Highly flexible, foldable drill for uniform depth seed deposit

• US 4,660,651 A
• Filed: 06/28/1985
• Issued: 04/28/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Krause PLOW Corporation
• Original Assignee: Krause PLOW Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, David R., Weast, David H., Pfenninger, Billy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/749,827
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 172/311, 172/456, 172/457, 172/776, 172/459, 172/310, 172/500, 172/117, 172/462, 280/411 A, 280/411 R, 280/656, 111/55, 111/56, 111/60, 111/69, 111/52, 111/84, 111/85, 111/52 WT
• US Class Current: 172/311
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 49/06 for sowing or fertilising
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 73/02 Folding frames
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 15/005 Undercarriages, tanks, hoppers, stirrers specially adapted for seeders or fertiliser distributors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 111/927 Parallelogram mounting

Abstract

In a drill, there is provided the combination of a pair of foldable pivot frames to each of which is attached a wheeled wing frame for up and down swinging movement, together with a tongue assembly for effecting the folding action, as well as a subframe for each wing made up of a T-frame and a hoe frame especially adapted for opening seed-receiving furrows and pressing the soil in each seeded furrow.

Claims

1. In a farm implement, the combination of:

a pair of elongated, upstanding pivot frames normally parallel with the path of travel of the implement,

each frame being swingable about an upright axis;

releasable means latching the frames together in side-by-side relationship;

an assembly having structure for swinging the frames, when unlatched, to a position disposed in end-to-end relationship;

an elongated, normally horizontal, wheeled wing frame coupled with each pivot frame respectively,

the wing frames being normally in end-to-end relationship and disposed in a folded position trailing the pivot frames when the latter are in said end-to-end relationship;

means coupling the wing frames with the pivot frames for up and down swinging movement when the wing frames are end-to-end and when the same are folded; and

resilient means interposed between each wing frame and its pivot frame yieldably biasing the wing frames inwardly toward the pivot frames, maintaining the pivot frames side-by-side, and yieldably holding the wing frames in alignment when in end-to-end relationship.

2. In a farm implement, the combination of:

a pair of elongated, upstanding pivot frames normally parallel with the path of travel of the implement,

each frame being swingable about an upright axis;

structure for swinging the frames to a position disposed in end-to-end relationship;

an elongated, normally horizontal, wheeled wing frame for each pivot frame respectively,

the wing frames being normally in end-to-end relationship and disposed in a folded position trailing the pivot frames when the latter are in said end-to-end relationship; and

four-bar linkage for each pivot frame respectively coupling the corresponding wing frame thereto for up and down swinging movement of the wing frames over uneven terrain,

each pivot frame having a protuberance depending therefrom and each wing frame having an extension depending therefrom, said extensions normally engaging corresponding protuberances, said linkages having means for moving the extensions away from the protuberances during downward swinging movement of the wing frames.

3. The invention of claim 2, said means for moving the extensions away from the protuberances being operable to maintain the engagement of the extensions with the protuberances during upward swinging movement of the wing frames.

4. The invention of claim 3, each wing frame having an upstanding front post and each pivot frame having an upper framepiece;

and means on the posts establishing a fulcrum against corresponding framepieces during said upward swinging movement of the wing frames.

5. The invention of claim 3, each subframe having a T-frame pivotally mounted thereon and each T-frame having a tool frame suspended therefrom, there being a plurality of furrow-opening tools suspended from the tool frames and a press wheel for each furrow respectively, said press wheels being attached to the T-frames therebelow and rearwardly of the tools.

6. The invention of claim 5;

mechanisms mounting the tool frames for up and down movement relative to T-frames; and

manual means for each mechanism respectively for controlling said movements of the tool frames.

7. In a farm implement:

central frame means;

a pair of wing frames disposed on opposite sides of the central frame means,

each of said wing frames having ground-working tools and a ground-engaging support wheel; and

a four-bar linkage for each of said wing frames, respectively, coupling an inner end thereof to the central frame means for up-and-down hinging movement of the wing frames relative to one another and to the central frame means as the ground wheels encounter changes in ground contour,

each of said linkages including vertically spaced upper and lower links pivotally coupled at one end to the central frame means and pivotally coupled at an opposite end to the corresponding wing frame,

a pivotal coupling for one link of each linkage including lost motion means permitting the effective length of said one link to vary between a pair of opposite limits as ground contour changes are encountered by the wheels, thereby promoting flexibility of the implement.

8. In a farm implement as claimed in claim 7, said lost motion means for each linkage being associated with the lower link of the linkage.

9. In a farm implement as claimed in claim 8, said upper link of each linkage having a center line intersecting the pivotal couplings at its opposite ends and the lower link of each linkage having a center line intersecting the pivotal couplings at opposite ends of the lower link, said upper link of each linkage being longer than the lower link at both limits of lost motion of the lower link and said center lines of the upper and lower links of each linkage converging downwardly to an effective low pivot point for the corresponding wing frame.

10. In a farm implement as claimed in claim 8, said lost motion means for each linkage including a pin on the wing frame and a slot in the lower link.

11. In a farm implement as claimed in claim 10, said central frame means including a fore and aft extending tongue and a pair of elongated, upstanding pivot frames disposed on opposite sides of and normally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tongue, said pivot frames each having a pivotal coupling with said tongue permitting the frames to swing rearwardly from said parallel position to a position disposed in end-to-end relationship projecting laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the tongue, said wing frames being coupled with said pivot frames whereby to dispose the wing frames in laterally outwardly projecting working positions when the pivot frames are parallel with the tongue and folded back, mutually parallel transport positions when the pivot frames are in end-to-end relationship with one another.

12. In a farm implement as claimed in claim 7, said central frame means including a fore and aft extending tongue and a pair of elongated, upstanding pivot frames disposed on opposite sides of and normally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tongue, said pivot frames each having a pivotal coupling with said tongue permitting the frames to swing rearwardly from said parallel position to a position disposed in end-to-end relationship projecting laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the tongue, said wing frames being coupled with said pivot frames whereby to dispose the wing frames in laterally outwardly projecting working positions when the pivot frames are parallel with the tongue and folded back, mutually parallel transport positions when the pivot frames are in end-to-end relationship with one another.

13. In a seed planting implement:

central frame means;

a pair of wing frames disposed on opposite sides of the central frame means and pivotally coupled with the latter for horizontal swinging movement between laterally outwardly projecting working positions generally normal to the path of travel of the implement and folded back transport positions generally parallel with the path of travel of the implement,

each of said wing frames having a ground-engaging wheel supporting the wing frame above the ground for movement along the latter;

a subframe below each of said wing frames, respectively, carried by the wing frames,

each of said subframes having ground-opening means supported thereon for preparing the soil for seed placement and further having ground-closing means thereon in trailing relationship to said ground-opening means for firmly covering placed seeds with soil,

said ground-closing means being disposed for engagement with the surface of the ground during penetration of the soil by said ground-opening means whereby to gauge the depth of penetration of said opening means;

an actuatable lift linkage assembly on each of said wing frames, respectively, operably coupled with the corresponding subframe for raising and lowering the subframe between a transport position in which the opening means and the closing means are lifted off the ground and a working position in which the opening means and the closing means are engaging the ground,

each of said lift linkage assemblies including means for shifting the corresponding subframe forwardly as the subframe is being raised into its transport position and for retaining the raised subframe in a forwardly shifted condition while the same is in its transport position whereby to reduce the extent of rearward projection of the subframe and ground-closing means to facilitate disposition of the wing frames in their folded back transport positions without interference with one another,

each of said subframes being vertically swingably coupled with its lift linkage assembly for accommodating changes in ground contour sensed by the ground closing means during stationary disposition of the lift linkage assembly relative to the corresponding wing frame,

there being yieldable means interposed between each subframe and its lift linkage assembly for limited yieldable biasing of the subframe downwardly relative to the corresponding lift linkage assembly,

each of said lift linkage assemblies including a four-bar linkage having a pair of vertically spaced upper and lower bars and a pair of horizontally spaced, front and rear bars,

the rear bar of said linkage being fixed with respect to the corresponding wing frame and the other bars thereof being vertically swingable relative to the corresponding wing frame during actuation of the lift linkage assembly,

the subframe associated with each lift linkage assembly being pivotally coupled with its lift linkage assembly at the joint between the forward bar of the four-bar linkage and the lower bar thereof,

said upper and lower bars of each four-bar linkage being disposed in a generally upright orientation when the corresponding subframe is in its lowered, working position and being swingable generally upwardly and forwardly during actuation whereby to shift the subframe both upwardly and forwardly as the latter is moved into its transport position.

14. In a seed planting implement as claimed in claim 13, said yieldable means of each subframe extending between a pivot joint between the upper bar and front bar of the corresponding four bar linkage and the subframe.