Overcap point for tillage tool

• US 4,754,816 A
• Filed: 05/12/1986
• Issued: 07/05/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alamo Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Adams Hard-Facing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Edmission, Delmar D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Richard J.
• Application Number:
  US06/862,290
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 172/772, 172/773, 172/749, 172/747, 172/753, 172/707, 172/708, 172/726, 172/699, 172/719, 172/703, 172/704, 172/702, 172/772, 172/732, 172/745, 172/730, 172/722, 172/724, 37/141 R, 37/141 T
• US Class Current: 172/749
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 23/02 Teeth; Fixing the teeth

Abstract

A tillage tool which includes an elongated shank having a bifurcated forward end. A protective overcap point is secured to the bifurcated forward end of the shank by means of a trapezoidally cross-sectioned key which interlocks in the bifurcation slot. The overcap point further includes a pair of laterally opposed, downwardly extending side skirt portions which extend adjacent the side edges of the bifurcated leading end of the shank. A centrally located rib projects from the front of the overcap to adjacent the rear side thereof on the upper side of the overcap, and is of increasing width from its forward end to its rearward end, so that its divergent, opposed sides function to deflect dirt away from the center line of the shank portion.

Claims

1. A tillage tool comprising:

an elongated shank having a rear, upper end and having a bifurcated leading forward end portion defining a slot, and further having an upper surface and a lower surface, said slot extending from said upper surface to said lower surface thereof; and

an overcap point detachably connected to said elongated shank and having an upper side and an under side and secured to the bifurcated end portion of said shank, said overcap point further having a forward end, a rear side and a pair of lateral side edges, said overcap point including;

a key on the under side thereof projecting into and wedgingly engaged by, said slot and having a forward end and a rear end;

an axially extending protuberant rib centrally located on the upper side of said overcap point directly over said key and in vertical alignment therewith, and having a forward end and a rear end; and

divergent earth deflecting surfaces on opposite sides of said overcap point projecting rearwardly from said overcap point from the forward end thereof, said divergent deflecting surfaces being positioned to deflect soil away from said shank, and said deflecting surfaces being inclined at an acute angle to the upper and lower surfaces of said elongated shank;

a pair of upwardly facing surfaces lying on the opposite sides of said protuberant rib with each of said upwardly facing surfaces located between one of said deflecting surfaces and said protuberant rib; and

a pair of horizontally extending flanges located on opposite lateral sides of said overcap point in coplanar alignment with each other, each one of said horizontally extending flanges being located immediately below one of said earth deflecting surfaces.

2. A tillage tool as described in claim 1 wherein said rib is of progressively increasing transverse width in a direction such that the narrowest part of the rib is nearest the forward end of the shank, and the widest part of the rib is farthest from the forward end of the shank.

3. A tillage tool as described in claim 1 wherein the slot defined by the forward end portion of said shank extends axially in the shank and is narrower at a closed end thereof disposed at the end of the slot farthest from the forward end of the shank than at its open forward end, and wherein said slot is of dove-tailed, cross-sectional configuration.

4. A tillage tool as described in claim 3 wherein said key includes a forward end and a rear end spaced forwardly from the closed end of said slot, said key being wedged into said slot by forcing it into said slot in an axial direction.

5. A tillage tool comprising:

an elongated shank having a rear, upper end and having a bifurcated leading forward end portion defining a slot; and

an overcap point having an upper side and an under side and secured to the bifurcated end portion of said shank, said overcap point further including;

a forward end;

a rear side;

a pair of lateral side edges;

a key on the under side thereof projecting into, and wedgingly engaged by, said slot in said elongated shank, with said key having a forward end and a rear end;

an axially extending protuberant rib centrally located on the upper side of said overcap point directly over said key, and having a forward end and a rear end;

a forward edge sloping downwardly and forwardly from the forward end of said rib; and

a pair of deflecting surfaces located on the opposite sides of said overcap point configured and positioned to deflect soil away from said shank, said deflecting surfaces including;

a pair of complementary substantially parallelogram-shaped earth deflecting surfaces each having one side thereof formed by said forward edge, and diverging from each other as they extend away from said forward edge, said earth deflecting surfaces each lying in a plane inclined at an angle of from about 30°

to about 60°

to a vertical plane extending through an edge of the respective deflecting surface.

6. A tillage tool as described in claim 5 wherein said overcap point further includes a pair of trapezoidally shaped upwardly facing surfaces, the two trapezoidally shaped surfaces lying on opposite sides of said protuberant rib, with each of them located between one of said parallelogram shaped earth deflecting surfaces and said protuberant rib.

7. A tillage tool as described in claim 5 wherein said rib is of progressively increasing transverse width in a direction such that the narrowest part of the rib is nearest the forward end of the shank, and the widest part of the rib is farthest from the forward end of the shank.

8. A tillage tool as described in claim 7 wherein said overcap point further includes a pair of flanges located on opposite lateral sides of said overcap point in coplanar alignment, one of said flanges being located immediately below each of said parallelogram-shaped earth deflecting surfaces.

9. A tillage tool comprising:

an elongated shank having a rear, upper end and having a bifurcated leading forward end portion defining a slot, said shank further having an upper surface on said forward end portion and a lower surface on said forward end portion and having said slot extending from said upper surface to said lower surface of said forward end portion; and

an overcap point having an upper side and a lower side and secured to the bifurcated end portion of said shank, said overcap point further having a forward end, a rear side and a pair of lateral side edges, said overcap point including;

a key on a portion of the under side thereof, projecting into, and wedgingly engaged by, said slot and having a forward end and a rear end, said key further having a lower surface which is in coplanar alignment with the remaining part of said lower side of said overcap point other than that part upon which said key is located;

an axially extending protuberant rib centrally located on the upper side of said overcap point directly over said key, and having a forward end and a rear end; and

deflecting surfaces on opposite sides of said overcap point configured and positioned to deflect soil away from said shank.

10. A tillage tool comprising:

an elongated shank having a rear, upper end and having a bifurcated leading forward end portion defining a slot, and said elongated shank further having, at the forward end portion thereof, an upper surface and a lower surface; and

an overcap point having an upper side and an under side and secured to the bifurcated end portion of said shank, said overcap point further having a forward end, a rear side and a pair of lateral side edges, said overcap point including;

a key on the under side thereof projecting into, and wedgingly engaged by, said slot and having a forward end and a rear end;

an axially extending protuberbant rib centrally located on the upper side of said overcap point directly over said key, and having a forward end and a rear end;

parallelogram-shaped earth deflecting surfaces on said overcap point and diverging from each other from a point of intersection at the forward end of said overcap point, each of said deflecting surfaces lying in a plane inclined at an acute angle to a vertical plane extending through an edge of the respective deflecting surface; and

a pair of flanges located on opposite, lateral sides of said overcap point in coplanar alignment with each other, one of said flanges being located immediately below one of said parallelogram-shaped earth deflecting surfaces.

11. A tillage tool comprising:

an elongated shank having a rear, upper end and having a bifurcated leading forward end portion defining a slot, said forward end portion further having an upper surface and a lower surface, and having said slot extending between said upper surface and lower surface and opening at the forward end of said elongated shank; and

an overcap point detachably connected to said elongated shank and having an upper side and an under side, said overcap point being secured to the bifurcated end portion of said shank by frictional engagement, said overcap point further having a forward end, a rear side and a pair of lateral side edges, said overcap point including;

a key on the under side of said overcap point projecting into, and wedgingly engaged by, said slot in the forward end portion of said elongated shank, and said key having a forward end and a rear end; and

an axially extending protuberant rib centrally located on the upper side of said overcap point directly over said key, and having a forward end in close proximity to the forward end of said overcap point, and also having a rear end, said rib progressively increasing in transverse width in a direction such that the narrowest part of the rib is nearest the forward end of the shank and nearest the forward end of the overcap point, and the widest part of the rib is farthest from the forward end of the shank and the forward end of the overcap point, said rib thereby having a wider portion of the rib located over said key on the under side of the overcap point than that portion of the rib which is closest to the forward end of the over cap point and is therefore forward of said key.

12. A tillage tool comprising:

an elongated shank having a rear, upper end and having a bifurcated leading forward end portion defining a slot, said forward end portion further having an upper surface and a lower surface with said defined slot extending through the forward end portion from the upper surface to the lower surface thereof; and

an overcap point having an upper side and an under side and detachably secured by frictional engagement with the bifurcated end portion of said shank, said overcap point further having a forward end, a rear end and a pair of lateral side edges, said overcap point including;

a key on the under side thereof projecting into, and wedgingly engaged by, said slot to frictionally retain said overcap point on said elongated shank, said key further having a forward end and a rear end;

an axially extending protuberant rib centrally located on the upper side of said overcap point over said key, and having a forward end and a rear end;

divergent deflecting surfaces on opposite sides of said overcap point projecting rearwardly on said overcap point from the forward end thereof, said deflecting surfaces being positioned to deflect soil away from said shank, and said deflecting surfaces being inclined at an acute angle to the upper and lower surfaces of said elongated shank;

a pair of trapezoidally-shaped, upwardly facing surfaces lying on the opposite sides of said protuberant rib with each of said trapezoidally-shaped surfaces located between one of said deflecting surfaces and said protuberant rib; and

a pair of horizontally extending flanges located on opposite lateral sides of said overcap point in coplanar alignment with each other, each one of said flanges being located immediately below one of said earth deflecting surfaces.