Row crop cultivator with setting indicator

• US 4,650,005 A
• Filed: 12/03/1984
• Issued: 03/17/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John A. Tebben
• Original Assignee: John A. Tebben
• Inventors: Tebben, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stouffer, Richard T.
• Application Number:
  US06/677,385
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 172/430, 172/603, 172/662, 172/683, 172/742, 172/744, 172/574, 116/300, 116/301, 33/1 N, 33/169 B, 33/185 V, 33/534, 37/DIG. 19, 403/27
• US Class Current: 172/430
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 39/20 Tools; Details
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 71/02 Setting or adjusting mechanisms

Abstract

A row crop cultivator for use in farming which includes a pair of weeding disks associated with each cultivator unit of which a plurality is ganged together in series. Each weeding disk is bearingly supported by a vertical shaft which is received by a cross bar in a manner which permits the shaft associated with the weeding disk to be adjusted as to depth and angular orientation. Such changes in the vertical shaft for the weeding disks are directly transferred to the weeding disk itself. Disposed adjacent the uppermost point of the shaft is a degree gauge plate and adjacent thereto is a depth gauge structured out of angle iron. As the farmer makes adjustments as to angular orientation and depth of one weeding disk, he need not be concerned with the specific values until the optimum depth and angular orientation have been found for the particular field being cultivated. Once this has been determined for a single weeding disk, all other disks of the cultivator can be almost instantly set to the same indicator values thereby duplicating the desired depth and angular position of the corresponding disks. Each weeding disk, degree gauge plate and depth gauge are supported by a corresponding frame which is pivotally hinged to the tool bar of the cultivator and positionable in either a weeding-disk up position or a weeding-disk-down position.

Claims

1. A row crop cultivator suitably styled to be drawn by a tractor or similar vehicle and which includes a frame structure and linkage means suitable to receive various implement attachments, wherein the improvement comprises:

a plurality of weeding disk assemblies, each assembly including a weeding disk and a corresponding support shaft, each disk being rotatably mounted to its corresponding support shaft;

separate adjustment means associated with each support shaft for enabling each corresponding weeding disk to be altered as to its depth and angular orientation;

a plurality of bracket means pivotally hinged to said row crop cultivator, each of said plurality of bracket means receiving a corresponding one of said plurality of weeding disk assemblies and a corresponding one of said separate adjustment means, and being movable between a weeding-disk-down position and a weeding-disk-up position; and

separate indicator means associated with each adjustment means for indicating the depth and angular setting of the corresponding weeding disk, said indicator means being cooperatively arranged with said adjustment means such that the duplication of a setting for a first one of said plurality of weeding disks onto another one of said plurality of weeding disks results in a duplication of the positional orientation placement of the first disk by the other disk, each said indicator means including an angular orientation indicator coaxially disposed relative to the upper portion of its corresponding support shaft, each said indicator means further including a depth indicator adjacent a corresponding angular orientation indicator and arranged with a pointing portion directed at said angular orientation indicator for reading the setting thereof.

2. A row crop cultivator suitably styled to be drawn by a tractor or similar vehicle and which includes a frame structure and linkage means suitable to receive various implement attachments, wherein the improvement comprises:

a plurality of weeding disk assemblies, each assembly including a weeding disk and a corresponding support shaft, each disk being rotatably mounted to its corresponding support shaft;

separate adjustment means associated with each support shaft for enabling each corresponding weeding disk to be altered as to its depth and angular orientation;

a plurality of bracket means pivotally hinged to said row crop cultivator, each of said plurality of bracket means receiving a corresponding one of said plurality of weeding disk assemblies and a corresponding one of said separate adjustment means, and being movable between a weeding-disk-down position and a weeding-disk-up position; and

separate indicator means associated with each adjustment means for indicating the depth and angular setting of the corresponding weeding disk, said indicator means being cooperatively arranged with said adjustment means such that the duplication of a setting for a first one of said plurality of weeding disks onto another one of said plurality of weeding disks results in a duplication of the positional orientation placement of the first disk by the other disk, each said indicator means including a degree plate coaxially disposed about the uppermost end of its corresponding support shaft and a depth gauge disposed substantially parallel to the support shaft and positioned adjacent to the degree plate wherein the degree plate and the depth gauge each include a series of spaced graduations and each serves as the alignment marker for the other.

3. The improvement of claim 2 wherein both the degree plate and the depth gauge are removable from the row crop cultivator.

4. A row crop cultivator suitably styled to be drawn by a tractor or similar vehicle and which includes a frame structure and linkage means suitable to receive various implement attachments, wherein the improvement comprises:

disk support means including a plurality of support shafts;

a plurality of weeding disks, each disk being rotatably mounted to a corresponding one of said support shafts;

separate adjustment means associated with each support shaft for enabling each corresponding weeding disk to be altered as to its depth and angular orientation; and

separate indicator means associated with each adjustment means for indicating the depth and angular setting of the corresponding weeding disk, said indication means being cooperatively arranged with said adjustment means such that the duplication of a setting for a first one of said weeding disks onto another one of said weeding disks results in a duplication of the positional orientation placement of the first disk by said another disk, said separate indicator means including a degree plate coaxially disposed about the uppermost end of its corresponding support shaft and a depth gauge disposed substantially parallel to the support shaft and positioned adjacent to the degree plate wherein the degree plate and the depth gauge each include a series of spaced graduations and each serves as the alignment marker for the other.