Earth working – Plural wheeled implements – Outrigged implement adjustable inwardly
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-03
2004-01-13
Novosad, Christopher J. (Department: 3671)
Earth working
Plural wheeled implements
Outrigged implement adjustable inwardly
C172S456000, C172S459000, C172S463000, C111S121000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06675907
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to agricultural toolbars, and more particularly, it relates to agricultural toolbars which are flexible, permitting outboard wings to independently adjust vertically to follow variations in ground contour. The present invention is described in the context of an applicator for liquid fertilizer, although the structure and hydraulic operating circuit for the disclosed toolbar has broader application than liquid fertilizer applicators.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Agricultural toolbars, particularly toolbars which are designed to apply liquid fertilizer, are typically designed so that the mounting bars on which the individual applicator units are fixed, are held or supported at a desired distance above the ground by adjustable depth gauging wheels. This is because it is highly desirable that fertilizer be placed at a constant depth beneath the surface of the soil so that the fertilizer is available to the plant for the various stages of development and growth of the plant.
Up to a width of ten feet or so, rigid toolbars are useful because the variations in ground contour over a ten-foot span transverse of the direction of travel of the tractor, typically would not encounter a substantial variation such as might result in non-uniform application of liquid fertilizer. For greater widths, however, agricultural toolbars are typically supported with their own gauge wheels, and they include a center section and right and left wings which are hinged to the center section so that each wing may independently follow the contour of the ground. Toolbars which have wings capable of hinging about horizontal axes extending parallel to the direction of travel are called “flexible” toolbars. The term refers to the independent vertical movement or flexing of the wings relative to the center section. Even wider toolbars, such as the one in connection with which the present invention is illustrated, may have each wing divided into an inner wing section and an outer wing section which fold or hinge relative to each other about a vertical axis (in the field use position) which reduces the overall height of the implement during transport and provides even more compact, and thus more maneuverable arrangement for road travel. It is desirable that a section of the toolbar have a width no greater than eighteen feet in order to accommodate variations in ground contour most commonly encountered.
Modern farming practices have made it desirable to use large toolbars (that is, toolbars having a greater width in the field use position) because of the increase in the size of farms as well as a desire to reduce operating expense and the amount of time spent in the field. Modern farming practices also make it desirable that a toolbar for applying liquid fertilizer be highly adaptable or adjustable in the sense that it accommodate placement of individual applicators at a wide range of spacings. The applicator units on a fertilizer applicator are normally spaced at a constant distance relative to one another. However, the distance between adjacent applicator units will vary according to farming practices and according to the spacing of crop rows. Planting and fertilizer practices create a demand that a toolbar for liquid fertilizer application be capable of mounting the ground-engaging tools (i.e., applicator units) at a wide range of lateral spacing. The row spacings of particular interest are twenty, twenty-two, thirty, thirty-six, thirty-eight and forty inches. In addition, the present toolbar is capable of supporting a side-dress application for a thirty-inch row spacing with fertilizer placement at six inches on either side of the center of a row.
Moreover, in the past, toolbars for applying liquid fertilizer have been operated with a wide variety of controls and set-up structures, including manual, electrical and hydraulic. The operator is required not only to learn the control system for a particular implement, but he is also required in many situations not only to operate the control system for the toolbar, but also to maneuver the tractor and observe the correct spacing relative to existing crops or to fertilizer which already has been applied in adjacent swaths. It has therefore become desirable that the control system for liquid fertilizer applicators be simplified from the standpoint of operation, particularly during field use and maneuvers. Further, it is desired to avoid manual operations and procedures by the farmer/operator outside of the tractor cab, either in preparing the applicator for transport or in field use. When all operations can be accomplished from the operator's position on the tractor, simplicity and safety are both enhanced.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The illustrated toolbar has a center section and left and right wings. Each wing, in turn, has an inner wing section and an outer wing section. The inner wing sections pivot vertically about respective horizontal axes located at the outboard ends of the center section. The outer wing sections pivot horizontally relative to their associated inner wing sections about axes located at the outboard end of the associated inner wing section. These hinge axes are vertical when the toolbar is located in the field use position. Obviously, the hinge axes of the outer wing sections take various orientations relative to the vertical and the horizontal as the inner wing sections rotate relative to the horizontal.
More recently, larger fertilizer applicators of this type having hinged wings typically include a gauge wheel mounted to the outboard end of each wing. Liquid fertilizer applicator units conventionally include a leading rippled coulter for parting the soil and forming a narrow furrow, followed by an applicator assembly including a is delivery tube for delivering the liquid fertilizer in the furrow. A thin knife may be mounted behind the coulter if desired. The operating depth of the coulter is thus determined by the height of the toolbar to which it is affixed. For the center section, the operating depth is determined by the height of the toolbar of the center section which is adjusted relative to the primary support wheels for the main frame of the unit. The operating depth of the applicator units fixed to the wings is determined by the height of the center section (since the inboard end of each wing is mounted to the center section frame) and the height of the associated wing depth gauge wheel.
The center section and inner wing sections each are formed into double-rank toolbars. By this, it is meant that each frame section has a forward mounting bar and a rear mounting bar. Forward and rear mounting bars in a double-rank toolbar are typically made into a rigid frame by intermediate frame sections extending in the direction of travel. Such an arrangement interferes with the desired universal adjustability in mounting the fertilizer applicator units (i.e., tools) with a wide variety of lateral settings. The structure of the present toolbar does accommodate a wide variety of lateral settings of the tools, including those spacings of greater interest to the farmer/operator. Instrumental in achieving universal adjustability of lateral spacing of applicator units is an unique hinge structure located between the center section and each associated inner wing section. This hinge, while providing a hinge structure for both the forward mounting bars and the rear mounting bars of the inner wing sections, offsets the hinge mounting structure relative to the associated mounting bars in such a manner that for virtually every lateral position in the region of the hinge, either the forward bar or rear mounting bar will accommodate the mounting of an applicator unit. In the past, the use of conventional hinges has made it impossible or impractical to mount the applicator units to the toolbar frame with universal adjustability of spacing yet maintaining uniform spacing between adjacent tools.
The present invention also provides for the application of load or ballast (i.e., a downward force) to the
Johnson Daryl T.
Moser Mark K.
Case LLC
Henkel Rebecca
Novosad Christopher J.
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