Row unit for work vehicle having gauge wheel with adjustable lateral position

• US 10,798,864 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2018
• Issued: 10/13/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Salowitz, Jacob D., Mezzomo, Tiago
• Primary Examiner(s): Lutz, Jessica H
• Application Number:
  US15/952,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20190313566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 63/006 Lateral adjustment of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/203 comprising depth regulation means

Abstract

A row unit for a work vehicle includes a row unit frame, a gauge wheel, and a gauge wheel coupling assembly that attaches the gauge wheel to the row unit frame at a lateral position with respect to the row unit frame. The gauge wheel coupling assembly supports the gauge wheel for lateral movement to change the lateral position of the gauge wheel. The gauge wheel coupling assembly includes a coarse adjust coupling and a fine adjust coupling. The coarse adjust coupling is configured for selectively adjusting, at a first increment, the lateral position of the gauge wheel. The fine adjust coupling is configured for selectively adjusting, at a second increment, the lateral position of the gauge wheel. The first increment is larger than the second increment.

Claims

1. A row unit for a work vehicle comprising:

a row unit frame;

a gauge wheel; and

a gauge wheel coupling assembly that attaches the gauge wheel to the row unit frame at a lateral position with respect to the row unit frame, the gauge wheel coupling assembly supporting the gauge wheel for lateral movement to change the lateral position of the gauge wheel;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a first member fixed to the row unit frame to project laterally along an axis from the row unit frame and including a second member attached to the gauge wheel;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a coarse adjust coupling and a fine adjust coupling;

the coarse adjust coupling engages the second member to the first member at one of a plurality of positions along the axis for selectively adjusting, at a first increment, the lateral position of the gauge wheel;

the fine adjust coupling configured for selectively adjusting, at a second increment, the lateral position of the gauge wheel; and

the first increment being larger than the second increment.

2. The row unit of claim 1, wherein the second member is supported for sliding movement on the first member when moving between the plurality of positions along the axis.

3. The row unit of claim 1, further comprising a retainer member that is attached to one of the first member and the second member and that is removably received within an alignment aperture of the other of the first member and the second member to retain the second member in the one of the plurality of positions.

4. The row unit of claim 3, wherein the first member includes a plurality of first alignment apertures that are spaced apart along the axis;

wherein the second member includes a second alignment aperture; and

wherein the retainer member extends transverse to the axis to be removably received within the second alignment aperture and one of the plurality of first alignment apertures to retain the second member in the one of the plurality of positions.

5. The row unit of claim 1, wherein the gauge wheel coupling assembly includes a support arm that is attached to the gauge wheel;

and

wherein the second member is attached to the support arm via the fine adjust coupling.

6. The row unit of claim 5, wherein the fine adjust coupling comprises a threaded coupling.

7. The row unit of claim 1, wherein the second member includes a support arm that is attached to the gauge wheel, the support arm including a clamping member;

wherein the coarse adjust coupling includes the clamping member that is removably clamped to the first member at one of the plurality of positions along the axis.

8. The row unit of claim 1, wherein the gauge wheel coupling assembly includes a first member and a second member;

wherein the first member includes a plurality of first alignment apertures that are spaced apart at a distance;

wherein the second member includes a second alignment aperture; and

wherein the coarse adjust coupling includes a retainer member that is configured to be received in the second alignment aperture and one of the plurality of first alignment apertures to retain the gauge wheel in the lateral position.

9. The row unit of claim 8, wherein the first member is a shank that is fixed to the row unit frame and that extends laterally therefrom;

wherein the shank includes the plurality of first alignment apertures;

wherein the gauge wheel coupling assembly includes a support arm that is attached to the gauge wheel and that is attached to the second member;

wherein the second member receives the shank and includes the second alignment aperture; and

wherein the retainer member is configured to be received in the second alignment aperture and one of the plurality of first alignment apertures to retain the gauge wheel in the lateral position.

10. The row unit of claim 8, wherein the gauge wheel coupling assembly includes a support arm that is attached to the gauge wheel and that is attached to the row unit frame;

and

wherein the support arm comprises the first member and the second member.

11. The row unit of claim 1, wherein the gauge wheel coupling assembly includes a support arm with a frame attachment portion and a wheel attachment portion;

wherein the frame attachment portion is attached to the row unit frame via the coarse adjustment coupling and the fine adjustment coupling; and

wherein the wheel attachment portion is attached to the gauge wheel.

12. The row unit of claim 11, further comprising a shank that is fixed to the row unit frame and that extends from the row unit frame, the shank including a plurality of first alignment apertures that are spaced apart along an axis of the shank;

further comprising a sleeve that receives the shank, the sleeve including an outer threading, the sleeve including a second alignment aperture;

further comprising an adjustment bushing that receives the sleeve;

wherein the fine adjust coupling includes a threaded coupling that threadably attaches the adjustment bushing and the frame attachment portion of the support arm;

further comprising a retainer member that is threadably attached to the outer threading of the sleeve to retain the adjustment bushing at a fixed position relative to the frame attachment portion of the support arm; and

wherein the coarse adjust coupling includes a pin that is received within the second alignment aperture and one of the plurality of first alignment apertures.

13. The row unit of claim 1, wherein the coarse adjust coupling and the fine adjust coupling are both be configured for adjusting the lateral position of the gauge wheel a common axis.

14. The row unit of claim 1, wherein the coarse adjust coupling is configured to adjust the lateral position along a first axis;

wherein the fine adjust coupling is configured to adjust the lateral position along a second axis; and

wherein the first axis and the second axis are spaced apart at a distance.

15. The row unit of claim 1, wherein the gauge wheel coupling assembly includes a support arm that is attached to the gauge wheel and that is attached to the row unit frame;

wherein the gauge wheel coupling assembly includes a hub assembly that attaches the support arm to the row unit frame; and

wherein the fine adjust coupling includes an outer diameter threading of the hub assembly and an inner diameter threading of the support arm.

16. The row unit of claim 15, further comprising a retainer member having a tightened position and having a loosened position;

wherein, in the loosened position, the support arm is configured to threadably advance along an adjustment axis to change the lateral position of the gauge wheel; and

wherein, in the tightened position, the retainer member retains the support arm in a fixed position along the adjustment axis.

17. The row unit of claim 16, wherein the hub assembly includes an adjustment bushing that includes the outer diameter threading;

further comprising a spacer with a first end that abuts the row unit frame and a second end that receives and abuts against the adjustment bushing.

18. A row unit for a work vehicle comprising:

a row unit frame;

a gauge wheel; and

a gauge wheel coupling assembly that attaches the gauge wheel to the row unit frame at a lateral position with respect to the row unit frame, the gauge wheel coupling assembly supporting the gauge wheel for lateral movement to change the lateral position of the gauge wheel;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a first member that is fixed to the row unit frame;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a support arm that is attached to the wheel;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a hub assembly;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a coarse adjust coupling between the hub assembly and the first member;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a fine adjust coupling between the support arm and the hub assembly;

the coarse adjust coupling configured for selectively adjusting, at a first increment, the lateral position of the gauge wheel along an axis;

the fine adjust coupling configured for selectively adjusting, at a second increment, the lateral position of the gauge wheel along the axis; and

the first increment being larger than the second increment.

19. A work vehicle with at least one row unit comprising:

a row unit frame;

a gauge wheel; and

a gauge wheel coupling assembly that attaches the gauge wheel to the row unit frame at a lateral position with respect to the row unit frame, the gauge wheel coupling assembly supporting the gauge wheel for lateral movement to change the lateral position of the gauge wheel;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a shank that is fixed to and that extends laterally from the row unit frame, the shank including a plurality of first alignment apertures that are spaced apart along an axis of the shank;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly having a support arm attached to the wheel;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a hub assembly with a second alignment aperture;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a coarse adjust coupling with an alignment pin that is received in the second alignment aperture and one of the first alignment apertures to retain the hub assembly in a fixed position along the axis;

the gauge wheel coupling assembly including a threaded fine adjust coupling between the hub assembly and the support arm,

the coarse adjust coupling configured for selectively adjusting, at a first increment, the lateral position of the gauge wheel;

the fine adjust coupling configured for selectively adjusting, at a second increment, the lateral position of the gauge wheel; and

the first increment being larger than the second increment.