Plant thinner

• US 3,091,297 A
• Filed: 05/14/1962
• Issued: 05/28/1963
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1962
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albert J. Matteoli, Alvin N. Rocksvold
• Original Assignee: Albert J. Matteoli, Alvin N. Rocksvold
• Inventors: Matteoli, Albert J., Rocksvold, Alvin N.
• Application Number:
  US04/194,428
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• US Class Current: 172/546
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 41/04 with rotating tools

Claims

1. A PLANT THINNING MACHINE COMPRISING A SUPPORTING FRAME, A ROTATABLE WHEEL JOURNALED ON THE FRAME AND ADAPTED TO MOVE OVER THE GROUND SURFACE ADJACENT A ROW OF PLANTS, AN ARM PIVOTED TO THE WHEEL ON AN AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THE AXIS OF THE WHEEL, MEANS YIELDABLY HOLDING THE ARM IN A FIXED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE WHEEL WHEREBY THE WHEEL AND ARM WILL NORMALLY ROTATE AS A UNIT, THE ARM PROJECTING BEYOND THE PERIPHERY OF THE WHEEL, A THINNING HOE MOUNTED ON THE OUTER END OF THE ARM AND ADAPTED TO ENTER AND LEAVE THE GROUND WITH THE ROTATION OF THE WHEEL, A YIELDABLE STOP MEANS MOUNTED ON THE FRAME AND NORMALLY PROJECTING INTO THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE ARM AS IT TRAVELS WITH THE WHEEL AND ENTERS THE GROUND, WHEREBY THE ROTARY TRAVEL OF THE ARM WITH THE WHEEL WILL BE INTERRUPTED AND THE HOE DRAGGED FOR A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE THROUGH THE GROUND IN SUBSTANTIAL PARALLELISM WITH THE GROUND SURFACE, AND MEANS MOUNTED ON THE WHEEL AND EFFECTIVE TO PUSH THE STOP MEANS OUT OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE ARM AFTER SUCH HOE HAS TRAVELLED SUCH PREDETERMINED DISTANCE THROUGH THE GROUND.