Planting – Drilling and broadcasting – Main and auxiliary frame machines
Patent
1982-03-22
1984-05-29
Feyrer, James R.
Planting
Drilling and broadcasting
Main and auxiliary frame machines
111 34, 414523, A01C 1100
Patent
active
044507780
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a planter for sugar cane cut into billets about 45 centimeters long. The planter includes a chain and slat conveyor for metering billets out of a hopper. A doffer is provided to remove excess billets from the slats on the conveyor to help control the discharge rate.
BACKGROUND ART
The mechanical sugar cane billet planters developed to date have not successfully solved all the problems associated with planting cane. A number of these planters require people to meter the can into furrows by hand. Some of the planters developed in the past deliver substantially more cane to the furrow than required in order to ensure that there is sufficient cane in all parts of the furrow. Other planters have been relatively successful at metering cane billets into a furrow but in the process have damaged the eyes on the billets. The eyes on cane billets are susceptible to damage during handling which will prevent the eyes from growing.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The sugar cane billet planter includes a frame, a hitch assembly on the frame for attaching the frame to a draft vehicle, a sugar cane billet hopper mounted on the frame and a billet metering mechanism. The billet metering mechanism includes a billet delivery assembly mounted on the frame for delivering billets to a furrow in the soil and an endless chain and slat conveyor mounted on the frame for conveying billets out of the hopper and delivering them to the cane billet delivery assembly. The endless chain and slat conveyor includes an upper roller with projection means that extends outwardly from the axis of rotation of the upper roller past the endless chain and between the slats for doffing excess billets from the slats.
The projection means on the upper roller includes an arcuate billet engaging surface that is timed with the slats so that the arcuate surface does not contact a slat.
A return guide sheet is provided to catch the excess billets doffed from the slats by the projection means. Excess billets fall on the guide sheet after they are pushed off the slats by the projection means. These excess billets slide gently down the guide sheet and fall back into the billet hopper.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the sugar cane billet planter with portions broken away to show the inside of the hopper and the billet metering mechanism;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the upper roller of the endless chain and slat conveyor including the projection means for doffing excess billets; and
FIG. 3 is a reduced scale sectional view taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The sugar cane billet planter 10 includes a frame 12, a hitch assembly 14, a sugar cane billet hopper 16 and a billet metering mechanism 18. Normally, the sugar cane billet planter would also include a furrow opening assembly 20 and a fertilizer distributor 22. A drive 24 for the billet metering mechanism 18 and the fertilizer distributor 22 must also be provided.
The frame 12 as shown in FIG. 1 includes a horizontal fore and aft rear frame section 26. A pair of support wheels 28 are rotatably secured to struts 30 extending downwardly from the rear portion of the horizontal fore and aft rear frame section 26 of the frame 12. Hopper attaching flanges 32 and 34 are integral with the horizontal fore and aft rear frame section 26 of the frame 12.
A forward frame section 36 includes a yoke 38 pivotally secured to the horizontal fore and aft rear frame section 26 by a shaft 40. The shaft 40 is integral with the yoke 38 and is pivotally retained in the horizontal fore and aft rear frame section 26 for pivotal movement about a horizontal fore and aft axis. The lower forward arm portions of the yoke 38 are pivotally secured to ears 42 on a ring 44 by horizontal transverse pivot pins 45.
The ring 44 is pivotally secured to connector ring 46 for pivotal movement relative to the ring 44 about a generally vertical axis. A hitch assembly 14 including attaching plates 48, adapted to be co
REFERENCES:
patent: 2617556 (1952-11-01), Hulett
patent: 3344830 (1967-10-01), Longman
patent: 3907135 (1975-09-01), Populin et al.
patent: 3923332 (1975-12-01), Shirouzu
patent: 3943862 (1976-03-01), Populin et al.
patent: 4119024 (1978-10-01), White
patent: 4204491 (1980-05-01), Quick
patent: 4314514 (1982-02-01), Binder
Farris Robert L.
Feyrer James R.
Massey-Ferguson Services N.V.
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