SEED BOOT ASSEMBLY

• US 20170094895A1
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Published: 04/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Samuelson, Jerry, Garner, Elijah B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,877,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 23/025 Continuous injection tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/062 Devices for making drills or furrows
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/064 with rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/20 Parts of seeders for conducting and depositing seed
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/206 Seed pipes

Abstract

A seed boot assembly for a seeding machine includes a seed boot, a boot liner and a seed tube adapter. The seed boot has a seed passage extending from an inlet to an outlet. The boot liner extends within the seed passage between the inlet and the outlet. A seed tube adapter is coupled to the seed boot and/or the boot liner.

Claims

1. A seed boot assembly for a seeding machine, comprising:

a seed boot having a seed passage extending from an inlet to an outlet;

a boot liner extending within the seed passage between the inlet and the outlet; and

a seed tube adapter coupled to at least one of the seed boot and the boot liner.

2. The seed boot assembly of claim 1, wherein the seed boot is a casting;

and

wherein the boot liner is an inner tube having a continuous smooth inner surface.

3. The seed boot assembly of claim 2, wherein the inner tube is a flexible non-metallic tube.

4. The seed boot assembly of claim 1, wherein the boot liner has an outlet opening that is narrowed in at least one dimension at the outlet of the seed passage than an inlet opening at the inlet of the seed passage.

5. The seed boot assembly of claim 1, wherein the inlet opening of the boot liner has a circular cross-section and the outlet opening of the boot liner has a non-circular opening.

6. The seed boot assembly of claim 1, wherein the boot liner has an inner surface and an outer surface;

and

wherein, at least in part, the outer surface of the boot liner is spaced from the seed boot between its ends.

7. The seed boot assembly of claim 6, wherein the inlet of the seed passage opens about a reference axis that is at an angle with respect to a reference axis about which opens the outlet of the seed passage;

and

wherein ends of the boot liner open about reference axes at an angle with respect to one another that is greater than the angle between the reference axes of the seed passage.

8. The seed boot assembly of claim 1, wherein the seed passage slopes downward and rearward from the inlet to the outlet with respect to a direction of travel of the seeding machine.

9. The seed boot assembly of claim 1, wherein the boot liner couples to the seed tube adapter;

and

wherein the seed tube adapter couples to the seed boot.

10. The seed boot assembly of claim 9, wherein the seed tube adapter has an inlet opening that is larger than an outlet opening and a smooth inner surface transitioning between the inlet opening and the outlet opening of the seed tube adapter.

11. The seed boot assembly of claim 10, wherein a cross-sectional area of the seed tube outlet opening is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the boot liner at the interface with the seed tube opening.

12. A planting unit for a seeding machine, the planting unit comprising:

a planter unit frame;

a furrow opener disk rotatably mounted to the planter unit frame; and

a seed boot assembly, including;

a seed boot having a seed passage extending from an inlet to an outlet;

a boot liner extending within the seed passage between the inlet and the outlet; and

a seed tube adapter coupled to at least one of the seed boot and the boot liner.

13. The planting unit of claim 12, wherein the seed boot is a casting;

and

wherein the boot liner is an inner tube having a continuous smooth inner surface.

14. The planting unit of claim 13, wherein the inner tube is a flexible non-metallic tube.

15. The planting unit of claim 12, wherein the boot liner has an outlet opening that is narrowed in at least one dimension at the outlet of the seed passage than an inlet opening at the inlet of the seed passage.

16. The planting unit of claim 15, wherein the inlet opening of the boot liner has a circular cross-section and the outlet opening of the boot liner has a non-circular opening.

17. The planting unit of claim 12, wherein the boot liner has an inner surface and an outer surface;

and

wherein, at least in part, the outer surface of the boot liner is spaced from the seed boot between its ends.

18. The planting unit of claim 17, wherein the inlet of the seed passage opens about a reference axis that is at an angle with respect to a reference axis about which opens the outlet of the seed passage;

and

wherein ends of the boot liner open about reference axes at an angle with respect to one another that is greater than the angle between the reference axes of the seed passage.

19. The planting unit of claim 12, wherein the seed passage slopes downward and rearward from the inlet to the outlet with respect to a direction of travel of the seeding machine.

20. The planting unit of claim 12, further including a seed tube;

and

wherein the boot liner couples to the seed tube adapter; and

wherein the seed tube adapter couples to the seed boot and to the seed tube.