GB1588831A

GB1588831A - Sowing machine

Info

Publication number: GB1588831A
Application number: GB5396977A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Amazonen Werke H Dreyer SE and Co KG
Current assignee: Amazonen Werke H Dreyer SE and Co KG
Priority date: 1976-12-30
Filing date: 1977-12-28
Publication date: 1981-04-29
Also published as: DE2659523C2; DE2659523A1; DK584877A; DK153971C; FR2375813A1; FR2375813B1; DK153971B

Description

(54) A SOWING MACHINE (71) We, AMAZONEN-WERKE H. DREYER GmbH & Co. KG of 4507 Hasbergen Gaste, Federal Republic of Germany, a German Kommanditgesellschaft, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following state ment :- The present invention relates to a sowing machine or seed drill in which the working width is greater than the track width of the tractor which is to tow the machine which machine has a storage container from which the seeds are fed in metered quantities to the soil through outlets by means of sowing blades arranged in transverse rows and wherein, for providing driving lanes for the wheels of an agricultural tractor within the working width of the sowing machine strips are kept free from the seed to be sown in a periodic return movement; said periodic return being determined by the ratio of the working width of the working machines following each other in special working processes, and wherein, for distinguishing the driving lanes, at least one marking element is provided to be displaceable into a lowered working position and a raised transport position and adjustable transversely to the direction of travel.

German Offenlegungsschrift 23 52 513 already discloses a sowing machine similar to the above-described machine. In this sowing machine the marking element or elements, viewed in the direction of travel are arranged ahead of the sowing blades engaging in the soil. This involves the disadvantage that the marking tracks produced by the marking members can be wiped out by plough shares engaging near them in the soil so as to be unrecognisable.

German Gebrauchsmuster 70 02 896 also discloses a switchover device for marking devices on sowing machines in which the marking members each comprise a marking disc journalled to rotate in a holder, said marking discs having an arched or curved shape. Moreover, each of the holders is arranged to pivot about a bolt extending in the driving direction, resulting in the disadvantage of a comparatively wide transport width for the sowing machine.

Incidentally, such marking devices, generally known as track cutters, are used for producing marking tracks which provide the driver of the tractor towing the sowing machine with a guide line for the driving with a trailer during the work of sowing, said marking tracks being wiped out again when driven over by the wheels of the tractor on the next working run.

It is an object of the present invention to improve the above-described sowing machine so that, in order to make use of the method of driving with marking members, clearly visible marking tracks are produced which remain at least until the seed sprouts.

According to the present invention there is provided a sowing machine, having a working width greater than the wheel gauge of the tractor by which the sowing machine is to be towed and having a storage container from which seed grain is fed in metered quantities through outlet openings to the soil by means of sowing blades arranged in transverse rows, wherein, for providing driving lanes for the wheels of an agriculture tractor within the working width of the sowing machine, strips are kept free of the seed to be delivered in a periodic return process which is determined by the ratio of the working width of the machines following in particular working processes, to the working width of the seed box, and wherein, for distinguishing the driving lanes, at least one marking element is provided displaceable into a lowered working position and into a raised transport position and adjustable transversely to the direction of travel, characterised in that the marking element comprises a marking disc journalled to rotate on a holder and that this marking disc, in its working position, viewed in the direction of travel is in a plane located behind the working instruments of the sowing machine.

The marking tracks remain for a comparatively long time, since they are not swept over by the implements of the sowing machine, quite irrespectively whether sowing blades or the teeth of a seed comb attached to the seed box are concerned.

It has proved to be an advantage, particularly in the case of comparatively heavy soils, to allow the marking discs to roll over the soil in the middle of the path of the tractor, as they cannot then be wiped out by the wheels of the tractor during the operation of subsequent working machines such as, for example, manure spreaders or crop sprayers, so that several operations can be carried out with the use of the driving lane method before the seeds sprout.

The invention also proposes that the marking disc should have a known arched form and that, viewed in the direction of travel, the particular front portion of the arched outer surface of the marking disc should extend in the working position at least approximately parallel to the direction of travel and the lower part of the arched outer surface of the marking disc should assume an upright position. Due to this feature, not only is favourable deep penetration of the marking discs in the soil obtained but, in addition, portions of soil are thrown up over a wide surface area as these discs continue to roll, with the result that the adjacent rows of seed are not covered by heaps of earth. In addition, a marking track of asymmetrical cross section is pro duced by this means, with a side surface extending almost perpendicularly on one side and flat on the other side. The shadow produced by the steep side surface allows the marking tracks to appear even more visibly for a comparatively long time.

If the holder of the marking disc is arranged to pivot about a bolt extending transversely in the direction of travel, a perfect marking track is obtained to the end of each working run. In addition, the marking elements do not require any lateral space in transport which would require a reduction of the effective working width with regard to the maximum permitted total width of a sowing machine for transport on public roads and paths.

A simple possibility of adjustment of the marking dise or discs transversely to the direction of travel is obtained by the feature that the bolt for the pivotable arrangement of the holder is located on a cross beam provided on a support detachably secured to the machine and displaceable transversely to the working direction. This possible adjustment is necessary for adaptation to the different wheel gauges of tractors when the marking discs are disposed within the paths of the tractor.

If the cross beam has the same cross-section as the transverse supports of a seed comb attachable to the machine and if a clamping device adapted to its cross-section is provided for the mounting of the bolt on the cross beam then, the same embodiment of a holder, including the clamping device, can always be used for each marking disc in a further advantageous manner. In equipping the sowing machine with a comb, the holder then needs to be detached from the cross beam and to be clamped in a suitable position on the transverse support of the comb.

If an abutment is provided for the holder of the marking disc in its working position and transport position respectively, the marking discs need not also be raised, when raising a machine designed to be towed, for turning at the ends of a field. For transport on public roads and ways, it is again an advantage for the holder to assume an obliquely forward position seen in the direction of travel.

Finally, it is also proposed, for keeping strips forming the driving lanes free from the seed to be sown, a remotely operated switch device is provided in a manner disclosed by German Published Specification 15 57 906 or as subsequently described and that the holder of the marking disc is connected to such switch device. As a result of these features, marking tracks which are provided for keeping free the strips forming the driving lanes, are automatically produced on these working tracks.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a seed box having marking discs in a longitudinal section disposed in the operative position; Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the marking discs of the seeding machine: Fig. 3 is a rear view of the left-hand marking disc of the arrangement of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the seed box and marking discs; Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view on reduced scale illustrating the seed box according to Fig. 1 with the marking discs; and Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of an embodiment of a seeding machine according to Fig. 4 comprising a marking disc on reduced scale and in plan.

A sowing machine or seeding machine 1 is shown comprising a frame 2 and a seed storage container 3 and is attached to the three-point power lift 4 of a tractor 5 for towing the seeding machine 1; said box being shown in the lowered working position in which it is supported on the soil 7 by means of its two wheels 6. At the same time, seed grain in the storage container 3 is fed to a metering mechanism 10 through the outlet openings 9 closable by means of the outlet slide valve 8 from where such is directed into the soil 7 through seed conducting tubes 11 attached thereto and sowing blades 12. In addition, the outlet slide valves 8 for the openings 9, from which the seed is intro duced into the soil 7 in the tracks 14 which are produced by wheels 13 of the tractor and form the driving lanes, the valves 8 are connected by cable 15 to a switching device 16 provided on the tractor 5, whilst 'springs 17 are provided on the outlet slide valves 8 and exert a force on said valves in the closing direction thereof.

As may be seen more clearly from Fig. 2, the frame 2 is provided with supports 20 extending rearwardly against the direction of travel, shown by arrow 19, and such are detachably and laterally displaceable by means of screws 18. A pipe socket 21 is provided at the rear end of this support 20 and has a cross beam 22 displaceable therein and lockable by means of thumb screws 23. Clamping devices 24 are displace ably secured and lockable in various positions by means of the screw 25 on both sides of the pipe socket 21 respectively. Each clamping device 24 has a bolt 26 which extends trans versely to the direction of travel 19 and to which the holder 27 is pivotably secured.

A pipe member 28 is disposed at the rear end of each holder 27 and in which a shaft 29 is displaceable and lockable by means of thumb screws 30. In addition, a delimiting or marking disc 32 is mounted to rotate on the bent or buckled outer portion 31 of the shaft 30 and has a curved shape. In this case, the angle of incidence of the marking discs 32 can be changed relative to the soil 7 by turning the shaft 29, after loosening the thumb screws 30, and can thus be adapted to the particular conditions of the soil.

The position of the marking discs 32 most favourable to normal operating conditions is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In this position, the particular front part 33 of the curved outer surface 34 of the marking discs extends in the travelling direction 19, whilst the lower half 35 of this outer surface 34 assumes an approximately vertical position. The earth 36 thus raised by the marking discs 32 is thrown fan-wise to the side so that any heaping up of the soil over the next row of seeds is avoided.

As shown in Fig. 1, each holder 27 is connected by means of cable 37 to an oper ating lever 38 of the switch device 16. If this actuating lever is swivelled forwardly into its position 381, the marking discs 32 are raised to their position 321. The slide valves 8 are simultaneously raised by the cable 15 against the force of the springs 17 acting on the valves so that the outward openings 9 are exposed and any seed grain in the storage container 3 is fed to the sowing blades 12 running in the track 14 of the tractor. When the operating lever 38 is swung back, the marking discs 32 are again lowered to the ground and the outlet slide valves 8 are moved downwardly by the force of the springs 17 so that strips within the tracks 14 and for the driving lanes are kept free of seed.

In contrast to this, for the transport of the seed box 1, the marking discs 32 are raised manually to the position 321l when the actuating lever 38 is in the forward position 381 and in such position 321l the holders 27 are supported on abutments 39 located on the clamping devices 24. If this seed box 1 is raised when the marking discs 32 are in the working position, for instance for turning at the ends of a field, the upper surfaces 40 of the clamping devices 24 serve as an abutment for the holders 27.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 4, the seeding machine 1 is provided in the operating position with pivotal springmounted tines 41 located behind the sowing blzdes 12 in the seed comb 42 engaging in the soil. Compared with the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2, the seeding machine 1 is provided with a marking disc 32 and clamping device 24 on the bolt 26 of which the holder is in turn journalled to pivot and being disposed on cross beam 43 of the seed comb 42. This cross beam 43 has the same square cross section as the cross beam 22 of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The holder 27 is also connected in the same manner to the switch device 16. Depending on the lowered working position of the marking disc 32, the slide valve 8 of the opening 9 for the blade 12 which engages in the soil 7 ahead of the marking disc 32, viewed in the direction of travel, is in its lowered closed position. The outlet slide valve 8 is retained in this position by the spring 17 until it is moved into its upper open position by the cable 15 by means of the switch device 16 in the manner already described.

In the case of the embodiment shown schematically in Fig. 5, the seed box 1 has a working width a of 3m. Field sprayer 44 is provided as a following working machine and has a working width b which amounts to three times the working width a, i.e. 9m.

According to this ratio of working widths, a working path 46 must be travelled by the seeding machine 1 along the edge 45 of the field with raised marking discs 32 and exposed outlet openings 9. After the turning operation at the end of the field indicated by the arrow 47 in the top left-hand part, the next working rung 48 must be travelled with marking discs 32 lowered into the working position.

In this case, the outlet openings 9 for the cutters 12 located behind the marking discs 32 are closed so that the driving lanes 49 are produced-the spacing of which corres ponds to the wheel gauge s of the tractor 50 towing the following field sprayer 44. The next two working runs 46 of the seeding machine 1 are travelled in turn with raised marking discs 32 and exposed outlet openings 9. A working run 48 then follows with outlet openings 9 lowered into the working position and closed for the marked driving lanes 49. Two working runs 46 with raised marking discs 32 and exposed outlets 9 are subsequently travelled. This periodic sequench is continued over the entire width of a field.

The tractor 50 is then driven with the attached field sprayer 44 so that its wheels 51 roll in the two driving lanes 49-the spacing of which correspond to its wheel gauge s.

This results in an automatically perfect series position free of any overlapping for the working width b of the field sprayer 44 over the entire width of the field. Several days may, of course, elapse between the sowing with the seeding machine 1 and the spraying with the field sprayer 44.

The same result may be achieved if only one marking disc 32 is provided on the seeding machine 1. This disc must then be in the middle of the driving lanes 49. At the same time, the marking track, shown in broken lines, is produced for each working run 48. The difference from the abovedescribed embodiment resides merely in the fact that the driver of the tractor towing the field sprayer 44 must steer this tractor 50 so that, when travelling over the field, the marking track 52 is exactly under the middle of the tractor. This method has the additional advantage that the marking tracks 52 are not wiped out by the wheels 51 of the tractor 50, so that they also remain as guide lines for any other work to be carried out before the seed sprouts.

Obviously, the above-described two methods with one or two marking discs may also be employed if the working width b of the field sprayer 44 or any other following working machine is twice as much, four-fold, five-fold and so on. In these cases, there must be onc, three or four working runs without driving lanes between the working runs 48 which have the driving lanes 49.

The embodiment shown schematically in Fig. 6 is to be applied to the driving lane method and should be preferred when the ratio between the working width b of the following working machine and the working width a of the seeding machine 1 results in a complete even number. In this case, the seeding machine 1, as in the embodiment according to Fig. 4, is fitted with only one marking disc 32 which is arranged so that the spacing c thereof from one end 53 of the working run 48 corresponds to half the wheel gauge s of the tractor.

Fig. 6 shows an application of the driving lane method in which the working width b of the following working machine in the form of the manure spreader 54 towed by the tractor 50 is twice as much as the working width a of the seed box 1, i.e. amounts to 6 m in the present case. Starting from the left edge 45 of the field, viewed in the direction of travel 19, the first working run 48 is immediately travelled with the marking disc 32 lowered into the working position, whilst this marking disc 32 is arranged with a clearance c= s/2 from the right wheel 53 of this working run 48 and the outlet 9 for the sowing blade 12 located directly in front of the marking disc 32 is in the closed condition. A driving lane 49 is produced thereby with a clearance c = s/2 from the right-hand edge 53 of the working run when travelling over the field. After the turning process, indicated by the top left-hand arrow 47, the next working run 48 is travelled again with the marking disc 32 lowered and one outlet 9 closed, so that the second lane 49 is produced and marked within the clear ance corresponding to the wheel gauge s.

The other working runs 48 are also driven in the same manner as the first two runs. In operating on the entire field, the switch device 16 therefore need not be actuated, there being produced a space exactly equal to the working width b of the muck spreader 54 between the lanes 19 arranged in pairs with a clearance s relatively to each other. The tractor 50 in turn needs therefore to be driven only so that its wheels roll in the particular two lanes 49 perfect trailing being automatically obtained without gaps between the overlapping or overlappings of the working width b of the much spreader 54 in its individual runs.

If the work of the seeding machine 1 is begun (in a manner not shown) at the right hand edge of the field to be worked, the marking disc 32, viewed in the direction of travel 19, must be on the other side of the seed box at a clearance c =s/2 from the edge of the run 48 on this side. This method of using the lane process may also be carried out in the same manner when the marking disc 32 cuts into the soil exactly at one edge of the run 48. In this case, the driver of the tractor 50 of the trailing muck spreader 54 or any other following working machine must steer the tractor so that the marking track is below the middle of the tractor with each crossing.

If the working width b of the following working machine amounts to four times the working width a of the seed box 1, two runs 46 must be present between each two runs 48, in which run 46 the marking disc 32 is in the raised condition and the outlet opening 9 for the sowing blades 12 running in the lanes 49 is closed. In conclusion, it should be pointed out that, in cases where the rear wheels 51 of the tractor 50 towing the following working machines 44 or 54 have a very wide width, two or three adjacent outlet valves 8 may be connected to the switch device 16 and thus the corresponding nu-m- ber of outlet openings 9 may be closed in a periodic return process for each producing a driving I ane 49.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A sowing machine having a working width greater than the wheel gauge of the tractor by which the sowing machine is to be towed and having a storage container from which seed grain is fed in metered quantities through outlet openings to the soil by means of sowing blades arranged in transverse rows, wherein, for providing driving lanes for the wheels of an agriculture tractor within the working width of the sowing machine, strips are kept free of the seed to be delivered in a periodic return process which is determined by the ratio of the working width of the machine following in particular working processes, to the working width of the seed box, and wherein, for distinguishing the driving lanes, at least one marking element is provided displaceable into a lowered working position and into a raised transport position and adjustable transversely to the direction of travel, characterised in that the marking element comprises a marking disc journalled to rotate on a holder and that this marking disc in its working position, viewed in the direction of travel is in a plane located behind the working instruments of the sowing machine.

2. A sowing machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the marking disc has a curved shape and in which, viewed in the direction of travel, the particular front part of the curved outer surface of the marking disc in the working position extends at least approximately parallel to the direction of travel and the particular lower part of the curved outer surface of the marking disc assumes an upright position.

3. A sowing machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the holder of the marking dise is pivotable about a bolt extending transversely to the normal direction of travel.

4. A sowing machine as claimed in claim 3 in which the bolt for the pivotable mounting of the holder is disposed on a cross beam which is displaceable transversely to the direction of travel on a support detachably secured to the sowing machine.

5. A sowing machine as claimed in claim 3 and 4, in which the cross beam has the same cross-section as the transverse support of a seed comb attachable to the seed box, and in which a clamping device is provided for mounting the bolt on a cross beam and is adapted to the cross-section of said beam.

6. A sowing machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, in which stops are provided for the holder of the marking disc respectively in its working position and its transport position.

7. A sowing machine as claimed in claim 6, in which the holder assumes a forwardly inclined position, viewed in the direction of travel, when the marking disc is in the transport position.

8. A sowing machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, in which a remotely controlled switch device is provided for keeping the strips forming the driving lanes free of seed grain to be sown, and in which the holder of the marking disc is connected to this switch device.

9. A sowing machine constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. ber of outlet openings 9 may be closed in a periodic return process for each producing a driving I ane 49. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A sowing machine having a working width greater than the wheel gauge of the tractor by which the sowing machine is to be towed and having a storage container from which seed grain is fed in metered quantities through outlet openings to the soil by means of sowing blades arranged in transverse rows, wherein, for providing driving lanes for the wheels of an agriculture tractor within the working width of the sowing machine, strips are kept free of the seed to be delivered in a periodic return process which is determined by the ratio of the working width of the machine following in particular working processes, to the working width of the seed box, and wherein, for distinguishing the driving lanes, at least one marking element is provided displaceable into a lowered working position and into a raised transport position and adjustable transversely to the direction of travel, characterised in that the marking element comprises a marking disc journalled to rotate on a holder and that this marking disc in its working position, viewed in the direction of travel is in a plane located behind the working instruments of the sowing machine.