear toolbar are
arranged so that they face outwardly from the centre line 88. Thus the discer
i ~i
CA 02223782 2002-06-19
2fl
elements on each side are opposed as they move through the ground. Thus the
discer elements are balanced so that there is no tendency of the discer to
move
sideways. Underneath the front tool bar 87 and attached to the front of the
rails 89,
90 is a collar 94. In use of the discer accessory, the tines are removed from
the tool
bars 13, 14 and 15. The hitch pole is released from the collars 10A and 10B
and the
hitch pole pulled out for most collars. The hitch pole is then inserted
through the
collar 34 and the hitch pole lies between the two rails 89 and 90. The collar
10A is
then positioned just behind the collar 94 and between the two rails 89 and 90.
Similarly the collar 10B is positioned partway back between the rails 89 and
90 so
that the pin 10C can be inserted through holes in the rails 89 and 90 and
through the
holes in the collar 10B thus attaching both frames to the hitch pole. The
discer
frame is thus supported by the wheels underneath the frame 12 on the hitch
pole 10.
The wheels can be operated as previously described to raise and lower the
discer
frame.
Other accessories can also be provided for attachment to the base
frame and for transportation with the cultivator frame behind the ATV type
vehicle.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein
above 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.
