Planting – Drilling – Having depositor feature
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-19
2001-04-17
Novosad, Christopher J. (Department: 3671)
Planting
Drilling
Having depositor feature
C111S192000, C111S194000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216616
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to agricultural seeding implements and more particularly, to a mid row banding pneumatic coulter drill and a method of fertilizing and seeding the crop in a single pass.
BACKGROUND
Farming in many parts of the dry land wheat growing areas of the world, especially in more technically advanced regions, is moving towards less and less tillage prior to seeding. Seeding directly into untilled fields is becoming quite common and gaining in popularity as our implements can ensure seed and nitrogen fertilizer separation while seeding.
There are many benefits from reducing tillage prior to seeding including reduced soil erosion, better moisture conservation and reduced weed growth. This results in reduced operating cost, better seed germination and crop establishment.
Seeding implements which can apply seed and fertilizer in one pass are gaining in popularity, particularly due to the high cost of labour in farming. Examples of such implements include air hoe drills and cultivators with dual shoot boots and air hoe drills and cultivators with mid row fertilizer banding coulters. A challenge for farm equipment designers is to create machines that are capable of placing any and all of the necessary crop production agents, i.e. generally seed and fertilizer but also possibly seed and fertilizer coatings, into the soil while not adversely affecting the opportunity for good crop germination, emergence and establishment. A highly desirable characteristic of the equipment that performs the placement of the products of good crop production is minimal soil disturbance. Another is precise seed placement. A third is good covering of the seed with soil prior to packing. Yet another is adequate compaction of the soil around the seed to ensure good seed to soil contact.
Present day seeding implements generally have two types of ground opening systems. These are hoe or disk systems. Some seeding units combine both systems.
A multitude of coulter disk equipped seeding implements have been manufactured that can adequately perform the seeding function in certain soil conditions. However, many have failed to perform adequately over a wide range of soil conditions. Some are expensive to purchase, onerous to maintain and very time consuming to adjust for different soil penetration depths. Thus, there is a need to provide an implement which includes a combination of elements, proven effective in producing good crop emergence and establishment in a broad range of conditions with low soil disturbance. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a device which is less expensive to produce and more operator friendly to both operate and maintain.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The implement of the present invention is attached to an air seeder cart with at least one hopper bin but more often has a multitude of hopper bins that contain at least seed and fertilizer. The air seeder cart may contain seed or fertilizer that has previously been treated or coated with an agent or variety of agents. The seeding implement can also have directly, or indirectly attached to it a liquid fertilizer container or pressure vessel containing anhydrous ammonia.
In the method of seeding and fertilizing carried out by the present invention, the contents of the liquid fertilizer or anhydrous ammonia is directed to fertilizer depositing coulters located mid-way between the seed coulters.
The seed rows created are directly in line with packer wheels, whereas the fertilizer coulters are generally mid-way between the seed coulters and are not followed by packer wheels. Fertilizer depositing coulters are generally set to penetrate the soil somewhat deeper than the seed depositing coulters, however, this is not always the case. The relationship can vary between soil type, crop type and soil moisture conditions. The coulter disk fertilizer depositing coulters are generally adjustable in height to vary the relationship between the seeding and fertilizing depth. In summary, the implement of the present invention has both seed and fertilizer disk coulter assemblies. The disk coulter assemblies, however, can interchangeably be used for both fertilizer or seed or a combination of the two. However, when only seed is being deposited in a row it should be followed by a furrow closing wheel preferably and then packed.
The implement of the present invention is typically towed over the soil by an agricultural tractor. The disk coulters are fixedly mounted to the horizontal cross bars of the frame of the implement and run in an acute angle to the direction of travel, generally 1° to 50°. The implement frame supporting the disk coulters of the present invention is raised and lowered using at least one hydraulic cylinder by actuation of a hydraulic control located within the tractor cab.
Once the coulters are lowered such that they enter the soil, they create slots or furrows into which are delivered the agents of crop production including at least seed and fertilizer. Packer wheels are aligned in direct registration with the seed depositing coulters. In the case where split wheel packers are used, the centre of the seed row is in registration with the geometric mid point between the pair of packer wheel disks. The split row packer wheels pack the seed by lateral soil compaction. Split wheel packers leave an area on the surface of the soil unpacked to try and ensure that soil crusting will not occur. Soil crusting in clay soils can adversely affect crop emergence.
In one embodiment of the invention, the coulter disk assembly includes a spring loaded scraper which protects a material delivery tube. Once the soil has passed the spring loaded scraper and the material delivery tube, most of the soil tends to fall back into the furrow or slot to cover the material deposited. In the case of the seed disk coulters the soil is packed by packer wheels generally located over the seed row. The fertilizer disk coulter furrows are not packed using packer wheels.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seed coulters and sometimes the fertilizer coulters, are equipped with a furrow closing wheel. The wheel runs at an acute angle to the direction of travel and is located behind the disk coulter. It's purpose is to push dirt over the furrow. In the case of seed disk coulters, the furrow closing wheels are located between the disk coulters and the packer wheels and push soil over the seed furrow that is subsequently packed by the packer wheel.
In a preferred embodiment, the furrow closing wheel is pivotally attached by an arm to the disk coulter mounting bracket. The furrow closing wheel is located on the side of the disk coulter that pushes the soil to the side. The idea is to push the soil that has been forced out when the furrow is formed back into and over the furrow. If there is any straw that is inadvertently pushed into the furrow by the disk coulter, the soil pushed back over the furrow tends to fill in around the straw and assist the packer wheel to produce good seed to soil contact.
Furrow closing wheels can also be added to the fertilizer coulter assemblies and particularly when anhydrous ammonia is used which in the gaseous form will escape from the furrow if not trapped under the earth.
In another embodiment of the invention, caster wheels are pivotally attached to the front of the frame to provide support to the front of the frame of the implement. The front caster wheel assemblies are also designed to raise the front of the frame so that the disk coulters are no longer in contact with the ground. This is done using hydraulic cylinders, and important for transport.
In the present invention, packer wheels are grouped together in gangs using long shafts, and the packer wheel shafts are pivotally attached to packer frames. Each packer gang frame is pivotally attached to the rear of the frame by pull arms. Typically, two gangs are tied together using a beam and pivotal connections to produce a type of motion in the gangs which in the industry is typically referred to as a “walking beam” motion
Bourgault Industries Ltd.
Michael & Best & Friedrich LLP
Novosad Christopher J.
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