GB2147481A

GB2147481A - Soil cultivating implements

Info

Publication number: GB2147481A
Application number: GB08424785A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Der Lely Cornelis Van
Original assignee: C Van der Lely NV
Current assignee: C Van der Lely NV
Priority date: 1983-10-03
Filing date: 1984-10-02
Publication date: 1985-05-15
Also published as: IT8422952A0; DE3436123C2; NL8303381A; IT1178540B; NL191227C; FR2552616A1; DE3436123A1; GB8424785D0; NL191227B; GB2147481B; FR2552616B1; IT8422952A1

Abstract

In order that a relatively light and low-powered tractor 1 may be used in conjunction with a soil cultivating implement 2 that is located at the front of the tractor 1, the implement 2 is provided with a motor 25 in the form of an internal combustion engine. The implement 2 comprises a row of soil working members 5 and a ground roller 12. The motor 25 can drive both the soil working members and the roller 12 which latter tends to propel the implement 2 forwardly in the direction A, the transmission to both the soil working members and roller 12 incorporating independent change-speed gears. Although the implement 2 may be used alone with the tractor 1, it is described and illustrated as being employed with a rear-mounted soil cultivating implement 3 whose soil working members are powered by the tractor 1 and whose ground roller 12 is rotated by soil contact, this combination also including a seed drill 34 disposed, during operation of the combination, behind the rear soil cultivating implement 3. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Soil cultivating implements This invention relates to soil cultivating implements or machines of the kind which comprise a frame portion movable over the ground and a plurality of power-drivable soil working members supported by said frame portion. The expression "implement(s) or machine(s)" is shortened to "implement(s)" alone throughout the remainder of this document for the sake of brevity.

When such implements are of relatively large working width and/or are employed on heavy soil, the operation of the soil working members requires a high power comsumption which necessitates the employment of a heavy and powerful category of tractor to provide the propelling and operating energy therefor.

This has the disadvantage that such a tractor tends to crush the ground to a considerable extent and thus cause deterioration in the soil structure.

An object of the present invention is very significantly to reduce, if not eliminate, the disadvantage mentioned above and, accordingly, one aspect of the invention provides a soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth, wherein a motor is provided in an upper region 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 side elevation illustrating a soil cultivating implement in accordance with the invention in use in combination with an agricultural tractor, and Figure 2 is a plan view of the combination of Figure 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the combination that is illustrated therein comprises an agricultural tractor 1, a leading soil cultivating implement 2 and a rear soil cultivating implement 3, both with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the combination that is indicated by an arrow A in each Figure of the drawings. Each of the two implements 2 and 3 is connected to the tractor 1 by way of a corresponding multipoint suspension and both suspensions are, in the embodiment which is being described, in the form of three-point lifting devices or hitches that are arranged at the front and at the rear, respectively, of the tractor 1.The leading soil cultivating implement 2 has a hollow box-section frame portion 4 of elongate formation that extends substantially horizontally transverse and usually, as illustrated, substantially horizontally perpendicular, to the direction A. A plurality, of which there are twelve in the example that is being described, of substantially vertical, or at least upwardly extending, shafts are rotatably mounted in upper and lower walls of the frame portion 4 so as to extend parallel to one another in a single row in which the longitudinal axis of each shaft is spaced from that of the or each immediately neighbouring and parallel shaft in said row by the same distance which advantageously, but not essentially, has a magnitude of substantially 25 cms.Each of the shafts that has just been mentioned embodies the axis of rotation of a corresponding soil working member 5 that is firmly but releasably secured to a lower end region of said shaft which projects downwardly from beneath the bottom of the hollow frame portion 4.

Each soil working member 5 comprises a substantially horizontal support or carrier 6 having two arms which radiate from a central hub that is fastened to the shaft end concerned. The outer end of each arm is provided with a corresponding sleeve-like holder in which an upper fastening portion of a corresponding soil working tool in the form of a metallic tine 7 is firmly but releasably received. As can be seen in Figure 1 of the drawings, the tines 7 have soil working portions which project downwardly into the ground, when the implement 2 is in use, to an extent whose maximum magnitude is adjustable in a manner which will be described below.The opposite ends of the hollow frame portion 4 are closed by corresponding side plates 8 which extend substantially vertically parallel to one another and to the direction A, the shape of each side plate 8 being visible in Figure 1 of the drawings from which it will be apparent that the side plates 8 are considerably larger than the cross-sectional area of the frame portion 4 itself and that, in particular, they project vertically above that frame portion 4 and also forwardly in front of, and rearwardly behind, the rest of the frame portion 4 with respect to the direction A.Upper rear regions of the two side plates 8 carry a fixed substantially horizontal stub shaft 9 and a substantially horizontally aligned rotary stub shaft 9A, respectively, the axis defined by the aligned stub shafts 9 and 9A being substantially parallel to the single row of rotary soil working members 5 of the implement 2 and thus perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the direction A.

The rear end of a corresponding arm 10 is turnable upwardly and downwardly about each of the two stub shafts 9 and 9A, said arms 10 extending generally forwardly from those stub shafts 9 and 9A alongside the corresponding plates 8 to locations well in advance of the leading edges of the plates 8 with respect to the direction A. Each arm 10 is connected to the frame portion 4, at a location well in advance of the corresponding stub shaft 9 or 9A, by a corresponding adjusting mechanism 11 that is of a construction which is basically known per se comprising a screw-threaded spindle having a crank handle at its upper end.Rotation of either spindle in one direction will turn the corresponding arm 10 upwardly about the stub shaft 9 or 9A whereas rotation thereof in the opposite direction will turn the arm 10 downwardly in the opposite direction about the stub shaft 9 or 9A concerned, the construction and arrangement being such that the two adjusting mechanisms 11 will maintain the arms 10 in chosen angular settings about the axis defined by the stub shafts 9 and 9A as long as may be required. Leading end regions of the two arms 10 are provided with downwardly and forwardly inciined support plates between which a ground roller 12, in the form of a so- called packer roller, is arranged in a powerrotatable manner.

The ground roller 1 2 comprises a cylinder 1 3 whose diameter is advantageously substantially 40 cms, the opposite ends of the roller 1 2 comprising axially aligned stub shafts 1 4 and 1 5, respectively, which stub shafts 14 and 1 5 embody the longitudinal axis of the roller 1 2. The support plates at the leading ends of the arms 10 carry substantially horizontally aligned bearings in which the stub shafts 1 4 and 1 5 are respectively rotatably received.The cylinder 1 3 of the roller 1 2 is provided with a plurality of substantially planar groups or crowns of tine-like teeth 16, said teeth penetrating into the soil when the implement is in use at which time, as will be discussed below, the roller 1 2 is positively rotated about its own longitudinal axis. A carrier beam 1 7 interconnects the two arms 10 at a location in advance of the frame portion 4 and extends substantially horizontally perpendicular to the direction A.The carrier beam 1 7 supports a plurality of scrapers 1 8 that are preferably arranged in groups, said scrapers 18 having leading edges which either contact, or are located very close to, the surface of the cylinder 1 3 between the groups or crowns of teeth 1 6 that are spaced apart from one another at substantially regular intervals lengthwise along the cylinder 1 3 with each group or crown being contained in a corresponding plane that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the roller 1 2. It will be seen from Figure 1 of the drawings that the scrapers 18 are arranged generally at the rear of the roller 1 2 with respect to the direction A and it will be apparent that they function to shed from the roller clods of earth and significant accumulations of mud, plant refuse and the like that would interfere with the action of the roller 1 2 if not removed in this way.

Each of the soil working member shafts is provided, inside the hollow frame portion 4, with a corresponding straight- or spur-toothed pinion 19, the size of each pinion 1 9 being such that its teeth are in mesh with those of the or each immediately neighbouring pinion 1 9 in the single row of twelve such pinions which are provided in the embodiment that is being described. One of the centre pair of soil working member shafts in the single row of twelve such shafts has an upward extension through the top of the hollow frame portion 4 into a gear box 20 that is fastened in position on top of the hollow frame portion 4.Shafts and bevel pinions within the gear box 20 place the upward shaft extension that has just been mentioned in driven connection with a rotary input shaft 22 of the gear box 20 which shaft 22 projects substantially horizontally from one lateral side of the gear box towards the end of the frame portion 4 at which the fixed stub shaft 9 is located. The input shaft 22 is connected by a rotary transmission shaft 22A, having universal joints at its opposite ends, to a driving shaft 24 which extends substantially horizontally parallel to the row of soil working members 5 and thus substantially horizontally perpendicular to the direction A. The driving shaft 24 is the rotary output shaft of a motor 25 that will usually be an internal combustion engine but which need not essentially take that form.In any case, the motor 25 is located in an upper region of the implement 2 on top of the hollow frame portion 4 at, or very close to, the end thereof at which the fixed stub shaft 9 is located, this end being the right-hand end of the frame portion 4 when the implement 2 is viewed from the rear in the direction A.

The rotary input shaft 22 of the gear box 20 in fact extends through that gear box and projects at the side of the gear box 20 remote from the motor 25 into, and through. a change-speed year 21. The change-speed gear 21 itself is not the subject of the present invention and it suffices to say that, beneath its cover, a splined portion of the shaft 22 and a splined portion of a lower but substantially horizontally parallel shaft carry corresponding straight- or spur-toothed pinions of different sizes which establish a predetermined transmission ratio between the two shafts. The transmission ratio can quickly and easily be altered merely by interchanging the two pin ions on the splined portions of the two shafts or by removing them and substituting an alternative pair of co-operating pinions that are of different sizes. The lower shaft which is substantially parallel to the shaft 22 is drivingly connected by bevel pinions to the upward extension of one of the soil working member shafts that has been mentioned above and it will be apparent that the speed at which all twelve of the soil working members 5 will be revolved in response to a substantially fixed speed of rotation of the driving shaft 24 of the motor 25 can be increased or decreased, as may be desired, merely by an appropriate adjustment of the change-speed gear 21. The end of the shaft 22 which projects from the cover of the change-speed gear 21 at the opposite side of that change-speed gear 21 from the motor 25 is connected by a teles copic transmission shaft 26 having universal joints at its opposite ends to the rotary stub shaft 9A.A shaft and pinion transmission located inside a gear casing 27 that is mounted alongside one of the arms 10 places the rotary stub shaft 9A in driving connection with the stub shaft 1 5 at one axial end of the roller 1 2. The shaft and pinion transmission that is located inside the gear casing 27 is so arranged that pinions of said transmission can be interchanged on some of the shafts, or can be exchanged for co-operating pin ions of other sizes so that the transmission will function as a change-speed gear by which the roller 1 2 can be positively rotated at a faster or slower rate without having to vary the speed of rotation of the driving shaft 24.It will be realised that the construction which has been described enables the speed of rotation of the twelve soil working members 5 to be varied without having to change the speed of rotation of the roller 1 2 and, enables the speed of rotation of the roller 1 2 to be varied without changing the speed of rotation of the soil working members 5, any possible speed of rotation of the members 5 being capable of adoption in conjunction with any possible speed of power-driven rotation of the roller 12, the speed at which the driving shaft 24 revolves being the same in each circumstance.

It will be apparent from Figure 1 of the drawings that the bodily level of the ground roller 1 2 relative to that of the frame portion 4 and soil working members 5 determines the maximum depth of penetration of the tines 7 of those members 5 into the ground which is possible as the implement combination moves forwardly in the direction A. The roller 1 2 itself, and particularly its groups or crowns of teeth 16, contributes significantly to the cultivating effect of the implement and to smooth progress thereof in the direction A. The top and rear, with respect to the direction A, of the frame portion 4 carries a coupling member or trestle 28 that is constructed and arranged for connection to the three-point lifting device or hitch that is mounted at the front of the tractor 1.

The soil cultivating implement 3 which is located at the rear of the tractor 1, with respect to the direction A, is similar in many respects to the leading soil cultivating implement 2 that has already been described and, accordingly, only parts of the implement 3 that are not substantially equivalent to parts of the implement 2, or that have no counterparts in the implement 2, will be described in detail. It will be noted, in particular, that the rear soil cultivating implement 3 does not has its own motor equivalent to the motor 25 of the implement 2 and that its ground roller 1 2 is rotated principally by engagement of the teeth 1 6 with the ground that is being cultivated by the combination and is not a positively power-driven roller.

The gear box 20 of the implement 3 is arranged so that its rotary input shaft 22 projects substantially horizontally forwards therefrom in substantially the direction A for driven connection to the rear power take-off shaft of the tractor 1 by way of a known telescopic transmission shaft 29 having universal joints at its opposite ends. The top and front of the hollow frame portion 4 of the rear implement 3 is provided with a coupling member or trestle 30 which is constructed and arranged for co-operation with a multipoint suspension in the form of a three-point lifting device or hitch at the rear of the agricultural tractor 1.Shield plates 31 whose shapes can be seen best in Figure 1 of the drawings are provided immediately beyond the opposite ends of the single row of twelve rotary soil working members 5, the shield plates 31 being substantially vertically parallel to one another and to the direction A when the combination is in use. Each shield plate 31 is carried by a corresponding arm that includes a portion which is mounted on top of the hollow frame portion 4 of the implement 3 so as to be turnable about an axis that extends substantially horizontally parallel to the direction A.This enables the shield plates 31 to move upwardly and downwardly to match undulations in the surface of the ground over which the combination moves and to be turned upwardly and inwardly through substantially 180 to occupy inverted positions in which they lie on top of the frame portion 4 when the combination is to undergo inoperative transport. The shield plates 31 cooperate with the immediately neighbouring rotary soil working members 5 in cultivating the soil to substantially the same thorough extent as is produced by the co-operation between immediately neighbouring soil working members 5 at locations closer to the centre of the implement 3.In addition, the shield plate 31 prevent the tines 7 of the members 5 from flinging stones and other hard objects that may be met with when the combination is in operation laterally of the path of travel of the implement 3 so that the danger of damage or injury that is attributable to this cause is very greatiy reduced, if not entirely eliminated.

Two lower links 32 project rearwardly from the bottom of the coupling member or trestle 30 in horizontally spaced apart relationship with one another and a single upper link 33 projects rearwardly from the top of the coupling member or trestle 30, the latter being of substantially isosceles triangular configuration as seen in front or rear elevation. The links 32 and 33 are arranged to have coupling points carried by an additional implement, machine or tool connected to their rear ends so that said additional implement, machine or tool may also form part of the combination of the tractor 1 and the soil cultivating implements 2 and 3.In the embodiment which is illustrated in the drawings, the additional implement, machine or tool is a seed drill 34 arranged to sow seeds directly at a controlled rate into the land worked by the tractor and soil cultivating implement combination 1, 2 and 3. The seed drill 34 may be of a construction which is known per se and will not be described in detail, the operation of its moving parts being powered by the rotation of the large ground wheels which can be seen in the drawings at its opposite lateral sides. A hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 35 has its cylinder turnably mounted on the top of the hollow frame portion 4 and the free end of its piston rod turnably connected to the upper link 33 at a location spaced well rearwardly from the coupling member or trestle 30.This piston and cylinder assembly 35 is advantageously connected to the hydraulic system of the tractor 1 for operation from the driving cab of that tractor and enables the links 32 and 33, whose leading ends are pivotally connected to the coupling member or trestle 30, to be turned upwardly through a relatively large angle so that the seed drill 34 or other implement, machine or tool is lifted clear of contact with the ground and is moved forwardly at the same time so that its centre of gravity is displaced forwardly in the direction A towards the tractor 1. This will, of course, also be true of the centre of gravity of the combination of the rear soil cultivating implement 3 and the seed drill 34.When the axes of rotation of the twelve soil working members 5 of the two implements 2 and 3 are spaced apart from one another by the advantageous distance mentioned above, each of those implements will have an effective working width of substantially, although not necessarily exactly, three metres. The seed drill 34 naturally has a matching working width. It is noted that the working widths of the implements 2 and 3 could be increased or decreased merely by increasing or decreasing the number of rotary soil working members 5 in the corresponding single rows thereof.

In the use of the combination which has been described, the maximum depth to which the tines 7 of the rotary soil working members 5 can penetrate into the ground may be adjusted, if required, before work commences by raising or lowering the ground rollers 1 2 relative to the frame portions 4 and the members 5 themselves. In the case of the leading implement 2, the internal combustion engine or other motor 25 rotates the soil working members 5 and also revolves the corresponding ground roller 1 2 in a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 1 of the drawings. The operation of the motor 25 is preferably, although not absolutely essentially, controlled from the driving cab of the tractor 1 by way of control connections that are not illustrated in the drawings.When, as will usually be the case, the motor 25 is an internal combustion engine, it will have its own fuel tank mounted on the frame portion 4 of the implement 2. It will be remembered that the speed of rotation of the members 5 in response to a given speed of rotation of the driving shaft 24 can be adjusted by altering the transmission ratio in the change-speed gear 21 and that, independently, the speed of rotation of the ground roller 1 2 can be adjusted by altering the transmission ratio produced by the shaft and pinion transmission in the gear casing 27.

Appropriate adjustments may, if required, be made before work commences principally 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 its cultivation. In the case of the rear implement 3, its soil working members 5 may be rotated at a faster or slower rate in response to a substantially standard speed of rotation derived from the rear power take-off shaft of the tractor 1 by an appropriate alteration of the transmission ratio that is dictated by the corresponding change-speed gear 21. The rear ground roller 1 2 is rotatably driven only by ground contact and its speed of revolution will be proportional to the speed of travel in the direction A.

The fact that the motor 25 operatively rotates the leading soil working members 5 and also revolves the leading roller 1 2 in a direction tending to move the combination forwardly in the direction A means that the operating agricultural tractor 1 can be a lighter and lower-powered category of tractor than would be the case if both the impiements 2 and 3 had to be moved in the direction A and be powered wholly from that tractor. This advantage is particularly marked when, as will often be the case, only the leading implement 2 is used with the tractor 1 since, under these circumstances, said tractor 1 performs substantially only a supporting and controlling function, the implement 2 itself being self-propelled and operated by the independent motor 25.

The use of a relatively lightweight and relatively low-power tractor is advantageous not only from the initial capital investment point of view but also from the point of view of running costs and maintenance and the fact that such a tractor will bear much less heavily upon the ground surface than will a heavier and higher powered tractor so that the ground will not be crushed to anything like the same extent. This is particularly true when, as is illustrated, the lightweight agricultural tractor 1 has tyres of broad tread width, the illustrated tyres each having a tread width of substantially 60 cms.

The fact that the speed of power-årìven rotation of the leading ground roller 1 2 can be varied to suit the speed of travel in the direction A is of particular advantage when the rear soil cultivating implement 3 is also employed with or without the seed drill 34.

When a combination such as that which is illustrated in the drawings is employed, the transmission ratio in the gear casing 27 is preferably changed so that the speed of rotation of the leading roller 1 2 is increased which gives a greater propulsive effect in the direction A. It has been found that, under such circumstances, the tractor 1 may still be relatively light in weight and of relatively low power without disadvantage.

When a combination such as the one which is illustrated is to be brought to a position thereof that is suitable for inoperative transport, the leading lifting device or hitch of the tractor 1 is raised to bring the leading implement 2 clear of contact with the ground following which the seed drill 34 is moved upwardly and forwardly as far as possible by extension of the piston rod of the hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 35 after which, finally, the rear lifting device or hitch of the tractor 1 is raised to bring the rear implement 3 clear of contact with the ground together with the already raised seed drill 34 which lies above the implement 3 at this time, the combined centre of gravity of the rear implement 3 and the seed drill 34 being quite close to the back of the tractor 1 under these circumstances.

The position of the motor 25 on top of the frame portion 4 of the leading implement 2 ensures that, despite its use both to operate and propel the implement 2 in combination with at least the controlling tractor 1, the width of the path of travel of the implement 2 is not increased as compared with that of a similar implement omitting the motor 25, the arrangement also enabling a relatively simple drive transmission to the leading ground roller 1 2 to be employed. It is noted that the agricultural tractor 1 need not essentially have a forwardly projecting power take-off shaft when the implement 2 is both self-propelled and self-operated. The ground rollers 1 2 are not essential to either of the implements 2 or 3 and, although their provision is preferred, they may, if desired, be replaced by ground wheels arranged either in pairs or in multiple arrays.

Although certain features of the tractor and implement combination that has been described and/or that is illustrated in the drawings will 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 the tractor and implement combination 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 a motor is provided in an upper region of the implement.

2. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the implement comprises self-propelling means that is arranged to be drivable by said motor.

3. A soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth, wherein the implement comprises self-propelling means, a motor arranged so that it can drive both said self-propelling means and said soil working members, and also comprises a coupling member constructed and arranged for connection to a tractor or other vehicle.

4. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said coupling member or a coupling member of the implement which is arranged for connection to a tractor or other vehicle takes the form of a multi-point suspension constructed and arranged for co-operation with the lifting device or hitch of a tractor or other vehicle.

5. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said motor comprises a driving shaft whose axis of rotation extends perpendicular, or at least transverse, to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement.

6. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said soil working members are rotatable about corresponding upwardly extending axes and are arranged in a row that is substantially horizontally perpendicular, or at least transverse, to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement, the soil working members being arranged to be driven from a location which is disposed substantially centrally of said row by way of transmission members which are themselves driven from a driving shaft, or said driving shaft, of the motor.

7. An implement as claimed in claim 6.

wherein said transmission comprises a change-speed gear.

8. An implement as claimed in either claim 6 or claim 7 when read as directly or indirectly appendant to either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said transmission includes a drive for said self-propelling means.

9. An implement as claimed in claim 6 and claim 8, wherein the self-propelling means is located in advance of said row of soil working members with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement.

10. An implement as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the drive to said self-propelling means includes a corresponding change-speed gear.

11. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said motor is mounted on top of said frame portion.

1 2. An implement as claimed in claim 11, wherein said frame portion is of elongate configuration and has said motor mounted thereon at or close to one end thereof.

1 3. An implement as claimed in claim 11 or 1 2, wherein said motor is an internal combustion engine which has a fuel tank therefor carried by said frame portion.

14. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein controis for the operation of said motor are arranged on a tractor or other vehicle to which, during operation, the implement is coupled.

1 5. An implement as claimed in claim 4 or in any one of claims 5 to 14 when read as appendant to claim 4, wherein the rear of the implement, with respect its intended direction of operative travel, is provided with said multipoint suspension, the latter being constructed and arranged for connection to a lifting device or hitch at the front of a tractor or other vehicle.

1 6. An implement as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 or in any one of claims 4 to 1 5 when read as appendant to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the self-propelling means comprises a ground roller that is drivable by said motor.

17. An implement as claimed in claim 16, wherein the ground roller comprises groups or crowns of substantially planar teeth.

1 8. An implement as claimed in claim 17, wherein a plurality of scrapers are provided that are arranged to contact, or be close to, the surface of said roller between the groups or crowns of teeth.

19. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 1 8 when read as directly or indirectly appendant to claim 12, wherein the drive transmission to said ground roller is located wholly or principally at the opposite side of the lateral centre of the implement from said motor.

20. An implement as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 or in any one claims 4 to 1 9 when read as appendant to either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the self-propelling means is upwardly and downwardly adjustable in bodily level relative to that of said frame portion and soil working members.

21. A soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

22. A combination of an agricultural tractor, a leading soil cultivating implement, a rear soil cultivating implement and a seed drill substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.