CA1192074A

CA1192074A - Cultivator

Info

Publication number: CA1192074A
Application number: CA000388938A
Authority: CA
Inventors: William M. Johnson
Original assignee: Ralph McKay Ltd
Current assignee: Ralph McKay Ltd
Priority date: 1981-10-28
Filing date: 1981-10-28
Publication date: 1985-08-20

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A cultivator including in combination a tine and an earth engaging implement, the tine having a body portion and a foot portion. The foot portion is narrow in width and tapered towards its end in its vertical and/or horizontal cross-sectional dimensions. The earth engaging implement has a pointed earth engaging portion and a shaft portion, the shaft portion forming a socket complementary in shape to the tine foot, and which is narrow in its external width and is profiled to reduce soil disturbance.

Description

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Thls invention relates to lmprovemellts in agricultural implements partic~llarly tines and earth engaging points such as shares or sweeps.
Conventionally tines have been formed from rectangular cross-sectioned metal bar shaped to provide a curved profile with the longest cross-sectional dimens-ion transversely disposed to the direction of travel of the tine. The share or sweep conventionally is bolted to the foot of ~he tine or in some cases it is wedged onto the foot and primarily held on by frictional resistance as disclosed in Australian patent 106,027 dated 2nd June, 1938.
By providing tines with a wide Eorward profile some resilience was provided in addition to that provided by springs in the agricultural machinery to which the tines are secured. In addition the wide profile enabled bolts to be passed through the tine to secure the share or sweep. Bolts were used even with the frictional wedge tine assemblies to prevent twisting and consequential loosening of the tines.
Such conventional tines present a wide profile which with cultivating points produce a draft load which necessarily increases the deeper the soil penetration by the point. In addition unnecessary soil disturbance by the shaft of the earth engaging implement or the foot of the tine leads to unnecessary water loss in the soil.
It ;s an object of this invention to provide a tine and cultivator point which overcomes these prior art problems.

2.

To this end the present invention provides a cultivator cornprising in combination a tine and an earth engaging implement said tine having a body portion and a foot portion said foot being narrow in width and tapered towards its end in its vertical and/or horizont-al cross-sectional dimensions; and said earth engaging implement having a pointed earth engaging portion and a shaft portion said shaft portion forming a s,ocket comple-mentary in shape to said tine foot, said socket being narrow in its external width and profiled to reduce soil disturbance.
Preferably the shaft of the earth engaging implement is formed from the same plate metal as the body portion and is formed into a socket which surrounds the tine foot and the free edges of the socket form flanges that lie on the under hind side of the tine foot.
Preferably these flanges are inclined inwardly into corresponding depressed grooves in the under hind side of the tine foot. This arrangement ensures that under stress the flanges are not bent outwardly which would allow the implement to twist out of alignment on the tine Eoot and eventually loosen.
Because the tine foot is narrow in cross-sect-ion it is not possible to place a bolt hole through the tine and reliance for secure holding of the implement must reside in the frictional hold of the tine foot in the tapered socket of the implement. This is achieved in the socket arrangement of this invention.
Because of the narrow shaft of the implement of this invention and because oE the narrow tine soil

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displacement by the shaft or tine is minimi~ed and as a con-se~uence draft is reduced. Reduction in dra~t means that more implements can be pulled ~or a given horsepower o~ the tractor being used or alternatively a low horsepower tractor can be employed. Using a preferred implement and tine com-bination according to this invention, it was found that at a speed of five miles an hour, 27% less draft was required when cultivating to a depth of four inches when compared to con-ventional tine/implement combinations. With cultivation to three inches, draft reduction was 18~ and with 2 inch culti-vation draft was reduced by 15~. This represents a signifi-cant energy saving in cultivation.
A preferred form of the invention will now be de-scribed with respect to the drawings in which figures 1 to 6 represent respectively a front view, a side view, a sectional view along line 2-2A of figure 2, a sectional view along line

4-4 of figure 2, a sectional view along line 5-5 of figure 2 and a lower rear view of the tine while figures 7 to 11 rep~
resent respectively a front view, a side view, a front per-spective view, a sectional view of the shaft along lines 10-10 of figure 8 and a sectional view of the blade along line 11-11 of figure 8.
The tine 15 of this invention comprises a narrow profiled frame section 16, a heel 17 and a foot 18. The co-operating implement as illustrated is a sweep 25 which com-prises a sweep blade 26 and a shaft 27.
The foot 18 of tine 15 is tapered toward the heel 17 to fit in a wedge like fashion into the soc~et - -2C~

28 of shaEt 27 of the sweep 25. Socke-t 2~ .is tapered from the base of the shaft toward its top. The underside of tine foot 18 incorportes -two longi-tudinal grooves 19, 20 wi-th a central ridge 21 lying between them. These grooves accommodate the flanges 29, 30 of sweep socket 28. Flang-es 29, 30 are upturned inwardly to bite into the grooves 19, 20. This ensures a irm grip for the socket 28 on the tine foot 1~3 and prevents loosening of the socket.
The sweep shaft 27, viewed sectionally, .is tri-angular in shape as depicted in Figure 10. The three faces created by said triangular shape are inter-relating and yet separately each apply their own holding force when fitted with tine foot 18.
Both sweep shaft 27 and -tine :foot 18 are narrow in width compared to conventional tine sweep combinations.
Consequently, less soil will accumulate in front of the shaft 27 and this reduces the sha:ft required to pull the tine and sweep through the soil.
In figures 2, 4 and 6 the heel 17 is illustrated with an indented portion 22 having a hole 23. This en-ables a seed tube to be held by a bracket mounted on por-tion 22.
The sweep 25 may ta]ce any conventional shape de-sired for earth engagement. In the embodiment illustrated the shaft 27 includes a hole 31 which enables a bundle of sweeps to be tied together. No bolt hole is required in shaft 27 to secure the sweep 25 to the tine 15.

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A dar-t-like ridye 33 is provided in the body portion of sweep 25 to assist in maintaining a point on the sweep and to assist in directing the soil to flow to either side of shaft 27.
From the above it can be seen that the present invention provides a simple means of reducing energy con-sumption in soil cultivation as well as providing a se-curely held but easily replaceable earth engaging imple-ment.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A cultivator comprising in combination a tine and an earth engaging implement said tine having a body por-tion and a foot portion said foot being narrow in width and tapered towards its end in its vertical and/or hori-zontal cross-sectional dimensions; and said earth engaging implement having a pointed earth engaging portion and a rearwardly projecting shaft portion, said pointed earth engaging portion incorporating a dart like indentation extending on the upper surface from the point and termi-nating in front of the shaft and said shaft portion form-ing a tapered socket complementary in shape to said tine foot to receive and secure said tine foot by frictional engagement, said socket being narrow in its external width and profiled to reduce soil disturbance; and the under hind side of the tine foot includes two grooves adapted to accommodate upturned inwardly directed edge flanges of the implement socket.