Grain drill with device for preventing undesired backfilling of front furrow by rear furrow openers

• US 4,294,180 A
• Filed: 10/31/1979
• Issued: 10/13/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Waldo H. Pust
• Original Assignee: Waldo H. Pust
• Inventors: Pust, Waldo H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feyrer, James R.
• Application Number:
  US06/089,911
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 172/176, 172/538, 172/539, 172/508, 172/509, 172/510, 172/513, 172/149-151, 172/157, 172/182, 172/1, 172/512, 172/517, 111/52, 111/85, 111/87, 111/88, 111/53-60, 111/62, 111/65, 111/66, 111/69, 111/81, 111/83, 111/84, 111/86, 111/1
• US Class Current: 111/52
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/06 Machines for making or covering drills or furrows for sowing or planting

Abstract

Forwardly disposed furrow openers and rearwardly disposed furrow openers are conventionally offset to one side of the path traversed by the forwardly disposed furrow openers. To prevent partial backfilling of the furrows formed by the front openers when the grain drill on which the openers are mounted is pulled at relatively high speeds, a device including a pair of downwardly converging wheels is provided, the wheels being rotatably mounted on the angled end portions of an axle or shaft. The straight central portion of the shaft is firmly clamped in a sleeve at the rear end of an arm which has its forward end clamped to the rear end of a strut pivotally attached to the grain drill. The central straight portion of the shaft can be rotated so as to obtain the best operation of the wheels. In this way, soil that would be plowed into the furrows formed by the forwardly disposed furrow opener is resisted by the circular wheels. Consequently, all of the furrows remain open even at high speeds, and no extra dirt is thrown into the front furrow which would causes the seed therein to be too deep with the consequence that the seed may not emerge.

Claims

1. A method of planting seed comprising the steps of forming a front furrow, depositing seed in said front furrow, concurrently forming a rear furrow offset to one side of said front furrow, said step of forming said rear furrow displacing or shifting soil from said rear furrow in the direction of said front furrow, depositing seed in said rear furrow, preventing the soil displaced or shifted from said rear furrow as it is formed from entering said front furrow by employing disc means for deflecting soil displaced or shifted from said rear furrow, thereby preventing undesired backfilling of said front furrow, and covering the seed in said front furrow with some of the soil forming said front furrow.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said disc means includes a generally flat surface adjacent each side of the furrow formed by said forwardly disposed opener, said surfaces being in general alignment with said first and second rearwardly disposed furrow openers.

5. The combination of claim 1 in which said disc means includes a pair of circular discs, said discs being laterally aligned and laterally spaced with respect to said first and second rearwardly disposed openers, means forwardly disposed in relation to said discs for depositing seed in the furrow formed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener, and pressing means rearwardly disposed in relation to said discs for covering said seed, said discs being laterally spaced with respect to each other so that one of said discs engages the bottom of said furrow formed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener to one side of said seed and the other of said discs engages the bottom of said furrow formed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener to the other side of said seed.

6. The combination of claim 5 in which said circular discs converge downwardly so that their lowermost peripheral segments are closer together than their uppermost segments.

7. A grain drill in accordance with claim 6 including an axle having angled end portions, said circular discs being rotatably journaled on said end portions.

8. A grain drill in accordance with claim 7 in which said axle has a straight central portion and means clamping said central portion to maintain said angled end portions in an adjusted relation.

9. The combination of claim 5 including arm means, said discs being mounted for rotation at one end of said arm means in a downwardly converging relation with each other.

10. The combination of claim 9 including strut means pivotally connected at one end to said grain drill adjacent said forwardly disposed opener and extending rearwardly with respect thereto, and means for adjustably clamping the other end of said arm means to the rear end of said strut means.

2. In a grain drill including a furrow opener in a forwardly disposed gang and first and second furrow openers in a rearwardly disposed gang spaced behind said forwardly disposed opener, said first rearwardly disposed furrow opener being offset to one side of the path traversed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener and said second rearwardly disposed furrow opener being offset to the other side of the path traversed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener, a device comprising disc means rearwardly spaced and aligned with respect to said forwardly disposed furrow opener and laterally spaced and aligned with respect to said first and second rearwardly disposed openers, said disc means being of a size in relation to said forwardly disposed furrow opener so as to engage a bottom portion of the furrow formed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener and also to extend upwardly above the furrow formed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener to a height sufficient to prevent undesired backfilling of the furrow formed by the forwardly disposed opener as the rearwardly disposed openers form their furrows.

4. The combination of claim 2 in which said said surfaces are at angles conforming generally to the slope of the sides of the furrow formed by said forwardly disposed opener.

11. In a grain drill including a forwardly disposed furrow opener and first and second rearwardly disposed furrow openers, said first rearwardly disposed furrow opener being offset to one side of the path traversed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener and said second rearwardly disposed furrow opener being offset to the other side of the path traversed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener and said grain drill for this including means for depositing seed in the furrow formed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener, a device for preventing undesired backfilling of the furrow formed by said forwardly disposed opener, said device comprising arm means, a sleeve at one end of said arm means, a shaft having angled end portions and a central straight portion received in said sleeve, means releasably clamping said central straight portion in a rotatively adjusted relation in said sleeve, a pair of discs laterally spaced with respect to each other so that one disc passes to one side of said seed and the other disc passes to the other side of said seed, said discs being rotatively mounted on said end portions so that said discs assume a downwardly converging relation with respect to each other, said discs being rearwardly spaced and aligned with respect to said forwardly disposed furrow opener and laterally spaced and aligned with respect to said first and second rearwardly disposed openers for preventing undesired backfilling of the furrow formed by the forwardly disposed opener as the rearwardly disposed openers form their furrows, and a press wheel rearwardly disposed with respect to said discs for covering the seed in said furrow formed by said forwardly disposed furrow opener.

12. The combination of claim 11 including strut means, and means for releasably clamping the other end of said arm means to said strut means.