Method and apparatus for seed tape planting

• US 4,092,936 A
• Filed: 06/24/1976
• Issued: 06/06/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harrington Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Harrington Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Griffin, J. Curtis, Griffin, Clyde C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bratlie, Steven A.
• Application Number:
  US05/699,585
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 111/1, 111/3, 111/2, 47/9, 47/56, 47/DIG. 1, 61/72.6, 172/539
• US Class Current: 111/199
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/066 Devices for covering drills or furrows
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/048 Seed tape planters
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 13/0287 Devices for laying-out or removing ground coverings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 111/90 Methods of planting seeds and miscellaneous compositions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 111/915 Special condition

Abstract

A method and apparatus for planting seed tape wherein a seed tape planter is pulled through the field during a planting operation, and planting seed tape is accomplished by forming a seed bed, dispensing seed tape onto or into the formed seed bed, opening furrows or cavities on each side of said formed seed bed, dispensing a covering material over said formed seed bed and the dispensed seed tape, urging the edges of said covering material into the open furrows or cavities, and closing the furrows or cavities by back filling the same with the displaced dirt or soil from the furrows or cavities so as to cover the edges of said covering material such that the back filled dirt or soil acts to hold the covering material about said formed seed bed.

Claims

1. An automatic seed tape planter for field planting seed tape, comprising:

A. a mobile frame structure having connecting means associated therewith for connecting the frame structure thereof to a tractor such that said planter can be pulled through a field by said tractor during the planting operation;

B. means mounted about the front of said frame structure for forming a seed bed about a top portion of the soil within the field being traversed by said planter, said seed bed forming means including;

B1. roller means rotatively mounted forwardly within said frame structure about a transverse axis;

B2. said roller means including an outer cylindrical surface for engaging the underlying soil as said planter is pulled through the field by said tractor such that the engagement of said outer cylindrical surface with the underlying soil results in the formation of said seed bed; and

B3. cleaning blade means associated with said seed bed forming means and normally maintained in engagement with the outer cylindrical surface of said roller means for continuously cleaning said cylindrical surface during the planting operation;

C. means for dispensing seed tape from said planter to said formed seed bed where said seed tape is appropriately disposed generally on the surface of said seed bed or embedded within the seed bed in accordance with accepted planting practices for the particular type of seeds within said seed tape, said seed tape dispensing means including;

C1. means for supporting a spool having said seed tape wound therearound;

C2. guide means disposed generally below said spool having said seed tape wound therearound, said guide means being spaced vertically above said formed seed bed and having said seed tape threaded therethrough such that as the seed tape is dispensed in the planting operation the seed tape moves through said guide means; and

C3. wherein there is provided wheel means supported by said frame structure rearwardly of said guide means for passing over said seed tape once the same is engaged with the underlying soil and applying a downward force to generally hold the seed tape about the formed seed bed so as to allow the seed tape to freely unwind from the spool thereof as said planter moves through the field during the planting operation; and

D. means for laying a covering material over said formed seed bed and the dispensed seed tape for protecting the seeds and resulting seedlings for a time period after planting said seed tape, said means for laying said covering material including;

D1. means associated with said frame structure for supporting a spool of covering material about a transverse axis rearwardly of said seed tape dispensing means;

D2. means for engaging said covering material and pressing the same against the underlying soil during the seed tape planting operation so as to generally hold the covering material about said formed seed bed so as to allow the covering material to properly unwind from the spool thereof during the planting operation;

D3. furrow opening disc means supported by said planter frame structure forwardly of the area where said covering material is laid, for opening a furrow on each side of said formed seed bed;

D4. said means for engaging said covering material including a pair of laterally spaced wheels supported by said frame structure and particularly spaced to run in the furrows formed by said furrow opening disc means, said wheels operative to engage side portions of said covering material dispensed from said spool and to press the same into said furrows; and

D5. back filling means carried by said planter frame structure generally rearwardly of said pair of wheels for back filling portions of the soil displaced from said furrows back into said furrows and over the side portions of said covering material such that the back filled soil tends to hold down said covering material about said seed belt, said back filling means comprising a pair of laterally spaced floating disc assemblies carried by said frame structure about the rear thereof, each floating disc assembly engagable with a mound of dirt displaced from a respective furrow and disposed adjacent thereto so as to urge a portion of the displaced soil back into said furrow, each of said floating disc assemblies including;

3. The automatic seed tape planter of claim 1 wherein transverse support means is provided transversely across said frame structure between said roller means and said wheel means for supporting said guide means.

5. The automatic seed tape planter of claim 3 wherein spring biasing means is operatively connected between said cleaning blade means and a point on said frame structure for biasing said cleaning blade means into continuous engagement with the cylindrical surface of said roller means.

6. The automatic seed tape planter of claim 1 wherein said wheel means of said seed tape dispensing means may act to form a continuous depression in said formed seed bed during the planting operation for receiving seed tape being dispensed by said planter.

7. The automatic seed tape planter of claim 1 wherein said means for supporting said spool of covering material includes braking means operatively associated therewith for applying a drag force during the seed tape planting operation to the covering material being unwound from said spool, thereby preventing the same from freewheeling due to an abrupt stop or decrease in ground speed of the planter.

8. The automatic seed tape planter of claim 1 wherein said seed tape planter is provided with a fertilizer distributor mounted thereon for distributing fertilizer during the seed tape planting operation.

9. The automatic seed tape planter of claim 1 wherein said planter frame structure includes at least one rectangular carrier frame that supports said seed bed forming means, said seed tape dispensing means, and said means for laying said covering material.

10. The automatic seed tape planter of claim 8 wherein a multi-row planter is provided by the provision of a plurality of rectangular carrier frames, each carrier frame adapted to independently plant a single row of seed tape.

12. The method of seed tape planting of claim 10 wherein the method further includes the step of forming a depression in the soil bed for receiving said seed tape therein, whereby as the planter traverses the field the seed tape can be laid directly into said depression by the wheel engaging the seed tape and generally pressing the same downwardly into the seed bed to form the depression as said planter traverses the field.

13. The method of seed tape planting of claim 10 wherein after said seed tape is passed through said guide, the method further includes the step of embedding the seed tape within the formed seed bed an appropriate depth prior to said wheel passing over the area occupied by the planted seed tape.

14. The method of seed tape planting as recited in claim 10 wherein the method further includes the step of applying a braking action to said spool from which the protective covering material is being unwound, so as to generally prevent the same from freewheeling due to sudden stops or changes in the ground speed of the planter.

15. The method of seed tape planting, as recited in claim 10 wherein the method further includes the step of applying fertilizer to the soil during the seed planting operation.

2. pivot plate means rotatably mounted about a transverse axis to said frame structure;

2. arm means secured to said pivot plate means and extending generally rearwardly therefrom; and

3.disc means secured to a remote end of said arm means opposite the end thereof which is connected to said pivot plate means, said disc means being angled so as to engage and urge soil disposed adjacent a respective furrow back into said furrow and generally over a respective side portion of said covering material disposed within said furrow.

4. The automatic seed tape planter of claim 2 wherein said transverse support means also supports said cleaning blade means that extends therefrom towards said roller means where one edge of said cleaning blade means is maintained in engagement with the outer cylindrical surface of said roller means for continuously cleaning the cylindrical surface during the planting operation.

11. A method of field planting seed tape wherein the planting operation is performed by an automatic seed tape planter that is adapted to traverse the field during the planting operation, said method comprising the steps of:

A. forming a seed bed about a top portion of the soil within the field as said planter traverses the field by;

A1. engaging soil within the field with a roller;

A2. rolling said roller over the soil within the field to form a generally firm top layer of soil which constitutes the seed bed; and

A3. continuously cleaning dirt and debris from said roller as the roller moves over the field so as to maintain a relatively clean and smooth roller surface;

B. dispensing seed tape from said planter to said formed seed bed where said seed tape is appropriately disposed generally on the surface of said seed bed or embedded within the seed bed in accordance with accepted planting practices for the particular type of seeds within said seed tape, said step of dispensing seed tape including;

B1. unwinding seed tape from a spool mounted on said planter;

B2. passing said seed tape through a guide vertically spaced above the seed bed; and

B3. passing said seed tape underneath a wheel carried by said planter and engaged with the surface of said seed bed where the force of the wheel against the underlying soil tends to hold the seed tape about the seed bed and thereby assure continuous unwinding of the seed tape from the spool as the planter traverses the field; and

C. laying a covering material over said seed bed and the dispensed seed tape for protecting the seeds and resulting seedlings for a time period after planting said seed tape, the step of laying a covering material over said formed seed bed including;

C1. unwinding said covering material from a spool supported about said planter;

C2. forming an open furrow on each side of said seed bed;

C3. guiding the covering material downwardly to said seed bed;

C4. engaging said covering material and generally pressing the same downwardly into said furrows on each side of said seed bed so as to generally hold the covering material about the soil relative to the moving planter in order that the covering material may be unwound from the spool as the planter traverses the field; and

C5. securing said covering material to said seed bed in order that the same is generally firmly held about the seed bed by engaging a continuous mound of dirt displaced from respective furrows and disposed adjacent thereto by a floating disc assembly and moving said floating disc assembly over each respective mound of dirt so as to urge portions of the displaced dirt back into each furrow over portions of the covering material depressed into said furrows.