CA1201625A - Tiller planter - Google Patents

Abstract

A DOUBLE LEVEL TILLER PLANTER
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A double level tiller planter is provided with a separate pair of tiller wings for the fertilizer introducing section and for the seed planting section. The fertilizer introducing section is ahead of the planting section and is disposed at a level below that of the planting section. Both the fertilizer and the seed planting sections are provided with a discharge conduit extending along generally the entire length of the trailing edges of the respective wings to improve the uniformity of distribution of the fertilizer and of the seed while also improving the formation of an intermediate layer of soil between the seeds and the fertilizer, to avoid direct contact between the two.

Description

1~0~

- 2 -A DOUBLE LEVE~ TILLER PLANTER
BACKGROUND OF THE ~NVENTION
The present invention relates to double level tiller planters and in particular to a double level tiller planter which is arranged for simultaneous introduction in the 60il of a fertilizer and seed.
It has long been recognized that simultaneous introduction of fertilizer and seed is advantageous from the standpoint of productivity. Furthermore, it is known that it is o~ advantage to introduce the seed and the fertiliæer below the surface of the soil, preferably such that the surface of the soil is disturbed to a minimum degree.
It has also been recognized for a long time (U.S.
Patent No. 2,889,788 issued June 9, 1959 to W. E. Van Dorn that for proper and safe application of fertilizer of any type, the fertilizer must be placed directly beneath the seed or material to be propagated, as deeply as possible, and separated therefrom by a layer of soil in order to prevent harmful effects such as burning and the like.
It is also known to provide weed cutters ana sprayers having ~enerally the shape of a pair of wings each having a relatively sharp leading edge and divergent top and bottom surface sections. At the trailing edge of such "wing" is arranged a discharge or distributor pipe which is generally coextensive with the trailing edge of the respective "wing".
Through the distributor pipe is intxoduced li~uid substance, the spray pipe being provided with openings in its lower and rear wall ~o direct spray downwardly and rearwards.

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A typical prior art arrangement of this type is shown in U.S. Patent No. 1,204,772 which issued as early as November 14, 1916 to T. Hornecker.
As is well known, when working with granular substances the system of feeding seed and/or fertilizer to a discharging unit or units such as shown in the aforesaid U.S. Patent No. 2,889,788 usually includes a pressurized pneumatic system, often in combination with a mechanical feeding device such as an auger or the like, whereby pressurized air is directed through suitable conduits towards the discharge near the hoe wings of the apparatus.
U.S. Patent No. 2,889,788 is one example of the arrangement for simultaneous fertilizer and seed introduction. In this arrangement, a V-shaped sweep blade is provided which combines with a deep cutting point or tilling ripper blade which extends substantiall~ below the sweep blade. Thus, deep tilling, loosening and the killing of surface growth can be simultaneously effected without burying any substantial portion of the erosion preventing surface growth. In order to achieve combined tilling, fertilizing and planting, the tilling equipment of the invention of U.S. Patent No. 2,889,788 is mounted in tandem with a fertilizer spout and a seed spout.
The arrangement of the fertilizer spout and seed spout is disadvantageous because it does not provide for uniform spreading of the ~ertilizer and seed sideways such as is the case of the sprayer shown in U.S. Patent No. 1,204,772. Moreover, as is shown by U.S. Patent No. 2,889,788, the fertili7er spout and the seed spout is associated with a single earth ~O~fi~5i working device, in the case of U.S. Patent No.
2,889,788, with an earth penetrating ripper blade providing a relatively deep furrow.
The fertilizer and seed spouts are disposed downstream of such tool with the fertilizer spout being disposed at a level lower than that of the seed. The basic arrangement of this kind has been in use for a long time, the typical arrangement being that of a single earth working tool with dual spouts for the respective components, with the fertilizer spout usually being disposed at a level below the level of the seed spout and being disposed either ahead of the fertilizer spout (U.S. Patent No.

3,453,977, T. I. Sorenson, July 8, 1969) or behind same (the above mentioned U.S. Patent 2,889,788).
The disadvantage of the above prior art is to be seen primarily in the failure to secure that a thin layer of soil be placed between the ~ertilizer deposit and the seed deposit, together with the drawbacX of the relatively small area being provided with the fertilizer and seed deposit.
It is an object of the present invention to further advance the art of a double-level tiller planters~
In accordance with the present invention, a double-level tiller planter compr~ses, in combination, a body member adapted to be fixedly secured to a farming implement frame; a first pair of normally generally horizontal first shovel means comprising a pair of normally generally horizontal ~irYt wings extending sideways from said body member, said first wings having forwardly convergent leading , fi~5 edge portions defining a generally V-shaped configuration, each first wing having an upper face section and a lower face section, said upper and lower face sections being generally planar and diverging rearwards from the respective leading edge, said face sections defining a sideways elongated slot coincident with the trailing edge portion of each respective wing; a first distribution conduit located within said first wing and disposed along the trailing edge portion thereof, said first distribution conduit having passage means communicating the interior of the first distribution conduit near and along the respective trailing edge;
fertilizer supply means operatively associated with said irst distributor conduit to supply a fertilizer to same; a second pair of normally generally horizontal, second shovel means comprising a pair of normally generally horizontal second wings extending sideways fro~ said body member and having forwardly convergent leading edge portions disposed at a level above the level of the trailing edge portion of the respective first wing and rearwardly spaced therefrom, each second wing having an upper face section and a lower face section, said upper and lower face sections being generally planar and diverging rearwards from the respective leading edge, said face sections defining a sideways elongated slot coincident with the trailing edge portions of each respective wing; a second distributor conduit located within said second wing and disposed along the trailing edge portion thereof, said second distribution conduit having passage means ~ ~o~fiæs communicating the interior of the first distribution conduit with the exterior near and along the respective trailing edge, and seed supply means operatively associated with said second distributor conduit supply seeds to same.
The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, showing an exemplar~ embodiment of the device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a double level tiller planter of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a partial diagrammatic, top view of the device of Figure l; and Figure 3 is a rear end view of the device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIO~ OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning firstly to the representation of Figure 1, reference numeral 10 designates a forwardly extending body member which is of an upwardly elongated rectangular cross-sectional configuration.
The top surface section 11 is provided, near the forward end of the device, with an upwardly and rearwards extending protrusion 12 which serves the purpose of fixedly securing the front end of the body member 10 to a suitable farming implement frame as is well known in the art.
From the rear end of the body member 10 protrude two connection conduit sections 13, 14, of which the section 13 is a front section and section 14 is a rear section. The rear connection conduit section 14 is the section visible in Figure 3. The lowermost end of the rear conduit section 14 levels off at the bottom of the body member 10 and thus forms a æs normally generally horizontal conduit section 15 (Figure 3) extending from the rear end of the body member 10 to a point near the front end thereof and forming, in effect, the lowermost part of the body member 10.
Fixedly secured by welding to the body member 10 is a pair of normally generally horizontal first cutter wings, 16, 17 which, in operation, produce the effect of a shovel of a farming implement such as a shovel or a hoe device known in the art. The wings 16, 17 have each a leading edge 18, 19, respectively. The leading edges 18, 19 are generally straight and are convergent forwardly, as best seen in Figure 2, to define a V-shaped configuration.
Each wing 16, 17 is generally formed by an upper face section 20, 21 and a lower face section 22, 23.
As best seen from Figure 3, the lower face sections 22, 23 are generally planar and the upper face sections 20, 21, even though being comprised, in the shown embodiment, of two sub-sections disposed at an angle relative to each other, can also be referred to as being of a generally planar configuration. As best seen from the representation of Figure 1, the upper and lower face sections 21 - 23; 20 - 22 of the wings 17, 16, respectively, diverge in a dixection rearwards from the respective leading edge 19, 18.
Thus, the upper and lower surface sections as mentioned above define an open space therebetween which widens in the direction towards the rear of the device and is widest in the region of a trailing edge portion 24, 25 of the respective wings 16, 17.

With reference to Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that the generally horizontal conduit section 15 extends forwardly up to a generally upright divider 26 which is only shown in Figure 2. The divider ~6 extends the full height of the conduit section 15 and is disposed at the forward end of the conduit section 15, at which the conduit section 15 branches into a left-hand branch 27 and a right-hand branch 28 of the conduit section 15.
The branches 27, 28 extend each a substantial length of the respective wing 16, 17, such that the end 29, 30 of each branch is relatively closely spaced from the free end of the respective wing 16, 17.
Each branch _, 28 can be further provided with one or more horizontal partitions only diagrammatically indicated at 31a in Figure 3, the partitions subdividing the respective branch into several conduits (in this embodiment, two conduits 31b, 31c) disposed one above the other and having trailing wall sections cut off at different points transversely of the device, to improve the uniformity of spreading of the fertilizer discharged through the discharge cut off sections. Other means such as drilled holes or machined slots can be used in discharging the fertilizer/air mixture.
In the shown embodiment, the rearwards and downwardly facing parts of the walls of the branches 27, 28 are provided with suitable discharge openings or orifices. In Figure 3, the discharge means is indicated diagrammatically by openings 31 directed rearwards, it being understood that similar slots, ~%I)~Z5 cutouts or other suitable passages can be provided such that they would be directed downwardly and rearwards, much in the same fashion as the discharge openings shown in U.S. Patent ~o. 1,204,772 referred to at the outset, which is included herein by reference.
In view of the aforesaid explanations, it will be appreciated that the branches 27, 28 form what can generally be referred to as a "first distributor conduit" located within the first wings 16, 17 and disposed along the trailing edge portions 24, 25 thereof. The connection conduit section 14 which is in communication with the branches 27, 28, is adapted to be connected to a source of a mixture of granular fertilizer and compressed air to supply granular fertilizer to the soil via the connection conduit section 14, the conduit section 15, the respective branches 27, 28 and the discharge openings, to the soil. Thus, the conduit section 14 can also be generally referred to as "fertili~er supply means operatively associated with said first distributor conduit (i.e. branches 27, 28) to supply a fertilizer to same".
Fixedly secured to the body member 10 at the rear end thereof is a second pair of normally generally horizontal, second shovel means comprised of a pair of second wings 32, 33. Like the front wings 16, 17, they protrude sideways and rearwards from the body member 10 and have convergent leading edge portions 34, 35, at which the upper face sections 36, 37 converge with the lower face sections 38 ~Figure 3) to form a sharp leading edge. Again, it can be sePn from Figure 1 and also Figure 3 that the top or upper face sections 36, 37 are each composed of two sub-sections disposed at an obtuse angle relative to each other. For practical purposes, however, the upper face sections 36, 37 can still be referred to as being generally planar, as are the lower face sections 38. The inclination of the upper face sections 36, 37 is upwards and rearwards away from a generally horizontal plane, which is an arrangement similar to the upper face sections 20, 21 of the forward wings mentioned above.
As best seen from Figure 3, a respective branch 41, 42 of the conduit 13 is disposed at the trailing edge portion 39, 40 of the wings 32, 33. The branches 41, 42 are provided with suitable discharge means diagrammatically indicated at 43 and arranged generally in the same fashion as described above in connection with the left hand branch 27 and the right hand branch 28 of the forward pair of wings. The branches 41, 42 are in communication with the connection conduit section 13. A divider 44 protrudes from the downstream end of the section 13 for splitting the flow in the conduit section 13 into the two branches 41, 42, to aid the distribution of seed delivered from a source of a mixture of pressurized air and seed, the source not being shown.
It can be seen from the representation of Figure 2 that the forward or leading edges 34, 35 of the rear wings 32, 33 are spaced from the trailing edges 30 24, 25 of the front wings 16, 17. This arrangement i8 0~ advantage as it prevents the jamming of soil between the two wings, which might otherwise have a ~O~fi?~,5 detrimental effect on the uniformity of distribution cf the seed and fertilizer.
From the above description, it can be also appreciated that the branches 41, 42 present a particular embodiment of what can be generally referred to as "second distributor conduit means located within the second wings and disposed along the trailing edge portion thereof", even though the conduits 41, 42 are not necessarily as closely related to the respective trailing edges 39, 40 as in the case of the forward distributors.
In operation, due to the downward and forward slope of the upper surface portions of the wings and in particular of the wings 16 and 17, the engaged layer of the soil is lifted and falls back immediately after deposition of the fertilizer through the dischar~e means 31 of the branches 27, 28, whereupon the pair of wings 34, 35 travels over the area provided with the fertilizer to deposit seeds over a thin soil layer placed over the previously deposited fertilizer.
Those skilled in khe art will appreciate that many embodiments may exist which depart to a greater or lesser degree from the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the above description, without departing from the gist of the present invention. Strictly as an example, there may be a large number of different partitions, dividers and sub-dividers within the conduits bringing the particulate material, whether the material be seed or granular fertilizer, to further enhance the uniformity of distribution of the material across the J~

area covered by the wings as viewed Figure 2.
Another modification readily coming to mind would reside in the adjustability of mutual position of the front and rear wings so that the thickness of the 5 60il layer between the deposit fertilizer and the seeds could be suitably changed.
In view of the above, it will be appreciated that many embodiments exist departing from the described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention as recited in the accompanying claims.

Claims (5)

1. A double level tiller planter comprising, in combination:
(a) a body member adapted to be fixedly secured to a farming implement frame;
(b) a first pair of normally generally horizontal first shovel means comprising a pair of normally generally horizontal first wings extending sideways from said body member, said first wings having forwardly convergent leading edge portions defining a generally V-shaped configuration, each first wing having an upper face section and a lower face section, said upper and lower face sections being generally planar and diverging rearwards from the respective leading edge, said face sections defining a sideways elongated slot coincident with the trailing edge portion of each respective wing;
(c) a first distribution conduit located within said first wings and disposed along the trailing edge portion thereof, said first distribution conduit having passage means communicating the interior of the first distribution conduit near and along the respective trailing edge with the exterior at the trailing edge;
(d) fertilizer supply means operatively associated with said first distributor conduit to supply a fertilizer to same;
(e) a second pair of normally generally horizontal, second shovel means comprising a pair of normally generally horizontal second wings extending sideways from said body member and having a forwardly convergent leading edge portions disposed at a level above the level of the trailing edge portion of the respective first wing and rearwardly spaced therefrom, each second wing having an upper face section and a lower face section, said upper and lower face sections being generally planar and diverging rearwards from the respective leading edge, said free sections defining a sideways elongated slot coincident with the trailing edge portion of each respective wing;
(f) a second distributor conduit located within said second wings and disposed along the trailing edge portions thereof, said second distributor conduit having passage means communicating the interior of the first distribution conduit with the exterior near and along the respective trailing edge; and (g) seed supply means operatively associated with said second distributor conduit to supply seeds to same.

2. A double level tiller planter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper face section of each of the first wings is arranged to have a downward and forward slope with respect to a level of movement of the planter.

3. A double level tiller planter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second distributor conduit forms a discharge end of a pneumatic seed supply system.

4. A double level tiller planter as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first distributor conduit forms a discharge end of a pneumatic system for supplying a granular fertilizer.

5. A double level tiller planter as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the leading edge portion or each of said second wings is so disposed and arranged with respect to the trailing edge portion of the respective adjacent first wing that in a plan view, there is a rearward spacing between rearward contour line of the respective first wing and a forwardmost contour line of the respective second wing.