Press wheels for seed drills

• US 4,844,174 A
• Filed: 04/01/1987
• Issued: 07/04/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Zimmerman
• Original Assignee: Robert Zimmerman
• Inventors: Zimmerman, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Kyle, Deborah L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US07/033,516
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 111/85, 111/87, 172/156, 172/172, 172/177, 172/534, 172/538, 172/555, 172/560, 172/574
• US Class Current: 172/538
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/064 with rotating tools

Abstract

A press wheel improvement for seed drills in which one or more open recesses are presented through the circular rim of the press wheel to form transverse dams along packed furrow walls. The recesses are bounded by walls that present a projecting tab extended beyond the conical wheel surfaces. A complementary insert can be fastened to each tab when damming of the furrows is not desired or required by field conditions. The tabs cooperate with straw walkers to assist in clearing trash and preventing obstruction of the straw walkers by rocks wedged between them and the conical press wheel walls.

Claims

1. A press wheel for packing a sloping side of a furrow when rotatably mounted on a seed drill in an oppositely facing pair of press wheels with a furrow opener between them, the press wheel comprising:

a solid circular peripheral rim formed about a transverse central axis;

a coaxial solid circular wall perpendicular to the central axis and offset from the rim along the central axis, the diameter of the circular wall being less than the diameter of the rim;

and a solid coaxial conical wall joining the rim and the circular wall, the conical wall being inclined outwardly from the rim;

the rim and conical wall having a recess formed therein that intermittently interrupts the packing of furrow sides as the press wheel rolls within a furrow, allowing soil to collect in the recess to form soil dams across the furrow that impede passage of water along the furrow and reduce soil and seed erosion;

the recess being formed by two solid transverse walls that intersect one another along an apex formed at a location spaced radially inward from the rim, one transverse wall being projected outwardly beyond the conical wall;

and a removable insert releasably fastened to the one transverse wall and located within the recess, the insert having a complementary rim section and a complementary conical wall section that complete the rim and conical wall, respectively.

2. A press wheel for packing a sloping side of a furrow when rotatably mounted on a seed drill in an oppositely facing pair of press wheels with a furrow opener between them, the press wheel comprising:

a solid circular peripheral rim formed about a transverse central axis;

a first coaxial solid circular wall perpendicular to the central axis and offset from the rim along the central axis, the diameter of the first circular wall being less than the diameter of the rim;

a solid coaxial conical wall joining the rim and the first circular wall;

and a second solid coaxial circular wall perpendicualr to the central axis and axially spaced from the first circular wall, the second circular wall being joined to the rim to complete a hollow press wheel structure;

the rim, conical wall and second circular wall havng an outwardly open recess formed therein across transverse wall surfaces that intermittently interrupt the packing of a furrow side as the press wheel rolls within a furrow, allowing soil to collect in the recess and form soil dams across the furrow to impede passage of water along the furrow and reduce soil and seed erosion.

3. The press wheel of claim 2, futher comprising:

a removable insert releasably fastened within the recess, the insert having a complementary rim section, a complementary conical wall section and a complementary second circular wall section that complete the rim, conical wall and second circular wall, respectively.

4. The press wheel of claim 2 wherein the recess is formed by solid front and rear transverse walls that intersect one another along an apex formed at a location spaced radially inward from the rim.

5. The press wheel of claim 2 wherein the recess is formed by solid front and rear transverse walls that intersect one another along an apex formed at a location spaced radially inward from the rim, the front and rear transverse walls each having coplanar side edges flush with the second circular wall.

6. The press wheel of claim 2 wherein the recess is formed by solid front and rear transverse walls that intersect one another along an apex formed at a location spaced radially inward from the rim, the front and rear transverse walls each having coplanar first side edges flush with the second circular wall, the front wall having a second side edge flush with the conical wall and the rear transverse wall having a second side edge located outward of the conical wall enabling it to impale field trash as the press wheel rotates within a furrow.

7. The press wheel of claim 2 wherein the recess is formed by solid front and rear transverse walls that intersect one another along an apex formed at a location spaced radially inward from the rim, the rear transverse wall being rectangular in shape.

8. The press wheel of claim 2 wherein the recess is formed by solid front and rear transverse walls that intersect one another along an apex formed at a location spaced radially inward from the rim, the front and rear transverse walls each having coplanar first side edgs flush with the second circular wall, the front wall having a second side edge flush with the conical wall and the rear transverse wall having a second side edge located outward of the conical wall enabling it to impale field trash as the press wheel rotates within a furrow;

and

a removable insert releasably fastened to the rear transverse wall within the recess, the insert having a complementary rim section, a complementary conical wall section and a complementary second circular wall section that complete the rim, conical wall and second circular wall, respectively.