EP1646274A1

EP1646274A1 - Apparatus for forming raised elongate beds for crop planting

Info

Publication number: EP1646274A1
Application number: EP04743418A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Barry Vernon White
Original assignee: Grimme (UK) Ltd
Current assignee: Grimme (UK) Ltd
Priority date: 2003-07-15
Filing date: 2004-07-15
Publication date: 2006-04-19
Also published as: GB2403886A; GB2403886B; WO2005006834A1; GB0316472D0; GB0415821D0

Abstract

Method of and apparatus/machine for use in the preparation of a raised and shaped crop receiving bed/ridge formation characterised by a first section (2) incorporating means for tilling soil as to form an elongate raised bed/ridge for a crop along a predetermined direction of a field, and by a second section (3) operationally positioned downstream of the first section (2) incorporating means for shaping the raised bed/ridge (26, 32) thereby to produce a raised bed/ridge with a predetermined profile, the arrangement being such that the apparatus/machine is able to both produce and shape the raised bed/ridge during a single pass of the machine across a field.

Description

APPARATUS FOR FORMING RAISED ELONGATE BEDS FOR CROP PLANTING

This invention relates to the tilling of soil and the formation in such soil of ridges and inter-ridge bed formations suitable for the planting of root crops such as potatoes or other crops requiring the shaped ridging of soil relative to the general ground level along the regions of intended planting of the crop.

Thus, for example, in connection with the sowing of a root crop such as a crop of potatoes on a large scale it is a conventional practice to form shaped narrow raised beds i.e., ridges with furrows there between along the direction of intended planting using a so-called tilling machine. Such preparation of the ridges and inter-ridge beds frequently involves the conventionally used processes of destoning and/or breaking down heavy clods of soil into an acceptably fine tilth for the purposes of root crop growth. This initial formation of the ridges results in. a formation that requires additional shaping and a degree of compaction to ensure that the ridge retains its shape

Historically, it has been accepted that the finally prepared beds/ridges should have a generally a triangular cross-section in the sense that the walls of the ridges being inwardly inclined towards a flattened top level, and should be sufficiently compacted to ensure the required shape retention.. This has necessitated a final shaping of the raised bed and thus has historically required the use of additional machinery separately tractor towed across a field

It has now been realised that this very long standing conventional approach to the bed formation has, in relation to modern methods of planting involving specialised machinery, together with requirements for faster rates of planting and post planting operations in relation to the growing crop, resulted in certain shortcomings when carrying out subsequent operations on the thus formed inter-ridge beds. It is thus known to provide wheeled towable apparatus for the final shaping forming of the the raised bed that is essentially constructed and utilised as a piece of soil preparation machinery in its own right. That is to say the final formation of the beds takes place as a totally separate operation following the preparation i.e., tilling of the ground.

It is also well known to provide machinery that is designed for and is intended for use solely as a machine for carrying out a particular function in preparing the soil for the reception of a crop such as for example a root crop.

One common form/type of machine involved with the initial preparation of the soil is known under the collective name of a soil tilling machine. It is appreciated that soil tilling machines can and have taken many differing constructional forms and modes of operation including, for example, tilling the soil in such manner as to provide a series of parallel ridges of a finer tilth than originally present.. Nevertheless what ever their specific form and mode of operation the tiller machines have historically been used to carry out a single soil preparation stage determined by the particular design of the tiller machine.

In practice, in order adequately to prepare a bed for receiving a root crop such as potatoes it has been found essential further to work the soil in order to produce a raised crop receiving bed/ridge of a predetermined flat topped profile and size and of a compaction that assists in ensuring that the finally prepared ridge retains its desired shape throughout crop sowing and after up to harvesting.. In practice this has conventionally required the use of a specialised machine which is able correctly to shape the bed/ridge that has been previously produced by means of a tilling machine.

In other words it is necessary rework the field in order to produce raised beds/ridges of the required profile. This successive separate usage of machines required to produce an appropriate

^■crop growing bed is clearly wasteful of time and involves not infrequently considerable duplication of effort.

In addition, the present practices introduce the ever present consequences arising from change in weather conditions rendering it impossible to carry out both processes at a time when it is desirable that soil preparation should be completed.

Whilst it is perhaps possible to train ways to couple the two different function machines one behind the other to be towed by a tractor thereby forming a triple unit train, for example, to take advantage at one and the same time of suitable weather conditions for soil tilling and bed shaping.

In practice, such formation of a triple unit train leads to difficult machine handling problems. For example, the overall length of the two separate machines arranged one behind other and behind the towing vehicle can lead to difficulties in field perimeter area/headings required for machine turning operations required for the combination of machines and tractor to travel back wards and forwards across the field to produce a plurality of side by side beds/ridges. In practice such difficulties have the inherent risk of excessive loss of planting area of a field as a direct consequence of excessively wide perimeter turning circles required by the combination.

Such operational problems are compounded by the trailing distances between the machines in that they impose machine control difficulties upon the tractor driver in relation to the satisfactorily monitoring of the operational state of the two machines being towed with the tailing machine being partially hidden behind the intermediate machine.

A further inherent problem arising from using separate machines is the matter of the use of the two machines involved there is extra compaction of the soil as a result of the weights successive passages of the ridge working machines and their towing tractors. U is an object of the present invention to provide a method of and apparatus for overcoming these perceived shortcomings.

Broadly according to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of working/preparing soil in which the production and the final shaping/profiling of a raised bed/ridge of soil for receiving a crop are carried out during the same pass of a machine over said soil.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming a crop receiving raised bed with a predetermined profile in a field or the like, characterised by the step of carrying out, during the same pass of a machine over a predetermined region of the field both the formation of a raised bed/ridge and subsequent shaping of the upstanding crop receiving bed formation to provide predetermined profile and soil compaction.

Preferably, the shaping forms a raised bed/ridge having a flattened top surface and side walls that are inclined inwardly towards the top whereby the base of the bed/ridge is wider that the top surface of the bed/ridge.

In particular, the present invention provides a machine which combines/integrates the operational functions of a soil tilling machine and a soil bed forming machine so that soil tilling and bed forming can be carried out on a single pass of the machine across a terrain in which tilling and bed forming is required.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus/machine for use in the preparation of a raised and shaped crop receiving bed formation, characterised by a first section incorporating means for tilling soil as to form an elongate raised bed/ridge for a crop along a predetermined direction of a field, and by a second section operationally positioned downstream of the first section and incorporating means for shaping the raised bed/ridge thereby to produce a raised bed/ridge with a predetermined profile, the arrangement being such that the apparatus/machine is able to both produce and shape the raised bed during a single pass of the machine cross a field.

A further aspect of the invention provides a apparatus/machine for producing at least one elongate raised bed for receiving a crop to be planted, characterised in that the operational functions of a ground tilling machine and a soil bed/ridge forming machine are integrally combined into a single machine in such manner that so that soil tilling to form the bed/ridge and a subsequent shaping to produce a raised bed/ridge with a predetermined shaped profile and soil compaction can be carried out on a single pass of the apparatus/machine across a terrain in which both tilling and bed forming is required.

Preferably the shaping forms a raised bed/ridge having a flattened top surface and side walls that are inclined inwardly whereby the base of the bed/ridge is wider that the top surface of the bed/ridge.

Preferably the machine is characterised by height ways adjustable means for producing a flat upper surface to the raised bed/ridge and by means for producing inwardly inclined side walls to the raised bed/ridge and for compacting the side walls to such extend that the shaped raised bed/ridge retains its formation.

In a preferred construction the height ways adjustable means includes a plate that is mounted to be selectively inclinable to the horizontal, with the plate providing a trailing edge region serving to form the top surface of the raised bed/ridge.

Preferably the plate is supported by a frame that is pivotally mounted to the tilling section. In accordance with a further aspect of the invention each one of the inclined side walls of the bed ridge is formed by the rolling action of the surface of a roller contacting the sides of the bed/ridge.

In a preferred construction the rollers are selectively positioned with respect to each other.

Preferably, the rollers associated with the bed/ridge side walls are resiliently loaded one towards the other the loading being such as to assist in producing a required degree of compaction of the raised bed/ridge.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how to carry the same into effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a combined side and rear view of a combined soil tilling machine and bed forming machine incorporating the concepts of the invention; and

Figure 2 is a view of the machine of Figure 1 illustrating the rear of the machine in greater detail.

Referring now to the drawings the apparatus/machine 1 shown therein can conveniently be regarded as comprising two main sections, a first section 2 that is intended to act as a soil tilling i.e., ridge forming apparatus, and a second section 3 that is intended to provide the function of producing a raised bed/ridge with a specifically required shape/profile.

The soil tilling section 2 incorporates a main framework of which a part is illustrated at 4 to which is mounted a rotatable shaft (not shown) carrying the requisite soil tilling tools (not shown). This first second is mounted upon wheels and is adapted for attachment to a towing tractor or the like. The soil tilling tools can be any of the tools conventionally used such as discs, tines or combinations thereof for preparing a required degree of fineness for a soil tilth in which it is intended to plant a root crop and which produces at least one ridge or raised crop bed..

The tilling tools and the shaft and the associated mounts therefore are enclosed by a casing 5. This casing incorporates end plates 6, a top plate 7, mountings for the various external components 8 for the tilling section and a rear cover/plate 9 which effectively closes in the rear of the tiller section 2 to a level above any raised bed/ridge that the tiller section may be intended to produce.

The tiller section 2 additionally incorporates conventional form attachments 10 by which the whole machine may be connected receive operational drive from to a prime mover such as a tractor (not shown).

For the purposes of the present invention since the tiller section itself can be regarded as being of conventional form further description of the tiller section is not thought necessary. For example, the tiller section can be a rotary tiller of the type marked by the Applicants under the trade name rota-tiller.

For the purposes of the present invention the rear end of the tiller section is used as the mounting/support framing etc., for the bed forming section 3.

This section 3 can be conveniently regarded as including a generally trapezoidal shaped main frame 11 including parallel members 12 and 13, the member 13 being shorter than the member 12, and relatively inclined side members 10. Parallel spaced apart members 15 and 16 bridge the two parallel members 12 and 13 and extend rearwards of the shorter parallel member 13. This trapezoidal frame is pivotally coupled to the rear of the tiller section 2 so as to be pivotal relative to the tiller section to enable the frame 1 1 to be inclined at a required angle to the horizontal.

To provide for the pivotal connections the side rails 14 and the central rails 15 and 16 of the frame 1 1 are provided with lugs 17 that are pivotally connected to mounting points 18 on the tiller section 2.

The frame 11 is held in a required inclined position by a support framework 19 that connects by way of a screw adjustment device 20 to an appropriate support 21 provided on the structure of the tiller section 2. In the Figure this adjustment is illustrated as including a threaded sleeve 22 interconnecting two threaded bars 23, one coupled to the frame 1 1 and the other connected to the tiller section 2 whereby rotation of the sleeve by way of a handle 24 relatively displaces the bars 23 towards or away from each other thereby lifting or lowering the frame 1 1.

A top plate 25 of similar trapezoidal shape mounted to the undersides of the central rails 15 and 16 of the frame 11. This plate 25 thus extends rearwards of the frame 11 and serves as a top plate with respect to the flat top of a bed or ridge (not shown) to be formed in the soil. Thus the position of the frame determines the position of this plate 25 and the latter effectively defines the height of the crop bed/ridge formed by the section 3. In other words the the angular setting of the frame 11 and its height position relative to the tilling section 2 defines the height of the bed/ridge above surrounding ground level.

The space defined by the rear 9 of the section 2, and the rearwardly extending top plate 25 is closed at each of the sides thereof by side plate structures 27.

Each side plate structure 27 comprises a first section including a generally vertical first plate portion 28 that is of a generally rectangular form and which connected to the tiller section 3 by a connection 29 allowing pivotal movement about a vertical axis. A second plate portion 30 that is of a generally triangular form, as is shown in the Figure 1 is pivotally connected to the plate portion 28. This second plate section 30 is inwardly inclined to the vertical such that the upper edge region 31 thereof is closely adjacent to the adjacent side edge of the second top plate 25.

The outermost inclined edge region of the second plate 30 mounts a roller assembly 32 that is intended to exert bed side wall forming pressure upon the soil to be formed into a shaped bed.

Each roller assembly 32 includes a roller 33 rotatably mounted by a bracket 34 attached to the second plate section and a roller scraper unit 35 carried by the bracket, the latter being resiliently loaded towards the roll 33.

The mountings for the brackets 34 are such that the inclination of the rollers 33 to the plate 25 can be selectively set to the vertical.

In addition, the two side plate structures 27 are resiliently loaded towards each other by a compression spring arrangement 36 including springs 37 whose compression loading is selectively adjustable by appropriate adjustment of retaining nuts 38 on a threaded bar 39 carrying the compression springs.

Furthermore, the overall separation between the rollers 33 can be varied and set into required relative positioning relative to each other by an arrangement including a pivotal connection 29 between the plate 28 and the tiller section end casing 6, a screwed member 39 pivotally connected to the end casing engaging the end of a rotatable sleeve 40 whose other end threadably engages with a reverse threaded screw member 41 pivotally attached to the roll bracket. With this arrangement rotation of the sleeve 40 in one direction will through the threaded members 39, 41 move the rollers 33 closer to each other and rotation in the reverse direction will move them further away from each other. The relative setting of the rollers inclination and spacing defines the width of the soil bed/ridge and the inclination of the side walls of the soil bed.

From the forgoing it will be noted that the combination of the top plate 25 and the side plate structures 27 effectively interact to provide a hood located downstream of the tilling section 2 and in such position that as the tilling section is advanced across a field the tilled soil is directed by way of the hood arrangement into a ■ shape defined by the height of the rearmost edge 26 of the top plate 25 above the field base level, and by the angular set of the rollers 33 carried by the side plate structures 27.

In use the required tools are provided on the tiller section 2 for the production of the raised ridge like formations.

The bed forming section is then adjusted so the the trailing edge 26 of the plate 25 is set at the required height above the normal level of the field involved by appropriate adjustment of the angular setting of main frame 11 by suitable direction rotation of the sleeve 20 by way of the handle 19.

The side structures 27 and thus the rollers 33 are set to the required setting relative to the plate 25 by suitable rotational adjustment of the sleeve 40. It will be appreciated that the resilient loading of the rollers 33 towards each other can be adjusted by rotation of the nuts 38 associated with the springs 36.

The extent of such resilient loading sets together with the positioning of the top plate trailing edge 26 the degree of compaction of the soil forming the required shaped ridge. The shape of such a ridge can be readily ascertained from the relative positioning of the edge 26 and the rollers 33. ^■ l i ¬

lt will be noted that since the section 3 is integrally mounted directly on the framing/casing of the tilling section 2 it is not required to provide the ridge shaping section 3 with an independent main frame and casing structure or field running wheels thereby considerably reducing the weight of the bed shaping facility.. In other words the combined overall weight of the tilling machine section 2 and that of the shaping section 3 is considerably reduced as compared with that of two totally separate machines.

Furthermore, since the shaping section is integrally mounted from the tilling machine the practical usage problems that arise with the controlling, from a towing tractor, of the operation of two separate machines which have their own operational movements when being trailed across a field.

Thus with the apparatus/machine of the present invention the final shaping/profiling of the raised bed/ridge is integrally related to the formation of the bed/ridge as produced by the tilling section of the machine.

The shape of the bed/ridge is readily ascertainable from the Figure 2 as being represented by the trapezoidal space beneath the trailing edge 25 and the inclined faces of the rollers 33.

Claims

1. A method of working/preparing soil so as to produce a raised crop receiving bed/ridge, characterised in that the production of and the final shaping/profiling of the raised bed/ridge of soil for receiving a crop are carried out during the same pass of a machine ( 1 ) over said soil.

2. A method of forming a crop receiving raised bed/ridge with a predetermined profile in a field or the like, characterised by the step of carrying out, during the same pass of a machine (2,3) over a predetermined region of the field both the formation of a raised bed/ridge and subsequent shaping of the upstanding crop o receiving bed/ridge to provide predetermined profile and soil compaction.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, and characterised in that the shaping forms a raised bed ridge having a flattened top surface and side walls that are inclined inwardly towards the top whereby the base of the bed/ridge is wider that the top surface of the bed/ridge.

4 A method as claimed in claim 2 or 3, and characterised in that the height of the bed /ridge is selectively adjustable.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2 , 3 or 4, and characterised in that the width of the bed/ridge is selectively adjustable.

6 A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, and characterised in that the top surface of the bed is formed by the trailing edge (26) of a plate (25) that is inclined to the horizontal whereby the final contact with the blade and the bed/ ridge is at said edge (26).

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and characterised in that each one of the side walls of the bed/ridge is formed by the rolling action of the surface of a roller (33) contacting the bed/ridge sides.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, and characterised in that the rollers (33) associated with the side walls are resiliently loaded one towards the other, the loading being such as to produce a required degree of compaction of the bed/ridge.

9. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, and characterised in that the raised bed/ridge is intended for receiving a root crop.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, and characterised in that the crop is a field of potatoes.

11. Apparatus/machine characterised in that the operational functions of a soil bed/ridge forming machine (2) and a soil bed/ridge shaping profiling machine (3) are combine/integrated that soil tilling and bed forming can be carried out on a single pass of the machine across a terrain in which tilling and bed forming is required.

12. Apparatus/machine for use in the preparation of a raised and shaped crop receiving bed/ridge formation characterised by a first section (2) incorporating means for tilling soil as to form an elongate raised bed/ridge for a crop along a predetermined direction of a field, and by a second section (3) operationally positioned downstream of the first section (2) incorporating means (26, 33) for shaping the raised bed/ridge thereby to produce a raised bed/ridge with a predetermined profile, the arrangement being such that the machine is able to both produce and shape the raised bed/ridge during a single pass of the machine cross a field.

13. Apparatus/machine for producing at least one elongate raised bed for receiving a crop to be planted, characterised in that the operational functions of a ground tilling machine (2) and a soil bed shaping machine (3) are integrally combined into a single machine (1) in such manner that soil tilling to foπn the bed/ridge and a subsequent shaping to produce a raised bed/ridge with a predetennined shaped profile and soil compaction can be carried out on a single pass of the machine across a terrain in which tilling and bed/ridge profiling forming is required.

14. Apparatus/machine as claimed in claim 12 or 13, and characterised in that the shaping forms a raised bed ridge having a flattened top surface and side walls that are inclined inwardly whereby the base of the bed/ridge is wider that the top surface of the bed/ridge.

15. Apparatus/machine as claimed in claim 12, 13 or 14, and characterised in that the height of the bed/ridge is selectively adjustable.

16. Apparatus/machine as claimed in claim 11,12, 13, 14 or 15, and characterised in that the width of the bed/ridge is selectively adjustable.

17. Apparatus/machine as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12 and characterised by height ways adjustable means for producing a flat upper surface to the raised bed/ridge and by means for producing inwardly inclined side walls to the raised bed and for compacting the side walls to such extend that the shaped raised be retains its formation.

18. A machine as claimed in claim 17 and characterised in that the height ways adjustable means includes a mounted plate (25) that is selectively inclinable to the horizontal, and in that the plate provides a trailing edge region (26) serving to form the top surface of the raised bed.

19. Apparatus/machine as claimed in claim 18, and characterised in that the plate, (25) is support by a frame ( 11 ) that is pivotally mounted to the tilling section (2).

20. Apparatus/machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 1 to 19, and characterised in that each one of the inclined side walls of the bed/ridge is formed by the rolling action of the surface of a roller (33) contacting the bed/ridge.

21. Apparatus/machine as claimed in claim 20, and characterised in that the rollers (33) are selectively positioned with respect to each other.

22. A machine as claimed in claim 21, and characterised in that the rollers (33) associated with the side walls are resiliently loaded one towards the other the° loading being such as to assist in producing a required degree of compaction' of the raised bed/ridge.