AU2018100865B4

AU2018100865B4 - Replaceable seeding boot

Info

Publication number: AU2018100865B4
Application number: AU2018100865A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jack Auldist
Original assignee: Cruel Sea Technologies Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Cruel Sea Technologies Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2018-06-25
Filing date: 2018-06-25
Publication date: 2022-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2026-06-25
Also published as: AU2018100865A4

Abstract

A seeding boot assembly includes a body portion, a wear member and a rear cover. The rear cover combines with the body portion to define a seed travel chute. The wear member is separately attachable to a lower front end of the body portion, and can be readily replaced without the remainder of the assembly being affected.

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

Invention title:

"REPLACEABLE SEEDING BOOT"

Applicant:

CRUEL SEA TECHNOLOGIES PTY LTD

Associated provisional applications:

The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:

"REPLACEABLE SEEDING BOOT"

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to agricultural machines being seeders arranged to create furrows and deposit seeds within. In particular, the present invention relates to a seeding boot for use as part of a seeder.

Background to the Invention

[0002] A seeder is a piece of agricultural machinery arranged to be drawn by a tractor. Generally, a seeder has a plurality of seeding units spaced across its width. Each seeding unit has a number of components: a leading 'knife' or tine arranged to penetrate the ground and create a furrow as the seeder is pulled forward; a fertiliser tube through which liquid or granular fertiliser can be deposited in the furrow, a seeding 'boot' through which seeds can be deposited into the furrow, and a trailing press wheel which acts to close the furrow.

[0003] For the avoidance of doubt, the term 'seeding boot' as used herein refers to an element arranged to move through a furrow created by a leading knife.

[0004] The seeding boot is subject to significant abrasive wear. As such, it is necessary for the seeding boot to be periodically replaced.

[0005] It is desirable to construct seeders with seeding boots which are readily replaceable. It is also important that the seeding boots are securely and rigidly held in position during use.

[0006] Replaceable seeding boots are generally formed as unitary components including a ground engaging portion, a seeder tube connection, at least one seed delivery opening, and an adjustable coupling for connection to the seeder. The ground engaging portion is typically faced with an abrasion resistant material.

[0007] The present invention proposes a replacable seeding boot which allows for different wear rates to be accommodated more efficiently than in unitary seeding boots.

Summary of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a seeding boot assembly arranged to mount to a seeding apparatus frame, the assembly including a body portion and a wear member, the body portion being arranged to attach to the seeding apparatus frame, the assembly including a seed travel path, the body portion including a seed receiving tube forming part of the seed travel path, the wear member having a leading wear edge having at least one wear face, the wear member being arranged to connect to the body portion, wherein the seed travel path is external of the wear member. For the avoidance of doubt, "the seed travel path is external of the wear member" means that that no part of the seed travel path goes through the wear member. In use, seeds passing through the seed travel pass to the the ground do no pass through the wear member.

[0009] It is preferred that the seeding boot assembly includes a rear cover, the rear cover cooperating with the body portion to form a channel being part of the seed travel path.

[0010] The wear member may be arranged to attach to the body portion by means of a pin oriented transverse to the direction of travel.

[0011] According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a wear member for use within a seeding boot assembly, the wear member being arranged to connect to a body portion of the seeding boot assembly, the wear member having a leading wear edge having at least one wear face, the wear member being external to a seed travel path of the seeding boot assembly.

[0012] The wear member may include seed directing faces located to the rear of the leading wear edge.

[0013] The wear member may include abrasion resistant surfaces on its wear face(s).

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] It will be convenient to further describe the invention with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention. Other embodiments are possible, and consequently the particularity of the following discussion is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings:

[0015] Figure 1 is an exploded view of a seeding boot assembly according to the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 is a perspective of a wear member similar to that within the seeding boot assembly of Figure 1;

[0017] Figure 3 is a front view of the wear member of Figure 2;

[0018] Figure 4 is a side view of the wear member of Figure 2;

[0019] Figure 5 is a perspective of a body portion similar to that within the seeding boot assembly of Figure 1;

[0020] Figure 6 is a side view of the body portion of Figure 5;

[0021] Figure 7 is a perspective of a rear cover within the seeding boot assembly of Figure 1; and

[0022] Figure 8 is an exploded view of a seeding boot according to the present invention incorporating an alternative wear member.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

[0023] Referring to the Figures, there is shown a seeding boot assembly 10 having three main components: a body portion 12, a wear member 14 and a rear cover 16.

[0024] Figures 2 to 4 show a wear member 20, which is similar to the wear member 14 of Figure 1.

[0025] The wear member 20 has an attachment portion 22 and a base 24.

[0026] The attachment portion 22 includes two generally vertical side walls 26, spaced apart to define a channel 28. The side walls 26 are generally triangular in shape. A front wall 30 extends between the side walls 26 to close one side of the channel 28. Each of the side walls 26 has a locating tab 32 extending beyond the front wall 30.

[0027] A cylindrical pin recess 34 passes through the attachment portion 22, close to the base 24. The pin recess 34 passes through both side walls 26 and the channel 28. The pin recess 34 is oriented in a transverse direction relative to a direction-of-travel of the seeding boot assembly 10.

[0028] The base 24 has two angled walls 40, which extend downwardly and away from the attachment portion 22 in an inverted 'V' shape when seen from the front.

[0029] The angled walls 40 each have a leading edge 42. The leading edges 42 are angled relative to the vertical, such that they extend from the attachment portion 22 in a direction downwardly and towards a rear of the wear member 20.

[0030] Each leading edge 42 is thus angled with respect to both vertical and horizontal directions.

[0031] Each leading edge 42 has a strip of abrasion resistant material, such as carbide, bonded to it.

[0032] The wear member 14 of Figure 1 differs from the wear member 20 of Figures 2 to 4 in that it has a rearwardly projecting, triangular-pyramid shaped splitter 44. The splitter 44 has a generally horizontal lower surface, and two upper surfaces 46 which are both oriented at about 450 relative to the vertical.

[0033] Figures 5 and 6 show a body portion 50, which is similar to the body portion 12 of Figure 1. The body portion 50 includes a connection portion 52 at a front upper end thereof, the connection portion 52 being arranged to bolt to a seeding apparatus frame.

[0034] The body portion 50 includes a vertically oriented, cylindrical tube receiving member 54 located to the rear of the connection portion 52. The tube-receiving member 54 is arranged to connect to a seed-dispensing tube 56 of the seeding apparatus frame.

[0035] The body portion 50 has a generally vertical main wall 58, extending downwardly from the connection portion 52. The main wall 58 is generally perpendicular to the direction of travel of the assembly 10.

[0036] The main wall 58 has side faces 60.

[0037] At a lower front corner 62 of the main wall 58, each of the side faces has a recess 64 formed into it. The effect is to create a front corner 62 of the main wall 58 which has a smaller width than the remainder of the main wall 58. The width of the front corner 62 corresponds to the width of the channel 28 of the attachment portion 22.

[0038] The recesses 64 each have an upper shoulder portion 66 arranged to correspond to locating tabs 32 of the side walls 26.

[0039] The outer edge front corner 62 is shaped to complement the shape of the channel 28, and includes a laterally aligned pin recess 68. It will be appreciated that the wear member 20 can thus be located such that each side wall 26 of the attachment portion 22 locates in a recess 68, with the locating tabs 32 being positioned within the upper shoulder portions 66 and the pin recess 34 being coaxial with the pin recess 68. It will further be appreciated that a pin 70 can be slotted into the coaxial pin recesses 34, 68 to fix the wear member 20 to the body portion 50.

[0040] At a rear edge of the main wall 58, each of the side faces 60 has a second recess 72 formed into it. The effect is to create a rear edge 74 of the main wall 58 which has a smaller width than the remainder of the main wall 58 (although larger than the width of the front corner 62). The depth of each second recess 72 corresponds to the material width of the rear cover 16.

[0041] A bolt receiving aperture 76 is located generally centrally of each second recess 72, extending through the main wall 58.

[0042] The body portion 12 of Figure 1 differs from the body portion 50 of Figures 5 and 6 in that the body portion 50 has a rearwardly projecting splitter 44 extending from a lower edge of the main wall 58. It will be appreciated that the splitter 44 of Figure 1 and the splitter 44 of Figures 5 and 6 ultimately locate in the same place relative to the seeding boot assembly 10, and the choice as to which component they are fixed does not affect their function.

[0043] The rear cover 16 is shown in Figure 7. The rear cover 16 is generally U-shaped in cross section, forming a channel 80. The rear cover 16 has flared lower edges 82, and rearwardly extending locating tabs 84 located along its open side. The locating tabs 84 each include a bolt receiving aperture 86.

[0044] The arrangement is such that the rear cover 16 can be located at the rear of the body portion 50, with its open side locating in the second recesses 72 and the bolt receiving apertures 86 being coaxial with the bolt receiving aperture 76. The rear cover 16 can be secured to the body portion 50 by means of a bolt 90.

[0045] When thus positioned, the flared lower edges 82 locate over the upper surfaces 46 of the splitter 44.

[0046] The channel 80 of the rear cover 16 and the rear edge 74 of the main wall 58 cooperate to form a generally vertical chute which communicates with the tube-receiving member 54. The seed dispensing tube 56; the tube receiving member 54 and the chute formed by the channel 80 together form a seed travel path. In use, a seed will travel downwardly through the seed travel path before striking the splitter 44 and being deflected away from the vertical axis into a furrow created by the seeding apparatus.

[0047] When the wear member 20 becomes sufficiently worn to necessitate replacement, removal of the pin 70 allows for the wear member 20 to be taken away and replaced, without the need for changing the body portion 50. Similarly, the rear cover 16 can be independently replaced if and when required.

[0048] It will be appreciated that the embodiments described above relate to a 'splitting boot', where the splitter 44 imparts a lateral deflection to the seed. Figure 8 shows use of an alternative wear member 92, with an attachment portion 22 identical to that of the wear member 20 and a base 94 which simply locates snugly below the main wall 58. In this case, each seed passes through the seed travel path and is deposited in the ground directly beneath the channel80.

[0049] Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

Claims 1. A seeding boot assembly arranged to mount to a seeding apparatus frame behind a leading knife, the assembly including a body portion and a wear member, the body portion being arranged to attach to the seeding apparatus frame, the assembly including a seed travel path, the body portion including a seed receiving tube forming part of the seed travel path, the wear member having a leading wear edge having at least one wear face, the wear member being arranged to connect to the body portion, wherein the seed travel path is external of the wear member.
2. A seeding boot assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seeding boot assembly includes a rear cover, the rear cover cooperating with the body portion to form a channel being part of the seed travel path.
3. A seeding boot assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the wear member is arranged to attach to the body portion by means of a pin oriented transverse to the direction of travel.
4. A wear member for use within a seeding boot assembly, the wear member being arranged to connect to a body portion of the seeding boot assembly, the wear member having a leading wear edge having at least one wear face, the wear member being external to a seed travel path of the seeding boot assembly.
5. A wear member as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wear member includes seed directing faces located to the rear of the leading wear edge.

CRUEL SEA TECHNOLOGIES PTY LTD By its Patent Attorneys ARMOUR IP

P2280AU00