Seed corn detasseling machine

• US 4,258,537 A
• Filed: 03/16/1979
• Issued: 03/31/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Perry L. Christman
• Original Assignee: Perry L. Christman
• Inventors: Christman, Perry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirsch, Paul J.
• Application Number:
  US06/021,213
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 56/51, 56/56, 56/DIG. 1, 56/63, 56/15.9, 56/52, 56/59, 171/58
• US Class Current: 56/51
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 47/00 Headers for topping of plants, e.g. stalks with ears
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 56/01 Crusher

Abstract

A seed corn detasseling apparatus has a mounting base extending across the front of a wheeled vehicle, and three evenly spaced parallelogram linkages are vertically adjustable by separate hydraulic cylinders. A tool bar at the front of each linkage carries two laterally adjustable detasseling heads. Each head consists of a supporting frame the front of which forms an inverted V-shaped guide; and a forwardly and downwardly extending guide frame on the supporting frame cooperates with the inverted V-guide to guide upper leaves and tassels of corn plants between a pair of positively driven longitudinal rollers which are slightly spaced at the front and converge toward the rear. The rollers have short lands and grooves, with the grooves of one roller confronting the lands of the other roller. Tassels are pulled with practically no permanent damage to the upper leaves.

Claims

1. A seed corn detasseling apparatus comprising:

a supporting frame;

means mounting said frame on a wheeled vehicle for movement along a row of seed corn;

a pair of detasseling rollers which have shafts journalled in said frame on fixed axes which are longitudinal of the line of movement of the vehicle, said shafts providing roller cores, said rollers including outer portions of somewhat yielding elastomeric material fixed on said cores, said rollers having circumferential surfaces at least the more forward parts of which are slightly spaced from one another, and said circumferential roller surfaces having lands and grooves with the grooves of one roller surface facing the lands of the other roller surface without intermeshing;

guide means on said frame forward of and below said rollers for guiding the uppermost leaves and tassels between said rollers;

and means for positively rotating both said rollers about said axes so their surfaces move upwardly where they confront one another, said yielding roller outer portions causing minimal leaf damage while said rollers pull a tassel from its socket by upward force exerted through the uppermost leaves.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the roller axes converge slightly from front to rear and the roller surfaces are substantially in contact with one another at the rear.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the lands and grooves are short.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which each roller outer portion comprises a multiplicity of short discs fixed to the core, successive ones of said discs being offset so the lands and grooves are discontinuous.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 in which the angle subtended by each groove is substantially less than the angle subtended by each land.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the lands and grooves are short.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which each roller outer portion comprises a multiplicity of short discs fixed to the core, successive ones of said discs being offset so the lands and grooves are discontinuous.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 in which the angle subtended by each groove is substantially less than the angle subtended by each land.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the means mounting the supporting frame includes means for adjusting the height of the roller axes above the ground and means for tilting the roller axes at different angles to the horizontal.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the guide means consists of rods which are secured to the frame, said guide means having leading rods which are inclined downwardly, forwardly and outwardly from the vicinity of the front of the rollers, and lateral rods which are below the rollers and laterally remote from the roller axes.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the supporting frame has a front plate in which the rollers are journalled, and said front plate has a central guide in the shape of an inverted V, so as to bend tall tassels downwardly between the rollers.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the roller axes converge slightly from front to rear and the roller surfaces are substantially in contact with one another at the rear.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the lands and grooves are short.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 in which each roller outer portion comprises a multiplicity of short discs fixed to the core, successive ones of said discs being offset so the lands and grooves are discontinuous.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 in which the angle subtended by each groove is substantially less than the angle subtended by each land.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which the means mounting the supporting frame includes means for adjusting the height of the roller axes above the ground and means for tilting the roller axes at different angles to the horizontal.

17. A seed corn detasseling apparatus comprising:

a wheeled vehicle;

a transversely extending mounting base on the front of said vehicle;

three equally spaced independent parallelogram linkages supported on and extending forwardly from said base;

a transverse tool bar supported at the front of each of said linkages;

a pair of supporting frames mounted for lateral adjustment on each tool bar so that said frames may be aligned with six adjacent rows of seed corn in a field;

hydraulic cylinder means for moving each of said linkages to independently adjust the height of said tool bars from the ground;

a pair of detasseling rollers journalled in each of said frames on fixed axes which are longitudinal of the line of movement of the vehicle, said rollers having circumferential surfaces at least the more forward parts of which are slightly spaced from one another, and said circumferential roller surfaces having lands and grooves with the grooves of one roller surface facing the lands of the other roller surface;

and means for positively rotating both said rollers about said axes so their surfaces move upwardly where they confront one another.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 in which the roller axes converge slightly from front to rear and the roller surfaces are substantially in contact with one another at the rear.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 in which the lands and grooves are short.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the angle subtended by each groove is substantially less than the angle subtended by each land.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 which includes guide means on each of said frames consisting of rods which are secured to the frame, said guide means having leading rods which are inclined downwardly, forwardly and outwardly from the vicinity of the front of the rollers, and lateral rods which are below the rollers and laterally remote from the roller axes, the forward ends of said leading rods on adjacent frames being substantially in contact with one another.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 which includes means mounting each supporting frame on the tool bar so the roller axes are downwardly inclined from front to rear, said mounting means providing for adjustment of the angle of inclination of the roller axes.