Trash cleaning structure for a furrow opening device

• US 5,878,678 A
• Filed: 07/30/1997
• Issued: 03/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Wendling, Ignatz, Stephens, Lyle Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): BATSON, VICTOR D
• Application Number:
  US08/902,761
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 111/139, 111/157, 111/143, 111/140, 111/163, 111/142, 111/141, 111/62, 172/604, 172/624.5
• US Class Current: 111/139
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/06 Machines for making or covering drills or furrows for sowing or planting
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/006 Minimum till seeding
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/22 Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/20 Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions in agriculture, e.g. CO2

Abstract

A pair of angled disks supported by a four bar linkage from the upper end of the opener drawbar assembly clears trash from a narrow area in front of the opener. The four bar linkage has a virtual center located on or close to the center of the opener disk for good cleaning wheel tracking and for permitting the clearing disks to be spaced closely to the opener disk without interference between the disks. The clearing disks can rock vertically to follow ground contour and prevent excessive digging and soil movement. Shallow teeth on the disks also reduce soil penetration and soil disturbance.

Claims

1. In an implement having a transversely extending toolbar member, cleaning structure for clearing trash from a narrow band of ground forwardly of a furrow opening device that includes a drawbar member having a leading end connected at a pivot area to the toolbar member for rocking vertically relative to the toolbar member, and a trailing end, the cleaning structure comprising a linkage having a forward end pivotally connected at the pivot area to the leading end of the drawbar member for rocking relative to the drawbar member, and an aft vertically movable end located forwardly of the furrow opening device;

clearing disk structure rotatably mounted at the aft end of the linkage for movement vertically therewith adjacent the furrow opening device; and

wherein the linkage includes link structure maintaining a generally constant relationship between the disk structure and the furrow opening device with vertical movement of the disk structure as the furrow opening device and the clearing disk structure encounter variations in ground and trash conditions.

2. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the link structure comprises a four bar linkage and a bracket depending from the leading end of the drawbar member and rockable therewith, and wherein the four bar linkage comprises upper and lower fore-and-aft extending links pivotally connected at their forward ends to vertically offset locations on the bracket and at their aft ends to the clearing disk structure.

3. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the disk structure comprises a pair of angled disks diverging in a rearward direction, wherein rear extremities of the disks lie on opposite sides of and overlap the furrow opening device.

4. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 2 wherein the four bar linkage includes upper and lower rearwardly converging links with pivot locations defining a virtual center closely adjacent the furrow opening device.

5. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 4 wherein the furrow opening device includes an opener disk having an axis of rotation, and wherein the virtual center of the four bar linkage lies on or closely adjacent the axis of rotation.

6. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the disk structure comprises a first flat disk of preselected diameter and having a shallow tooth pattern with gullets, the gullets offset radially inwardly from a periphery of the disk structure substantially less than ten percent of the preselected diameter.

7. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the disk structure comprises at least one clearing disk, the clearing disk having a rearward edge that overlaps one side of the furrow opening device.

8. The cleaning structure as set fourth in claim 7 wherein the at least one cleaning disk includes a periphery having a shallow gear-tooth configuration.

9. The cleaning structure set forth in claim 1 wherein the furrow opening device includes a disk opener having a leading edge penetrating the ground at a soil entry location and wherein the cleaning disk structure comprises two angled disks defining a forward pinch area and a rearward trash clearing and trash stretching area, and wherein the link structure maintains the trash clearing and trash stretching area adjacent the soil entry location as the drawbar member moves vertically.

10. Cleaning structure for clearing trash from a narrow band of ground forwardly of a fore-and-aft extending opener assembly including a fore-and-aft extending arm having a forward mounting end and an aft end supporting a furrow forming device, the furrow forming device having a forwardmost extremity, wherein the cleaning structure comprises a four bar linkage having a forward upright member connected to the forward mounting end of the arm, a pair of links pivotally connected to the forward upright member and extending rearwardly from the forward upright member, an aft upright member pivotally connected to the links for vertical movement relative to the forward upright member, and a pair of angled disks connected to the aft upright member and movable vertically relative therewith, the disks rotatable about offset axes to define a forward pinch point area and a diverging area behind the forward pinch point area and adjacent the furrow forming device, and wherein the angled disks include peripheries, at least one of the peripheries overlapping the forwardmost extremity of the furrow forming device.

11. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 10 wherein the peripheries of the disks include a shallow gear tooth pattern.

12. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 10 wherein the disks overlap the furrow forming device.

13. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 10 wherein the pair of links define a virtual center lying on or close to the furrow forming device, the four bar linkage maintaining the disks generally in a constant attitude relative to the furrow forming device as the disks move vertically.

14. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 13 wherein the furrow forming device comprises disk structure rotatable about a disk axis, and the virtual center lies on or close to the disk axis.

15. Cleaning structure for clearing trash from a narrow band of ground forwardly of a fore-and-aft extending opener assembly including an opener disk supported from a vertically rockable fore-and-aft arm assembly for rotation about an opener axis, the arm assembly including an arm having a forward pivot area, the disk including a leading edge for penetrating the ground at a leading soil entry location, the cleaning structure comprising:

a clearing disk assembly including a clearing disk, the clearing disk having a periphery with a rearmost extremity;

linkage structure including a bracket depending from the forward pivot area of the arm connecting the clearing disk to the arm for rocking vertically relative to the arm assembly with the rearmost extremity closely adjacent the soil entry location, the linkage structure maintaining the clearing disk periphery in a generally constant relationship relative to the leading edge as the arm assembly rocks vertically over the ground.

16. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 15 wherein the linkage structure comprises a four bar linkage having a forward end pivotally connected to the bracket, and wherein the bracket is rockable with the arm assembly.

17. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 16 wherein the four bar linkage includes forward pivot locations, and the arm is rockable about a transversely extending axis at the forward pivot area, wherein the forward pivot locations are located directly below the transversely extending axis.

18. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 16 wherein the four bar linkage defines a virtual center which lies on or closely adjacent the opener axis.

19. Cleaning structure for clearing trash from a narrow band of ground forwardly of a fore-and-aft extending opener assembly including an opener disk supported from a vertically rockable fore-and-aft arm assembly for rotation about an opener axis, the disk including a leading edge for penetrating the ground at a leading soil entry location, the cleaning structure comprising:

a clearing disk assembly including two disks having axes of rotation angled relative to each other to define a forward pinch area and opening rearwardly from the pinch area to a rearward open area;

linkage structure connecting the angled clearing disks to the arm assembly for rocking vertically relative to the arm assembly with the rearward open area closely adjacent the soil entry location, the linkage structure maintaining the rearward open area in a generally constant relationship relative to the leading edge as the arm assembly rocks vertically over the ground; and

wherein the linkage structure comprises a bracket depending from a forward end of the arm assembly and rockable therewith, and the linkage structure comprises upper and lower fore-and-aft extending links pivotally connected at their forward ends to vertically offset locations on the bracket and at their aft ends to the clearing disk assembly.

20. The cleaning structure as set forth in claim 19 wherein the opener assembly includes a depth gauging member, and one of the clearing disk assembly disks is removable for high speed operation of the opener assembly, wherein when the one clearing disk assembly disk is removed, the disk remaining removes trash from an area preceding the depth gauging member to reduce variations in depth of the opener assembly.