GB1600313A

GB1600313A - Soil cultivating devices

Info

Publication number: GB1600313A
Application number: GB2285778A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Patent Concern NV
Current assignee: Patent Concern NV
Priority date: 1977-11-30
Filing date: 1978-05-25
Publication date: 1981-10-14
Also published as: NL7713197A

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SOIL CULTIVATING DEVICES (71) We, PATENT CONCERN N.V., 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 soil cultivating devices.

According to the present invention there is provided a soil cultivating device comprising a frame and a plurality of rotatable plough bodies journalled in this frame, wherein at least one of the plough bodies comprises a supporting member that is of flat material and that is arranged at the lower end of a shaft, the longitudinal centre line of which forms the rotary axis of this plough body and is inclined upwardly forwardly with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the plough, opposite side parts of the supporting member being bent over with respect to the intended direction of operative rotation of the plough body in the direction of this rotation so that, viewed along the axis of this rotation, the cross-section of the supporting member has the shape of an S.

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 plan view of a soil cultivating device, Figure 2 is a sectional side view taken on the line II-II in Figure 1 and on a larger scale, Figure 3 is a view taken in general on the line III-III in Figure 2 so that it is in section with the exception of one cultivating member, which one member is shown in full, and Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV-IV in Figure 1 and on a larger scale.

The soil cultivating device illustrated in the Figures is a plough having a frame and a plurality of rotatable soil cultivating members in the form of plough bodies journalled in this frame. In detail, the device has a hollow frame beam 1 extending transversely of the intended direction of operative travel A of the device and consisting of two identical lower and upper portions 2 and 3 clamped to one another at flanges by bolts 4. In the frame beam 1 are journalled eleven upwardly extending shafts 5 and one shaft 5A of rotatable soil cultivating members that are plough bodies 6, spaced apart by a centre-to-centre distance of preferably 25 cms. In the working position of the device the frame beam 1 is disposed, as is shown in Figure 2, so that the centre lines a, forming the rotary axes of the twelve bodies 6, of the shafts 5 and 5A are at an angle of at least 400 the horizontal.

The shaft 5A is located near the centre of the frame beam 1. Each of the shafts 5, and the shaft 5A, is provided near its lower end with a shoulder 7 holding a ball bearing 8 disposed around the shaft. The ball bearing 8 is in a bearing housing 9, which is provided with a flange at the top. This flange is fastened with the aid of screw bolts 10, which can be inserted from the outside, to the bottom of the lower portion of the hollow frame beam 1 so that a downwardly extending cylindrical part of the bearing housing projects through a corresponding opening out of the frame beam 1.

Each shaft 5, and the shaft 5A, carries a sleeve 11 resting on the ball bearing 8. A pinion 12 fastened to the shaft by means of key-ways bears on the top of this sleeve 8.

The pinion 12 is fixed in place by means of a circlip 13. The circlip 13 is surrounded by a protective ring 14 which extends beyond the top of the hub of the pinion 12 and on which bears a spacer ring 14A (Figure 4) or 15 (Figure 2) arranged around the shaft.

Above the top of the spacer ring 14A or 15 the shaft has a ball bearing 16, which is arranged, for the shafts 5, in a bearing housing 17. This bearing housing 17 is fixed in a corresponding opening in the top of the upper portion 3 of the hollow frame beam 1 by means of screw bolts 18, which can be inserted from the outside. The pinions 12 on the shafts of neighbouring rotatable plough bodies 6 are drivably in mesh with one another.

As shown in Figure 2, the shaft 5A of the rotatable plough body 6 located near the centre of the frame beam 1 has its supporting bearing 16 disposed in a bearing housing 39 which forms part of the bottom of the gear box 40 which is secured to the top of the frame beam 1. The top end of the shaft 5A extends into the gear box 40 and is provided inside the gear box with an exchangeable pinion 41 which is drivably in mesh with an exchangeable pinion 42 on a shaft 43 which is rotatably supported in a bearing 44 in a cover plate 47 arranged on the top of the gear box 40 by means of locating pins 45 and wing nuts 46. The shaft 43 extends into a gear box 48 fastened to the cover plate 47 and inside this gear box it is provided with a bevel gear wheel 49 which is adapted to co-operate with a bevel gear wheel 50 on a shaft 51 extending in the direction of travel A and journalled in the gear box 48. The shaft 51 projects from the front and rear of the gear box 48 and has key-ways at its projecting ends so that the front end can be coupled through an auxiliary shaft with the power take-off shaft of a tractor, whereas the rear end may serve for driving further implements to be coupled with the rotary plough, such as seed or fertilizer dispensers.

The lower part of each shaft 5, and of the shaft 5A, is provided with a circular supporting part 19 which is located substantially inside the cylindrical part of the bearing housing 9 mentioned earlier, as is shown in Figures 2 and 4. This supporting part 19 is provided with a centering member 20 that co-operates with a centering opening in a fastening portion 21. The fastening portion 21, like the supporting part 19, has a circular shape and, as is shown in Figures 2 and 3, it has a diameter slightly exceeding that of the supporting part. The fastening portion 21 is secured by bolts 22 to the supporting part 19 with the centering member 20 on the supporting part located in the centering opening of the fastening portion.

Between the fastening portion 21 and the supporting part 19 is located a circular plate 23 having at its circumference a bent-over rim extending upwardly into an annular, downwardly extending protective screening member 24 which is secured to the bottom of frame beam 1 by means of the bolts 10 serving to secure the bearing housing 9.

Each plough body 6 comprises a blade supporting member 25 formed from flat material that is secured to the fastening part 21 and that extends to the rear in downward direction. Preferably this blade support 25 is made from cast material. The blade support 25 is disposed so that its longitudinal centre line is in line with the longitudinal centre line a of the shaft 5 or 5A forming the rotary axis of the plough body 6. The blade support 25 has straight sides tapering towards the free end with respect to the longitudinal centre line a, whilst near the centre diametrically opposite ribs 26A extend to approximately midway the blade support 25, their width decreasing in downward direction. At the top the blade support 25 has a width approximately corresponding to the diameter of the annular screening member 24 and on opposite sides it has a bent over part 26 extending in the intended direction of operative rotation of the plough body 6 so that this part is at an angle of about 75" to the longitudinal plane A-A (Figure 3) going through the centre line of the body 6.

Viewed in the direction of the rotary axis of the plough body (Figure 3), the blade support 25 has an S-shaped cross-section, the size of which decreases in downward direction. The bent-over parts 26 cover the whole length of the blade support 25 and carry each at each edge a plate 27 forming a knife-like member so that these plates 27 are the blades that are supported by the support 25. Each plate 27 is releasably held in position by means of bolts 28.

From Figures 2 and 4 it will be seen that the plates 27 carried by the bent-over parts 26 extend to above the lower side of each annular screening member 24 and to this end they have each a recess such that the sides of the plates facing each member 24 extend into close proximity of the member 24. The outer edges of the plate 27 are rounded off at the top.

Figure 2 shows that the lower edges of the plates 27 are level with the lower edge of the blade support 25.

By means of the intermeshing pinions 12 arranged in the hollow frame beam 1, alternate rotatable plough bodies 6 rotate in the same direction. Considering each adjacent pair of plough bodies 6 that rotate in the same sense, the blade support 25 of one is angularly off-set about its shaft, with respect to the blade support of the other, through the width of one tooth of a pinion 12 (see, in Figure 3 and with respect to the direction of travel A, the left-hand and the central, or the central and the right-hand body 6, or the remaining two bodies 6 that are visible in this Figure). In this way the lines of connection between the parts 26 and the plates 27 engaging the soil during operation of each two adjacent plough bodies 6 rotating in the same sense are at an angle of about 25 to one another.

At the front, near the top of the hollow frame beam 1, a carrier 29 covers the whole length of the frame beam 1. This carrier is provided on the front, at the ends and in between the ends, with sleeves 30. The sleeves 30 accommodate fastening portions of knife coulters 31 which are adjustable with respect to the beam 1 in a direction of height by means of bolts 32. The knife coulters are disposed so that they extend in planes that are at least substantially parallel to planes containing the rotary axes a of the plough bodies 6. The coulters 31 located between the ends of the carrier 29 are located, viewed in the direction of travel a, in front of and between two relatively co-operating plough bodies 6, On the rear of the frame beam 1 a carrier 33 extends the whole length of the beam.

This carrier 33 is provided with pairs of tines 34, each pair made from a single length of resilient material. Each tine 34 has near the carrier a coil 35 changing into a gradually curved part, the free end of which moves across the soil during operation. Near its ends the frame beam 1 is provided with plates 33A which extend in front of the frame beam and to which are pivoted, by means of a stub shaft 34A, arms 35A extending forwardly along these plates. The arms 35A can be moved and fixed in any one of a plurality of positions by means of a bolt 38 and a plurality of holes in the front part of the plates 33A. Each of the arms 35A is provided on the inner side with a stub shaft 36 for a freely rotatable groundengaging wheel 37.

Near the centre, on the top of the frame beam 1. the carrier 29 is provided with a trestle 52 for attaching the plough to the three-point lifting device of a tractor. On the rear the trestle 52 is provided with plates 53, the width of which increases in downward direction and which are secured to the flanges of the portions 2 and 3 of the hollow frame beam 1.

The plough described above operates as follows. During operating the plough is coupled by means of the trestle 52 with the three-point lifting device of a tractor and the rotatable plough bodies 6 are driven through the transmission gear described above in the directions indicated by curved arrows A in Figure 3 as the plough as a whole is propelled in the direction indicated by the straight arrow A. The working depth of the rotatable plough bodies 6 as well as that of the knife coulters 31 can be adjusted at the front of the frame beam 1 with the aid of the vertically adjustable ground wheels 37. During the operative travel of the plough the respective coulters 31 cut loose the sides of a slice of soil for each rotating plough body 6. The earth of the slice of soil cut loose at the sides is cut up into lumps by the knife-like plates 27 carried by the blade supports 25. During the rotation of the plough body 6 the detached lump of soil is caught along by the ribs 26A and owing to the inclined position of the cutting members with respect to the rotary axis a of each plough body, and to the inclined disposition of this rotary axis, an upward displacement of the soil occurs, whilst the blade support 25 forms a guide member. On the top and rear sides of each plough body 6 the lump of soil thus displaced is inverted and deposited in the fresh furrow. Whilst negotiating a bend the plough bodies co-operate with the resilient tines 34, which operate as soil retainers and at the same time as crumbling members. Owing to the inclined position of the respective plough bodies 6 the soil is displaced over a comparatively short distance so that the power required is comparatively low. Since immediately neighbouring plough bodies are rotating in opposite senses and describe overlapping paths, the machine has a quiet run, which is further enhanced because the plate-shaped blade supports 25 of adjacent plough bodies that rotate in the same sense are disposed with a phase difference of about 15". The speed of rotation of the respective plough bodies can be varied to suit the intended operation and the nature of the soil with the aid of the exchangeable pinions 41 and 42, which consitute a change-speed gear. In order to exchange the pinions the cover plate 37 with the gear box 48 can be removed after the wing nuts 46 have been loosened. In the plough as illustrated in the Figures the shafts are set at an angle of about 40 , but they may be at a larger or smaller angle to the horizontal.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A soil cultivating device comprising a frame and a plurality of rotatable plough bodies journalled in this frame, wherein at least one of the plough bodies comprises a supporting member that is of flat material and that is arranged at the lower end of a shaft, the longitudinal centre line of which forms the rotary axis of this plough body and is inclined upwardly forwardly with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the plough, opposite side parts of the supporting member being bent over with respect to the intended direction of operative rotation of the plough body in the direction of this rotation so that, viewed along the axis of this rotation, the crosssection of the supporting member has the shape of an S.

2. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting member has

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

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the plates 27 engaging the soil during operation of each two adjacent plough bodies 6 rotating in the same sense are at an angle of about 25 to one another. At the front, near the top of the hollow frame beam 1, a carrier 29 covers the whole length of the frame beam 1. This carrier is provided on the front, at the ends and in between the ends, with sleeves 30. The sleeves 30 accommodate fastening portions of knife coulters 31 which are adjustable with respect to the beam 1 in a direction of height by means of bolts 32. The knife coulters are disposed so that they extend in planes that are at least substantially parallel to planes containing the rotary axes a of the plough bodies 6. The coulters 31 located between the ends of the carrier 29 are located, viewed in the direction of travel a, in front of and between two relatively co-operating plough bodies 6, On the rear of the frame beam 1 a carrier 33 extends the whole length of the beam. This carrier 33 is provided with pairs of tines 34, each pair made from a single length of resilient material. Each tine 34 has near the carrier a coil 35 changing into a gradually curved part, the free end of which moves across the soil during operation. Near its ends the frame beam 1 is provided with plates 33A which extend in front of the frame beam and to which are pivoted, by means of a stub shaft 34A, arms 35A extending forwardly along these plates. The arms 35A can be moved and fixed in any one of a plurality of positions by means of a bolt 38 and a plurality of holes in the front part of the plates 33A. Each of the arms 35A is provided on the inner side with a stub shaft 36 for a freely rotatable groundengaging wheel 37. Near the centre, on the top of the frame beam 1. the carrier 29 is provided with a trestle 52 for attaching the plough to the three-point lifting device of a tractor. On the rear the trestle 52 is provided with plates 53, the width of which increases in downward direction and which are secured to the flanges of the portions 2 and 3 of the hollow frame beam 1. The plough described above operates as follows. During operating the plough is coupled by means of the trestle 52 with the three-point lifting device of a tractor and the rotatable plough bodies 6 are driven through the transmission gear described above in the directions indicated by curved arrows A in Figure 3 as the plough as a whole is propelled in the direction indicated by the straight arrow A. The working depth of the rotatable plough bodies 6 as well as that of the knife coulters 31 can be adjusted at the front of the frame beam 1 with the aid of the vertically adjustable ground wheels 37. During the operative travel of the plough the respective coulters 31 cut loose the sides of a slice of soil for each rotating plough body 6. The earth of the slice of soil cut loose at the sides is cut up into lumps by the knife-like plates 27 carried by the blade supports 25. During the rotation of the plough body 6 the detached lump of soil is caught along by the ribs 26A and owing to the inclined position of the cutting members with respect to the rotary axis a of each plough body, and to the inclined disposition of this rotary axis, an upward displacement of the soil occurs, whilst the blade support 25 forms a guide member. On the top and rear sides of each plough body 6 the lump of soil thus displaced is inverted and deposited in the fresh furrow. Whilst negotiating a bend the plough bodies co-operate with the resilient tines 34, which operate as soil retainers and at the same time as crumbling members. Owing to the inclined position of the respective plough bodies 6 the soil is displaced over a comparatively short distance so that the power required is comparatively low. Since immediately neighbouring plough bodies are rotating in opposite senses and describe overlapping paths, the machine has a quiet run, which is further enhanced because the plate-shaped blade supports 25 of adjacent plough bodies that rotate in the same sense are disposed with a phase difference of about 15". The speed of rotation of the respective plough bodies can be varied to suit the intended operation and the nature of the soil with the aid of the exchangeable pinions 41 and 42, which consitute a change-speed gear. In order to exchange the pinions the cover plate 37 with the gear box 48 can be removed after the wing nuts 46 have been loosened. In the plough as illustrated in the Figures the shafts are set at an angle of about 40 , but they may be at a larger or smaller angle to the horizontal. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A soil cultivating device comprising a frame and a plurality of rotatable plough bodies journalled in this frame, wherein at least one of the plough bodies comprises a supporting member that is of flat material and that is arranged at the lower end of a shaft, the longitudinal centre line of which forms the rotary axis of this plough body and is inclined upwardly forwardly with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the plough, opposite side parts of the supporting member being bent over with respect to the intended direction of operative rotation of the plough body in the direction of this rotation so that, viewed along the axis of this rotation, the crosssection of the supporting member has the shape of an S.

an elongated shape and its longitudinal centre line coincides at least substantially with the rotary axis of the plough body.

3. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the supporting member tapers towards its free end, viewed from the side, so that opposite edges are nearer the longitudinal centre line of the supporting member at the bottom than at the top.

4. A soil cultivating device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supporting member has a straight shape.

5. A soil cultivating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the S-shaped cross-section of the supporting member decreases in size from top to bottom.

6. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the bent over parts have a straight shape and are at an angle of about 75" to a plane passing through the longitudinal centre line of the supporting member.

7. A soil cultivating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein, viewed in the direction along the rotary axis of the plough body, the bent over parts are at least substantially parallel to one another.

8. A soil cultivating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bent over parts extend over the whole length of the supporting member.

9. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 8, wherein a blade is arranged in a releasable manner at at least one edge of the supporting member.

10. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 9 wherein the blade extends at the top to beyond a fastening portion provided on the supporting member.

11. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the blade extends at the top to beyond a protective part for the fastening portion and is provided with a recess for the protective part.

12. A soil cultivating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein near its centre the supporting member is provided with diametrically opposite ribs that extend in downward direction to midway the supporting member, and wherein the width of at least one of the ribs decreases in downward direction.

13. A soil cultivating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plough bodies are arranged in a row transverse of the intended direction of operative travel of the device and immediately neighbouring plough bodies are driven during operation in opposite senses.

14. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 13, wherein driving gear for the plough bodies comprises inter-meshing straight toothed pinions fastened to shafts of the respective plough bodies and accommodated in a hollow frame beam and for each immediately adjacent pair of plough bodies that rotate in the same direction the longitudinal planes passing through the longitudinal centre lines of the supporting members of these plough bodies are at an acute angle to one another.

15. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said angle is about 15 .

16. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 13,14 or 15, wherein the shaft of one of the plough bodies located near the middle of the row is provided at the top with an exchangeable pinion which is adapted to co-operate with an exchangeable pinion on a shaft which can be driven from the power take-off shaft of a tractor.

17. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 16, wherein drive to said shaft which can be driven from the power take-off shaft of a tractor is via a further shaft that is arranged in a gear box which is releasably arranged by means of a quick action joint, together with a cover plate, on the top of a gear box including the exchangeable pinions.

18. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said further shaft extends at least substantially in the intended direction of operative travel of the device and has key-way portions that project both at the front and at the rear beyond the gear box that is removable with the cover plate.

19. A soil cultivating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a knife coulter is arranged, with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the device, in front of and, viewed in plan, between two neighbouring rotatable plough bodies.

20. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the knife coulters are disposed so that they extend at least substantially parallel to the rotary axes of the plough bodies.

21. A soil cultivating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a number of soil retainers are arranged behind the rotatable plough bodies with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the device.

22. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 21, wherein at least one soil retainer is inclined from its fastening area in downward and rearward direction with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the device.

23. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 21 or 22, wherein at least one soil retainer is formed by a resilient tine.

24. A soil cultivating device as claimed in claim 23, wherein near its fastening area a tine is provided with at least one coil.

25. A soil cultivating device as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the soil retainers are arranged on a beam disposed to the rear (with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the device) of a portion of the frame supporting the plough bodies.

26. A soil cultivating device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.