Rotary disk tool assembly and material dispensing and crop cutting implements

• US 4,753,297 A
• Filed: 04/22/1986
• Issued: 06/28/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Arts-Way Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Eversman Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Owen, Robert R., Mayeda, Bruce H.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/854,989
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 172/522, 172/526, 172/169, 172/624.5, 172/310, 172/739, 172/740, 172/4, 111/7, 56/503, 56/192, 56/13.6, 56/157
• US Class Current: 172/4
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 39/08 with rotating tools such as weeding machines
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 39/14 for working ridges , e.g. for rows of plants and/or furrows

Abstract

An agricultural tool assembly includes a rotary disk mounted on a lower end of a rotary spindle. A mount for the spindle includes a shank adapted to be received in the vertical slot of a clamp and a sleeve for rotatably supporting the spindle. The sleeve is connected to the shank by spaced side plates connected to the sleeve with a lower pivot member and an upper fastener extending through arcuate slots in the spaced plates. A cultivator implement has front and rear disk gangs and a rear centered tool assembly. An onion undercutting implement has a front tool bar with front tool assemblies clamped thereto and a rear tool bar with rear tool assemblies clamped thereto.

A tool assembly for material distribution has a spindle with a through hole, a swivel fitting at the inlet and a flared section at the outlet. Crop cutting and windrowing apparatus has pairs of tool assemblies tilted in and down toward the crop row and forwardly and down. Apparatus is provided to maintain the disks at a substantially constant depth.

Claims

1. A tool assembly for agricultural purposes adapted for being connected to a movable supporting frame by a clamp with a slot and locking means comprising:

a rotary disk having a peripheral cutting edge mounted to an end of a substantially vertical rotary spindle;

an elongated shank, said shank having an upper section of substantially uniform cross sections for being slidably received in the slot of said clamp, set at a selected elevation by said locking means, and readily removed from and replaced on said clamp;

a sleeve rotatably supporting said spindle;

an intermediate connecting member between said shank and sleeve;

a pivot member extending through a lower end portion of said shank and said connecting member to enable said sleeve to pivot in relation to said shank; and

a locking member spaced from said pivot member along said shank and extending through said connecting member and shank to lock said connecting member and sleeve at a fixed position relative to said shank and to selectively position said disk and cutting, edge in a substantially horizontal plane or at an angle to a horizontal plane by pivoting about said pivot member, said risk being moved through the soil at a selected depth as said frame is moved along the ground.

2. A tool assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said spindle has a through hole extending from a top inlet to a bottom outlet for passing a material delivered to said top inlet through and out said bottom outlet for introduction of said material into the soil that has been penetrated by said disk, and

a hollow swivel fitting coupled to the upper end of said spindle whereby said fitting remains stationary in relation to said spindle when said spindle is rotated.

3. A tool assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said through hole has a flared end section at the outlet end to avoid plugging by the soil.

4. A tool assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said intermediate connecting member includes a pair of spaced plates connected to said sleeve and extending along opposite sides of the end portion of said shank.

5. A tool assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said plates are upright and connected at lower end portions along opposite sides of said sleeve and extend upwardly from the top of said sleeve and along opposite sides of the lower end portion of said shank to locate said spindle in alignment with said shank.

6. A tool assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said plates are along the side and connected at one end to a side of said sleeve and extending laterally out from a side of said sleeve along opposite sides of the lower end portion of said shank to offset said spindle to one side of said shank.

7. A tool assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said locking member is a shear pin.

8. A tool assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said locking member is a bolt and nut assembly and said plates have elongated slots through which said bolt extends to facilitate a range of pivotal movement about said pivot member.

9. A tool assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said shank has a straight upper section and an inclined lower section provided by a sidewise bend from the longitudinal axis of the upper section to position each disk at a tilt angle to the horizontal plane.

10. In subsoil material distributing apparatus for delivering herbicides, fertilizer, and the like materials into the soil, the combination comprising:

a movable supporting frame;

a clamping member carried by said supporting frame having a slot and locking means;

a tool assembly connected to and suspended from said clamp, said tool assembly including

a rotary disk having a peripheral cutting edge mounted to an end of a substantially vertical rotary spiddle,

an elongated shank, said shank having an upper section of substantially uniform cross section slidably received in said slot, set at a selected elevation by said locking means, and readily removed from and replaced on said clamp,

a sleeve rotatably supporting said spindle,

an intermediate connecting member between said shank and sleeve,

a pivot member extending through a lower end portion of said shank and said connecting member to enable said sleeve to pivot in relation to said shank, and

a locking member spaced from said pivot member along said shank and extending through said connecting member and shank to lock said connecting member and sleeve at a fixed position relative to said shank and to selectively position said disk and cutting edge in a substantially horizontal plane or at an angle to a horizontal plane by pivoting about said pivot member, said disk being moved through the soil at a selected depth as said frame is moved along the ground.

11. In crop cutting and windrowing apparatus for beans and the like, the combination comprising:

a movable supporting frame having at least one pair of clamps each with a slot and associated locking means;

at least one pair of laterally spaced tool assemblies supported by said supporting frame, each said tool asembly having

a rotary disk with a peripheral edge mounted to an end of a rotary spindle,

an elongated shank,

said shank having an upper section of substantially uniform cross sections slidably received in the slot of an associated supporting clamp, set at a selected elevation by said locking means and readily removed from and replaced on said clamp,

a sleeve rotatably supporting said spindle,

an intermediate connecting member between said shank and sleeve,

a pivot member extending through a lower end portion of said shank and through said connecting member to enable said sleeve to pivot in relation to said shank, to position said disk forwardly and downwardly at a selected tilt angle,

a locking member extending through said connecting member and shank to lock said sleeve at a fixed position relative to said shank,

each disk being tilted laterally in and down toward a crop row whereby the crop is cut between the center of the disk and an outer edge of the disk, said spaced pair of disks cutting crop roots and forming a windrow as said disks are moved in a soil penetrating position,

means on said supporting frame to control the depth of penetration of soil of said disks, and

a vine divider forwardly of said tool assemblies to separate the crop vines and direct them for cutting and windrowing by a trailing of said disks.

12. In apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein each shank has a straight upper section and an inclined lower section provided by a sidewise bend from the longitudinal axis of said upper section to position each disk at said laterally in and down tilt.

13. In apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein a lateral supporting frame connected to said frame by a pivot member disposes each shank at a selected tilt angle to the vertical to dispose each disk laterally in and down.

14. In apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said pair of disks are spaced from one another along said supporting frame so that one disk cuts the crop and turns the cut crop to one side to form a windrow and the other disk cuts the crop of an adjacent row and turns the cut crop to the opposite side to form a windrow to enable flow through.

15. In apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said means to control the depth includes at one vertically adjustable ground-engaging wheel mounted on said frame.

16. In apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said means to control the depth includes a sensor to sense the surface elevation of the soil adjacent the disk and automatically changes the elevation of said disk as the surface elevation of the crop row changes to maintain the disk at a substantially constant depth.

17. In apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein each disk has an individual sensor.

18. In apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein at least two pairs of disks have a sensor.

19. In apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said sensor includes a pivot arm having a ground engaging member arrangement to contact the soil adjacent the crop row, a mechanical to electrical position sensor actuated by said pivot arm, a control valve activated by soil sensor and a two-way cylinder connected to a tool assembly and responsive to an electrical signal from said sensor.