CA1224363A

CA1224363A - Plug mix seed planter

Info

Publication number: CA1224363A
Application number: CA000513265A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Kevin G. Skipper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-07-08
Filing date: 1986-07-08
Publication date: 1987-07-21

Abstract

A B S T R A C T

This invention consists of a tractor drawn planter which automatically plants equally spaced, especially prepared transplants into the ground. It is made of a rectangular frame-work having two rear wheels upon which it rides and a flexible hitch to attach it to the tractor. A magazine and a discharge tube contains the transplant. Inside, the discharge tubes are provided with doors which allow the passage of the transplant through one tube at a time. These doors are controlled by a computer controlled motor powered by the tractor battery which in turn moves a positioner by a rotating threaded rod to force open the spring loaded doors to allow passage of transplants through one tube at a time. A travelling flat belt transports the transplant to the rear of the transplanter where a door controlled by a spring loaded solenoid controlled by a computer powered by the tractor battery, drops the transplant through the positioner and into the planting furrow. A plow opens the ground to provide an opening for the transplant to enter.

Description

3~

This lnvention consists o~ an automatic transplanter for planting trees and other vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, melonsa celery, etc.
In the process of planting trees7 which is the crop here used to illustrate the action of this invention, the trees are pre-grown in a cylinder shaped soil mixture colander in a plastic tree or pre form peat or pater, etc., after which they are transplanted in the field. In transplanting these plant6 into the field, equally spaced cylinder plugs of soil mixture containing these plants are inserted into the ground in equally spaced rows so to provide growing space.
~ ith few exceptions, prior to this invention, the planting of trees has been done manually, where a machine has been used in the inplanting of trees. It usually required the use of the ~and Loaded Plante~; a system which proved to be complicated9 unreliable~ and expensive, mainly because the Hand Loaded Planter is loaded one plant at a time, is too heavy, and aetually designed for the larg2r plant and a slower speed~
It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide an automatic transplanter machine, which is specifically designed to preform efficiently for that purpose; which is of simple construction; and which will, at the same time~ provide a reliable preformance and a considerable cost saving.
This is accomplished in the invention by providing you machines in Y~hich the automati n is completely and electrically operated, thereby reducing the weight of the mechanism by the elimination of complicated mechanical components, and increasing its reliability by reducing the number of possible sources of damage replacerent break-down-time, and costly repairs. The saving 3 in operation costs results from the el~mination of at least one hired worker per ro1;~ by using this invention.

In describing this inventlon~ refer-nce wlll be made to the attached drawing in which:
Figure 1. i~ an elevation of the invention.
Figure 2. i~ a plan of the invention~
Figure 3. is a plan view of the transplanter holeing tube.
Figure 40 ls a plan view of the Planting Compo~ent.
In the drawing, the planter is shown consisting of a rectangular frame 1 which is supported at the rear end by two rubber tired wheels 2, 2~ and is provided at its front end with mean~ for attachment to a tractor (tractor not shown in the drawing).
On the top of the frame centrally located i~ a vertical narrow tull re~;ovable magazine with three vertical sides and guides on the front to retain the transplants which is used to load and ~tore the transplant. A number of vertical chutes 4 discharge the plant from the macazine to the conveyor~
Just below the chutes is a travelling conveyor 5 to carry the transplant to the rear; a door at the rear of the planter is solenoid 14 open to discharge the plant.
Just below the Po~itioner chute~ which line~ the transplants up with the open furrow7 a plow 8 i~ connected to the frame 1 by an adjustable hole placement~
The motor driven gear 20 which drives gears 19 which drive~ the thread rod 25~ This moves the positioner 23 against the spring 22 loaded door 21 to open the door 210 Once the pofiitioner 23 passes the door 21, the door 21 will spring closed (see figures lg 2, & 3)0 The motor 10 driven pulley 17 which drives by means of a belt 16, the pulley 15 is attached to a gear box 12 ~hich drives pulley 18; thus driving the flat belt 5 by the idler pulley 13 at the rear of the planter, thus giving transport to the transplant from the discharge chute 4 to the door 6~ the computer (not shown) operates a spring 26 loaded solenoid 14 that intermittently opens and closes the transplant release mechanism. The transplant is turned vertical and is lined up to the furrow by the po~itioner.

-2-A plo~ 8 opens the ground 30 to provide an opening at a width suitable to congregate the transplant 29. As the plow passes, the soil flo~is down pul'ing the transplant 29 into the ground 30 in an upright position (see figure 4).
Field trials have shown that this planter can travel at speeds of two miles per hou~O It has also been found due to the light weight construction of this Planter~ it can be pulled by a small tractor.
Other proven advantages in the use of this invention can be listed as follows:
(a) As can be seen from the attached drawing~ this planter can be built sufficiently narrow in width to allou the planting of transplants in rows as close as six inches apart as compared to thirty-six inches apart used at the present time.
(b) The magazines can be loaded with transplants minutes9 hours, a day, or even a week before planting. This will save time when more time is needed for planting. The height of the magazine can vary and more than one magazine can be loaded on the planter to give more transplants between stops.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which exclusive property of privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A planter comprising a frame with a pair of rear wheels and a front hitch capable of being drawn by a tractor over a field, a removable magazine for transplants mounted on the frame, the magazine comprising a for and aft series of vertical chutes, each chute closable at the bottom thereof by a door urged to the closed position, the transplants located in each chute in a horizontal orientation one above another, a positioner movably positionable below said chutes to open the door of a next in line chute when the previous chute is depleted of transplants, a conveyor below the series of chutes for conveying transplants to a discharge location, a gate at the end of the conveyor, a control for the gate to effect a controlled opening thereof to allow the passage of a transplant, an alignment chute for turning each transplant into a vertical orientation ready for transplant, the alignment chute receiving each transplant passing the gate, a furrow opener in advance of the discharge location to create a furrow into which each transplant from the alignment chute is discharged.

2. The planter of claim 1) wherein the conveyor is an endless movable belt operated by an electric motor.

3. The planter of claim 1) wherein each chute comprises three vertical sides and an open front with guides.

4. The planter of claim 1) or 2) or 3) wherein each door is spring loaded to the closed position.

5. The planter of claim 1) or 2) or 3) wherein the positioner is movable by an electric motor turning a threaded rod upon which the positioner is mounted.

6. The planter of claim 1) or 2) or 3) wherein the control for the gate consists of a spring loaded solenoid normally urging the gate closed but when the solenoid is electrically activated moving the gate to the open position.

7. The planter of claim 6) wherein the solenoid is computer controlled.