Seeder apparatus for dispensing seed with or without top dressing

• US 6,024,033 A
• Filed: 09/04/1998
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Turfco Manufacturing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Turfco Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: Kinkead, Scott, Kinkead, John, Kinkead, George B., Donner, Matthew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Novosad, Christopher J.
• Application Number:
  US09/148,341
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 111/177, 111/11, 111/130, 111/925, 111/170, 111/200, 222/282, 222/287, 221/253, 239/668, 239/669
• US Class Current: 111/11
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 15/14 with means for lifting out the fertiliser
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/008 Sod or grassland seeding A01C7/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/06 Seeders combined with fertilising apparatus

Abstract

The seeder apparatus includes a material hopper for dispensing material onto a conveyor to be moved thereby to an entry nip between a rotary brush and the conveyor for propelling the material downwardly at the discharge end. In one embodiment, a metering gate extends vertically in its closed position relative to the conveyor, with the metering gate controlling the rate of dispensation of seed or other material being moved to the entry nip. A shield assembly is provided to minimize the effects of wind on the trajectory of seed or other material being propelled to the ground by the brush and conveyor. In preferred forms, a separate seed hopper is mounted to the top dresser, and in a second embodiment, either seed from the seed hopper and/or dressing material from the top dresser hopper may be moved by the conveyor to the entry nip. In other embodiments, a terrain opening element in the form of a spiking roller is provided to puncture the terrain before top dressing and/or seeds are dispensed, and a brush element in the form of a pull brush is provided to move seed and any top dressing supported on grass blades downward in the terrain.

Claims

1. Apparatus adapted to move across terrain in a longitudinal direction for dispensing seeds, top dressing and similar type materials comprising, in combination:

a frame having a discharge end portion;

means for movably supporting the frame upon the terrain;

a material hopper mounted to the frame for containing material to be dispensed;

conveyor means mounted to the frame for moving material from the hopper and discharging the moved material to the terrain at the discharge end portion, with the material hopper having a hopper interior and a discharge end wall having a lower edge vertically above the conveyor means to provide a discharge opening and metering means movable between a closed position for closing the discharge opening and an open position for controlling the amount of material moving from the material hopper interior beneath the discharge end wall lower edge and to the discharge end portion to be dispensed to the terrain; and

means mounted to the frame for preparing the terrain to have exposed soil before the material is discharged to the terrain at the discharge end portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising, in combination:

means mounted to the frame for moving the material downward in the terrain after the material is discharged to the terrain at the discharge end portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising, in combination:

a transverse rotary brush mounted to the frame to coact with the conveyor means for downwardly propelling the material on the conveyor means to the terrain, with the brush being rotatable about a transverse axis.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising, in combination:

first and second arms pivotally mounted on opposite sides of the frame, with the preparing means being mounted between the first and second arms, with the moving means being mounted between the first and second arms; and

means for moving the first and second arms between a raised position and a lower position, with the preparing means and the moving means being spaced from the terrain in the raised position, with the preparing means and the moving means contacting the terrain in the lower position.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the preparing means comprises means for providing openings in the terrain.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the preparing means comprises a spiking roller rotatably mounted between the first and second arms, with the spiking roller including a plurality of axially and circumferentially spaced, radially extending spikes.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the spiking roller is not powered.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the moving means comprises a brush.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the moving means comprises a pull bristle brush.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising, in combination:

a seeder attachment mounted to the frame for selectively dispensing seed, with the seeder attachment including a seed hopper for containing seed and distributor means for controlling the amount of seed being dispensed, with the seed being dispensed after the soil has been exposed by the preparing means and before the moving means.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the seeder attachment is mounted to the frame for selectively dispensing seed for conveyance by the conveyor means to the discharge end portion.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the seeder attachment is mounted to the frame for selectively dispensing seed on the material moving from the hopper by the conveyor means and before being discharged at the discharge end portion.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the conveyor means includes a sheeting movable around an axis, with the transverse rotary brush mounted to the frame adjacent to the discharge end portion to extend above the conveyor means and parallel to the axis for rotatably coacting with the conveyor means to contact the material and seeds on the sheeting after the material and seeds have started to move downwardly along with the sheeting and have passed through a vertical plane of the axis of the conveyor means to propel the material and seeds on the conveyor means downwardly to the terrain.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the metering means includes a first gate member movable between the metering means positions and, in the metering means closed position, abutting against the conveyor means and extending vertically perpendicular to the conveyor means, wherein the discharge end wall extends relative to the horizontal at an angle substantially less than 90 degrees and the metering means includes a second metering gate member mounting the first gate member and extending thereabove at substantially the same angle as the discharge end wall in abutting relationship to the discharge end wall when the metering means is in its closed position.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the metering means includes a transverse metering gate adjacent to the end wall that is movable between a closed position extending perpendicular to the conveyor means to block the movement of material by the conveyor means from the material hopper and a metered opened position to selectively limit the rate of discharge of the material from the material hopper.

16. Method of seeding an area of terrain, comprising the steps of:

loading seed into a seed hopper;

moving the seed hopper along the terrain;

selectively mechanically conveying seed from within the hopper to a discharge end portion;

downwardly propelling seed at the discharge end portion to the terrain along a trajectory that is both vertical and horizontal;

dispensing the seed on a layer of top dressing material for being commingled therewith as the seed is being downwardly propelled, wherein the step of dispensing the seed on the layer of top dressing material comprises the steps of providing a top dresser including a frame having the discharge end portion, a material hopper mounted to the frame for containing top dressing material to be dispensed, and a conveyor mounted to the frame for moving top dressing material from the hopper and discharging the moved top dressing material to the terrain at the discharge end portion, with the material hopper having a hopper interior and a discharge end wall having a lower edge vertically above the conveyor to provide a discharge opening and a metering gate movable between a closed position for closing the discharge opening and an open position for controlling the amount of top dressing material moving from the material hopper interior beneath the discharge end wall lower edge and to the discharge end portion to be dispensed to the terrain, and movably supporting the frame upon the terrain, with the step of moving the seed hopper comprising the step of mounting the seed hopper to the frame, with the step of selectively mechanically conveying seed comprising the step of selectively dispensing seed on the top dressing material moving from the material hopper on the conveyor and before being discharged at the discharge end portion; and

preparing the terrain to have exposed soil before the top dressing material is discharged to the terrain at the discharge end portion by a terrain preparation member mounted to the frame.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of moving the seed and top dressing material downward to and into the terrain after the seed and top dressing material are discharged to the terrain at the discharge end portion by a moving member mounted to the frame.

18. Method for dispensing seeds, top dressing and similar type materials comprising the steps of:

providing a frame having a discharge end portion and a material hopper mounted to the frame for containing material to be dispensed;

movably supporting the frame upon the terrain;

moving material from the hopper by a conveyor mounted to the frame and discharging the moved material from the conveyor to the terrain at the discharge end portion, with the material hopper having a hopper interior and a discharge end wall having a lower edge vertically above the conveyor to provide a discharge opening and having a metering gate movable between a closed position for closing the discharge opening and an open position for controlling the amount of material moving from the material hopper interior beneath the discharge end wall lower edge and to the discharge end portion to be dispensed to the terrain by the conveyor; and

preparing the terrain to have exposed soil before the material is discharged to the terrain at the discharge end portion by a terrain preparation member mounted to the frame.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of moving the material downward to and into the terrain after the material is discharged to the terrain at the discharge end portion by a moving member mounted to the frame.