Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SOIL TILLING AND PLANTING IMPLEMENT
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED
RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to the field of
agriculture machinery, and more particularly, it relates
to a preplanting tillage implements generally used in
combination with a seed planting device. Specifically,
the invention relates to rolling basket tillage
implements, trash moving or trash whipping devices and
coulter devices, usually used in tandem with a seed
planting implement in which the rolling basket, trash
whip and/or coulter devices may be used in various
combinations and may have an independent height or
deployment adjustment aspect.
II. Related Art
In the spring, prior to planting, farmers must
prepare their fields for accepting seed. Many tillage
implements have been designed and are used to condition
the soil in preparation for planting. Traditional
farming includes both primary and secondary tillage tasks
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to prepare the soil such as plowing, disking, field
cultivating and harrowing. Disking is an example of a
method of primary tillage and harrowing is an example of
a method of secondary tillage.
Primary tillage is a first pass over the soil using
a soil conditioning implement attached to the rear of a
tractor which works deep into the soil. The soil is
usually worked about four inches deep to break up clods
of soil, remove air pockets, and destroy weeds deep in
the earth. Secondary tillage involves another pass over
the same soil, at a more shallow depth, using implements
which are generally attached to the rear of the primary
tillage unit such that the secondary tillage unit follows
the primary tillage unit. The secondary tillage unit
generally works the soil to a depth of about two inches.
The secondary tillage unit is usually a final
conditioning tool to prepare the soil for planting.
Various units may chop up crop residues, or move them out
of the way of rows to be planted, break up soil clods and
break up any crust on the top of the soil, provide seed
furrows, weed control, incorporate chemicals into the
soil, and stir and firm the soil closer to the surface.
Rolling basket seedbed finishers represent an
important type of secondary soil conditioning implement.
Rolling baskets are primarily used as soil leveling
devices to break up and minimize clods of soil and to
remove air pockets from the soil. Farmers obtain great
benefit from using rolling baskets as a means of
secondary tillage to provide a level soil for planting.
The ability to break up clods of soil, remove air pockets
and further incorporate chemicals generally leads to
better crop yields at harvest.
In addition to rolling basket seedbed finishers,
other agriculture implements are also generally used in
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preparing the soil for planting. These include a trash
whipping-type device which includes a pair of spiked
disks normally mounted on a triangular mount which are
used to move debris out of the way prior to soil
conditioning. Other soil conditioning tools which might
be mounted before seed planting implements include
coulter devices which employ a sharp steel wedge that
cuts vertically and provides a shallow furrow through the
soil.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial if a secondary
tillage operation using a rolling basket could
advantageously be combined with a planting operation such
that one could take immediate advantage of soil in
condition for planting by accomplishing the planting
project during the same pass over a field. Thus, the
attachment of rolling basket tillage for use in
conjunction with a seed planting implement would be
desirable.
However, the use and effectiveness of rolling
baskets or other soil conditioning implements is greatly
limited by the condition of the soil. If the soil is too
wet, rolling basket soil conditioning implements may
become filled and clogged with soil which make them
useless for further soil conditioning until they are
again emptied of soil. When a farmer realizes that areas
of soil in a field are too wet to use such implements, he
will generally forego the use of such soil conditioning
implements entirely for the season. This means that much
of the soil may not be properly treated and an expensive
farming implement will lay idle. This is not a desirable
or economically efficient situation for farmers.
It would, therefore, also be beneficial to provide
an arrangement or mechanism that enables intermittent use
of a soil conditioning implement, particularly a rolling
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basket seedbed finisher, and/or a planter in a field
where areas of soil are dry enough for use, but where
there are also areas which are too wet for use. Such a
device would allow a farmer to raise rolling basket
seedbed finishers above the soil and out of use whenever
they reach a section of a field where the soil is too wet
and thereafter enable the rolling basket finisher to be
lowered and reconnect with the soil in areas where the
soil is suitable for use.
Trash moving or trash whip devices represent another
type of equipment which can be advantageously added to a
row crop planter to handle amounts of crop residue often
present on a field to be replanted, particularly if no
till farming is being employed. Minimal till or no till
farming leaves an amount of crop residue on a field which
may interfere with subsequent seeding operations and so
needs to be moved aside from planted rows. The trash
whips normally include pairs of angled disks with
radially directed teeth or spikes which move crop residue
out of the way in advance of planting. The trash whips
are normally mounted so that the angled disks form a V-
shape and they may or may not overlap.
One problem associated with the operation of trash
whippers is controlling the depth of operation of the
disk spikes in the field. Some of the present trash
whipping devices are mounted at a fixed vertical distance
from a tool bar on a planter. The height is adjustable
between a series of fixed vertical location settings
only. There is no independent control over the force
exerted by the implement. Some other current trash
whipping devices use air cylinders to modulate resistance
in one direction.
Thus, if the lift force or down pressure force on
the trash whipping device could be controlled and
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adjusted, as needed, it would present a distinct
advantage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present concept is related to combining said
conditioning implement in the form of rolling basket
seedbed finishers with planters to accomplish multiple
tasks in a single pass. An aspect of the present concept
relates to mounting rolling basket seed finishers on
planting equipment. A further aspect of the present
concept is related to a mounting assembly for a soil
conditioning implement in the form of a rolling basket
seedbed finisher. The mounting assembly is for
individual rolling baskets which are a part of a
plurality of such soil conditioning implements generally
arranged in a spaced aligned manner on a multi-row
planter, seed drill or other implement, which is used to
distribute seeds into the soil, hitched to and pulled by
a tractor or other prime mover.
Certain embodiments of the mounting assembly include
a height adjustable mounting arrangement for each of the
rolling basket soil conditioning implements. Each height
adjusting mechanism includes an actuator for adjusting
the relative height of a corresponding rolling basket
individually, and an associated control system for
operating the height adjusting mechanism. The actuator
preferably includes a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder,
which may be single or double acting. It is also an
aspect of the present invention for the mounting
assemblies and associated implements to be combined with
a planter and arranged such that rolling basket soil
conditioning takes place in front of each individual seed
planting unit on a planter.
In a preferred embodiment, each mounting assembly
for each rolling basket soil conditioning implement may
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be controlled from a central control system that includes
control switches or a control pad, or the like, having a
control device associated with each rolling basket
located in the cab of an associated tractor. In this
manner, a user is able to adjust the height of each
mounting assembly individually and therefore the height
of each associated soil conditioning rolling basket
implement may be adjusted individually as needed.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art
that a plurality of actuator devices such as pneumatic or
hydraulic cylinders, or the like, together with the
necessary controls can be connected to be operated from
the cab of a tractor or other farm implement device prime
mover by conventional means in a well known manner.
In other embodiments, the rolling basket devices may
be fixed to the planter and other mechanical devices may
be used to apply varying degrees of force to the soil
being processed. These include compression or torsion
springs, inflatable airbags, shock absorber devices which
may be spring loaded, or the like.
Airbag systems may be single or double acting and an
embodiment is shown with dual airbags. Single and dual
airbag systems are also shown in embodiments in which
trash whipping devices and/or coulter devices are
attached to the planter.
With regard to the various agriculture implements
that are associated with seed planters, it will be
appreciated that various combinations of implements can
be mounted to a planter and this may be accomplished in a
number of ways. Thus, trash whipping devices may be
mounted together with coulter devices on the same
mounting structure or on separate spaced mounting
structures. A coulter and rolling basket combination may
be used in which the rolling basket device is split into
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side-by-side sections and the coulter device is mounted
between the rolling basket sections. This provides a
combination implement that can also be mounted with a
trash whipping device. A whipping implement can be
mounted with a unitary rolling basket or coulter device.
Whether the soil conditioning implements are mounted
singly or in combination, the deployment of each can be
controlled using different systems. One deployment
system features employing an adjustable down force device
only airbag or other device, when released, allows the
implement to float or coast along the top of the soil.
In another system, both adjustable down force and up
force or lift devices, which may be airbags, are
employed. The lift devices raise the implement above the
level of the soil.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing features and advantages of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the
art from the following detailed description of one or
more preferred embodiments, especially when considered in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a mounting
assembly using a shell-type assembly to attach to a
rolling basket;
Figure 2 shows a side view of the mounting assembly
of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows a perspective view of an alternative
mounting assembly attaching a rolling basket;
Figure 4 shows a side view of the mounting assembly
of Figure 3;
Figure 5 illustrates the mounting assembly of
Figures 3 and 4 attached to the front of a planting
implement with the soil conditioning rolling basket shown
in a raised position;
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Figure 6A is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the
soil conditioning rolling basket implement in a lowered
ground engaging position;
Figure 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line
B-B of Figure 6A;
Figure 7A is a schematic perspective view showing a
rolling basket attached to a main frame member of a
planter implement;
Figure 7B is a view similar to Figure 7A with a
0 double acting airbag as the actuator;
Figure 8 is a front view of the mounting assembly of
Figures 3-7 attached to a farming implement;
Figures 9A-9F depict other embodiment of rolling
baskets similar to those of Figures 1 and 3 using other
types of actuating or force-applying devices;
Figure 10 is a block diagram of a pneumatic control
system for controlling mounting assemblies and a
schematic drawing of a rolling basket soil conditioning
system combined with a multi-row planter;
Figure 11A is a side elevation view of an alternate
embodiment of the invention using a dual airbag
deployment/retraction system shown with the lower
assembly and rolling basket in the down or deployed
position;
Figure 11B is a view taken along section lines 11B-
11B in Figure 11A;
Figure 12A is a side elevation view of the
embodiment of Figure 11A shown with the rolling basket in
the raised or retracted position;
Figure 12B is a sectional view taken along line 12B-
-12B in Figure 12A;
Figure 13A is a front elevation view of the
embodiment of Figure 11A shown with the rolling basket in
the raised or retracted position;
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Figure 13B is a sectional view taken along line 13B-
-13B of Figure 13A;
Figure 14A is a top plan view of the embodiment of
Figure 11A showing the rolling basket in the up or
retracted position;
Figures 14B and 14C are opposed sectional views
along lines 14B--14B and 14C-14C, respectively of Figure
14A;
Figure 15A is a top plan view similar to Figure I4A
with the rolling basket in the down or deployed position;
Figures 15B and 15C are opposed sectional views
along 15B--15B and 15C-15C, respectively of Figure 15A;
Figure 16 is a front perspective view of the
embodiment of Figure 11A showing the rolling basket in
the raised or lowered or deployed position;
Figure 17A shows a schematic view of a five-port air
valve assembly in accordance with the invention shown in
a first position that enables the down force airbag to
inflate and the up force airbag to collapse;
Figure 17B is a perspective sectional view of the
air valve assembly of Figure 17A taken half way through
the valve body or block;
Figure 18A depicts a schematic view of the valve
assembly of Figure 17A in a second position that enables
the up force airbag to inflate and the down force airbag
to collapse; and
Figure 18B is a perspective sectional view of the
air valve assembly of Figure 18A taken half way through
the valve body or block;
Figures 19A-19F represent respective top, left side
elevation, front elevation, right side elevation, bottom
and perspective views of a trash whipping attachment for
a planter with a pneumatic dual airbag deployment/control
system shown with airbags removed for clarity;
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Figures 20A, 20B and 20C are, respectively, left
side elevation, front elevation and right side elevation
views of adjustable mounts for trash whipping disks shown
without disks attached for clarity;
Figures 21A, 21B and 21C are, respectively, views
similar to Figures 20A, 20B and 20C with trash whipping
disks attached;
Figures 22 is a schematic view of an electronic
pneumatic regulator, and manual pneumatic regulator
illustrating the positioning operation of the associated
trash whipping device;
Figures 23A and 23B are perspective and front views
of a lower assembly for attaching trash whipper disks;
Figure 24 is a side elevational view that depicts a
trash whipping device mounted ahead of a coulter disk
using a common mounting assembly with the coulter device
having a down force only airbag deployment system and the
trash whipping device having dual airbags;
Figures 25A and 25B depict front and rear
elevational views respectively of the embodiment of
Figure 24 with the trash whipping disks removed;
Figure 26 is a rear perspective view of a
combination of a forward-mounted trash whipping device
and a coulter disk mounted between sections of a split
rolling basket implement using a common mounting
structure;
Figures 27A and 27B depict front and rear
elevational views, respectively, of the embodiment of
Figure 26;
Figure 28 is a side elevational view depicting a
combination of a trash whipping implement with a rolling
rowbasket mounted on a common assembly with the rowbasket
having a down force only airbag deployment system and the
trash whipping device having dual-acting airbags;
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Figures 29A and 29B depict front and rear
elevational views, respectively, of the arrangement of
Figure 28 with the trash whipping disks removed for
clarity;
Figure 30 is a front perspective view showing a
common mount for a trash whip and rolling basket
combination with rolling basket using a down force only
airbag;
Figure 31 is a side elevational view depicting a
trash whipping device mounted in front of a rolling
basket using two different spaced mounting assemblies;
Figure 32 is a front perspective view of the
embodiment of Figure 31;
Figure 33 is a side elevational view of the mounting
system of the embodiment of Figure 31; and
Figure 34 is a top view of the mounting system of
Figure 33.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
This description of the preferred embodiments is
intended to illustrate representative examples of
inventive concepts and is not intended to be limiting as
to the scope of the concepts. The examples are to be
read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which
are to be considered part of the entire written
description of this invention. In the description,
relative terms such as "lower", "upper", "horizontal",
"vertical", "above", "below", "up", "down", "top" and
"bottom" as well as derivatives thereof (e.g.,
"horizontally", "downwardly", "upwardly", etc.) should be
construed to refer to the orientation as then described
or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These
relative terms are for convenience of description and do
not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated
in a particular orientation. Terms such as "connected",
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"connecting", "attached", "attaching", "join" and
"joining" are used interchangeably and refer to one
structure or surface being secured to another structure
or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece, unless
expressively described otherwise.
An aspect of the invention is directed to an
adjustable mounting bracket assembly for attaching a soil
conditioning implement in the form of a rolling basket
device, particularly to the frame of a planter.
As shown in the embodiment of Figures 3-8, the
mounting assembly 2, for a rolling basket soil
conditioner 10 comprises at least three parts, a height
adjustable mounting 4, a height adjusting mechanism or
actuator, which may be in the form of a hydraulic (6A in
IS Figure 9E) or pneumatic cylinder 6, and an associated
control system (Figure 10) for operating a plurality of
such height adjusting mechanisms to adjust the height of
a plurality of spaced associated connected rolling
baskets as normally used in tandem with a planter as
towed by a tractor.
As illustrated in Figure 3, the height adjustable
mounting 4 is composed of several parts including an
attachment plate 12 and a pair of spaced parallel side
plate members 16 and attachment arms 18 for coupling the
rolling basket soil conditioning implement to the
attachment plate 12. The attachment plate 12 is adapted
to be fixed to the frame of a farming implement in the
form of a conventional planter along with the attachment
plates of other units such that the soil ahead of each
planting unit is conditioned.
Each mounting assembly includes spaced arms 18 which
extend away from an associated rolling basket soil
conditioning and leveling implement 10 which is journaled
for rotation between the arms 18 as at 20. The arms 18
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connect to the members 16 fixed to the attachment plate
12. The arms 18 are connected to each other by a common
crossbar 24 which also supports one end of a cylinder or
actuator 6.
As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the arms 18 and
the members 16 of the attachment plate 12 are designed
such that they pivotally connect to each other. Any
manner known in the art which connects and enables the
arms 18 to pivot at 22 relative to the members 16, such
as bearings, bushings, etc., can be employed so that the
adjustable mounting 4 is able to move towards and away
from the surface of the ground with the operation of
cylinder 6 which may be attached using a clevis
arrangement as at 26 to attach the rod end and a bracket
arrangement as at 28 to attach the blind end of the
cylinder 6 to the attachment plate 12.
The height-adjusting actuator 6 may be a hydraulic
or pneumatic cylinder, or other devices, as illustrated,
those skilled in the art will recognize that any
mechanical mechanism able to raise and lower the soil
conditioning implement 10, as shown in Figures 5 and 6,
may be used. Thus, in some embodiments, height adjusting
depends on raising the planter with the rolling baskets
attached. In those embodiments, downward force may be
provided by a spring-operated mechanism, an inflatable
air spring, or any similar system known in the art, such
as are shown in Figures 9A-9D. As indicated, several
preferred embodiments utilize pneumatic cylinders as
compressed air is generally available on tractors to
connect to and operate farm implements. It will be
recognized, however, that hydraulic systems are also
commonly used in these types of applications.
The rolling basket units 10 further include a pair
of side plates 30 connected by a plurality of spaced
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steel bars 32 which may be internally or externally
attached to the plates 30. A central spindle or axle 34
is also provided.
Figures 5, 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B also depict a planting
implement 35 having a seed distributing arrangement 36
(Figure 6B) and a connecting frame 37 including a main
structural member 38 that connects together a plurality
of similar units 35.
As shown in Figures 5 and 6A, the operation of the
actuator 6 serves to raise and lower the soil
conditioning rolling basket implement 10 in accordance
with the operation of a control system. It should be
noted that in an implement carrying a plurality of soil
conditioning rolling baskets 10, as shown in Figure 10,
an associated control system enables the raising and
lowering of the soil conditioning implements individually
as desired by the operator in the tractor or other towing
vehicle. It may also enable the soil conditioning
implement 10 to be positioned in a floating mode riding
the soil surface or lowered with applied force as needed.
An alternate embodiment of the mounting bracket
assembly is shown generally at 102 in Figures 1 and 2 and
also includes a height adjustable mounting 104. That
system utilizes a shell or shroud 114 covering the upper
portion of the rolling basket 110. Pivotally connected
members 116 and arms 118 are shown together with mounting
bracket 120 and clevis attachment 122. The actuating
cylinder or other such device is not shown.
Figure 10 is a schematic drawing of a soil
conditioning system used with a multi-row seed planter so
that a field may be properly leveled and thereafter
receive seeds from the planter modules. In this
schematic drawing, a tow bar 40 is connected to a trailer
tongue 42 that is adapted to be connected by a clevis
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(not shown) to a towing work vehicle, such as a farm
tractor. Secured to the tow bar are a plurality of
rolling basket tillage devices 44.
Primary tillage devices (not shown) may, for
S. example, comprise disk harrows or rake harrows of
conventional design known in the art may be used prior to
employing the rolling baskets. As previously explained,
the primary harrows are arranged to dig deeper into the
soil and typically produce clumps depending on soil type
and moisture content. It is preferable that the clumps
become crushed and broken up and the soil leveled by the
action of the secondary rolling basket devices 44 leaving
the field prepared to receive seed at the time of seeding
and the seed distributed by planter modules 46.
IS
The user or driver of the tractor or other prime
mover determines whether the soil is too wet for the soil
conditioning implements 2 to effectively work or not. If
the soil is too wet, the user sends a signal via the
control system, to activate the height-adjusting
mechanism 4. In a preferred embodiment, the height
adjusting mechanism is connected to a pneumatic system
which has an air compressor 52 for maintaining a
predetermined pressure in an accumulator 50. At least
one pneumatic solenoid valve 58 is connected between the
accumulator and each actuator 6 to control the
application of the pressure supplied to the actuator 6.
A manifold 58 in Figure 10 is shown as supplying
pressurized air, via solenoid valves 56, to one or more
actuators 6 under control of electrical signals from an
operator's controller module which includes a key pad
control (which may be remote) at 60. A combined
electrical and pneumatic connection is shown at 62 and a
manifold controller is shown at 64. The system may
incorporate a pressure regulator (not shown) to adjust
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the amount of force (from the pressurized air) applied to
raise the soil conditioning implement.
Pressurized air is then supplied to the pneumatic
cylinders 6 in a well known manner to the mounting
assembly, which, in turn, will raise the soil
conditioning implement if the user has determined the
soil in that location is too wet for use, or lower the
soil conditioning implement if the soil is suitable to
use the soil conditioning implement. It will be
appreciated that the cylinders 6 may be single or double
acting with single acting cylinders used to raise the
soil conditioning implements on the power stroke and
allow the basket to float under its own weight when the
pressure is released. Double acting cylinders can be
IS used to fix the implement in a lowered position.
As also shown in Figure 10, each of the plurality of
rolling basket soil conditioning assemblies may be placed
in front of each of a plurality of seed distribution
units of a planter as at 46 to ready the soil to receive
the seeds. Each of the mounting assemblies for the soil
conditioners may be controlled individually or
simultaneously with others. Also, groups of mounting
assemblies may be controlled. If the mounting assemblies
are controlled individually, the manifold 58 (either
pneumatic or hydraulic), may supply pressurized air
through the use of solenoid valves 56. The operator is
able to control the height adjustment and so the
application of one soil conditioning implement, a
specific group of soil conditioning implements, or all of
the soil conditioning implements using the control pad 60
in the cab of the tractor. As indicated, the control pad
60 may be any kind known in the art for sending control
signals to solenoid or other pneumatic or hydraulic
valves.
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The system allows for maximum efficiency of the soil
conditioning implements, for if one row or a few of the
rows in a field are too wet, but the remaining rows are
dry, the user may selectively apply the soil conditioning
rolling basket implements to suitable rows. The user,
therefore, is able to maximize the effect of using
rolling basket soil conditioning devices in a field.
Figure 7A depicts a rolling basket device 10 in
accordance with the invention fixed to the main
structural member 38 of a planting implement, a unit of
which is shown at 35 in which the attachment plate 12 is
attached to the member 38 by an additional framework 70.
A similar arrangement is shown in Figure 7B in which the
actuator is a double acting airbag system as at 72.
Figures 9A-9E depict alternative actuator devices
used in combination with the rolling baskets. They
include a pair of torsion springs as at 80 in Figure 9A
which are used to provide an amount of downward force on
the rolling basket 10. Similarly, Figure 9B utilizes a
compression spring 82 connected between mounting plate 12
and cross member 24. A spring and shock absorber
arrangement 84 is shown in Figure 9C and a single acting
airbag or air shock absorber is shown in Figure 9D.
It should be noted that rolling baskets having
mounting arrangements with devices providing downward
force only are normally raised manually when they need to
be out of contact with the soil. They are held in a
raised position using a manually-operated latch system
such as is at 88 shown in Figure 9F.
10 Another embodiment is shown in the several views of
Figures 11A-16 in which dual airbags or inflatable
pneumatic actuators are used to lower or deploy and raise
or retract the rolling basket. This rolling basket
system is shown generally at 200 and includes a rolling
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basket 202, which is mounted to a height-adjusting
mechanism 204 using a pair of spaced parallel side plate
members 206 and 208, which are fixed to a lower assembly
210, which includes a main member 212, which may be in
the form of a heavy tube member, and which connects to
the side plate members 206 and 208. The lower assembly,
with the side plate members 206 and 208, in turn, pivots
around a pair of spaced, shoulder bolts 214, which
connect it to a mounting structure including shaped
members 216 fixed to or are part of attachment or
mounting plate 218, which, in turn, can be fastened to a
main implement such as a multi-row planter, as shown in
Figure 10, at a plurality of places 220 using
conventional bolts, or the like, as at 221.
The rolling basket system further includes a down
force or deployment airbag arrangement that includes a
down force or deployment airbag 222 mounted between a
bottom pedestal 224 and a fixed upper bracket 226. The
bottom pedestal is mounted to the lower assembly by
spaced members 228 and spaced fulcrum members 230 which
are fixed to member 212 and members 228 and 230 connected
by opposed shoulder bolts 232 such that the pedestal can
pivot freely on the shoulder bolts.
The system further includes an up force or
retraction airbag arrangement that includes an up force
or retraction airbag 234 that is mounted between a moving
upper U-shaped bracket 236 and a bent flange member 238.
As best seen in Figure 12B, spaced legs of bracket 236
are also fixed to the lower assembly 210 by spaced
fulcrum plates 240 which are fixed to member 212 and the
spaced legs of bracket 236 are connected pivotally to
fulcrum plates 240 by opposed shoulder bolts 242 on which
the bracket 236 can pivot freely.
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Air lines 244 and 246 are connected respectively to
down force and up force airbags 222 and 234 and to a
conventional supply of pressurized air not shown. The
system is configured so that, when high pressure air is
introduced to inflate one bag, the other bag can deflate.
Figures 11A, 11B and 15A-15C show the lower assembly
210 and basket 202 in the deployed or down position with
the down force airbag fully inflated. As the down force
bag 222 inflates, it causes the lower assembly to pivot
downward and deploy the basket 202 downward. The act of
the lower assembly moving downward causes the bracket 236
connected to lift bag 234 to be displaced downward
forcing air out of and collapsing the lift bag, as shown
in Figure IIB. Conversely, as shown in Figures 12A, 12B,
13B and 14A-C, to raise or retract the lower assembly 210
and basket 202, the lift bag 234 is fully inflated, which
causes the bracket 236 to move upward and the lower
assembly to rotate upward about shoulder bolts 232 and
214, which, in turn, causes the bottom pedestal 224 to be
displaced upward and this collapses or deflates down
force airbag 222. The lifting force of the airbag 234 is
transferred to the lower assembly 210 through bent flange
238. Shoulder bolts 242 connect the legs of bracket 236
with fulcrum members 240.
It will become apparent that each of the shoulder
bolts that transfer force from the airbags to the lower
assembly travel pivotally about a fulcrum, as best shown
at 230 and 242 in the figures. The fulcrums, in turn
produce an arcuate motion of the side plate members 206
and 208, as they raise and lower member 212 and the lower
assembly. In that manner, the lower assembly travels
along the arc of a circle when deployed and retracted
with the main shoulder bolts 214 as pivots.
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Figures 17A-17C and 18A-18B depict a five-port air
valve assembly in two alternate positions. The assembly,
generally at 300, includes ports 302, 304, 306, 308 and
310 and cylinder 312, housing axially adjustable cylinder
valve 314. The valve body or block is depicted at 316.
Ports 302 and 306 are connected to receive air from a
high pressure air source such as a conventional
compressor system (not shown). Ports 308 and 310 connect
respectively to the up force airbag and the down force
airbag. Finally, port 304 is a vent port for venting air
from either the up force airbag or the down force airbag.
In Figures 17A and 173, the port receiving high
pressure air 306 is connected through the valve block
with down force bag 222 through outlet port 310 with the
central valve 312 shifted to the left in cylinder 314 in
a first position. shifted to the left. With the central
cylinder in this position, up force airbag 234 is
connected to the vent port 304 via port 308 so that up
force airbag 235 is enabled to collapse while down force
airbag 222 inflates. This deploys the rolling basket
against the ground.
Figures 18A and 1813 show the valve 312 in an
alternate position with the central cylinder moved to the
right. With the central in this position, port 302 is
connected through the central cylinder to port 308 and
port 310 is connected to the central cylinder to port 304
and port 306 is deadheaded. With the valve in this
position, the source of high pressure air is connected
through ports 302 and 308 to the up force airbag and the
down force is connected to vent through ports 310 and
304. This will enable the up force airbag to inflate and
the down force airbag to collapse in accordance with
raising the rolling basket to an up or stowed position.
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Another embodiment is shown and illustrated in the
several views of Figures 19A-24B which, like the
embodiment shown in Figures 11A-16 employs dual airbags
or inflatable pneumatic actuators to lower (deploy) and
raise (retract) an agriculture implement. In this
embodiment, the implement is a trash whipping-type
device. As shown in Figures 19A-19F, 20A-20C, 21A-21C
and Figures 24A and 24B, the trash whipping system,
generally at 400, includes a pair of spiked disks 402 and
404 with dirt guards 406 and 408, respectively, mounted
on a triangular mount 410 (Figure 23A) by means of a pair
of bent flanges 412 and 414. A main mounting cross
member, preferably a tube member, is shown at 416 and a
connecting tube 418 has a fixed end fixed to the main
mounting tube 416 and a free end that carries the
triangular mount 410. The connecting tube is preferably
connected directly to the back of the flanges 412 and 414
as by welding. The main member 416 is connected to a
mounting structure by heavy side plate members 420 and
422. As with other embodiments, side plate members 420
and 422 pivot around a pair of spaced shoulder bolts 424
which connect the members 420 and 422 to the mounting
structure including shaped members 426, which are fixed
to or are a part of attachment or mounting plate 428
which, of course, can be fastened to a main implement
such as a multi-row planter with a plurality of other
spaced trash whipping systems at a plurality of places
using conventional bolts, or the like, using openings
430. A similar system is shown in Figure 10 with respect
to rolling basket embodiments.
It will be appreciated that the mounting system of
the invention can be used with many different disk
varieties and those shown at 402 and 404 are for
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illustration purposes. They can be used with or without
dirt guards also.
The trash whipping system further includes a down
force or deployment airbag arrangement that includes a
down force or deployment airbag 432 mounted between a
bottom pedestal 434 and a fixed upper bracket 436. The
bottom pedestal is mounted to the lower assembly by
spaced members 438 and spaced fulcrum members 440 which
are fixed to member 416 and members 438 and 440 connected
by opposed shoulder bolts 442 such that the pedestal can
pivot freely on the shoulder bolts.
The system further includes an up force or
retraction airbag arrangement that includes an up force
or retraction airbag 444 that is mounted between a moving
upper U-shaped bracket 446 and a bent flange bracket
member 448. As best seen in Figures 19F, 20A and 21C,
spaced legs of bracket 446 are also fixed to the lower
assembly main tube 416 by spaced fulcrum plates 450 which
are fixed to member 416 and the spaced legs of bracket
446 are connected pivotally to fulcrum plates 450 by
opposed shoulder bolts 424 on which the bracket 448 can
pivot freely.
Air lines are connected respectively to down force
and up force airbags 432 and 444 and to a conventional
supply of pressurized air (not shown). The system is
configured, as will be described.
Figure 22 depicts a control system for the trash
whip assembly in the lifted or stowed position. The
system includes an electronic regulator 500 which can be
set to control output pressure and thus, the pressure in
a connected airbag over a wide range. A manual regulator
is shown at 502.
In Figure 22, air coming from a supply such as a
compressor accumulator tank (not shown) is supplied to
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regulators 500 and 502 at 504 and 506, respectively.
Output streams from the regulators 500 and 502 are shown,
respectively, at 508 and 510.
In the diagram of Figure 22, the down force pressure
supply 516 entering port 506 is supplied constantly at a
suitable pressure to act as a shock absorber to the down
force airbag through 510, typically, 18-20 lbs. Air is
supplied to adjustable electronic regulator 500 through
an input port at 504 and air is supplied to up force
airbag through an output port at 508. It will be
appreciated, however, that air is being supplied to both
the down force airbag and the lift airbag.
With air being supplied to both the lift and down
force airbags, a state of equilibrium can be achieved and
maintained with the whipping device in any desired
position of mechanical resistance with respect to the
deployed mechanism. This disposition also allows the
operator to vary the net upward or downward force as
desired using the electronic regulator 500. Of course,
the electronic regulator 500 can also be replaced by a
manual control, if desired. In this manner, the trash
whipping device can be controlled to exert any desired
downward force or be controlled to float, just skimming
the top of the soil. This achieves a continuous
operator-directed control over the operation of the trash
whipping device which has been demonstrated to be highly
successful. It will be appreciated that other implements
could be mounted on and controlled by this system.
Figure 24 is a side elevational view including a
planting implement, generally at 600, which may be a
conventional commercial planter. The drawing depicts a
trash whipping device 602 which may be similar to those
previously described and a coulter device 604 which
includes a blade or wheel 606 attached via a mounting
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member 608 to a mounting structure or assembly 610.
Raising and lowering of the coulter device 604 is enabled
via rotation of the member 608 about a joint 612. An
inflatable airbag for applying a downward force to deploy
the coulter disk 606 is shown at 614. The mounting
assembly 610 carries both the trash whipping device and
the coulter.
A front view of the assembly of Figure 24 is shown
in Figure 25A with the trash whip disks removed revealing
the triangular mount 620 and a pair of dual airbags 622
employed to raise and lower the trash whip in a manner as
previously described for other embodiments. In Figure
253, a rear view is depicted showing single airbag 614
which may be utilized when desired to apply a downward
force on coulter disk blade 606. When the downward force
is released, the coulter device will simply ride along on
top of the soil. As shown in Figure 24, the common
mounting assembly 610 is connected to the planting device
600 by a pair of members 616 shown in Figure 25A.
Figures 26 and 27A and 27B depict rear perspective
and front and back elevational views of a planter as in
Figure 24 to which a trash whip is attached, together
with an implement that combines a rolling basket with a
coulter device. Both implements are mounted on the
common mounting structure or assembly 610. The
combination of rolling basket and coulter device 630 is
carried by a pair of attachment members 632 which allow
rotation of the coulter disk 606 and rolling basket
sections 634 and 636 and also enable vertical
50 displacement by pivoting about joints as at 638. They
are carried by a common shaft 640. As with the coulter
embodiment of Figures 24 and 25B, combination device 630
is operated by a single down force deployment airbag 614.
Releasing the down force, of course, enables the device
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to simply roll along on top of the soil. This
combination enables the planting operation to accomplish
the actions of all three agricultural implements in a
single pass.
Figures 28 and 29A and 29B depict a side elevation
view showing a combination of a trash whipping implement
602 with a rolling basket 642 mounted to the common
assembly 610 with the rolling basket having a down force
only airbag deployment system 614 and the trash whipping
device having dual-acting up/down airbags. As with the
other down force only devices, when the down force is
released from the airbag 614, the rolling basket 642 will
simply float or roll along the surface of the ground in a
harmless manner.
Figure 30 is a front perspective view showing a
common mounting structure for the trash whip and rolling
basket in which the rolling basket is deployed with a
down force only airbag. The common mounting structure
610 includes a box shape 650 which receives the front end
of two connecting members 616, the other end of which
connects to a mounting plate 652 which, in turn, connects
to the main planter device 600 using threaded connectors
as at 654. Note that both the trash whip mount 620 and
rolling basket 640 are connected through devices from the
simple box structure 650. The structure 610 enables
implements to be mounted both ahead of and behind the box
configuration 650.
Figure 31 depicts a side elevational view in which a
trash whipping device 602 and a rolling basket 640 are
attached to a planter implement using two different
spaced attachment assemblies 660 and 662, respectively.
Figure 32 depicts a front perspective view of the
assembly of Figure 31. In this embodiment, the rowbasket
640 is deployed and retracted using a dual airbag system
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with airbag 664 shown in the perspective view. A
slightly enlarged side elevational view of the assembly
of Figures 31 and 32 is depicted in Figure 33. The
mounting system 666 shown for the trash whip device is
quite similar to embodiments described earlier with
regard to the use of the trash whip as a single device,
as illustrated in Figures 20A-21C. Likewise, the
mounting assembly 668 for the rolling basket 640 can be
similar to that shown in Figures 14A-16. Such a mounting
system, as shown in Figures 31-33, is particularly useful
when combinations of soil-treating devices are added in
tandem to existing planter combinations. A top view of
the system of Figures 31-33 is shown in Figure 34 and, in
that figure, both the rolling basket and trash whip
devices are operated using a dual set of airbags so that
both down force and up force are available in deploying
and retracting the devices.
It should be noted that any of the implements shown
deployed with down force only airbags could also be
operated using a dual set of down force and up force
airbags and, if desired, other devices can be used to
deploy and retract any of the agriculture implements
shown. The details of the connections and operation of
the airbag deployment and retraction systems is similar
to those described in earlier embodiments and need not be
described in great detail here. As with other
embodiments, the down force can be modulated as desired.
This invention has been described herein in
considerable detail in order to comply with the patent
statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the
information needed to apply the novel principles and to
construct and use such specialized components as are
required. However, it is to be understood that the
invention can be carried out by specifically different
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equipment and devices, and that various modifications,
both as to the equipment and operating procedures, can be
accomplished without departing from the scope of the
invention itself.
What is claimed is:
