Furrow opener

• US 7,540,246 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dick Edward Friesen, Peter Hugh Barton
• Original Assignee: Dick Edward Friesen, Peter Hugh Barton
• Inventors: Barton, Peter Hugh, Friesen, Dick Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Novosad; Christopher J.
• Application Number:
  US12/104,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20080257237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 111/118, 111/119, 111/121, 111123-126, 111/129, 111186-188, 111/150, 111/157, 111/163, 111/167, 111/194
• US Class Current: 111/167
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/064 with rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/06 Seeders combined with fertilising apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/203 comprising depth regulation means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 111/926 Special suspension or gauging feature

Abstract

A furrow opener device includes a disc arranged to open a primary furrow in the ground. A scraper body has a leading scraper edge supported alongside the disc to scrape the disc. A wing member is supported on a bottom portion of the scraper body in proximity to a bottom end of the disc and extends laterally outwardly away from the disc so as to be arranged to open a groove in the primary furrow projecting laterally to one side of the primary furrow, and a tube extends generally downward to an output opening located adjacent the wing member and is arranged for depositing product into the groove.

Claims

1. A furrow opener device comprising:

a disc arranged to be displaced across the ground in a forward working direction to open a primary furrow in the ground;

a primary product delivery tube arranged to deposit a first product into the primary furrow;

a scraper body extending generally rearward from a leading scraper edge of the scraper body to a rear trailing edge of the scraper body, the leading scraper edge of the scraper body being supported alongside the disc ahead of the primary product delivery tube so as to be arranged to scrape the disc;

a wing member supported on a bottom portion of the scraper body in proximity to a bottom end of the disc and extending laterally outwardly away from the disc so as to be arranged to open a groove in the primary furrow projecting laterally into one side wall of the primary furrow below a surface of the ground; and

a secondary product delivery tube extending generally downward from an input opening at a top end of the secondary product delivery tube to an output opening at a bottom end of the secondary product delivery tube located adjacent the wing member and arranged for depositing the product through the secondary product delivery tube into the groove in the primary furrow opened by the wing member.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the primary product delivery tube is arranged to deposit fertilizer into the primary furrow and the secondary product delivery tube is arranged to deliver seed to the groove in the furrow spaced upwardly and to one side relative to the fertilizer.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the scraper body is supported to one side of the disc such that the primary product delivery tube is supported between the disc and the scraper body and the rear trailing edge of the scraper body is supported spaced laterally outward from the disc rearward of the primary product delivery tube.

4. The device according to claim 1 wherein the secondary product delivery tube comprises an enclosed passage extending through the scraper body between the top end and the bottom end of the scraper body.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein the wing member extends in the longitudinal direction with increasing lateral dimension from a front end at the leading scraper edge to a rear end at the rear trailing edge of the scraper body.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the wing member and the scraper body are integrally formed with one another.

7. The device according to claim 1 wherein a top side of the wing member inclines upward from a front end to a back end of the wing member.

8. The device according to claim 1 wherein the wing member extends laterally outwardly at a downward slope from the scraper body.

9. The device according to claim 1 wherein the outlet of the second product delivery tube is only open to a rear side and a bottom side thereof below a top side of the wing member.

10. The device according to claim 1 wherein a top side of the wing member is substantially below a gauge height which gauges depth of penetration of the disc into the ground such that the groove is arranged to be formed below a surface of the ground.

11. The device according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a gauge wheel controlling depth of penetration of the disc to form a furrow in the ground and the wing member is substantially wholly located below the gauge wheel.

12. The device according to claim 1 wherein the secondary product delivery tube outlet is open to a bottom side of the wing member and wherein there is provided a shield member spaced below the outlet in close proximity thereto such that space between the wing member and the shield is only open to a rear of the wing member.

13. The device according to claim 12 wherein the shield is sloped downwardly and laterally outwardly in relation to the disc.

14. The device according to claim 1 wherein the scraper body, the wing member and the second product delivery tube are adjustable in height together relative to the disc.

15. The device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a packer arm supported on the disc arm to extend rearwardly in relation to the disc;

a packer wheel supported on the disc arm rearwardly of the disc for packing disturbed soil in the furrow; and

an angle adjustment mechanism arranged to support the packer wheel on the disc arm at a plurality of different orientations pivoted relative to one another about a substantially vertical axis.

16. The device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a gauge wheel supported adjacent the disc opposite the product delivery tube, the gauge wheel having a bottom end supported spaced above a bottom end of the disc for engaging the ground to gauge a depth of penetration of the disc into the ground;

a packer arm supported on the disc arm to extend rearwardly in relation to the disc;

a packer wheel supported on the disc arm rearwardly of the disc for packing disturbed soil in the furrow; and

a packer mechanism operative to pivotally support the packer arm on the disc arm in a first configuration wherein the packer wheel is biased downwardly in relation to the disc arm and can move up and down with respect to the disc arm such that the depth of penetration of the disc is gauged by the gauge wheel, and in a second configuration wherein the packer arm is fixed relative to the disc arm such that the depth of penetration of the disc is gauged by the packer wheel.

17. The device according to claim 16 wherein the packer mechanism is arranged to support the packer wheel in fixed relation to the disc arm in the second configuration at different respective heights relative to disc arm.