Earth working – Tool – standard or connection – Subsoilers
Patent
1993-04-02
1995-07-04
Reese, Randolph A.
Earth working
Tool, standard or connection
Subsoilers
172721, 172766, 172771, A01B 4502
Patent
active
054291976
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates generally to soil care, and particularly to a blade for use with a soil agitating device, and a soil agitating device.
Soil agitation devices are known and are intended to be used primarily in caring for turfed areas, such as the greens and fairways on golf courses, for example, although they may be used in other more general agricultural applications.
In order to provide adequate soil drainage characteristics in surface soil and to improve root penetration for the turf it is known in the prior art to agitate the surface soil by cutting a series of parallel channels therein using a device which mounts a plurality of adjacent cutting blades arranged to oscillate as the device is dragged along the surface. The blades act to cut channels in the soil as the device is moved along, as well as acting to break up soil compaction due to vibration of the blades. The blades are often provided with enlarged, generally cylindrical, bodies at the blade-end deepest in the soil. These bodies are known as "bullets" or "torpedoes" and act to produce a wider channel at the full depth of the blade, which improves soil drainage characteristics.
In one prior art machine, the plurality of blades are mounted adjacent to each other and spaced apart by the distance required for the width of the parallel channels in the soil. A cylindrical bearing, driven by drive means about an axis offset from the central axis of the cylinder is arranged to transfer its eccentric motion to the blades via an elongate beam to cause the blades to move forwards and backwards in a rapidly oscillating manner as the machine is moved along the soil surface.
In another prior art machine an eccentric weight is mounted on the machine and is caused to rotate by drive means, the motion causing the whole machine to vibrate and thus causing the blades to resonate as they are pulled through the soil.
Motion of the parallel blades, whether forward and backward vibration, as in the first prior art example, or by resonation, as in the second prior art example, enables the blades to be pulled through the soil with less effort than if they were stationary relative to the machine and causes some decompaction of the soil adjacent to the blades.
A further prior art machine drives the blades to move in an out of phase manner. Each blade is separately driven by an associated cylindrical bearing which is mounted eccentrically. Each cylindrical bearing is offset in its rotary action with respect to each other cylindrical bearing, so that each respective blade is impelled forwards at a different time. This "staggered" motion of the blades results in a reduction of shock vibration of the mounting frame. However, this machine and the prior art machines discussed above tend to tear any turf or crop rather than cutting cleanly through it. This is undesirable, particularly where the machine is being used to care for greens and sports fields.
From one aspect, the present invention provides a device for agitating soil, comprising a frame arranged to be towed or self-propelled and mounting at least one cutting blade arranged to penetrate the soil and cut a channel therein as the frame moves along, the blade being mounted for reciprocating motion relative to the frame along a line coincident with the direction of cutting, and means for reciprocating the blade, comprising a cam and cam follower arrangement.
The cam may be cut to provide an uneven or jerking forward motion, the particular cam profile being selected to suit the circumstances in which the machine is used.
Thus, there are a number of soil agitation devices which are available to provide decompaction and aeration of soil, including the prior art devices and the device of the first aspect of the present invention.
Previously, such devices have utilized as the cutting blade a flat blade-member with a sharp leading edge and "bullet" at the blade end arranged to be deepest in the soil. The blade is mounted such that, in operation, the leading edge of the blade extends almost vertically downwards in
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patent: 3063505 (1962-11-01), Nelson
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Novosad Christopher J.
Reese Randolph A.
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