Apparatus for renewing green areas and lawns

• US 4,542,705 A
• Filed: 10/25/1983
• Issued: 09/24/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wolf-Gerate GmbH Vertriebsgesellschaft KG
• Original Assignee: Wolf-Gerate GmbH
• Inventors: Orth, Gunther
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEMILLE, DANTON D
• Application Number:
  US06/545,133
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 172/554, 172/19, 172/22, 172/21, 172/540, 172/172, 172/555, 172/149, 172/120, 172/20, 172/548-556, 172/180, 172/142, 172/177, 172/547, 172/556, 172/572, 172/551, 111/1, 111/85, 111/86, 111/87
• US Class Current: 111/162
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 49/06 for sowing or fertilising
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/06 Machines for making or covering drills or furrows for sowing or planting
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/064 with rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/008 Sod or grassland seeding A01C7/08 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus for producing parallel-walled grooves in green areas and lawns. Slits which form the walls of the groove are produced by means of tools which are arranged at the periphery of a drum, or alternatively, on a rolling wheel body. Each tool comprises a pair of knives which produce the parallel slits or cuts. A cutting edge is provided, which extends between the knives and produces a transverse cut in the region of the groove. The cutting edge can simultaneously serve to eject the earth. Alternatively a clearance tyne, which also serves to lift the earth, can be arranged behind the knives in the direction of running. In accordance with a further embodiment, spring loaded runners are provided which are fixed to the frame of the apparatus and are located between knife carrying discs, i.e. between the grooves that are formed, or in the grooves that are formed, i.e. between the two knife carrying discs of a pair of knife carrying discs. These runners carry capping shares at their rear ends, with the capping shares being respectively aligned with the knife carrying discs of each pair and working in thegroove that is formed. The frame on which the knife carrying discs are journalled is vertically spring loaded relative to the machine frame and the lateral spacing of the knife carrying discs can be adjusted as required. The knife blades have a triangular shape with a steep flank and a shallow flank. The shallow flank forms the leading edge when the apparatus is used on soft ground, whereas the steep flank forms the leading edge when the apparatus is used on hard ground. Seed guide tubes direct the seed into the grooves that are formed and the outlet ends of the seed tubes lie in the direction of travel behind the capping shares. The apparatus can be used to renew green areas and lawns, it is however also possible in this manner to provide harvested stubble fields with between-season fruits without the need to break up the whole field.

Claims

1. Apparatus for producing parallel-walled seed grooves, said apparatus comprising:

a frame;

rotatable means rotatably supported on said frame, said rotatable means including a shaft and a plurality of disc pairs, said plurality of disc pairs being spacedly securable to said shaft, said shaft extending through said plurality of disc pairs, each said disc pair having first and second opposing and spaced outer peripheral perimeters;

a plurality of first and second cutting means supported on each said disc pair, said first and second cutting means being arranged in pairs and positioned, respectively, on first and second discs of said disc pair and projecting outward of said perimeters;

each said first cutting means being positioned on said first perimeter opposite the second cutting means positioned on said second perimeter;

said pairs of cutting means being positioned such that the area, which is defined between said first and second cutting means and traversed by one pair of cutting means when said rotatable means is rotated, is overlapped by the same defined area of the pair of cutting means following in rotation, whereby continuous and spaced cuts will be formed;

one respective elongated runner and one respective capping share associated with each said disc pair, said respective runner having a first and second end, said first end being attached to said frame and extending rearward thereof and along an area defined between said continuous cuts associated with said respective disc pair, said capping share being supported at said second end of said respective runner, said capping share including resiliency means for resiliently mounting capping share to bear against said area, and means for varying the resiliency of said resiliency means;

adjacent ones of said runners having different lengths to allow said capping share to extend in a staggered arrangement behind said apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including respective spacer means associated with each said disc pair for establishing the distance between said first cutting means and its associated second cutting means, said spacer means being carried by said rotatable means.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said cutting means comprises triangularly shaped knives which include two sides of equal length, said knives having an axis of symmetry extending between said two sides and a vertex defined by the point at which said two sides are joined, said axis of symmetry being inclined to a line extending from said vertex of said knives to said shaft of said rotatable means.

4. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said shaft is journalled in said frame and is resiliently braced relative to said frame in a vertical direction.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising seed delivery tubes for delivering seeds into said groove behind said cutting tools after said matter has been cleared between said continuous cuts.

6. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein each said capping share is vertically resiliently mounted behind said runner, said capping share including a follower claw and a compression spring to allow said capping share to be compressed. against an area defined between said continuous cuts.

7. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said cutting means comprises triangularly shaped knives having a main body and a first and second cutting edge formed on respective first and second adjacent sides which meet at a common point located outward of said perimeter of said disc pair, said first cutting edge extending at a first acute angle with respect to a line which extends from said common point to said shaft, said second cutting edge extending at a second acute angle with respect to said line which extends from said common point, said second acute angle being larger than said first acute angle, an acute angle being defined between said first and second sides.

8. The apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a clearance means secured to said frame for clearing adherent matter from said cutting tools, said clearance means including a clamping plate for vertically and adjustably securing said clearance means to said frame.