Furrow opener and apparatus for no-tillage transplanters and planters

• US 4,141,302 A
• Filed: 10/21/1977
• Issued: 02/27/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Department Of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: United States Department Of Agriculture
• Inventors: Morrison, John E. Jr., Abrams, Charlie F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Feyrer, James R.
• Application Number:
  US05/844,418
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 111/2, 111/3, 111/15, 111/20, 111/21, 111/22, 111/24, 111/52, 111/53, 111/54, 111/55, 111/56, 111/61, 111/62, 111/63, 111/64, 111/65, 111/66, 111/81, 111/84, 111/88, 111/60, 111/67, 111/83, 111/87, 111/85, 172/138, 172/139, 172/140, 172/141, 172/383, 172/538, 172/539, 172/603, 172/613, 172/615, 172/681, 172/776, 172/145, 172/146, 172/147, 172/611, 172/657, 172/658, 172/619 , 172/633, 172/570, 172/572, 172/573, 172/624, 172/629
• US Class Current: 111/52
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 11/006 Other parts or details or planting machines
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/06 Machines for making or covering drills or furrows for sowing or planting
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/006 Minimum till seeding
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/20 Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions in agriculture, e.g. CO2
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 111/924 Minimum and no till planter

Abstract

A new apparatus for opening furrows in soil is disclosed. Specifically, this apparatus consists of an opening mechanism, a closing mechanism, an automatic seed planting mechanism, an automatic seedling planting mechanism, a driving means, a towing means, and the salient component parts necessary to make them function.

Claims

1. A unit planter for the opening of furrows under no-tillage conditions and for planting of seeds comprising in combination:

a. a tool bar set at an angle and affixed to two depth gauge wheels by means of adjustable strut members;

b. a front support comprising;

a tubular bar positioned horizontally with two parallel vertical plates affixed to opposing sides of the tubular bar which fit to said tool bar, and a pivot assembly, said front support secured to said tool bar by means of a clamp and two long bolts, said tubular bar also supporting a compression cylinder;

c. said compression cylinder comprising;

a compression spring which transfers weight and is used to maintain flexibility over rough terrain, a rod positioned inside the center of said compression spring to guide said spring, a rod stop to limit the travel of said compression spring, said rod being pivotally affixed to an arch which is shaped like a runing fork in the vertical position with the open end down, said arch providing lifting force and a ring located between the base of said spring and said arch to properly position said spring onto said arch;

d. said tubular bar being affixed to a pivot shaft which allows for angular motion of the entire unit-planter and communicates with a front frame member assembly which is rigidly affixed to the arch which also provides mounts for a rolling coulter which is positioned vertically on the centerline of the unit-planter;

e. a seed metering mechanism affixed to a seed hopper and mounted on a first cross member which is affixed to the front frame member assembly, said seed metering mechanism also being affixed to a tube which communicates with a remote seed reservoir;

f. a vertical strut affixed to the first crossmember and extending downward with mounting pads affixed to each side of the vertical strut for mounting an opening assembly;

g. said opening assembly, to effect disc location on each side of the coulter and communicating with a front frame assembly, said seed metering mechanism metering seed through said seed-tube which directs said seed into the furrow which has been opened by said furrow opener;

h. a seed firming wheel mounted on a bearing hub and supported by a pivoting bracket for pressing said seed into contact with soil in the bottom of the furrow which has been opened;

i. a rear frame laterally pivoting by means of a vertical pivot shaft, said shaft being rigidly affixed to a second crossmember on the centerline of the machine, at the point of intersection of the centerline of the furrow opener assembly and the centerline of a set of rear press wheels of a rear press wheel assembly so that the rear press wheels will travel on the very same curved path as followed by the furrow opener when being towed by a towing means, vertical movement on said vertical pivot shaft being restrained by a washer and pin assembly, a journal block circumambient to said vertical pivot shaft and having communicating with a tube frame, said tube frame being affixed to a third crossmember which provides a lifting means for said rear press wheel assembly and means to limit lateral pivoting limitation to avoid drive chain disengagement during transport, said third crossmember affixed with two stops which communicate with said rear press wheel assembly which communicates with said journaled bearing block which is affixed to a changeable sprocket which communicates with a drive chain which communicates with a sprocket affixed to a shaft journaled in said block, said shaft also having a second changeable sprocket which drives a chain over tightener comprising two tightener spools and said chain communicating with said sprocket on said shaft which communicates with said seed mechanism.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the pivot assembly comprises in combination:

a. a vertical pivot journal block restrained from vertical movement by an affixed

b. washer and

c. pin, said vertical journal block affixed to

d. a horizontal journal block with a

e. horizontal shaft located within the horizontal journal block and maintained rotationally free thus resulting in unit-planter "floatation" by rotation of said shaft.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the front frame member assembly comprises in combination:

a. two parallel horizontal rigid frame members,

b. said a crossmember affixed between said parallel horizontal rigid frame members and

c. vertical strut affixed to the center of and extending downward from the parallel horizontal rigid frame members,

d. said mounting pads affixed to each side of said vertical strut

e. said mounting pads affixed to the inside of the two parallel horizontal rigid frame members,

f. a crossmember affixed across the top of the said parallel horizontal rigid frame members said crossmember adapted to retain changeable weights,

g. a vertical pivot installed in a journal block which is affixed to a crossmember which is affixed between the front of the parallel horizontal rigid frame member.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the rolling coulter is a 17-inch diameter conventional smooth type.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the metering mechanism is a standard conventional metering device for metering seed.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the opening assembly comprises in combination:

discs on each side of the rolling coulter said discs angularly mounted to the vertical and affixed to a vertical strut member, so as to be on opposite sides of the rolling coulter.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the furrow opening discs are fitted with adjustable soil scrapers.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 when the furrow opening discs are fitted with conventional depth-controlling rings to allow for various planting depths.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the depth control means comprises an adjustable depth gauge wheel assembly installed on each side of the planter by means of affixing said gauge wheel assembly to a front frame by means of an adjustable strut member.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the seed firming wheel is a disc fabricated from rigid material.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the seed firming disc is 1/4 to 3/4 inches thick and 9 to 10 inches in diameter.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the seed firming disc is spring-loaded for exerting additional force on the seed.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the means by which the journal block communicates with the frame tube comprises:

two parallel projections affixed rigidly to opposing sides of the journal block, extending to the opposing sides of the tube frame and hinged to the tube frame by means of

horizontal pivot rod which passes through the rube frame and the projections by means of

a matching hole through the tube frame and the projections.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the rear press wheel assembly comprises:

a. rear press wheel frame members pivotly attached by

bolts to allow for flotation without altering the working depth of the furrow opener and said press wheel frame members being

b. journaled onto two axle shafts said axle shafts set at an angle from the vertical to provide movement to loosened soil on both sides of the opened furrow, said axle shafts being affixed to

c. solid press wheel rims which are angled to the vertical and affixed to

d. ballast weights to act on the edges of the open furrow to close it over the deposited seed, said press wheel rims being narrowed to 1/2 inch wide at the outer circumference to concentrate the force upon the edge of the open furrow, and

e. drive chain sprockets rigidly attached to the side of each press wheel to provide driving power through

f. a chain.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the axle shafts are angled at 10°

to 15°

from vertical.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein there is a scraper assembly flexibly mounted onto the rear frame and the scraper shape corresponds to the press wheel rim.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the drive assembly also provides a power drive to an auxillary insecticide metering mechanism as well as a seed metering mechanism.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the journal blocks and chain tightener with tightener spools are rigidly mounted on a slidable plate which is bolted onto a frame so as to effect tension adjustments in the drive chains.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the drive is provided by means of a common jackshaft across a toolcarrier frame.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the seed firming wheel is a disc fabricated from a flexible material.