Broadcast spreading top dresser for sand

• US 9,491,902 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Turfco Manufacturing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Turfco Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: Kinkead, George, Kinkead, Scott, Sylvester, Kenneth, Ferguson, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): JONAITIS, JUSTIN M
• Application Number:
  US14/171,798
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 239/7, 239/650, 239/657, 239/668, 239/670, 239/679, 239/681, 239/684, 239/687, 111/11, 111/130
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 15/122 with moving floor parts
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 17/001 Centrifugal throwing devices with a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 17/005 Driving mechanisms for the throwing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 17/006 Regulating or dosing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/00 Methods of fertilising , sowing or planting

Abstract

A top dresser advances sand contained in a hopper on a dispensing conveyor moving at a linear speed onto a rotatable spinner rotating at a rotating speed. The linear and rotatable speeds are controlled by a controller by electrically actuating first and second electrically actuated valves providing fluid flow to hydraulic motors driving the rotatable spinner and the dispensing conveyor. The rotatable and linear speeds are inputted into an electrical display electronically connected to the controller. The hydraulic flow to the second electrically actuated valve may be solely from the first electrically actuated valve to create back pressure acting as a cushion. Multiple function switches on the electrical display may be actuated in sequence to replicate a linear line relationship between the rotational and linear speeds. Start-up, run, look up and application calculation screens may be displayed on a monitor of the electrical display.

Claims

1. Top dresser comprising, in combination:

a hopper for containing top dressing material;

a spinner assembly including at least one rotatable spinner rotatable by a hydraulic motor;

a dispensing conveyor advancing top dressing material in the hopper onto the at least one rotatable spinner, with the dispensing conveyor driven by a hydraulic motor;

a first electrically actuated valve providing hydraulic fluid flow to the hydraulic motor of the spinner assembly;

a second electrically actuated valve providing hydraulic fluid flow to the hydraulic motor of the dispensing conveyor;

a controller electrically connected to the first and second electrically actuated valves; and

an electrical display electronically connected to the controller, with the electrical display including a monitor and at least one switch, with the controller configured to provide electrical signals of an amperage and at a current level setting to the first and second electrically actuated valves under direction of the at least one switch of the electrical display, and with the controller configured to monitor the current level setting and continuously adjust the amperage to the first and second actuated valves and to control the first and second electrically actuated valves according to programming of the controller.

2. The top dresser of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic fluid flow to the hydraulic motor for the dispensing conveyor originates solely from the hydraulic motor of the spinner assembly.

3. The top dresser of claim 1, wherein the at least one switch includes multiple function switches, wherein the controller varies indicated speeds of the at least one rotatable spinner and the dispensing conveyor to replicate a linear line when the multiple function switches are actuated in sequence.

4. The top dresser of claim 3, wherein the monitor displays a run screen displaying the speeds of the at least one rotatable spinner and the dispensing conveyor, and wherein the at least one switch includes a rocker switch, with the rocker switch changing the speeds displayed by moving upward or downward and by moving left-ward or right-ward.

5. The top dresser of claim 4, wherein the at least one switch includes a three position switch moveable from an off position to a first actuation position to a second actuation position, with the first and second electrically actuated valves being closed in the off position, with the first electrically actuated valve being opened and the second electrically actuated valve being closed in the first actuation position, and with the first and second electrically actuated valves being open in the second actuation position.

6. The top dresser of claim 5, wherein the monitor displays a start-up screen and an operating screen, and wherein the monitor displays one of the run screen and the operating screen when one of the multiple function switches is actuated when the monitor displays the start-up screen.

7. The top dresser of claim 6, wherein the operating screen includes a lookup screen displaying the indicated speeds of the at least one rotatable spinner and the dispensing conveyor corresponding to the multiple function switches.

8. The top dresser of claim 7, wherein the hopper includes a metering gate moveable relative to the dispensing conveyor, wherein the operating screen includes an application calculation screen including inputs corresponding to the speeds of the at least one rotatable spinner and the dispensing conveyors and corresponding to a gap between the metering gate and the dispensing conveyor and including an output, with the output being the application rate calculated from the inputs of the speeds of the at least one rotatable spinner and the dispensing conveyors and the gap between the metering gate and the dispensing conveyor.

9. The top dresser of claim 8, wherein the application calculation screen includes an input corresponding to an area intended to be top dressed, and wherein the output is an amount of top dressing material to be contained in the hopper.

10. Sand top dressing method comprising:

advancing sand contained in a hopper on a dispensing conveyor onto at least one rotatable spinner;

rotating the at least one rotatable spinner to broadcast spread the sand from the dispensing conveyor unto a surface;

inputting a rotational speed of the at least one rotatable spinner into an electrical display, with the electrical display including a monitor;

inputting a linear speed of the dispensing conveyor into the electrical display;

electronically transmitting the inputted rotational speed to a controller, with the controller electrically connected to a first electrically actuated valve providing hydraulic fluid flow to a hydraulic motor rotating the at least one rotatable spinner; and

electronically transmitting the inputted linear speed to the controller, with the controller electrically connected to a second electrically actuated valve providing hydraulic fluid flow to a hydraulic motor moving the dispensing conveyor, with the controller providing electrical signals of an amperage and at a current level setting to the first and second electrically actuated valves under direction of the inputted rotational speed and the inputted linear speed, and with the controller monitoring the current level setting and continuously adjusting the amperage to the first and second actuated valves and controlling the first and second electrically actuated valves according to programming of the controller.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

flowing hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic motor moving the dispensing conveyor solely from the hydraulic motor rotating the at least one rotatable spinner.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

actuating multiple function switches on the electrical display varying the rotational speed and the linear speed indicated on the monitor of the electric display; and

replicating a linear line relationship between the rotational speed and the linear speed when the multiple function switches are actuated in sequence.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying a run screen on the monitor of the electrical display, comprising displaying the rotational and linear speeds; and

actuating a rocker switch to change the rotational and linear speeds displayed, with actuating the rocker switch comprising moving the rocker switch upward or downward and by moving the rocker switch left-ward or right-ward.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

moving a three position switch from an off position with the first and second hydraulic valves closed to a first actuation position with the first hydraulic valve open and the second hydraulic valve closed and from the first actuation position to a second actuation position with the first and second hydraulic valves open.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying a start-up screen;

displaying an operating screen; and

actuating one of the multiple function switches while the start-up screen is displayed to display the run screen or the operation screen.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying a lookup screen, with actuating one of the multiple function switches comprising actuating one of the multiple function switches while the start-up screen is displayed to display one of the run screen, the operation screen and the lookup screen.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein displaying the operating screen comprises displaying an application calculation screen including inputs corresponding to the speeds of the at least one rotatable spinner and the dispensing conveyors and a gap between a metering gate and the dispensing conveyor;

and wherein the method further comprises;

actuating one of the inputs and calculating an application rate based thereon; and

displaying an output of the application rate in the application calculation screen.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the application calculation screen further includes an area input corresponding to an area intended to be top dressed, and wherein the method further comprises actuating the area input and calculating an application amount of sand to be included in the hopper.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

actuating multiple function switches on the electrical display varying the rotational speed and the linear speed indicated on the monitor of the electric display; and

replicating a linear line relationship between the rotational speed and the linear speed when the multiple function switches are actuated in sequence.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying a start-up screen;

displaying an operating screen; and

actuating one of the multiple function switches while the start-up screen is displayed to display the run screen or the operation screen.