Planting – Liquid or gas soil treatment – Drilling machines
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-09
2003-01-14
Batson, Victor (Department: 3671)
Planting
Liquid or gas soil treatment
Drilling machines
C111S162000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06505568
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an applicator mechanism driven by a tractor or other land vehicle for introducing a fluid chemical such as a pesticide or fertilizer into turf of the type found on a golf course, athletic field, sod farm or other grass covered area. The mechanism is also suitable for introducing a fluid containing beneficial organisms into the turf.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Large grass covered expanses are commonly found on golf courses, athletic fields, sod farms and other locations. Many turf surfaces require regular treatment with fertilizers and pesticides. Golf course grasses are particularly susceptible to damage from worm-like pests known as nematodes. These minute creatures tend to attack the roots of the grass and can cause extensive and very costly damage to fairways, greens and other areas of a golf course. Over the years, nematodes have built up a high level of resistance to many types of pesticides and have become very difficult to eradicate.
Conventionally, golf courses and other grass covered areas have been treated for nematodes and like by chemicals such as Nemicure™ or Mocap™. Nemicure™ is typically sprayed topically onto the area to be treated. This is a difficult and delicate procedure that is likely to fail if too much is applied and especially if the treated area is exposed to intense sunlight. Accordingly, this type of chemical must be carefully monitored and is utilized only when weather conditions permit. Moreover, pesticides applied topically to the grass present a toxic risk to birds and animals and are generally unsatisfactory from an environmental perspective. These topical chemicals exhibit a strong unpleasant odor. Pests such as nematodes have developed a strong resistance to virtually all of these chemicals.
Alternatively, pesticides such as Telone™ based Curfew™ and Vapam™ based Turfcure™ have been developed which are injected beneath the turf. These based products are usually introduced into the soil at spot intervals. The chemical vaporizes and disburses through the turf so that nematodes and similar pests are killed. Unfortunately, this technique has a number of shortcomings. The chemical pesticide tends to spread only a few inches from the release point. As a result, to fully and successfully treat an area, a large number of closely spaced injection points are required. The treatment operation therefore tends to be very time and labor intensive. Controlling the proper amount of injected pesticide is also very difficult. If an insufficient amount is introduced, the nematodes are not eliminated; however, injecting too much chemical may severely damage the grass and again presents serious environmental hazards. Moreover, when the injection equipment is removed from the soil, chemical residue tends to be deposited and left on the surface of the grass. The liquid chemical also vaporizes and is apt to work its way to the top of the turf, which presents an additional danger that the grass will be permanently harmed. All of these factors, as well as the restricted, unsatisfactory disbursement of the injected chemical, have severely limited the effectiveness of this technique.
In an attempt to improve the application of chemicals to grass covered areas, an articulated tractor has been developed. This machine employs a row or gang of axially aligned, rotatable disks or coulters suspended from a supporting frame or tool bar. A knife mounted chemical injector is carried behind each coulter. The machine cuts parallel furrows in the turf and injects a pesticide such as TeloneTM™ into these openings. Although chemical injection is somewhat improved, this apparatus is also seriously limited in its effectiveness. It is especially difficult to maneuver the blades freely through curves and tight turns of the type encountered on golf courses and similar grass covered areas. The rotating blades are fixedly orientated relative to the supporting frame and are not permitted to swivel about a vertical axis relative to the frame. As a result, all of the blades must turn together in the direction of travel as the applicator frame turns. This can cause the blades to bind and jam in the turf during turning. Operation is interrupted and delayed while the operator reverses the tractor to free the blades. This binding also tends to rip, tear and damage the turf. Conventional coulter blades are especially likely to jam and bind in the turf because the weight of the frame and the blades bears directly upon the turf. The machine currently available does not employ any apparatus for relieving this pressure and enabling the blades to cut more freely through the turf.
The relatively poor maneuverability of the foregoing chemical applicator is a particularly serious drawback when the machine is used to treat golf courses. These types of grass covered areas normally exhibit a wide variety of winding and rolling topographical features and contours defining the fairways, roughs, greens, etc. A tractor chemically treating the golf course, must be prepared to make many turns. Optimal maneuverability is required. Such maneuverability is simply unavailable using the known applicator machine because that mechanism is so susceptible to coulter binding. This severely limits the amount of acreage the machine can cover in a day.
A further problem with the conventional articulating applicator unit is that it employs a relatively low horsepower tractor. Typically, the mechanism is able to cover and treat an area of only about five acres per day. It may take a week or more to chemically treat an entire golf course. The treatment process is therefore very time consuming, labor intensive and expensive.
I have determined that a need also exists for improved biological treatment of turf. Occasionally, it is desirable to introduce beneficial nematodes into a grass turf in order to attack pests such as mole crickets. Conventionally these beneficial organisms are mixed in a fluid slurry that is applied to the turf by a standard seeder. The depth at which the slurry is introduced into the turf cannot be controlled. As a result, optimally beneficial results are difficult to achieve. Indeed, none of the known machines for chemically or biologically treating turf allow for adjustment of the depth at which the treating substance is disposed so that the most effective treatment possible is achieved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for quickly, efficiently and successfully introducing a pesticide, fertilizer or other chemical treatment into a turf surface of the type found on a golf course, athletic field, sod farm or other grass covered area.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a chemical applicator mechanism that introduces chemicals at depths under a turf surface such that improved chemical disbursement and successful treatment are achieved.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a chemical applicator that applies chemicals to a turf surface much more completely, efficiently, safely and effectively than known topical and spot injection application techniques.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a chemical applicator that allows chemicals to be introduced into a turf surface without creating an undue risk of damage to the grass or the surrounding environment.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a chemical applicator that provides much better coverage and chemical disbursement than conventional machines and which significantly reduces the time, labor and expense involved in chemically treating a grass covered area.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a chemical applicator that may be maneuvered quickly and effectively over golf courses and other contoured grass covered areas.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a chemical applicator that may be driven over golf courses and other grass covered surfaces without causing undue damage to the turf.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a chemical applic
Batson Victor
Hendrix and Dail, Inc.
Noonan William E.
LandOfFree
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