Seed firming assembly for agricultural seeders and mounting system therefor
First Claim
1. A row unit for an agricultural planter, comprising:
- a planter shank having a pair of opener disks rotatably mounted thereto, and a seed tube and seed tube guard positioned between the opener disks;
a bracket having first and second sides that define a cavity therebetween for receiving said seed tube, said bracket being attached to said seed tube guard by a first mounting structure in front of said cavity;
a seed firmer for firming seeds into soil in a furrow created by the opener disks; and
a second mounting structure behind said cavity for attaching said seed firmer to said bracket;
said seed firmer having an upper portion and a lower portion;
said upper portion comprising a flat leaf spring attached to said bracket, said upper portion being formed of a first material; and
said lower portion being attached to said upper portion and extending downwardly and rearwardly from said upper portion to engage a bottom of the furrow, said lower portion being formed of a second material which has a higher abrasion resistance than said first material;
wherein said second mounting structure comprises a pin member for pivotally mounting said upper portion of said seed firmer to said bracket for rotation about a generally horizontal transverse axis.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A seed firming assembly is mounted to a planter by a bracket attached to a seed tube guard between a pair of opener disks. The bracket has first and second sides that define a cavity therebetween for receiving a seed tube. A first mounting structure in front of the cavity secures the bracket to the seed tube guard. A second mounting structure behind the cavity attaches a seed firmer to the bracket with a pivot connection that allows rotation of the seed firmer relative to the bracket about a generally horizontal transverse axis. A stopper bushing limits an extent of forward pivoting of the seed firmer relative to the bracket, and an adjustable tensioner mechanism limits an extent of rearward pivoting. The seed firmer has an upper portion comprising a leaf spring, and a lower portion comprising a material that has a higher abrasion resistance than the upper portion.
10 Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A row unit for an agricultural planter, comprising:
-
a planter shank having a pair of opener disks rotatably mounted thereto, and a seed tube and seed tube guard positioned between the opener disks; a bracket having first and second sides that define a cavity therebetween for receiving said seed tube, said bracket being attached to said seed tube guard by a first mounting structure in front of said cavity; a seed firmer for firming seeds into soil in a furrow created by the opener disks; and a second mounting structure behind said cavity for attaching said seed firmer to said bracket; said seed firmer having an upper portion and a lower portion; said upper portion comprising a flat leaf spring attached to said bracket, said upper portion being formed of a first material; and said lower portion being attached to said upper portion and extending downwardly and rearwardly from said upper portion to engage a bottom of the furrow, said lower portion being formed of a second material which has a higher abrasion resistance than said first material; wherein said second mounting structure comprises a pin member for pivotally mounting said upper portion of said seed firmer to said bracket for rotation about a generally horizontal transverse axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A row unit for an agricultural planter, comprising:
-
a planter shank having a pair of opener disks rotatably mounted thereto, and a seed tube and seed tube guard positioned between the opener disks; a bracket having first and second sides that define a cavity therebetween for receiving said seed tube, said bracket being attached to said seed tube guard by a first mounting structure in front of said cavity; a seed firmer for firming seeds into soil in a furrow created by the opener disks; and a second mounting structure behind said cavity for attaching said seed firmer to said bracket; wherein said second mounting structure comprises a pivot connection between said seed firmer and said bracket that allows rotation of said seed firmer relative to said bracket about a generally horizontal transverse axis. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A row unit for an agricultural planter, comprising:
-
a planter shank having a pair of opener disks rotatably mounted thereto, and a seed tube and seed tube guard positioned between the pair of opener disks; a bracket having first and second sides that define a cavity therebetween for receiving said seed tube, said bracket being attached to said seed tube guard by a first mounting structure in front of said cavity; a seed firmer for firming seeds into soil in a furrow created by the pair of opener disks; and a second mounting structure behind said cavity for attaching said seed firmer to said bracket; said seed tube guard comprising an upper end with a coupling structure provided at said upper end for coupling with a lower end of the planter shank, said bracket is attached to said seed tube guard below said coupling structure by said first mounting structure, and said bracket is not attached above said coupling structure, whereby the seed firmer is attached via the bracket to a portion of the seed tube guard that remains aligned with the furrow. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
Specification