Planting – Drilling – Furrow opener
Patent
1997-06-30
1999-11-02
Batson, Victor
Planting
Drilling
Furrow opener
111 55, 111 59, 172180, 172165, 172657, A01C 500
Patent
active
059749873
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a seed drilling implement which is intended to be mounted behind a tractor or other propelling vehicle, and to form drills in the ground into which seed can be introduced.
The invention is particularly suitable for use as a direct drilling machine, but it should be understood that the invention may also be applied to a seed drill which introduces seed into already ploughed ground, or at least partly cultivated soil.
In the past, it has been common practice to plough, and then harrow, and then last of all to carry out seed drilling. This is a costly exercise in labour and fuel costs, and in many areas there have been problems with wind and water erosion of the field. Therefore, it has become more common practice, in such areas, to omit the ploughing and harrowing stages, and to drill directly into the field in the form in which it has been left after the last harvest. The straw and plant residuals, and stubble, protect the surface of the soil, so that wind and water do not have the opportunity to erode the soil, as can be the case with the previous practice of first ploughing and then harrowing, before seed drilling.
A seed-drilling implement according to the invention may be mounted at the rear of a propelling vehicle via a weight transfer coupling of the general type disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/737,972, and which teaches an improved coupling mechanism which transfers part of the weight of the propelling vehicle (agricultural tractor) to the frame of the implement, to increase the downward load applied to ground working implements, which is additional to the gravity load of the implement). The disclosure in this copending patent application is incorporated herein by reference.
However, it should be understood that the use of such a weight transfer coupling is only one preferred example of a coupling which may be used in the present invention, and that this invention also includes the possibility of use of any suitable other existing type of rear coupling to a usual rear 3-point linkage of an agricultural tractor.
The provision of a weight transfer type of coupling (from the rear of the propelling vehicle to the front part of the frame of the drill) is particularly preferred, in that it allows a lightweight seed drill to be designed, while still providing a sufficient downward force on the drilling elements despite the smaller gravity effect of a lightweight implement.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a seed drilling implement which comprises:
a frame;
coupling means at the forward end of the frame to couple the implement to the rear of a propelling vehicle;
drilling elements mounted on the frame at or near the rear end of the frame;
coulters mounted on the frame forwardly of the respective drilling elements and operable to carry out preliminary opening of the ground and prior to engagement of the opened ground by the drilling elements;
packer elements mounted on the frame forwardly of the coulters and arranged at least partly to support the frame so as to control the operating depth of the coulters and the drilling elements; and,
an associated packer element mounted rearwardly of the respective drilling element, and arranged to exert a soil-packing operation over each seeded row formed by the drilling element.
A seed drilling implement according to the invention is particularly, though not exclusively, suitable for use as a direct drilling machine. Use of such a machine involves direct drilling into the ground, without first carrying out ploughing and harrowing stages, and the arrangement of the forward mounted packer elements, and following coulters, is particularly effective in carrying out preliminary working of the surface of the ground e.g. plant residuals, stubble and straw, and the cutting action of the coulters can prevent any straw from clogging-up the following working tools of the implement.
Preferably, each drilling element and associated rearwardly mounted packer element are mounted on a common mounting bracket, which is
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Langbakk Hans Petter
Salte Torstein
Batson Victor
Kverneland Klepp AS
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