GB1600193A

GB1600193A - Distributing implements

Info

Publication number: GB1600193A
Application number: GB13015/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Texas Industries Inc
Current assignee: Texas Industries Inc
Priority date: 1977-04-01
Filing date: 1978-04-03
Publication date: 1981-10-14
Also published as: IT7821810A0; IT1094026B; DE2813669A1; DK136778A; FR2385315A1; NL7703558A

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO DISTRIBUTING IMPLEMENTS (71) We, TEXAS INDUSTRIES INC., of Willemstad, Curaçao, The Netherlands Antilles, a Limited Liability Company organised under the laws of The Netherlands Antilles, 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 statement:- This invention relates to implements for distributing granular and/or powdery materials, such implements being of the kind which comprise a container for material to be distributed and at least one member for distributing that material onto and/or into the ground.

According to the invention, there is provided a distributing implement of the kind set forth, wherein a second container which comprises an indicating mechanism is provided in adjoining relationship with a delivery opening of the first mentioned container, said indicating mechanism being arranged to measure the quantity of material that is delivered through said opening during a predetermined period of operation and/or distance of operative travel of the implement.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a distributing implement in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a sectional view as seen in the direction indicated by arrows 11 11 in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a plan view, to an enlarged scale, as seen in the direction indicated by arrows Ill-Ill in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a sectional side elevation illustrating an alternative form of distributing implement in accordance with the invention, and Figure 5 is a view as seen in the direction indicated by arrows V-V in Figure 4.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, the distributing implement which is illustrated therein is intended for use in distributing granular and/or powdery materials over the ground surface, examples of such materials being granular artificial fertilisers, seeds and the like. Such materials may be left lying upon the ground surface or may be mixed with the soil. The implement of Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings has a frame 1 to which is releasably connected a container for material that is to be distributed, such container being in the form of a downwardly tapering hopper 2. A bladed distributing member 3 is arranged beneath the hopper 2 so as to be rotatable about a vertical or substantially vertical axis which coincides with the longitudinal axis of a vertical or substantially vertical shaft 4 to which a central disc of the distributing member 3 is secured. The shaft 4 is rotatably mounted in a vertical or substantially vertical bearing 5 which projects upwardly from the top of a gear box 6 that is firmly but releasably secured to the frame 1. Bevel pinions and/or other transmission members (not visible) which are contained inside the gear box 6 place the shaft 4 in driven connection with a substantially horizontal rotary input shaft 7 of said gear box 6 which shaft 7 has a keyed or splined end that projects forwardly from the front of the gear box 6 with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement which is from right to left as seen in Figure 1 of the drawings. The keyed or splined end of the rotary input shaft 7 is intended to be placed in driven connection with the rear power take-off shaft of an agricultural tractor or other operating vehicle by way of an intermediate telescopic transmission shaft (not shown), which is of a construction that is known per se, having universal joints at its opposite ends. The frame 1 includes an upwardly and forwardly inclined support 8 which carries a fork at its leading upper end, the limbs of said fork being formed with at least one horizontally aligned pair of holes 10. The frame I also carries two horizontally spaced apart plates 9 which plates 9 are formed with at least one pair of horizontally aligned holes for the releasable reception of corresponding horizontally aligned coupling pins 11. The cou pling pins 11 are arranged to co-operate pivotally with the free ends of the lower lifting link of a three-point lifting device or hitch at the rear of an agricultural tractor or other operating vehicle whilst the holes 10 in the limbs of the fork which is carried by the suport 8 are arranged to receive a substantially horizontal pivot for co-operation with the free end of the upper adjustable length lifting link of the same three-point lifting device or hitch.

The bottom of the downwardly tapering hopper 2 is formed with a delivery opening or spout 12 which is of circular cylindrical configuration, being open at its lowermost extremity. A lower region of the delivery opening or spout 12 is surrounded, with marginal clearance, by the upper end of a cylindrical annulus 13 whose lower edge bears against the upper surface of the central disc of the distributing member 3 in surrounding relationship with a step in said upper surface. The annulus 13 is formed with at least one outlet port 14 and usually, as illustrated, with two or more such ports 14 which are angularly spaced apart from one another around the curved surface of the annulus 13. A ring 16 is arranged displaceably around the upper end of the annulus 13, its lower ecge bearing upon supports which project from the convex surface of the annulus 13. The ring 16 carries one or more masking plates 15 whose number corresponds to the number of outlet ports 14 formed in the annulus 13. The or each masking plate 15 is arranged to co-operate with the outlet port 14, or with a corresponding one of the outlet ports 14, and said ring 16 and the masking plate or plates 15 which it carries is angularly movable relative to the annulus 13 between a position in which the plate or plates 15 completely close the port or ports 14 and a position in which said port or ports 14 are completely free from restriction by the plate or plates 15, the port or ports 15 thus being "fully open" in this latter position.

A setting mechanism 17 which it is not necessary to describe in detail for the purposes of the present invention is connected to the annulus 13 and to the ring 16 which carries the masking plate or plates 15, said mechanism 17 being capable of turning both the annulus 13 and the masking plate or plates 15 together about the vertical or substantially vertical axis of the shaft 4 to control the direction in which material will be distributed from the implement by the blades of the member 3 when the implement is in use, the mechanism 17 also being usable to adjust the ring 16 and plate or plates 15 relative to the annulus 13 so as to control the amount of material per unit time which can pass through the outlet port or ports 14 when the implement is in use. It will be apparent from the brief discussion above that the rate of distribution of the material per unit time can be varied between "nil", which corresponds to the outlet port or ports 14 being completely closed by the masking plate or plates 15, and a maximum value that is dependent upon the particular material concerned and upon the size of the or each port 14, the latter condition corresponding to said port or ports 14 being completely free of coverage by the plate or plates 15. The mechanism 17 comprises parts which will maintain any chosen settings thereof as long as may be required.

A measuring chamber in the form of a tube 21 of circular cross section is provided inside the hopper 2, said tube 21 being formed from a transparent, or at least translucent, material which may advantageously be a synthetic plastics material such, purely for example, as polymethylmethacrylate.

The tube 21 has a flared lower end 22 which is a close fit in the upper end of the delivery opening or spout 12 where the latterjoins the bottom of the downwardly tapering walls of the hopper 2. The tube 21 is vertically or substantially vertically disposed and, at a location which is a little above its mid-point, it is connected by upper and lower trunnion pins 26 and 27, respectively to a dual parallelogram linkage 23. The trunnion pins 26 and 27 effectively form part of the linkage 23 which linkage also comprises parallel upper and lower links 24 and 25 that extend forwardly from the pins 26 and 27 with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement to have their leading ends pivotally connected to the two upright limbs of a support 30 by a Single upper pivot pin 28 and by corresponding lower pivot pins 29. The bottom of the support 30 is firmly, but readily releasably, secured to an upper edge region of the front wall of the hopper 2 by a screw-operated clamp 31. It will be apparent that the dual parallelogram linkage 23 by which the tube 21 is connected to the support 30 is so constructed that said tube 21 can be moved upwardly and downwardly without tilting to any significant extent from its vertical or substantially vertical disposition and that, upon releasing the clamp 31, the whole assembly which comprises the tube 21, the dual parallelogram linkage 23 and the support 30 can be removed from the hopper 2.

One of the two upper links 24 is indirectly connected to the single upper pivot pin 28 by a setting arm 32 which forms part of a setting and retaining mechanism for the linkage 23.

The setting arm 32 effectively extends in substantially rectilinear prolongation of the link 24 concerned, said arm 32 being connected to the leading end of the link 24 under consideration by a substantially vertical pivot pin 41 at a location which is a short distance to the rear of the single upper pivot pin 28. The arm 32 is thus turnable laterally in a substantially horizontal direction relative to the associated link 24 about the axis which is defined by the pivot pin 41. The arm 32 can thus be moved laterally in the direction of an arrow 47 to the position thereof that is shown in broken lines at the left hand side of Figure 3 of the drawings.

The leading end of the upper link 24 which is under consideration has a forwardly projecting apertured lug 40 whilst the co-operating setting arm 32 is formed with two apertured lugs 39 that are disposed immediately above, and immediately beneath, the lug 40. The pivot pin 41 extends through the aligned apertures in the three lugs 39 and 40 and thus any movement of the arm 32 in a substantially vertical direction causes a corresponding movement of the link 24. The arm 32 integrally includes a retaining arm 33 which is located alongside one of the limbs of the support 30 and which carries a pin 34 which projects therefrom towards said limb of the support 30. The limb in question is formed with an upper hole 42 and a lower hole 43 which are at the same distance from the longitudinal axis of the single upper pivot pin 28 and it will be apparent from Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings that the pin 34 can be entered in either the upper hole 42 or, as illustrated, the lower hole 43 in dependence upon the angular disposition of the dual parallelogram linkage 23 and of the setting arm 32 as regards the pivot pin 28 rather than the pivot pin. In order to enable the setting arm 32 to be moved laterally in a substantially horizontal direction, it surrounds the single upper pivot pin 28 by way of a hole 35 which is of considerably greater diameter than is the pivot pin 28 itself thus allowing a considerable degree of free movement. The two upright limbs of the support 30 are spaced apart from one another by the same distance as are the facing surfaces of the upper and lower links 24 and 25 but a portion of that limb of the support 30 which is closest to the setting arm 32 is offset by a small distance towards the companion limb (see Figure 3) and is adjoined by a substantially hemispherical member 36 which surrounds the single upper pivot pin 28. The convex surface of the substantially hemispherical member 36 protrudes into a matching concave recess in the facing end of the hole 35 through the setting arm 32 and said setting arm 32 is resiliently urged into engagement with the convex surface of the member 36 by a helical compression spring 37 that is wound around the pivot pin 28 so as to bear between the side of the setting arm 32 that is remote from the support 30 and a stop ring 38 which is fastened to one end of the pivot pin 28 by a transverse pin.

The tube 21 has an overall length 48 (Figure 1) which is substantially one and a half times the effective height of the hopper 2. At least that part of the length of the tube 21 which projects above the top of the hopper 2 is marked with calibration lines 45 which are spaced apart from one another at regular intervals 46 along said upwardly projecting part of the tube 21. In the example which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, there are ten of the calibration lines 45 which are visually marked by the numbers "1" to "10" respectively.

In the use of the distributing implement that has been described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, its frame 1 is connected to the three-point lifting device or hitch at the rear of an agricultural tractor or other operating vehicle using the aligned holes 10 and aligned coupling pins 11 in the manner which has been briefly described above and which is known per se. The clamp 31 is connected to the upper edge of the leading wall of the hopper 2 and the tube 21 is disposed as shown in full lines in Figure 1 of the drawings, being connected to the support 30 by the links 24 and 25 of the dual parallelogram linkage 23. The flared lower end 22 of the tube 21 thus fits in the upper end of the delivery opening or spout 12 and this position is maintained by first displacing the setting arm 32 laterally in the direction of the arrow 47 and then urging its leading end (i.e.

the end thereof which is to the left of the pivot pin 28 as seen in Figure 1 of the drawings) upwardly until the flared lower end 22 of the tube 21 is in the required position. The setting arm 32 can then be turned laterally back by the compressed spring 37 in a substantially horizontal direction which is opposite to that indicated by the arrow 47 to enter the pin 34 in the lower hole 43 in the neighbouring limb of the support 30. The engagement of the pin 34 that is carried by the retaining arm 33 in the lower hole 43 effectively prevents upward displacement of the tube 21. Both the tube 21 and the hopper 2 are filled with whatever granular or powdery material is to be distributed by the implement and, as the implement moves forwardly from right to left as seen in Figure 1 of the drawings over the ground that is to receive the material in question, rotary drive is transmitted to the distributing member 3 from the rear power take-off shaft of the tractor or other operating vehicle by way of the known intermediate telescopic transmission shaft (not shown) which has universal points at its opposite ends, the rotary input shaft 7 of the gear box 6 and the vertical or substantially vertical shaft 4.

It is very desirable, for most materials, that a predetermined quantity of material per unit area of the land should be distributed and the setting mechanism 17 is adjusted to cause the masking plate or plates 15 to co operate with the outlet port or ports 14 to give, as near as possible, the required rate of flow of the material. This is achieved by returning the ring 16 angularly relative to the annulus 13 to position the masking plate or plates 15 substantially correctly relative to the outlet port or ports 14. A further adjustment can be made having regard to whether the material is to be distributed principally to the left, principally to the right or substantially centrally of the path of travel of the implement and this is achieved by turning the annulus 13 and the ring 16 together about their common upright longitudinal axis. It will be appreciated that this adjustment displaces the more or less masked outlet port or ports 14 angularly about said axis and thus changes the point or points at which material from said port or ports arrives on the surface of the rotary soil working member 3 at the exterior of the annulus 13. Once an approximately correct setting of the effective size of the or each outlet port 14 has been achieved by appropriate manipulation of the machinism 17, this setting is checked by disposing the tube 21 in the effective position thereof that is shown in full lines in Figure 1 of the drawings in which position its flared lower end 22 closes access from the interior of the hopper 2 to the upper end of the delivery opening or spout 12, access thereto only being possible from the interior of the tube 21 itself. The tube 21 is then filled, from its open upper end, with the material, such as granular fertiliser or seeds, that is to be distributed over the ground. The tube 21 may, for example, be filled up to the top calibration line 45 that is marked "1". The implement is then moved operatively through a predetermined distance such as, for example, 100 metres at the end of which distance the distributing operation is stopped and the tube 21 checked to see down to which calibration mark 45 the level of the material therein has fallen. The regular intervals 46 between the calibration lines 45 are such that a known volume of the interior of the tube 21 is contained between the successive lines. Thus, it can readily be determined what quantity of the material from the tube 21 has been distributed over the ground during the 100 metre or other measured distance of operation. Since the approximate width of the strip of land which receives the material during operation is also a known factor, it is a relatively simple matter to ascertain whether the setting mech anism 17 has been adjusted to give the correct quantity of material per hectare or other unit area of land or whether too little, or too much material per hectare or other unit area is being distributed by the implement. Clearly, if the mechanism 17 is already correctly or substantially correctly adjusted, no further alteration thereof will be necessary but. if too little or too much material per hectare or other unit area of land is being distributed, then the ring 16 and masking plate or plates 15 need to be moved relative to the annulus 13 so as effectively to open, or close. the outplet port or ports 14 to some extent.

Purely for example. if. during a test run of 100 meters, the level of the material in the tube 21 should have dropped from the uppermost calibration line 45 to the calibration line 45, marked "4" but has actually fallen a little further than that, a marginal adjustment of the mechanism 17 is made so as to make the effective size of the or each outlet port 14 a little smaller whereafter a second similar test run is made followed, if necessary, by a third test run until the effective size of the or each outlet port 14 is exactly, or substantially exactly, correct. It will be appreciated that the speed of travel of the implement over the ground must be substantially constant throughout the test runs and must be the same as the speed of travel which is to be employed after the tests are over and the distributing operation, proper, is to be undertaken.

When the setting mechanism 17 has been correctly, or substantially correctly, adjusted, the lower flared end 22 of the tube 21 can be brought out of its blocking communication with upper end of the delivery opening or spout 12 by moving the whole tube upwardly until its end 22 occupies substantially the position thereof that it shown in Figure 1 of the drawings in broken lines. Once this position of the tube 21 has been attained, open communication is possible between the interior of the whole of the hopper 2 and the delivery opening or spout 12. The upward displacement of the tube 21 to its inoperative position can be effected by the driver of the operating tractor or other vehicle, usually without leaving his driving seat, by first displacing the arm 32 laterally in the substantially horizontal direction that is indicated by the arrow 47 in Figure 3 thereby turning the arm 32 and the retaining arm 33 in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 41 as seen in Figure 3. The pin 34 is thus withdrawn from the lower retaining hole 43 whereafter a downward pressure upon the leading end (not shown) of the setting arm 32 will cause the links 24 and 25 to turn upwardly about the pivot pins 28 and 29 carrying with them the tube 21. The setting arm 32 is then released so that the spring 37, which has previously been compressed to some extent by the lateral displacement of said arm 32 in the direction of the arrow 47, can turn that arm 32 and the retaining arm 33 back in an anticlockwise direction as seen in Figure 3 of the drawings to enter the pin 34 retainingly into the upper hole 42 in one of the limbs of the support 30. Displacements of the setting arm 32 and retaining arm 33 in the direction of the arrow 47, and in the opposite direction, are readily possible because of the large clearance between the interior of the hole 35 through said arm by which that arm surrounds the single upper pivot pin 28, the engagement of the shaped mouth of said hole 35 with the matchingly shaped hemispherical member 36 acting in the manner of a bearing which facilitates lateral displacement of the setting arm 32. As soon as the tube 21 has been raised to, and retained, it is inoperative position, material from the interior of the hopper 2 can flow freely into the delivery opening or spout 12 together with any remaining material in the tube 21.

The tube 21 constitutes an indicating mechanism which is displaceably connected to the hopper 2 by the parallelogram linkage 23, the support 30 at the end of the linkage 23 which is remote from the tube 21 being releasably connectable to the hopper 2 by the clamp 31. In the embodiment which has been described, the distributing implement has a rotary distributing member 3 but it will be evident that the indicating mechanism which has been described could equally well be employed in association with the hopper or other containers of implements which have distributing members of other kinds such, purely for example, as oscillatory distributing members. It is only necessary that the distributing implement should be one which is constructed and arranged for distributing predetermined quantities of material per unit time of operation so that, assuming a uniform speed of travel of the implement over the ground surface, a predetermined quantity of material per unit area of land will reach the ground. In addition to its use in accurately determining the volume of granular and/or powdery material which is distributed uniformly over the ground surface, the indicating mechanism that has been described is also very useful in measuring the quantity of seeds per unit length of rows thereof and, accordingly, the term "distributing" as used in this specification is to be interpreted as including distributing seeds and/or other materials in rows and other distribution patterns that are not necessarily uniform throughout given areas of land.

Thus, the distributing member that is employed need not be a rotary or oscillatory distributing member but could, for example, be a coulter or sowing shoe that is constructed and arranged to deposit a row of seeds in the coil at a level beneath that of the surface thereof. Granular artificial fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and the like may also be distributed accurately by adjusting the rate of flow thereof with the indicating mechanism that has been described.

Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings illustrate an alternative form of distributing implement in accordance with the invention but parts which, in the embodiment of Figures 4 and 5, are similar, or identical, to parts that have already been described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 thereof are indicated in Figures 4 and 5 by the same references as are used in Figures 1 to 3 and will not be described in detail again. In fact, as will be evident from a comparison of Figures 4 and 5 with Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, it is the indicating mechanism that is of a different construction, the remainder of the distributing implement being substantially identical to the implement of the first embodiment. In the embodiment of Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, the hopper 2 contains a measuring chamber in the form of a tube 55 that is of square cross-section, said tube 55 extending obliquely upwardly inside the hopper 2 against a front wall 56 of that hopper. The upper end of the tube 55 projects by a short distance 57 above the top edge of the front wall 56 of the hopper 2 and its lower end is shaped to fit accurately in the upper end of the delivery opening or spout 12 that is provided at the bottom of the hopper 2. The tube 55 is secured to the front wall 56 of the hopper 2 and there is no access from the interior of the hopper 2 to the delivery opening or spout 12 other than by way of the tube 55. The square cross-section tube 55 has a rear wall 58 which comprises a lower portion in the form of a displaceable flap 60.

The flap 60 is fastened to a shaft 61 that extends substantially horizontally through the interior of the hopper 2 and, with the provision of a rotary seal (not shown), through one of the side walls of the hopper 2 to the exterior thereof (see Figure 5). A setting arm 62 (Figure 4) is rigidly secured to the end of the shaft 61 that lies outside the hopper 2 and it will be evident that manipulation of the setting arm 62 will turn the shaft 61 about its own longitudinal axis thus altering the position of the flap 60 relative to the remainder of the tube 55. Ten indicating rods 63 extend horizontally between the opposite side walls of the tube 55 at locations which are midway between the front wall (adjoining the front wall 56 of the hopper 2) and the rear wall 58 thereof said indicating rods 63 being spaced apart from one another at regular vertical intervals 64.

In the use of the distributing implement of Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, its frame I is connected to the three-point lifting device or hitch at the rear of an agricultural tractor of other operating vehicle in the same manner as has been described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings and the rotary input shaft 7 of the gear box 6 is placed in driven connection with the rear power takeoff shaft of the same tractor or other vehicle by way of the known telescopic transmission shaft (not shown) which has universal joints at its opposite ends. Both the hopper 2 and the tube 55 are filled, from their upper ends, with the granular or powdery material that is to be distributed and, as in the case of the first embodiment, the setting mechanism 17 is adjusted to bring the or each outlet port 14 to approximately the correct size for the required rate of distribution of the material over the ground. An adjustment of the setting mechanism 17 in respect to the direction of distribution of the material is, if required, also made at this time. The setting arm 62 is arranged in the position that is shown in broken lines in Figure 4 of the drawings in which position the flap 60 is coplanar with the remainder of the rear wall 58 of the tube 55, thus completely preventing communication between the interior of the tube 55 and the interior of the remainder of the hopper 2.

A check is made to ensure that the material inside the tube 55 extends to exactly the level of one of the indicating rods 63, preferably the uppermost rod 63, more material being added, if required, to achieve this. A test run of, conveniently, 100 metres is then made with the implement in operation at the end of which run distribution is immediately discontinued and a check made to see down to what level the material within the tube 55 has fallen. It will, of course, be appreciated that, once again, each regular interval 64 corresponds to a predetermined volume of the interior of the tube 55 and thus to a predetermined quantity of granular or powdery material contained within that tube. If the level has dropped too far, an adjustment of the setting mechanism 17 needs to be made to reduce the effective size of the or each outlet port 14 to a small extent whereas, conversely the or each port 14 should have its effective size slightly enlarged if the level in the tube 55 has not fallen sufficiently. One or more further test runs may be necessary, after appropriate adjustments of the mechanism 17, before exactly. or substantially exactly, the correct setting has been arrived at. In this embodiment, the tube 55 and the indicating rods 63 constitute the indicating mechanism which mechanism is useable to check the quantity of material per unit time of operation that is distributed by the implement and, assuming a uniform speed of travel thereof, the amount of material distributed per unit area of land traversed by the implement.

Once a correct, or substantially correct, setting of the mechanism 17 has been attained and the mechanism 17 has been fixed in that setting, the arm 62 is moved to the alternative position 62A that is shown in Figure 4 of the drawings so that the flap 60 is turned angularly about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 61 into the open position thereof that is shown in broken lines in the same Figure. The flap 60 has a length 59 (Figure 4) in the longitudinal

The rings are movable relative to one another to determine the effective sizes of the or each outlet port and the direction in which the material will be ejected from the implement. Masking plates equivalent to the plates 15 may not be required with some such constructions or are used only when the or each outlet port is to be completely closed.

Other flow control mechanisms comprise at least one driven part which may, for example, be in the form of a roller formed with seed-receiving recesses, such roller being pasitively rotated to supply seeds or other material from a hopper or other container to a delivery pipe or other supply outlet.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A distributing implement of the kind set forth, wherein a second container which comprises an indicating mechanism is provided in adjoining relationship with a delivery opening of the first mentioned container, said indicating mechanism being arranged to measure the quantity of material that is delivered through said opening during a predetermined period of operation and/or distance of operative travel of the implement.

2. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein a flow control mechanism is provided for governing the quantity of material that is delivered per unit time of operation and/or distance of operative travel of the implement.

3. An implement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second container is located upstream of the flow control mechanism with respect to the direction of flow of the material from the first mentioned container to the or each distributing member when the implement is in use.

4. An implement as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the second container is located at least partly inside the first-mentioned container.

5. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein, at least when the second container is in use, it is in direct communication with the delivery opening, or with a spout, at the bottom of the firstmentioned container.

6. An implement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the delivery opening or spout is of substantially circular cross-section.

7. An implement as claimed in either claim 5 or claim 6 when read as appendant to claim 2, wherein the second container adjoins the upper end of the delivery opening or spout and the flow control mechanism for material that is to be distributed is arranged in, or adjacent to. said opening or spout at a level beneath that of the upper end thereof.

8. An implement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second container fits in the upper end of the delivery opening or spout.

9. An implement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second container is constructed and arranged to fit in the upper end of the delivery opening or spout in such a way as to prevent communication between that delivery opening or spout and the interior of the first mentioned container.

10. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second container is formed wholly or principally from a transparent or translucent material.

11. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second container is of elongate configuration and is vertically or substantially vertically disposed.

12. An implement as claimed in claim 10 or in claim 11 when read as appendant to claim 10, wherein the second container is formed wholly or principally from a transparent or translucent synthetic plastics material.

13. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the indicating mechanism for material that is to be distributed is provided at a visible location which is spaced from the walls of the first-mentioned container.

14. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the indicating mechanism is in the form of lines on a wall of the second container.

15. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the indicating mechanism comprises projections of the second container.

16. An implement as claimed in claim 15, wherein the projections are afforded by rods that are connected to at least one wall of the second container.

17. An implement as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein the projections interconnect two opposite walls of the second container.

18. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the indicating mechanism includes visible indicia.

19. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second container is arranged so as to be movable relative to the first-mentioned container.

20. An implement as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second container is constructed and arranged so as to be displaceable upwardly and downwardly relative to the first mentioned container.

21. An implement as claimed in claim 19 or 20, wherein the second container is displaceably connected to wall of the first-mentioned container by at least one support.

22. An implement as claimed in claim 21, wherein a setting and retaining mechanism is provided by which the second container can be retained in a position relative to said support or supports which is such that an outlet thereof is spaced from the delivery opening or spout of the first-mentioned container.

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

Claims

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

The rings are movable relative to one another to determine the effective sizes of the or each outlet port and the direction in which the material will be ejected from the implement. Masking plates equivalent to the plates

15 may not be required with some such constructions or are used only when the or each outlet port is to be completely closed.

Other flow control mechanisms comprise at least one driven part which may, for example, be in the form of a roller formed with seed-receiving recesses, such roller being pasitively rotated to supply seeds or other material from a hopper or other container to a delivery pipe or other supply outlet.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A distributing implement of the kind set forth, wherein a second container which comprises an indicating mechanism is provided in adjoining relationship with a delivery opening of the first mentioned container, said indicating mechanism being arranged to measure the quantity of material that is delivered through said opening during a predetermined period of operation and/or distance of operative travel of the implement.
2. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein a flow control mechanism is provided for governing the quantity of material that is delivered per unit time of operation and/or distance of operative travel of the implement.
3. An implement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second container is located upstream of the flow control mechanism with respect to the direction of flow of the material from the first mentioned container to the or each distributing member when the implement is in use.
4. An implement as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the second container is located at least partly inside the first-mentioned container.
5. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein, at least when the second container is in use, it is in direct communication with the delivery opening, or with a spout, at the bottom of the firstmentioned container.
6. An implement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the delivery opening or spout is of substantially circular cross-section.
7. An implement as claimed in either claim 5 or claim 6 when read as appendant to claim 2, wherein the second container adjoins the upper end of the delivery opening or spout and the flow control mechanism for material that is to be distributed is arranged in, or adjacent to. said opening or spout at a level beneath that of the upper end thereof.
8. An implement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second container fits in the upper end of the delivery opening or spout.
9. An implement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second container is constructed and arranged to fit in the upper end of the delivery opening or spout in such a way as to prevent communication between that delivery opening or spout and the interior of the first mentioned container.
10. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second container is formed wholly or principally from a transparent or translucent material.
11. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second container is of elongate configuration and is vertically or substantially vertically disposed.
12. An implement as claimed in claim 10 or in claim 11 when read as appendant to claim 10, wherein the second container is formed wholly or principally from a transparent or translucent synthetic plastics material.
13. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the indicating mechanism for material that is to be distributed is provided at a visible location which is spaced from the walls of the first-mentioned container.
14. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the indicating mechanism is in the form of lines on a wall of the second container.
15. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the indicating mechanism comprises projections of the second container.
16. An implement as claimed in claim 15, wherein the projections are afforded by rods that are connected to at least one wall of the second container.
17. An implement as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein the projections interconnect two opposite walls of the second container.
18. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the indicating mechanism includes visible indicia.
19. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second container is arranged so as to be movable relative to the first-mentioned container.
20. An implement as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second container is constructed and arranged so as to be displaceable upwardly and downwardly relative to the first mentioned container.
21. An implement as claimed in claim 19 or 20, wherein the second container is displaceably connected to wall of the first-mentioned container by at least one support.
22. An implement as claimed in claim 21, wherein a setting and retaining mechanism is provided by which the second container can be retained in a position relative to said support or supports which is such that an outlet thereof is spaced from the delivery opening or spout of the first-mentioned container.
23. An implement as claimed in any one

of claims 19 to 22, wherein the second container has a flared lower end that is arranged to fit inside the delivery opening or spout of the first-mentioned container, said second container being movable relative to the first-mentioned container in a direction that is parallel or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said delivery opening or spout.
24. An implement as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second container is elongate in a vertical or substantially vertical direction.
25. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein the second container is connected to the first-mentioned container through the intermediary of a parallelogram linkage, said parallelogram linkage being provided with a setting and retaining mechanism which is such that both said linkage and the second container can be retained in a chosen one of at least two different positions relative to the first-mentioned container.
26. An implement as claimed in claim 21, or in any one of claims 22 to 25 when read as appendant to claim 21, wherein the setting and retaining mechanism comprises a setting arm that extends in the use of the implement, towards the driving seat of a tractor or other operating vehicle thereof.
27. An implement as claimed in claim 26, wherein said setting arm is constructed and arranged so as to be movable in a first direction for displacing the second container relative to the first-mentioned container and in a second direction which is transverse to the first direction.
28. An implement as claimed in claim 27, wherein the setting~ arm comprises a retaining arm carrying a pin which can be entered retainingly in at least one hole upon displacement of the setting arm in said second direction after a preceding displacement thereof in said first direction.
29. An implement as claimed in claim 27 or 28, wherein said control arm is movable about the longitudinal axis of a pivot pin or shaft of a parallelogram linkage by which the second container is connected to at least one support, said setting arm surrounding said pin or shaft by way of a hole of significantly larger diameter than said pin or shaft and said arm being laterally spring-loaded in such a way as to urge one end of said hole into engagement with a member having a curved surface.
30. An implement as claimed in claim 21 or in any one of claims 22 to 29 when read as appendant to claim 21, wherein the second container has two opposite sides thereof movably connected to said support or supports.
31. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the second container is rigidly secured to the firstmentioned container.
32. An implement as claimed in claim 31, wherein the second container has a wall which abuttingly engages a wall of the firstmentioned container.
33. An implement as claimed in claim 31 or 32, wherein the second container has a lower end which fits sealingly into the upper end of the delivery opening or spout of the first-mentioned container thereby preventing communication between the interior of the first-mentioned container and said delivery opening or spout other than by way of the second container.
34. An implement as claimed in claim 33, wherein said second container is formed with a closable opening in a region thereof that is close to said delivery opening or spout.
35. An implement as claimed in claim 34, wherein said opening is formed in a wall of the second container and is closable by a turnably mounted flap, and wherein said flap is connected to a setting arm therefor.
36. An implement as claimed in claim 34 or 35, wherein said opening and the cooperating flap are provided in a wall of the second container which faces inwardly towards the centre of the first-mentioned container.
37. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 or in any one of claims 7 to 36 when read as appendant to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second container is of rectangular cross-section.
38. An implement as claimed in claim 37, wherein the cross-section is square.
39. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein an upper end of the second container projects above the top of the first mentioned container.
40. An implement as claimed in claim 39, wherein the second container is provided with calibration marks on substantially only that part thereof which projects above the top of the first-mentioned container.
41. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 39, wherein the second container is provided with calibration marks along substantially only that part thereof which is located inside the first-mentioned container.
42. An implement as claimed in claim 41, wherein the second container projects above the top of the first-mentioned container by only a relatively small part of its total length.
43. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 41, wherein the second container projects above the top of the firstmentioned container by a distance which is equal to substantially half the total length of said second container.
44. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 36, or in claim 39 or in any one of claims 40 to 43 when read as appendant to any one of claims 1 to 33 or claim 39, wherein the second container is afforded wholly or principally by a tube of circular cross-section.
45. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said second container is elongate and at least part of the length thereof is of smaller cross-sectional area than is a lower end thereof by which, at least in use, it is connected to the delivery opening or spout of the first-mentioned container.
46. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein coupling means is provided for connecting the implement to a lifting device or hitch carried by a tractor or other operating vehicle.
47. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least said one distributing member is a member that is arranged to be driven from the power takeoff shaft of a tractor or other vehicle which moves and operates the implement during the use thereof.
48. An implement as claimed in claim 47, wherein said distributing member is a rotary distributing member.
49. A distributing implement of the kind set forth, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.