GB1331702A - Potato planter - Google Patents

Abstract

1331702 Potato planters P SCHEER 13 Jan 1971 1640/71 Heading AID A machine for planting potatoes, comprises for each planting row two or more planting devices, e.g. tubes 3 each of which has an elevator 2 fitted with scoops or pick-up elements circulatable around horizontal axles 8 and a "drop-out position" near the ground wherein the drop-out positions in each row are arranged one behind the other at a constant distance. In the preferred embodiment, Figs. 1, 2 the elevators are driven by the axles 8 from a ground-wheel 4 through chains 5, 7 and gearing 6. Adjacent planting devices 3 are in driving connection with each other through couplings 9 at the ends of axles 8, the couplings comprising two coaxial discs, one including an arcuate slot and the other a clamping screw which passes through the slot so as to enable the potato-dropping sequence to be varied to achieve regular spacing of dropped potatoes while the actual spacing is varied by for example changing the sprockets of chain drives 5 or 7 to alter the gear ratio between the elevation and the groundwheel. In a further embodiment. Fig. 5, only two planting tubes are provided and the elevator chains are driven from the land-wheel via crossed chains 17, sprockets 16 and axles 15. Sprockets 16 are exchangeable to vary the planting spacing and the axle 15 of one tube may be angularly adjustable relative to that of the other to maintain regular spacing.