Low disturbance furrowing, seeding, and fertilizing tool

• US 6,405,665 B1
• Filed: 11/16/2000
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Flexi-Coil Ltd. (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Wieb, David, Swab, Gerry Steven, Henry, James Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): PEZZUTO, ROBERT ERIC
• Application Number:
  US09/712,929
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 111/8, 111/118, 111/119, 111/124, 111/7.4, 111/14, 111/130, 111/133, 111/149, 111/150, 111/152, 172/724, 172/726
• US Class Current: 111/152
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/062 Devices for making drills or furrows

Abstract

A furrowing tool for an agricultural planter is formed in a modular configuration to provide for paired row seeding operation. The furrowing tool includes a seedbed furrowing member having an edge lying in a flat cutting plane to form a substantially flat seedbed as the furrowing tool is drawn through ground and a fertilizer furrowing member extending below the cutting plane to form an indentation in the seedbed. The seedbed furrowing member is formed with an upper surface extending rearwardly from the edge and with a void between the upper surface and the cutting plane. The furrowing tool further includes a forwardly and downwardly directed fertilizer dispensing passage to direct a stream of fertilizer at a forward direction into the indentation formed in the seed bed. The stream of seeds is also directed forwardly onto the seedbed through the void formed between the upper surface and the cutting plane. A spreader can be provided to divide the seed stream into a pair of laterally opposing streams onto the seedbed. The seedbed furrowing member and the spreader can be formed as a modular component separate from the fertilizer furrowing member.

Claims

1. An agricultural furrowing tool for paired row seeding comprising:

a seedbed furrowing member having an edge which lies generally in a flat cutting plane so in operation it forms a substantially flat seedbed as the furrowing tool is drawn through ground, an upper surface extending rearwards from said edge, and a void between said upper surface and said cutting plane;

a fertilizer furrowing member extending below said cutting plane so when operating forms an indentation in said seedbed; and

a forwardly and downwardly directed fertilizer dispensing passage leading from a fertilizer inlet to a fertilizer outlet so in operation a stream of fertilizer is directed from said fertilizer outlet with a forward direction into said indentation.

2. The furrowing tool of claim 1 further comprising:

a seed inlet and a seed outlet arranged so that material dispensed from the seed outlet is directed downwardly and forwardly to said void.

3. The furrowing tool of claim 2 wherein a bottom end of the fertilizer furrowing member extends below said cutting plane and is V-shaped in a rear profile.

4. The furrowing tool of claim 2 in which a bottom end of the fertilizer furrowing member extends below said cutting plane and has a rearward end which terminates proximate to a front end of said seed outlet.

5. The furrowing tool of claim 2 further comprising:

a mounting portion for adapting to a mounting shank and a body portion more narrow in a rear profile than the mounting portion extending between the mounting portion and seedbed furrowing member.

6. The furrowing tool of claim 1 in which the seedbed furrowing member is a modular component formed as an assembly of said furrowing tool.

7. The furrowing tool of claim 6 wherein the fertilizer furrowing member and fertilizer dispensing passage are formed as a modular component assembly of said furrowing tool.

8. An agricultural furrowing tool for paired row seeding comprising:

a seedbed furrowing member having an edge which lies generally in a flat cutting plane so in operation it forms a substantially flat seedbed as the furrowing tool is drawn through ground, an upper surface extending rearwards from said edge, and a void between said upper surface and said cutting plane;

a fertilizer furrowing member extending below said cutting plane so when operating forms an indentation in said seedbed;

a forwardly and downwardly directed fertilizer dispensing passage leading from a fertilizer inlet to a fertilizer outlet so in operation a stream of fertilizer is directed from said fertilizer outlet with a forward direction into said indentation;

a seed inlet and a seed outlet arranged so that material dispensed from the seed outlet is directed downwardly and forwardly to said void; and

a first spreader member extending below the seed outlet and being generally centrally aligned fore and aft with the seed outlet to be operable to separate a stream of seed flowing from said seed outlet into a pair of laterally spaced streams.

9. The furrowing tool of claim 8, further including a second spreader member extending below the seed outlet from said first spreader member, said second spreader member having an end which mates with a corresponding end of the first spreader member.

10. The furrowing tool of claim 9 in which each said spreader member has a central ridge aligned in a fore and aft direction and a spreader surface extending from the ridge to each lateral side of the respective spreader member.

11. The furrowing tool of claim 10 wherein said second spreader member includes a forked ending having two prongs which mate with the ridge and surfaces of said first spreader member.

12. A modular agricultural furrowing tool comprising:

a mounting member adapted for attachment to a frame member of an agricultural planter;

a seedbed furrowing member detachably connected to said mounting member, said seedbed furrowing member having laterally extending wings cooperable with a seed dispensing tube to receive a supply of seed from said agricultural planter and operable to place said seeds in a plane extending laterally to both sides of a transverse center of said seedbed furrowing member; and

a fertilizer furrowing member detachably connected to said mounting member generally centrally of said seedbed furrowing member and being adapted to form an indentation in a seedbed generally centrally of said tool, said fertilizer furrowing member being cooperable with a fertilizer dispensing tube to receive a stream of fertilizer from said agricultural planter for placement in the ground in said indentation.

13. The furrowing tool of claim 12 further comprising a spreader member extending from one end of the tool.

14. The furrowing tool of claim 13 wherein the spreader member includes a forked ending having two prongs and a central ridge aligned in a fore and aft direction with the spreader member, said spreader member having a spreader surface extending laterally from the ridge to each lateral side.

15. The furrowing tool of claim 12 wherein a bottom end of the fertilizer furrowing member is V-shaped in a rear profile, said indentation extending to a depth below said plane of said seed placement for the placement of said fertilizer in the ground below the plane of said seeds.