Earth working – Rolling – rotating or orbitally moving tool – With disk cleaning means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-20
2001-05-29
Batson, Victor (Department: 3671)
Earth working
Rolling, rotating or orbitally moving tool
With disk cleaning means
C111S052000, C111S167000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237696
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to ground opener units, particularly to planting units for forming a furrow in the ground and depositing seeds therein. More particularly, the present invention relates to equipment of the type noted above employing improved scraper devices for cleaning a surface of the disc opener used therein.
Planting assemblies of the type noted above are typically arranged such that the opener disc is held at an angle from the forward direction of travel so that the disc has a leading face and a trailing face. The disc displaces soil laterally as it travels forward and opens a furrow following the trailing face. In wet conditions, soil tends to stick to the trailing face so it is common to provide a scraper to clean the disc. The scraper also acts to prevent loose soil from falling back into the furrow until the seed is properly placed into the furrow. The disc is subject to flexing as lateral forces are applied to the disc when opening the furrow. The scraper must be held close to the disc but not so tightly as to cause a braking action on the disc; therefor the scraper must be allowed to flex and move with the disc's deflection.
The prior art has provided a variety of scraping devices for use in angled disc openers. Reference may be had for example to U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,806 and 5,787,994. Additionally, an earlier version of an implement developed by the assignee of the present invention employed a bracket which supported the disc scraper and which included a three bolt triangular pattern for adjusting the angle of the bracket. The bracket pivoted on the head of a carriage bolt as the three fasteners were tightened to effect angle adjustment. However, this prior design had a number of disadvantages in that adjustment of one fastener required corresponding readjustment of at least one of the other fasteners; adjustment of the desired angle was complicated and time consuming with the three fastener system and the bracket often became permanently deformed if one fastener was tightened without first loosening the others. Additionally, this rigid adjustment system did not allow the scraper to flex in response to irregularities or flexing of the disc blade.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the present invention are to provide disc scraper assemblies permitting quick and ready adjustment of the scraper to provide a scraper mounting giving a degree of resiliency to allow scraper flexing in response to disc irregularities or flexing of the disc during use and furthermore to provide for resiliency or rocking motion of the scraper about plural axes thereby to assist in keeping the scraper edge parallel to the disc surface while the disc flexes during use, thereby to ensure proper cleaning at all times.
A scraper assembly for a disc opener in accordance with the invention in one aspect includes a scraper plate defining a scraper edge for contacting and scraping a disc, said scraper plate defining a mounting region remote from said edge; a scraper plate mount adjacent said mounting region, a resilient component interposed between said mounting region and said plate mount, and a spaced pair of fasteners extending through said mounting region to secure said scraper plate and resilient component to said scraper plate mount, said pair of fasteners being located in selected positions in said mounting region relative to said resilient component such that said scraper plate is capable of being tilted or rocked relative to said scraper plate mount in response to forces applied to said scraper plate.
The above-noted resilient component preferably comprises a pad of resilient material. Preferably, said scraper blade tends to tilt about at least first and second axes which intersect one another.
In a preferred form of the invention said first axis extends generally parallel to a line extending between said fasteners, said scraper edge being located to one side of and spaced from the first axis and a substantial portion of the area of said resilient pad being located to the opposite side of said axis such that moments of force about said first axis are developed to assist said scraper edge to follow a disc surface.
In a preferred form of the invention said scraper edge is located to one side of and spaced from the first axis and a substantial portion of the area of said resilient pad is located to the opposite side of said axis such that moments of force about axis are developed to assist said scraper edge to follow a disc surface.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention said fasteners are capable of being tightened or loosened both individually and collectively to vary the degree of compression of said resilient pad, with collective tightening of said fasteners tending to rock said scraper plate about the first axis and to increase the force applied to a disc surface via said scraper edge while differential tightening of said fasteners tends to rock said scraper plate about said second axis whereby to affect the alignment between said scraper edge and a disc surface.
Further according to a preferred embodiment said scraper edge is disposed such that disc surface irregularities encountered by said scraper edge tend to create moments of force and rocking motion of said scraper plate about both the first and second axes.
In a further aspect of the invention the above described scraper assembly is combined with a ground opener unit including an arm attachable to an implement frame and having a disc rotatably mounted to said arm for forming a furrow in the ground. Said disc is preferably held, in use, at an angle to the forward direction of travel to displace soil and open a furrow so that said disc has a leading surface and a trailing surface with said scraper assembly being adapted to scrape said trailing surface of the disc.
It is an advantage of this invention that the two fastener adjustment is relatively simple.
It is another advantage of this invention that the resilient pad allows for scraper plate adjustment by adjusting only one of the fasteners.
It is still another advantage of this invention that the resilient pad provides bias of the scraper plate toward the disc surface while allowing flexing in response to disc deflection and that the resilient pad provides resilient bias of the scraper plate about multiple axes to keep the scraper edge parallel to the disc surface while the disc flexes during use.
These and other objects, features and advantages can be accomplished according to the instant invention by a ground opener unit for a seeding or planting unit that includes an arm attachable to an implement frame and a disc rotatably mounted to the arm for forming a furrow in the ground. A scraper assembly includes a scraper plate defining a scraper edge for contacting and scraping a surface of the disc. The scraper plate defines a mounting region remote from the edge. A scraper plate mount secures the scraper plate adjacent the disc and a resilient pad of material is interposed between the plate mounting region and the scraper plate mount. A spaced pair of fasteners extend through the mounting region to secure the scraper plate and resilient pad to the scraper plate mount. The fasteners are located in selected positions in the mounting region relative to the resilient pad such that the scraper plate is capable of being tilted or rocked when said scraper edge encounters irregularities thus assisting the scraper edge to follow the disc surface during use.
REFERENCES:
patent: 663436 (1900-12-01), Heylman
patent: 742908 (1903-11-01), Sanders
patent: 832938 (1906-10-01), Waterman
patent: 1456581 (1923-05-01), White
patent: 1791462 (1931-02-01), Bermel
patent: 4313503 (1982-02-01), Good et al.
patent: 4330041 (1982-05-01), Ankenman
patent: 4333535 (1982-06-01), Hentrich, Sr.
patent: 5269237 (1993-12-01), Baker et al.
patent: 5443126 (1995-08-01), Skjaeveland
patent: 5727638 (1998-03-01), Woodrich et al.
patent: 5787994 (1998-08-01), Friesen
patent: 6024179 (2000-02-01), Bourgault
patent: 326645 (1981-04-01), None
patent: 22116
Batson Victor
Flexi-Coil Ltd.
Miller Larry W.
Stader John William
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