Earth working – Diverse tools
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-14
2001-02-27
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3673)
Earth working
Diverse tools
C172S200000, C171S132000, C404S091000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192992
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a machine for soil or earth preparation, particularly although not exclusively in the agricultural field.
BACKGROUND ART
In the preparation of fields for planting of agricultural crops, the aim of soil preparation is to bury a crop residue and weeds from a previous crop, loosen the soil, and provide a suitable tilth for the crop to be planted. Many crops require relatively small soil particles on the uppermost layer of the soil, at a depth of a few centimeters to tens of centimeters from the surface, this being the depth at which the seed for the crop is sown.
Conventional methods of soil preparation include a primary cultivation and a secondary cultivation. In the primary cultivation, crop residue from the previous crop, and weeds are buried within the soil, and in the secondary cultivation, an uppermost layer of the soil is broken down into relatively small sized particles.
The most popular tool for carrying out the primary cultivation for hundreds of years has been the conventional plough. The plough inverts the soil, giving excellent burial of surface residues. However, there are disadvantages with the conventional plough. Firstly, because the soil is in contact with the plough share, mould board and skimmer, there are high levels of friction in drawing the plough through the soil. Where the plough is towed by a wheeled tractor, because the force necessary to pull the plough is transmitted to the ground through the tractor wheels, there may occur wheel slippage in wet conditions, which causes the soil underneath the tractor wheels to smear and compact, in the bottom of the furrow. The smeared and compacted soil impedes drainage from the furrow.
Secondly because a plough body turns soils over into a space left by a preceding plough body, it is not possible to start at one side of a field and work up and down a field, without the use of a reversible plough which has a set of left hand mould boards for ploughing down a field in one direction, and another opposite set of mould boards for ploughing up the field in an opposite direction.
The reversible plough is expensive, and has the operational complication of switching between mould boards for ploughing in different directions.
A third problem with the conventional plough is that as tractors increase in size, farmers require ploughs with more furrows. As each furrow must be staggered on the plough frame, the total length of the plough frame becomes unmanageable.
Once the primary cultivation of the land has been completed by ploughing, the secondary cultivation is carried out on the soil structure let by the plough. Machines for secondary cultivation include trailed or powered harrows, which break clods by striking, cutting or crushing, to reduce clod size and consolidate the seed bed.
FR-A-2566615 describes a machine for burying stones under finer soil to reclaim stony land. The machine uses a vibrating sieve to grade the stones. However, the machine does not cultivate the soil in so far as the soil is not broken up into smaller particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,785,613, U.S. Pat. No. 2,110,997 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,786,226 describe machines for the preparation of farmland. Each discloses means for breaking the soil such as by means of a hammer mill, a shaker and a toothed cylinder respectively. However, in each case objectionable material, such as stones, is conveyed to a dump box or the like.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Specific embodiments of the present invention aim to provide a single machine of cultivation of land in one or more passes.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a machine for preparation of soil comprising a soil lifting means for lifting a layer of soil, a soil breaking means for breaking up the layer of soil, and a frame, the soil lifting means and soil breaking means being attached to the frame, characterised in that said soil breaking means comprises a web or grader, the soil being dropped onto or thrown towards said web or grader such that impact of the soil with said web or grader causes a reduction of the soil into smaller particles, and wherein the machine comprises a web or grader for grading the soil particles into coarse and fine particles, the soil layer being re-laid onto the exposed soil bed such that the coarse particles are situated underneath the fine particles in the re-laid soil layer. Suitably, the machine is adapted to be towed behind a tractor unit. As the machine moves in a forward direction, the soil lifting means lifts a surface layer of soil, thereby exposing a soil bed or subsoil bed. The soil layer is broken up into smaller sized particles by the soil breaking means, and is then re-laid onto the soil bed. By lifting and breaking up the upper layer of soil in an area of land, the soil layer can be broken down into smaller sized soil particles. Preferably, the soil layer is lifted to a height above a height of the original undisturbed soil layer.
Preferably, the web/grader for grading the soil particles also performs the function of breaking up the soil. The soil layer is preferably broken up into coarse and fine soil particles.
Preferably, the soil layer is broken by being dropped from a height above the height of the original undisturbed soil layer.
Preferably, said lifting means comprises one or a plurality of shares, arranged to cut into the soil layer as the machine is drawn in a forward direction.
Preferably, the soil lifting means comprises a conveyor. Preferably, the conveyor carries the soil in a direction upwardly and towards the rear of the machine. Preferably, the conveyor is angled to convey the soil to a height above the height of the original undisturbed soil layer. The conveyor may be a rubber conveyor, although any suitable material may be used. Preferably, the conveyor is driven by a power take off shaft of the tractor.
The soil breaking means may further comprise one or a plurality of rotors or tines arranged to break the soil layer as it travels up the conveyor. One or a plurality of rollers may be included to crush lumps of soil.
Preferably, the web or grader is situated under an upper end of the conveyor. The web or grader may be vibrated. The web or grader may be provided with one or a plurality of agitators or scrubbers.
Preferably the soil breaking means comprises two web or grader devices. A first web or grader device may be arranged substantially horizontally and a second web or grader may be arranged substantially vertically or at a slight, preferably rearwards, angle to the vertical. Preferably, the second web/grader is located above and towards the rear of the first web/grader. Preferably the second web/grader has a forward face adapted in use to move upwards.
Preferably the machine comprises a further soil breaking means mounted forwardly of the first soil breaking means for partially cutting or breaking the soil before it passes to the soil lifting means. Preferably, the further soil breaking means comprises one or more discs or a roller which may be adjustable to control the depth of the shares. Preferably, the roller incorporates one or more discs, or tines spaced across its width.
The relatively fine particles may occupy predominantly an upper portion of the re-laid soil layer to a depth 0 to 90 mm from the surface of the re-laid soil layer, however there is no limit to the depth of the finer particles within the re-laid layer
Preferably, the soil layer drops onto the web/grader at rear end of web/grader. Preferably, the finest soil particles fall through a rear most end of the web/grader and the coarsest particles fall through or from a front end of the web/grader, such that as the web/grader moves forward the coarsest particles are deposited directly onto the soil bed or subsoil bed, and successively finer soil particles are re-laid over the coarse particles as the machine moves forward.
Some, or most of the surface trash and crop residue may also be carried by the web or grader to be deposited under the finer particles. On stony soil, the larger stones may be deposited under the smaller ston
Addie Raymond
Jenkins & Wilson, P.A.
Lillis Eileen D.
LandOfFree
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