Apparatus For Mounting A Scraper Assembly To An Accessory Mount Of A Disc Opener That Allows Deflection Of The Scraper Assembly

• US 20110108295A1
• Filed: 11/11/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Schilling, Robin B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,672,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 172/558
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 15/16 Discs bearings therefor A01B71/04; Scrapers for cleaning discs; Sharpening attachments sharpening in general B24
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 49/06 for sowing or fertilising
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/064 with rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/068 Furrow packing devices, e.g. press wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/205 comprising pressure regulation means

Abstract

A ground opener unit for a seeding or planting unit includes an accessory mount attachable to an implement frame and a disc rotatably mounted to the accessory mount for forming a furrow in the ground. A scraper assembly includes a scraper plate defining a scraper edge for contacting and scraping a surface of the disc. The scraper plate is mounted to the arm by a pivot pin whose length defines a pivot axis about which the scraper plate may pivot in response to deflection of the disc. A spring is generally held in compression to bias the scraper plate against the disc.

Claims

1. An apparatus for mounting a furrow forming device and a scraper plate for keeping a surface of the furrow forming device substantially clear of debris to a tool bar of an agricultural implement, comprising:

a bracket having an upper end adapted to be coupled to the tool bar and a lower end adapted to carry the furrow forming device;

a receiver formed at the lower end of the bracket and adapted to receive an accessory that includes the scraper plate, wherein the receiver receives the accessory such that the scraper plate is adjacent the surface of the furrow cutting device; and

a pin for loosely coupling the accessory to the receiver, wherein the pin defines a substantially fixed axis of rotation about which the scraper plate may pivot in response to deflection of the furrow cutting device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the receiver includes a pair of upwardly extending flanges spaced apart from one another and each having a hole, and wherein the holes are co-aligned, and wherein the flanges are spaced apart a distance to receive a mounting bracket of the accessory, wherein the mounting bracket includes at least one opening that co-aligns with the holes of the flanges when the mounting bracket is received by the receiver, and wherein the pin is passed through the holes and the at least one opening to couple the accessory to the receiver.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a cotter pin that retains the mounting bracket of the accessory and the receiver to the pin.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the furrow cutting apparatus is a disc opener, and further comprising a biasing component mounted to the bracket and operative to bias the scraper plate against the surface of the disc opener.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the biasing component is a spring.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fixed axis of rotation is defined along a shaft of the pin.

13. The ground opener unit of claim 6 wherein the disc is held, in use, at an angle to the forward direction of travel to displace soil and open a furrow so that the disc has a leading surface and a trailing surface, the scraper plate being positioned to scrape the trailing surface of the disc.

14. The ground opener unit of claim 6 wherein the bracket includes a set of aligned flanges and each flange having an eyelet such that the eyelets are generally aligned with one another, and wherein the scraper plate mount includes a pair of posts with each post having an eyelet, and wherein the pivot pin is passed through the eyelets of the post and the eyelets of the flanges to couple the scraper plate mount to the bracket.

15. The ground opener unit of claim 14 wherein the seed tube extends between the pair of posts of the scraper plate mount.

7. A ground opener unit for an agricultural planter comprising:

a bracket attachable to an implement frame;

a disc rotatably mounted to the bracket for forming a furrow in the ground;

a scraper assembly including a scraper plate defining a scraper edge for contacting and scraping a surface of the disc, the scraper plate defining a mounting region remote from the edge;

a scraper plate mount for securing the scraper plate adjacent the disc;

a seed tube adjacent the surface of the disc for discharging seeds into a furrow formed by the disc, wherein the seed tube is coupled to the scraper plate mount; and

a pin loosely coupling the scraper plate mount to the bracket, wherein the pin defines a substantially fixed axis of rotation about which the scraper plate and the seed tube may pivot in response to deflection of the disc.

8. The ground opener unit of claim 7 further comprising a spring biasing the scraper plate against the disc.

9. The ground opener unit of claim 8 further comprising a retainer plate fastened to the bracket in a manner that causes compression of the spring.

10. The ground opener unit of claim 9 further comprising a spacer disposed between the spring and the retainer plate.

11. The ground opener unit of claim 7 further comprising first and second fasteners for mounting the scraper plate to the scraper plate mount, and wherein the first and second fasteners may be received by the scraper plate mount at a number of mounting positions to allow adjustability of the scraper plate relative to the scraper plate mount.

12. The ground opener unit of claim 11 wherein the scraper plate mount has three mounting positions to allow the scraper plate to be mounted at one of three different elevations relative to the scraper plate mount.

16. An agricultural implement having a toolbar adapted to be coupled to a towing vehicle and a plurality of ground opener units coupled to the toolbar, each ground opener unit comprising:

an accessory mount adapted to be coupled to the toolbar;

a disc rotatably mounted to the accessory mount for forming a furrow in the ground;

a seed tube assembly pivotably mounted to the accessory mount, the seed tube assembly including a seed tube for discharging seeds into a furrow formed by the disc; and

a scraper plate mounted to the seed tube assembly, the scraper plate defining a scraper edge for scraping a surface of the disc, wherein the scraper plate pivots with the seed tube assembly and wherein the seed tube assembly is pivotable along a fixed axis of rotation defined by the mounting of the seed tube assembly to the accessory mount.

17. The implement of claim 16 wherein each accessory mount includes a receiver that receives the seed tube assembly and a pin for loosely coupling the seed tube assembly to the receiver.

18. The implement of claim 17 wherein each ground opener unit further comprises a spring that biases the scraper plate against the surface of the disc.

19. The implement of claim 18 wherein each ground opener unit further comprises a retainer plate fastened to the accessory mount and configured to compress the spring, and further comprising a spacer disposed between the spring and the retainer plate.