Cultivator

Details Cultivator Cultivator

1997-06-10

1999-08-31

Will, Thomas B.

Earth working

With drive means for tool or cleaner

Tool driven about generally vertical axis

172 25, A01B 3306

Patent

active

059441151

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention is directed to a cultivator and particularly to a cultivator which is useful in reafforestation but can also be used in other applications where selective cultivation in required.
Conventionally, when replanting is being effected to establish reafforestation, the surface is normally worked in rows with a cultivator in the form of a disc cultivator or a ripper which disturb the ground surface along the length of the row. The seedlings are then located at required positions along this cultivated row.
This form of cultivation disturbs some 50% of the soil's surface and thus leaves the area open for wind or water erosion before the regrowth of ground cover ad the new tree seedlings have acted to bind the surface and recovered it.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cultivator which enables reafforestation to occur with a disturbance of substantially less of the surface, of the order of 20%, thereby maximising the undisturbed land and, at the same time, minimising any overall disturbance of the surface and thus erosion.
The invention includes a cultivator having a body adapted to be mounted on a prime mover so that it can selectively be brought into contact with the ground, a rotatable shaft extending outwardly from the body and having connected thereto a tool head and tools thereon and adapted to work the ground surface.
It may be preferred that the cultivator is connected to the jib or boom of a prime mover
The tools may be preferably disposed symmetrically relative to the axis of the shaft but, if required, they can be asymmetric.
In a preferred form of the invention, the tools to work the grounds surface include a pair of tines or culters (cultivators) which are located at an angle to the vertical and which enter the ground whilst being rotated, to thereby cause disturbance of tile soil which breaks up the soil but which does not provide a glazed surface at the perimeter of the broken up area.
We may also prefer to provide a pair of discs which can be so located that when they move the soil which has been disturbed by the tines, they tend to form this into a mound.
In another aspect of the invention, the axis of rotation of the shaft may be moved so that the tool can be used to provide cultivated portion which is at a required angle to the side of a slope, notwithstanding the position of the prime mover.
In order that the invention may be more readily understood, we shall describe, in relation to the accompanying drawings, certain embodiments of the invention.
In these drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of the invention connected to a tracked excavator;
FIG. 2 is a view of the apparatus when about to contact ground surface;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view, with the tools of the apparatus at their maximum depth;
FIG. 4 is a view of the ground surface after cultivation;
FIG. 5 is a view of the apparatus when located to enter a slope at an angle to the body of the prime mover; and
FIG. 6 is a view of the tines and disks of the apparatus.
Before referring specifically to he drawing, we shall make certain general comments about the apparatus.
The main aspect of each of the forms of the apparatus is that there, is a rotatable work head 20 having tool receiving members thereon associated with a body 10 and the body is preferably associated with a prime mover and power source 30. Depending on the application, this could be a heavy cultivator, such as those known as Traxtivators, it could be a tractor, either heavy or light, or it could be a four-wheel drive vehicle with a power take off or a source of hydraulic fluid.
It will be appreciated that for reafforestation in native forests or rain forests, the apparatus will need to be heavy with substantial power whereas for an application such as planting trees on cleared land, a very much lighter apparatus can be used.
Also, the size of the device can depend on the application For example, a machine suitable for Australian forests could be too large for use in a Malaysian oil tree operation.
Also, the form of drive selec

REFERENCES:
patent: 1506042 (1924-08-01), Bauer
patent: 2429298 (1947-10-01), Savage
patent: 2619017 (1952-11-01), Stephenson
patent: 3561540 (1971-02-01), Kaszkurewicz
patent: 4044839 (1977-08-01), van der Lely
patent: 4051903 (1977-10-01), van der Lely
patent: 4936390 (1990-06-01), Anderson et al.
patent: 5222563 (1993-06-01), Van Horlick

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