Rotary row cleaner for a planter

• US 5,341,754 A
• Filed: 04/03/1992
• Issued: 08/30/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Farmers Factory Company
• Original Assignee: Farmers Factory Company
• Inventors: Winterton, Dean A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reese, Randolph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WARNICK IV, SPENCER K
• Application Number:
  US07/863,219
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 172/29, 172/27, 172/540, 172/551, 172/349, 172/520, 172/574, 172/661, 172/184, 172/617, 111/139, 111/143, 111/157, 111/52, 111/62, 111/140-142, 111/59, 111/83, 111/149, 111/164-169, 111/151
• US Class Current: 111/139
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/064 with rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/006 Minimum till seeding
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/20 Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions in agriculture, e.g. CO2

Abstract

A planter includes a pair of toothed wheels which sweep mulch away from the path followed by furrow opening discs. The sweeper wheels are carried on the trailing end of a parallel bar linkage attached to a tool bar by which the planter is pulled. As a result of the parallel bar linkage, the sweeper wheels may float upwardly and downwardly independently of the planter frame in order to conform to uneven ground and achieve more effective removal of the mulch without significantly disturbing the soil. The forward location of the sweeper wheels enables a coulter to be mounted on the planter frame and slice vertically into the ground ahead of the furrow opening discs.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use with a planter unit having an elongated and laterally extending bar by which the planter unit is pulled forwardly, the planter unit having means for opening a furrow in minimally tilled or untilled soil, said apparatus comprising a pair of vertically spaced and generally parallel bars having forward ends pivotally connected to said elongated bar to swing upwardly and downwardly independently of said furrow opening means, said parallel bars extending downwardly and rearwardly from said elongated bar, an upright mounting bracket pivotally connected to the rear ends of said parallel bars, a pair of toothed sweeper wheels rotatably supported by said upright mounting bracket and located ahead of said furrow opening means, said wheels being positioned in engagement with the soil and being positioned with their centers on opposite sides of a vertical plane in the path of travel of said furrow opening means whereby forward movement of said planter unit rotatably drives said wheels to cause the wheels to pull residue in laterally opposite directions away from the path of the advancing furrow opening means, and means biasing said parallel bars downwardly to press said wheels into the soil while allowing the wheels to move upwardly and downwardly in uneven soil, said pair of toothed sweeper wheels being the only ground-engaging members carried by said parallel bars.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said planting unit includes a rotatable coulter located ahead of said furrow opening means and adapted to slice vertically into the soil prior to formation of the furrow, said toothed wheels being located ahead of said coulter.

3. A planter unit having an elongated and laterally extending bar by which the planter unit is pulled forwardly, said planter unit having a rotatable coulter movable forwardly along a predetermined path and engageable with minimally tilled or untilled soil to slice generally vertically into the soil, means located behind said coulter for opening a furrow in the soil sliced by the coulter, and means for depositing seed in the furrow, the improvement in said planter unit comprising, a pair of generally parallel bars having forward ends connected to said elongated bar to swing upwardly and downwardly independently of said coulter and said furrow opening means, an upright mounting bracket pivotally connected to the rear ends of said parallel bars, a pair of toothed sweeper wheels rotatably supported by said upright mounting bracket and located ahead of said coulter, said wheels being positioned in engagement with the soil and being positioned with their centers on opposite sides of a vertical plane in the path of travel of said coulter whereby forward motion of said planter unit rotatably drives said wheels to cause the wheels to pull residue in laterally opposite directions away from the path of the advancing coulter, and means biasing said parallel bars downwardly to press said wheels into the soil while allowing the wheels to move upwardly and downwardly in uneven soil, said pair of toothed sweeper wheels being the only ground-engaging members carried by said parallel bars.