Narrow profile soil opening device for agriculture material placement

• US 5,787,994 A
• Filed: 12/02/1996
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Commerce Bank NA (Truist Financial Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acra Products, LLC
• Inventors: Friesen, Randall M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Melius, Terry Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): BATSON, VICTOR D
• Application Number:
  US08/759,005
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 172/29, 172/772.5, 172/772, 172/771, 172/769, 172/765, 172/753, 172/720, 172/721, 172/713, 172/747, 172/748, 111/924, 111/923, 111/149, 111/152, 111/153, 111/154, 111/156, 111/139-143, 111/147, 37/447, 37/460, 37/446
• US Class Current: 172/772.5
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/062 Devices for making drills or furrows
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/064 with rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/006 Minimum till seeding
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/06 Seeders combined with fertilising apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/20 Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions in agriculture, e.g. CO2

Abstract

An opener assembly for forming a groove in soil in preparation for placement of substances in the soil broadly comprises an upright, elongated shank having a lower end and a lower mounting edge, a lowermost, groove-forming component, and fastening structure for fastening the component to the lower end of the shank. The component includes an upper mounting surface, and is configured to be seated against the lower mounting edge of the shank. The lower edge of the shank includes a pair of angularly disposed edge portions arranged to receive thrust loads in different directions from the component during groove-forming movement of the component through the soil. One of the edge portions lies at least partially in a normally horizontal plane for preventing upward movement of the component relative to the shank while the other of the edge portions lies at least partially in a normally vertical plane for preventing rearward movement of the component relative to the shank. The fastening structure is configured to permit pivotal and translational movement of the component with respect to the horizontal plane.

Claims

1. An opener assembly for forming a groove in soil in preparation for placement of substances in the soil, said opener assembly comprising:

an upright, elongated shank having a lower end and a lower mounting edge;

a lowermost, groove-forming component, said component having an upper mounting surface; and

fastening structure for fastening said component to said lower end of said shank with said upper mounting surface of said component adjacent to said lower edge of said shank,

said lower edge of said shank including a pair of angularly disposed edge portions arranged to receive thrust loads in different directions from said component during groove-forming movement of said component through the soil,

one of said edge portions lying at least partially in a normally horizontal plane for preventing upward movement of said component relative to said shank and the other of said edge portions lying at least partially in a normally vertical plane for preventing rearward movement of said component relative to said shank,

said fastening structure permitting pivotal and translational movement of said component with respect to said horizontal plane.

2. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fastening structure includes a mounting plate coupled with the lower end of the said shank and angled with respect to said shank so that said component is fastened to said shank at an angle with respect thereto.

3. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said angle between said mounting plate and said shank is approximately 4°

.

4. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said upper mounting surface of said component defines a flange having an opening formed therethrough, and said fastening structure includes a plate attached to the lower end of said shank having an opening formed therethrough, and a fastening element received through the openings of said plate and said flange, said fastening element being slightly smaller than said opening through said flange for permitting the pivotal and translational movement of said component.

5. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said component includes a stop element presenting a stop surface configured to engage the lower end of said shank for limiting the pivotal and translational movement of said component.

6. In an agricultural device for placing substances in soil and having a disc rotatably disposed on a side of an opener assembly, said opener assembly comprising:

an upright, elongated shank having a lower end and a lower mounting edge;

a lowermost, groove-forming component, said component having an upper mounting surface; and

fastening structure for fastening said component to said lower end of said shank adjacent to the disc with said upper surface of said component adjacent to said lower edge of said shank,

said lower edge of said shank including a pair of angularly disposed edge portions arranged to receive thrust loads in different directions from said component during groove-forming movement of said component through the soil,

one of said edge portions lying at least partially in a normally horizontal plane for preventing upward movement of said component relative to said shank and the other of said edge portions lying at least partially in a normally vertical plane for preventing rearward movement of said component relative to said shank,

said fastening structure permitting pivotal and translational movement of said component with respect to said horizontal plane.

7. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein said fastening structure includes a mounting plate coupled with the lower end of the said shank and angled with respect to said shank so that said component is fastened to said shank at an angle with respect to the disc.

8. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 7, wherein said angle between said mounting plate and said disc is approximately 4°

.

9. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 7, said component including a downwardly and rearwardly extending leading edge, said edge being configured for forming a groove in the soil and for scrapping the disc for preventing foreign material from accumulating on the disc.

10. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein said upper mounting surface of said component defines a flange having an opening formed therethrough, and said fastening structure includes a plate attached to the lower end of said shank having an opening formed therethrough, and a fastening element received through the openings of said plate and said flange, said fastening element being slightly smaller than said opening through said flange for permitting the pivotal and translational movement of said component.

11. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein said component includes a stop element presenting a stop surface configured to engage the lower end of said shank for limiting the pivotal and translational movement of said component.

12. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 6, further including structure for biasing said component in a direction toward the disc.

13. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 12, wherein said biasing structure includes a spring retained between said component and said fastening structure.

14. An agricultural attachment device for placing substances in the soil having a trash clearing device and a placement device located behind said trash clearing device, said placement device comprising:

an upright, elongated shank having a lower end and a lower mounting edge;

a trash-cutting disc including a pair of opposed disc faces, said disc being mounted on said lower end of said shank for rotation about a transverse axis;

a lowermost, groove-forming component, said component having an upper mounting surface and a forward leading edge; and

fastening structure for fastening said component to said lower end of said shank adjacent to one of said faces of said trash-cutting disc with said upper surface of said component adjacent to said lower edge of said shank,

said lower edge of said shank including a pair of angularly disposed edge portions arranged to receive thrust loads in different directions from said component during groove-forming movement of said component through the soil,

one of said edge portions lying at least partially in a normally horizontal plane for preventing upward movement of said component relative to said shank and the other of said edge portions lying at least partially in a normally vertical plane for preventing rearward movement of said component relative to said shank,

said fastening structure permitting pivotal and translational movement of said component with respect to said horizontal plane.

15. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 14, wherein said fastening structure includes a mounting plate coupled with the lower end of the said shank and angled with respect to said shank so that said component is fastened to said shank at an angle with respect to said disc.

16. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 15, said component including a downwardly and rearwardly extending leading edge, said edge being configured for forming a groove in the soil and for scrapping said disc for preventing foreign material from accumulating on said disc.

17. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 14, wherein said component includes a stop element protruding from a side of said component, said element presenting a stop surface configured to engage the lower end of said shank for limiting the pivotal and translational movement.

18. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 14, further including structure for biasing said component in a direction toward said disc.

19. The opener assembly as set forth in claim 18, wherein said biasing structure includes a spring retained between said component and said fastening structure.