GB2121662A

GB2121662A - A band sowing coulter body

Info

Publication number: GB2121662A
Application number: GB08312272A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bernhard Steenken
Original assignee: Amazonen Werke H Dreyer SE and Co KG
Current assignee: Amazonen Werke H Dreyer SE and Co KG
Priority date: 1982-05-08
Filing date: 1983-05-05
Publication date: 1984-01-04
Also published as: CH660280A5; AT387885B; FR2526266B1; DE3217350C1; DK203983A; ES279039U; NL191007B; FR2526266A1; NL8301362A; ATA154383A; FI72845B; FI831132L; GB2121662B; DK156802C; FI831132A0; DK203983D0; GB8312272D0; ES279039Y; NL191007C; DK156802B

Abstract

A band sowing coulter body (1) is detachably mountable on a conventional sowing coulter (2) from below, the band sowing coulter body (1) being connectable to the conventional sowing coulter by means of an easily detachable connection (5, 6, 7, 8), and a deflecting member (14) is disposed in the lower portion of the band sowing coulter body (1). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A band sowing coulter body The invention relates to a band sowing coulter body removably mountable on a conventional sowing coulter, the band sowing coulter body being mounted on at least the lower portion of the conventional sowing coulter and extending downwardly beyond the conventional sowing coulter.

German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2 226 026 already discloses a band sowing coulter body of this type in which band sowing coulter body is mounted on a conventional sowing coulter by means of three screws. This permitted a sowing machine or seed drill fitted with conventional sowing coulters, to be economically provided with band sowing coulters. The advantage of this is that the farmer can introduce the seeds into the soil either in rows with conventional sowing coulters, or in bands with the band sowing coulter bodies mounted on the conventional sowing coulters, depending on the prevailing conditions.

One disadvantage with this known band sowing coulter body is that the band sowing coulter body is secured on the conventional sowing coulter by means of three screws. The mounting or dismounting of the band sowing coulter bodies involves very considerable and time-consuming work which the farmer should not be expected to do. It very frequently happens that the farmer would like to change the type of coulter on many occasions during one working period. However, so much work is involved in changing the type of coulter that, because of the time needed to change the type of coulter and because of the resultant loss of time, it was only feasible to use one type of coulter per drill, and as a consequence thereof, the seeds are introduced into the soil with one type of coulter, either with conventional sowing coulters, with band sowing coulters or with roll coulters.Since too much work and time are needed for the mounting and/or dismounting operations with the known band sowing coulter body, it was not feasible to use this type of coulter body in practice.

A further, considerable disadvantage of this band sowing coulter body is that the seeds are not widely dispersed, but are actually only deposited in the soil in a narrow row in accordance with sowing with a conventional sowing coulter. It is an incorrect assumption that the seeds are automatically widely dispersed as they fall freely and strike the ground.

Furthermore, it is considerably disadvantageous to provide screw securing members externally of the lateral parts of the band sowing coulter body, because plant remains may attach themselves to the laterally protruding screw members disposed in very close proximity to the ground. Such remains then cause blockage to occur between the sowing coulters which are adjacent to one another. In addition, these laterally protruding screw members very considerably restrict the passage between the adjacent sowing coulters, especially when narrow spaces are desired between the rows. The seed drill becomes very prone to frequent blockages.

The invention seeks to substantially simplify and advantageously develop the arrangement for mounting a band sowing coulter body on a conventional sowing coulter.

According to the present invention there is provided a band sowing coulter body detachably and removably mountable on a conventional sowing coulter, the band sowing coulter body being mounted on at least the lower portion of the conventional sowing coulter and extending downwardly beyond the conventional sowing coulter, wherein the band sowing coulter body is mountable on the conventional sowing coulter from below, the band sowing coulter body is connectable to the conventional sowing coulter by means of an easily detachable connection and a deflecting or baffle member is disposed in the lower portion of the band sowing coulter body.

These measures provide an amazingly simple mounting for the band sowing coulter body on a conventional sowing coulter and a very wide distribution of the seeds to be broadcast.

The invention is also intended to cover the possibility whereby only the last part of the mounting movement, or respectively only the part of the mounting movement which is required to lock the band sowing coulter body, is effected from below.

In a preferred arrangement, for stabilization purposes, the lower portion of the band sowing coulter body is provided with a transverse connection for connecting the two lateral walls, and this transverse connection is a support for supporting the band sowing coulter body on the conventional sowing coulter.

This permits the band sowing coulter body to be securely retained on the conventional sowing coulter without the need for any additional securing means. Naturally, the transverse connection may also be detachably connected to the band sowing coulter body. The deflecting member may additionally be mounted on this transverse connection in a simple manner, so that no additional support is needed for the deflecting member.

In the simplest arrangement, the transverse connection extends parallel to the rear, vertical edge of the coulter point. This solution will be especially preferred when very narrow band sowing coulter bodies, having an acute angle and long lateral walls, are used, since the lateral walls closely abut the conventional sowing coulter.

A secure connection between a conventional sowing coulter and a band sowing coul ter body is provided when the transverse connection does not extend parallel to the rear, vertical edge of the coulter point of the conventional sowing coulter, the lower central portion of the transverse connection has a recess or aperture formed therein, and at least the lower edge of the coulter point engages in this recess. This ensures that the band sowing coulter body is always correctly seated on the conventional sowing coulter.

In order to have the band sowing coulter body suitably fitted to the conventional sowing coulter and in order for the mounted band sowing coulter body to form a single unit with the conventional sowing coulter, the front end of the band sowing coulter body is provided with a pocket having a U-shaped cross-section, this pocket extends over at least more than half the height of the conventional sowing coulter body, and this pocket engages around at least the front, narrow portion of the conventional sowing coulter. Sharp transition regions are hereby also eliminated, so that no plant remains will remain suspended on the band sowing coulter body.

The U-shaped pocket extends to the rear ends of these lateral walls to prevent soil particles from penetrating between the conventional sowing coulter and the lateral walls of the band sowing coulter body.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a band sowing coulter body mounted on a conventional sowing coulter; Figure 2 is a sectional view of the band sowing coulter body of Fig. 1 taken along the line ll-ll; Figure 3 is a fragmentary, elevational view from the rear of the band sowing coulter; and Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a further band sowing coulter body.

In order to permit a sowing machine drill fitted with conventional sowing coulters 2 to introduce seeds into the soil in wide bands, a band sowing coulter body 1 is detachably and removably mounted on the conventional sowing coulter 2. A lower portion of the band sowing coulter body 1 includes lateral walls 3, which open rearwardly at an acute angle, and a pocket 4 is provided which has a U-shaped cross-section and is connected towards its upper end in a front, upper portion. The pocket 4 extends over more than half the height of the conventional sowing coulter 2 and engages around the front, narrow portion of the conventional sowing coulter 2. Furthermore, the upper portion of the pocket 4 is provided with a bore 5 which has to be aligned with a bore 6 formed in the conventional sowing coulter 2 to permit interconnection with the coulter 2.The band sowing coulter body 1 is secured on the conventional sowing coulter 2 by means of the securing pin 7, which is to be inserted through these bores 5 and 6, together with a resilient plug pin 8.

The lower portion of the band sowing coulter body 1 is provided with a transverse connection 9 which joins together the two lateral walls 3. This transverse connection 9 is so disposed on the lateral walls 3 that, when the band sowing coulter body 1 is in its mounted position on the conventional sowing coulter 2, the transverse connection 9 abuts directly behind rear, vertical edge 10 of coulter point 11 of the conventional sowing coulter 2. This transverse connection 9 acts both as a support for supporting the band sowing coulter body 1 on the conventional sowing coulter 2 and as a stabilising strut for the two lateral walls 3. The band sowing coulter body 1 can therefore be of a very light-weight construction, so that this additional weight cannot have a disadvantageous effect.The transverse connection 9 does not extend parallel to the rear, vertical edge 10 of the coulter point 11 of the conventional sowing coulter 2. Upper edge 12 of the transverse connection 9 directly abuts the coulter point 11, and the lower portion of the transverse connection 9 is provided with an aperture 1 3 corresponding to the shape of a lower portion of the coulter point 11. The coulter point 11 engages in this recess 1 3 thereby retaining the band sowing coulter body 1 laterally in a secure manner.

The band sowing coulter body 1 is mountable, from below, on the conventional sowing coulter 2 in a simple manner, so that the upward movement of the band sowing coulter body 1 causes the coulter point 11 of the conventional sowing coulter 2 to engage behind the transverse connection 9. The band sowing coulter body 1 is then secured on the conventional sowing coulter 2 by means of the securing pin 7. The conventional sowing coulter 2 and the band sowing coulter body 1 now form a single unit.

The dimension of the height H of the lateral wails 3 is greater than the dimension for the soil penetration depth T of the band sowing coulter body 1. Soil particles are thereby prevented from being pushed over the lateral walls 3.

The deflecting member 14 is disposed on the transverse connection 9 in a lower portion of the band sowing coulter body 1 and beneath the seed outlet aperture in the conventional sowing coulter 2. This deflecting member 14 has a U-shaped cross-section.

The external surfaces of the lateral walls 3 are made from a wear-resistant material, thereby causing the service-life of the band sowing coulter body to be substantially increased.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4, a pocket 1 7 of band sowing coulter body 1 5 extends to rear ends 1 6 of the lateral walls 3 of the band sowing coulter body 1 5. Intermediate spaces 18 between the lateral walls 3 and the conventional sowing coulter 2 are covered by this elongate pocket 17, so that no soil particles can enter the internal region of the band sowing coulter body 1 5 through these intermediate spaces.

There is therefore no possibility of the coulter becoming blocked by soil particles.

A transverse connection 19, connecting the two lateral walls 3, is provided with an aperture 20 for the coulter point 11 of the conventional sowing coulter 2. The portion 21 corresponding to and which has been displaced to form aperture 20 is rearwardly bent at an upper portion of the recess 20 and is in the form of a deflecting member 22. The transverse connection 1 9 extends to lower edge 23 of the lateral walls 3 of the band sowing coulter body 1 5. The portion connected to the transverse connection 1 9 is bent forwardly and is in the form of a coulter base 24 which closes the band sowing coulter body 1 5 from below. This coulter base 24 provides a substantially better depth control for the band sowing coulter body 1 5.

The advantages of the new band sowing coulter body are briefly summarised hereinafter: The new band sowing coulter body, which may be slipped over a conventional sowing coulter in the manner of a shoe, in practical terms, provides the farmer with a sowing machine drill having two different types of coulter, whereby those sowing machines currently in use, which are fitted with conventional sowing coulters, can in fact be subsequently provided with such a coulter body. In addition, the farmer is now able to change from one type of coulter to the other in a very rapid and simple manner.Thus, for example, it very frequently happens that seeds, more especially corn crops, need to be broadcast in the band sowing manner for increased yield; however, due to the relatively high risk of blocking the band sowing coulters when using band sowing coulters on untidy ground, the farmer prefers to forego the increased yields and uses a seed drill having conventional sowing coulters which are less prone to blockages. This new band sowing coulter body, however, permits the farmer to broadcast seeds in the band sowing manner on unclean ground. Few operations are needed to change the drill from a conventional sowing method to a band sowing method, or vice versa, in a very short time, so that the farmer can always decide on the spot and according to the actual operating and sowing conditions, whether to broadcast the seeds in the conventional sowing manner, i.e. sowing in rows, or in the band sowing manner.

Claims

1. A band sowing coulter body detachably and removably mountable on a conventional sowing coulter (2), the band sowing coulter body (1, 15) being mounted on at least the lower portion of the conventional sowing coulter and extending downwardly beyond the conventional sowing coulter (2), wherein the band sowing coulter body (1, 15) is mountable on the conventional sowing coulter (2) from below, the band sowing coulter body (1, 15) is connectable to the conventional sowing coulter (2) by means of an easily detachable connection (7, 8), and a deflecting or baffle member (14, 22) is disposed in the lower portion of the band sowing coulter body (1, 15).

2. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 1, in which the lower portion of the band sowing coulter body (1, 15) is provided with a transverse connection (9, 1 9) for connecting two lateral walls (3); said transverse connection (9, 19) being a support for supporting the band sowing coulter body (1, 15) on the conventional sowing coulter (2).

3. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 2, in which the deflecting member (14, 22) is carried by the transverse connection (9, 19).

4. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 2, in which the transverse connection (9, 19) extends parallel to the rear, vertical edge (10) of the coulter point (11) of the conventional sowing coulter (2).

5. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 2, in which the transverse connection (9, 19) does not extend parallel to the rear, vertical edge (10) of the coulter point (11) of the conventional sowing coulter (2) in which a lower central portion of the transverse connection (9, 19) has an aperture (13, 20) formed therein, and in which at least the lower rear edge of the coulter point (11) engages in this aperture (13, 20).

6. A band showing coulter body as claimed in claim 5, in which a portion (21) corresponding to the aperture (20) is bent rearwardly, and said portion (21) is in the form of deflecting member (22).

7. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 1, in which the lower portion of the band sowing coulter body (15) is covered by a coulter base (24) from at least approximately the front portion of the band sowing coulter body (15) to at least approximately the rear edge of the coulter point (11).

8. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 7, in which the transverse connection (19) extends to the lower portion (23) of the band sowing coulter body (15), and the coulter base (24) is connected to the transverse connection (19).

9. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 1, in which the front end of the band sowing coulter body (1, 15) is provided with a pocket (4, 17) having a U-shaped cross-section; said pocket (4, 17) extending over at least more than half the height of the conven tional sowing coulter body (2), and said pocket (4, 17) engaging around at least the front, narrow portion of the conventional sowing coulter (2).

10. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 9, in which the upper portion of the pocket (4, 17) has a bore (5) formed therein, the conventional sowing coulter body (2) also being provided with a bore (6) which needs to be aligned with the bore (5) formed in the pocket (4, 17), and a securing pin (7) is insertable through these bores (5, 5).

11. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 9, in which the pocket (17) extends to the rear end (16) of the lateral walls (3) of the band sowing coulter body (15).

12. A band-sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 1, in which the height (H) of the lateral walls (3) is greater than the soil penetration depth (T) of the band sowing coulter body (1, 15).

1 3. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 1 or 11, in which the intermediate space (18) between the lateral walls (3) and the conventional sowing coulter (2) is coverable.

14. A band sowing coulter body as claimed in claim 1, in which the lateral walls (3) at least in the region of the external surfaces, are made from wear-resistant material.

15. A band sowing coulter body substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 or as modified in Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.