Agricultural planting machine having interchangeable seed meters

• US 7,152,541 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Great Plains Manufacturing Incorporated (Kubota Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Great Plains Manufacturing Incorporated (Kubota Corporation)
• Inventors: Ptacek, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Novosad, Christopher J.
• Application Number:
  US10/875,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20050284350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 111/63, 111/177, 111183-185, 111149-167
• US Class Current: 111/185
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 19/00 Arrangements for driving working parts of fertilisers or seeders A01C17/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/04 Single-grain seeders with or without suction devices

Abstract

Each opener of a seed planting machine may be essentially tool-free equipped with a selected one of two or more types of interchangeable singulating meters. Each type of meter is mounted on its own adapter plate to present a module that has quick-attach mounting projections arranged and configured in an identical manner to all other modules. The projections fit into mating slots on an upright member of the opener, and the upper projection of each pair is in the nature of a downturned hook that facilitates hanging the module on the opener while also retaining it against fore-and-aft displacement. A stabilizing clip at the rear of the module securely receives the lower, rear edge of the adapter plate, and an over-center toggle latch securely retains the plate within the stabilizing clip to complete the solid yet readily removable attachment of the meter to the opener. A chain drive assembly for the meter is permanently installed on the opener so as to not be removed therefrom during interchanging of the meters. A support plate for the drive assembly is normally close to the meter in an operating position but can be swung outwardly to a release position when a latch between the support plate and the metering module is released, thus disengaging the drive assembly from the meter and providing clearance for the metering module to be lifted and removed from the opener.

Claims

1. In an agricultural seed planting machine, the improvement comprising:

a mobile frame;

at least one ground-engaging opener mounted on the frame;

a support mounted on the opener;

a drive assembly mounted on said support; and

at least a pair of seed meters interchangeably attachable to said opener and releasably engageable with said drive assembly when attached to the opener,

each of said meters being provided with attaching structure for releasably securing the selected meter to the opener,

said support being separate from said meters and being operable to maintain the drive assembly supported on the opener when the meters are detached and removed from the opener.

2. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 1,

said support being releasably securable to the meter on the opener.

3. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 1,

each meter being secured to an upright adapter plate,

said attaching structure being located on the adapter plate.

4. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 3,

said opener including an upright member having a generally horizontally extending support edge,

said attaching structure comprising a hook on the adapter plate adapted to be removably engaged over said edge.

5. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 4,

said support edge comprising part of a slot in the upright member,

said hook being received within said slot.

6. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 5,

said upright member further including a second slot below the first-mentioned slot,

said attaching structure further comprising a tab on the adapter plate adapted to be removably received within said second slot.

7. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 1,

further comprising a bulk seed container carried on said frame,

the selected meter being disposed in operable communication with the container for receiving seeds therefrom when the meter is attached to the opener,

said opener and meter being shiftable upwardly and downwardly relative to said container.

8. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 1,

each of said meters having a driven shaft,

said shaft having a transverse projection and said drive assembly including a drive member having a groove for drivingly receiving said projection,

said drive member being selectively axially shiftable away from said shaft for disengaging the groove from the projection.

9. In an agricultural seed planting machine, the improvement comprising:

a mobile frame;

at least one ground-engaging opener mounted on the frame;

a drive assembly on said opener; and

at least a pair of seed meters interchangeably attachable to said opener and releasably engageable with said drive assembly, each of said meters being provided with attaching structure for releasably securing the same to the opener,

said opener including an upright member having a pair of vertically spaced slots,

said structure including a pair of vertically spaced projections at a front end thereof receivable within said slots for supporting the meter on said upright member.

10. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 9,

the upper projection of said pair of projections comprising a hook operable to engage a lower edge of the upper slot of said pair of slots for hanging the meter from the upright member.

11. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 10,

said opener being provided with an upwardly facing receiver for receiving a portion of the meter adjacent a rear end thereof to retain the meter against lateral movement.

12. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 11,

further comprising a latch for releasably securing the meter to the receiver.

13. In an agricultural seed planting machine, the improvement comprising:

a mobile frame;

at least one ground-engaging opener mounted on the frame;

a drive assembly on said opener;

at least a pair of seed meters interchangeably attachable to said opener and releasably engageable with said drive assembly,

each of said meters being provided with attaching structure for releasably securing the same to the opener; and

a support on the opener for the drive assembly,

said support being releasably securable to the meter on the opener,

said support being mounted on the opener in such a manner that the support may be shifted away from the meter when the support is released from the meter to facilitate detachment of the meter from the opener.

14. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 13,

said support being provided with a spring yieldably biasing the support away from the meter.

15. In an agricultural seed planting machine as claimed in claim 14,

said support further being provided with a latch for releasably securing the support to the selected meter in a position to maintain the drive assembly operably coupled with the meter.