GB2023984A

GB2023984A - Soil cultivating implement

Info

Publication number: GB2023984A
Application number: GB7922300A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Patent Concern NV
Current assignee: Patent Concern NV
Priority date: 1978-06-27
Filing date: 1979-06-27
Publication date: 1980-01-09
Also published as: DE2925498A1; FR2429544B1; FR2429544A1; NL7806872A; GB2023984B

Abstract

In a soil cultivating implement a roller (7A) arranged behind, with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement, a row of rotary soil working members comprises a pluarity of support discs (8) having circumferentially bent-over parts (10) to which six elongate elements (15) are releasably clamped by pairs of bolts (11) so as to, extend substantially helically around the axis of rotation of the roller (7A), each element (15) being of channel-shaped cross-section and, comprising sharp (angular) inwardly directed bends and torsionally twisted portions (15A) which are flanked by substantially straight portions (15B), said bends and torsionally twisted portions (15A) being in register with those support discs (8) which are not at the opposite ends of the roller (7A). Elongate elements of T-shaped cross-section are also described and illustrated. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Soil cultivating implements This invention relates to soil cultivating implements or machines of the kind which comprise at least one roller that is provided, at its ground-engaging periphery, with a plurality of elongate elements that extend lengthwise relative to the axis of rotation of the roller and that are connected to a plurality of supports which also form parts of the roller. The expression "implement(s) or machine(s)" will be shortened to "implement(s)" alone throughout the remainder of this specification for the sake of brevity.

When such a known roller has to perform a supporting function in.respect of the implement of which it forms part and sometimes also in respect of at least part of the weight of a further implement, machine or tool used in conjunction with the soil cultivating implement, the stability, and particularly the rigidity, of the roller has frequently proved to be insufficient.Complicated and/or expensive strengthening procedures have had to be adopted to overcome this deficiency but one aspect of the present invention seeks to avoid the shortcomings of the known rollers, without significant complication or extra expense, by providing a soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth wherein at least some of the elongate elements of the roller are each afforded by a bar of a predetermined crosssection that, by means of bolts or other clamping members, is mounted on at least one support that extends transverse to the bars.

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 implement in accordance with the invention shown connected to the rear of an agricultural tractor, Figure 2 is an elevation of part of an openwork ground roller of the implement of Fig. 1 to an enlarged scale, Figure 3 is a section taken on the line Ill-Ill in Fig. 2, Figure 4 is an elevation, to the same scale as Figs. 2 and 3, showing an alternative form of openwork ground roller that may be used in an implement in accordance with the invention, and Figure 5 is a section taken on the line V-V in Fig. 4.

Referring firstly to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, the soil cultivating implement that is illustrated therein has a hollow box-section frame portion 1 that extends substantially horizontally transverse, and usually (as illustrated) substantially horizontally perpendicular, to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement that is indicated in Fig. 1 by an arrow A.The hollow frame portion 1 rotatably supports a plurality (of which there are twelve in the exemplary embodiment that is being described) of nonhorizontal shafts 3 which will, in fact, usually be vertically or substantially vertically disposed, said shafts 3 being arranged in a single row that is parallel to the transverse length of the frame portion 1 with the longitudinal axes (axes of rotation) of the shafts 3 spaced from one another by regular distances which advantageously, but not essentiaily, have magnitudes of substantially 25 centimetres. The lower end of each shaft 3 projects from beneath the bottom- of the hollow frame portion 1 and is provided with a corresponding soil working member 2.The soil working members 2 will not be described in detail since their particular construction is not relevant to the present invention but, briefly and as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, each soil working member 2 comprises a horizontal or substantially horizontal support or carrier having a central hub that is fastened to the lower end of the corresponding shaft 3, the opposite ends of said support or carrier being provided with sleeve-like tine holders in which upper fastening portions of two rigid soil working tines are firmly but releasably received so that said two tines lie at diametrically opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the soil working member 2 under consideration.

The opposite ends of the hollow frame portion 1 are closed by vertical or substantially vertical side plates 4 which are in parallel relationship with one another and parallel or substantially parallel relationship with the direction A. Upper leading regions, with respect to the direction A, of the two side plates 4 carry strong horizontally aligned pivots 5 about which corresponding arms 6 are upwardly and downwardly turnable alongside the corresponding plates 4, said arms 6 extending generally rearwardly with respect to the direction A from the pivots 5 to locations which are spaced behind the back of the hollow frame portion 1 by a significant distance.As illustrated somewhat diagrammatically in Fig. 1 of the drawings, means such as horizontal locking pins or equivalent bolts are provided for entry through holes in the arms 6 and through chosen registering holes in arcuate rows of such holes that are formed in rear regions of the side plates 4 at equal distances from the axis which is defined by the strong pivots 5. The arms 6 can thus be retained in chosen angular settings relative to the frame portion 1 about the axis which is defined by the pivots 5.The rearmost ends of the arms 6 carry substantially horizontally aligned bearings in which an open-work ground roller 7 is mounted in a freely rotatable manner, its axis of rotation being substantially horizontally parallel to the transverse length of the frame portion 1 and to the row of soil working members-2 and said roller 7 being located to the rear of the soil working members 2 with respect to the direction A in such a position that it extends throughout substantially the whole of the combined working width of the twelve (in this embodiment) soil working members 2.

The opposite ends of the roller 7, and locations which are spaced apart at substantially regular distances between said opposite ends, are provided with support discs 8 whose general planes are substantially vertically disposed in substantially parallel relationship with the direction A and substantially perpendicular relationship with the axis of rotation of the roller 7 itself.The two support discs 8 which are located at substantially the opposite axis ends of the roller 7 are releasably secured by corresponding groups of three bolts (see Fig. 3) to respective circular plates each of which is integral with, or rigidly secured to, a respective stub shaft 8A, said stub shafts 8A being received in the aforementioned bearings which are carried by the rearmost ends of the arms 6 so that their coincident longitudinal axes also coincide with the axis of rotation of the whole roller 7.Each support disc 8A is formed at regular intervals of 60 (in this embodiment) around the longitudinal axis of the roller with parabolic or crescent-shaped recesses 9 which open inwardly from the outer edge of the disc concerned, said recesses 9 alternating with six (in this embodiment) radially projecting parts 9A each of which is formed, at its radially outermost end, with a perpendicularly bent-over supporting part in the form of a lug 10, all of the lugs 10 on each disc 8 being bent over in the same direction relative to the general plane of the disc 8 concerned.

The bent-over lugs 10 at the outer ends of the projecting parts 9A of each disc 8 extend tangentially with respect to an imaginary circle centred upon the axis of rotation of the roller 7 and each lug 10 has the crossbar of a corresponding elongate element 1 2 of broad T-shaped cross-section firmly but releasably secured two it by two clamping bolts 11 which are entered through holes in said crossbar and through two registering holes in the lug 10 under consideration. In this embodiment, each disc 8 thus has six of the elongate elements 1 2 firmly but releasably secured to it and each element 12, which is preferably formed from iron, steel or other metal, extends lengthwise of the roller 7 in shallow substantially helically wound relationship around the longitudinal axis of said roller.In order to allow for this helical winding, the sucessive support discs 8 do not necessarily have their recesses 9 and radially projecting parts 9A in the same angular positions around the longitudinal axis of the roller. In order for each element 1 2 to extend substantially helically around the axis of rotation of the roller, each such element comprises, at a location in register with each intervening disc 8 (i.e. not the discs 8 at the opposite ends of the roller) a sharp inwardly directed bend and a torsionally twisted portion 1 3 which lies between two straight or substantially straight portions 14.As previously mentioned, each elongate element 1 2 is fastened to each of a number of successive lugs 10- by two of the bolts 11 which lie alongside one another but at opposite sides of the upright of the element 1 2 concerned. Thus, the broad crossbars of the elements 12, like the lugs 10, extend in substantially tangential relationship with imaginary circles centred upon the axis of rotation of the roller 7 whilst their shorter (in crosssection) uprights project radially or substantially radially outwards from said crossbars.

Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings illustrate an alternative form of open-work ground roller 7A in which the support discs are identical, or substantially identical, to the support discs 8 that have already been described and which are therefore indicated in Figs. 4 and 5 by the same references as are used in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The roller 7A again comprises six elongate elements 1 5 which are preferably formed from iron, steel or other metal but which, in this embodiment, are of channel-shaped cross-section.Each element 1 5 has its relatively broad base secured to a number of the lugs 10 by pairs of the bolts 11, arranged in side-by-side relationship, in such a way that the relatively short (in crosssection) limbs of the element 1 5 project substantially radially outwards away from the broader base at opposite sides of the two bolts 11 of each pair.The elements 15, like the elements 12, extend in shallow substantially helically wound relationship around the axis of rotation of the roller 7 and, to this end, each of them comprises, at a location, in register with each intervening support disc 8 (i.e. not the support discs 8 at the opposite ends of the roller 7), a sharp inwardly directed angular bend and a torsionally twisted portion 1 SA which is flanked, between the neighbouring support discs 8, by straight or substantially straight portions 1 SB. In both embodi ments, the roller 7 or 7A preferably has an axial length which is not less than five times the diameter of the roller. In the particular implement shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the roller 7 has an axial length of substantially 3 metres. The word "sharp" as applied to the bends in the elements 1 2 and 1 5 means that said bends are of angular, rather than curved, formation.

Two shield plates 1 6 lie at short distances beyond the opposite ends of the row of rotary soil working members 2 and are usually in substantially parallel relationship with one another and with the direction A, each shield plate 16, however, being pivotally mounted in the manner which can be seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings so as to be capable of tilting upwardly and downwardly to some extent to match undulations in the surface of the ground over which the implement passes when it is in operation.The substantially vertical shield plates 1 6 co-operate with the end soil working members 2 of the single row thereof in working the soil and act to reduce ridging of the latter at the margins of the broad strip of ground which is worked by the implement and also to prevent the rapidly rotating soil working members 2 from flinging stones and the like laterally of the path of travel of the implement. Each of the shafts 3 carries, inside the hollow frame portion 1, a corresponding straight-toothed or spur-toothed pinion 17, the twelve (in this embodiment) pinions 1 7 being of such sizes that the teeth of each of them are in mesh with those of the or each immediately neighbouring pinion 1 7 in the single row thereof.With this arrangement, each pinion 17, shaft 3 and soil working member 2 will revolve, during the use of the implement, in a direction which is opposite to the direction of rotation of the or each immediately neighbouring similar assembly and, since each soil working member 2 has an effective working width which is a little greater than is the spacing between the axes of rotation of immediately neighbouring shafts 3, the strips of land which are worked by the individual members 2 overlap one another to produce, in effect, a single broad strip of worked soil. One of the centre pair of shafts 3 has an upward extension through the top of the hollow frame portion 1 into a gear box 18 which is secured in position on the upper surface of the hollow frame portion 1.The rear of the gear box 18, with respect to the direction A, carries a change-speed gear and pinions within the gear box 18 and its change-speed gear place the upward extension of said one of the shafts 3 in driven connection with a substantially horizontally extending rotary input shaft 1 9 of the gear box 18 which shaft 1 9 has a splined or otherwise keyed end which projects forwardly from the front of the gear box with respect to the direction A.It is not necessary to describe the construction of the change-speed gear for the purposes of this invention but, briefly, it enables a chosen one of a number of different transmission ratios between the rotary input shaft 1 9 and a further shaft to be selected so that the soil working members 2 can be driven at any chosen one of a number of different speeds without having to alter the initiating speed of rotation that is applied to the leading end of the input shaft 1 9. As shown somewhat diagrammatically in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the leading end of the rotary input shaft 1 9 is intended to be placed in driven connection with the rear power take-off shaft of an agricultural tractor or other operating vehicle through the intermediary of a telescopic transmission shaft, which is of a construction that is known per se, having universal joints at its opposite ends. The front of the hollow frame portion 1, with respect to the direction A, carries a coupling member or trestle 20 that is of substantially triangular configuration as seen in front or rear elevation, said coupling member or trestle 20 being constructed and arranged for connection to the three-point lifting device or hitch of an agricultural tractor or other operating vehicle in a manner which is known per se and which is illustrated somewhat diagrammatically in Fig. 1 of the drawings.Locations towards the apex of the coupling member or trestle 20 are strengtheningly connected by downwardly and rearwardly divergent tie beams to widely spaced apart locations at the top and rear of the hollow frame portion 1.

When the implement is to perform a cultivating operation, its coupling member or trestle 20 is connected to a three-point lifting device or hitch at the rear of an agricultural tractor or other operating vehicle and the leading end of the rotary input shaft 1 9 of the gear box 18 is placed in driven connection with the rear power take-off shaft of the same tractor or other vehicle by way of the known intermediate telescopic transmission shaft which has universal joints at its opposite ends.

Adjustments which may, if necessary, be made before work commences include setting the speed at which the soil working members 2 will rotate by appropriate manipulation of the change-speed gear at the back of the gear box 18 and also setting the maximum depth to which the tines or other soil working parts of the members 2 can penetrate into the soil by raising or lowering the level of the axis of rotation of the roller 7 or 7A relative to the level of the frame portion 1 emp!oying the arms 6 and the horizontal locking pins or equivalent locking bolts in the manner discussed above. These adjustments will usually be made having regard to the nature and condition of the soil that is to be dealt with and the particular purpose for which that soil is required after treatment.As the implement moves operatively in the direction A, the twelve (in this embodiment) rotary soil working members 2 cultivate overlapping strips of land to produce, in effect, a single broad strip of worked soil having a width of substantially 3 metres. This working width could, of course, be changed by increasing or decreasing the number of soil working members 2 and/or by changing the working widths thereof and the distances between the axes of rotation of the shafts 3. The roller 7 or 7A acts both as a rotatable supporting member of the implement and as a final soil working member thereof which will crush any excep tionally unbroken lumps of soil that may remain lying upon the surface of the ground that has just been- worked by the immediately foregoing members 2.The roller 7 or 7A also acts to distribute the soil tilled by the immediately foregoing members 2 substantially uniformly throughouf the whole of the working width of the implement. Despite having a large axial length, the roller 7 or 7A is of high rigidity whilst nevertheless being of such a formation that it can be manufactured both easily and inexpensively. The projecting uprights of the T-cross-section elements 1 2 of the roller 7 and the projecting limbs of the channel-cross-section elements 1 5 of the roller 7A are very effective in performing the final soil working function of the roller 7 or 7A and will readily crumble and distribute any lumps of soil that they may encounter during operative progress in the direction A.

Although various features of the soil cultivating implements that have been described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings wilt be set forth in the following claims as inventive features, it is emphasised that the invention is not necessarily limited to those features and that it includes within its scope each of the parts of each soil cultivating implement that has been described, and/or that is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, both individually and in various combinations.

Claims

1. A soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth wherein at least some of the elongate elements of the roller are each afforded by a bar of a predetermined cross-section that, by means of bolts or other clamping members is mounted on at least one support that extends transverse to the bars.

2. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each bar comprises at least one sharp bend, at least one torsionally twisted portion and at least one substantially straight portion.

3. A soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth, wherein each elongate element comprises at least one sharp bend, at least one torsionally twisted portion and at least one substantially straight portion.

4. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each elongate element is clamped against a bent-over supporting part of each of a plurality of supports or of said supports.

5. An implement as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said supports is in the form of a dise and each of said bent-over parts of each disc is formed with at least one hole for the reception of a clamping bolt or other clamping member for securing a corresponding one of the elongate elements to that bentover part.

6. A soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth, wherein each of said supports is in the form of a disc which is formed, at its periphery, with bent-over parts that each have at least one hole arranged for-use in fastening a corresponding one of the elongate elements to that bent-over part.

7. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a plurality of the bent over parts around the periphery of each sup port are separated from one another by re cesses which open inwardly from the periph ery of said support.

8. An implement as claimed in claim 7, wherein each recess is substantially parabolic or crescent-shaped.

9. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein each bent-over sup porting part is in substantially perpendicular relationship-with the general plane of the corresponding support and tangential or sub stantially tangential relationship with an imagi nary circle centred upon the intended axis of rotation of said roller.

10. A implement as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 or in any one of claims 7 to 9 when read as appendant to either claim 5 or claim 6, wherein each bent-over supporting part is formed with two holes which are located in side-by-side relationship.

11. An implement as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 or in any one of claims 4, 5 or 7 to 10 when read as appendant to either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein each torsionally twisted portion is located betwen two of said substan tially straight portions of the same element.

12. An implement as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 or in any one of claims 4, 5 or 7 to 11 when read as appendant to either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein each sharp bend is lo cated between two of said- substantially straight portions of the same element, each bend being orientated inwardly towards the interior of the roller.

1 3. An implement as claimed in claim 1 2 when read as appendant to claim 11, wherein both the torsionally twisted portions and the sharp bends of each elongated element are located substantially in register with said sup ports of the roller.

14. An implement as claimed in any pre ceding claim, wherein each elongate element is formed from iron, steel or other metal and has a T-shaped cross-section.

15. An implement as claimed in claim 14, wherein each elongate element is fastened to a bent-over part, or to one of said bent-over parts, of each support by the crossbar of its T shaped cross-section.

1 6. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein each elongate element is of channel-shaped cross-section and is fastened to a bent-over part, or to one of said bent-over parts, of each roller support by its base.

1 7. An implement as claimed in claim 16, wherein each elongate element is so disposed that the limbs of its channel-shaped crosssection are directed outwardly away from its base and from the axis of rotation of the roller.

18. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said roller has a lerigth which is not less than five times its diameter.

1 9. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the roller is arranged to the rear, with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement, of a row of soil working members that are rotatable about corresponding non-horizontal axes, said roller being adjustably upwardly and downwardly movable in position relative to a frame portion of the implement which rotatably supports said soil working members.

20. A soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings or with reference to Figs. 1, 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.