GB2198321A - Assembly of ground or plant treatment members - Google Patents

Abstract

An agricultural Cambridge roll implement has two or more roll assemblies 102, 104, 106 arranged in-line whereby turning of the implement at headlands without scuffing the ground can be achieved. The gap between adjacent roll portions is less than the width of one roll ring by use of annular bearings located within hollow shaft end portions and supported by fore/aft slim bearing support plates extending horizontally between the roll ends. The frame articulates to permit contouring. Hydraulic rams stiffen the frame for endwise transport. <IMAGE>

Description

ASSEMBLY OF GROUND OR PLANT TREATMENT MEMBERS This invention relates to an assembly of ground or plant treatment members . For example , the invention relates to such treatment members in the form of Cambridge rings which , in assembly , form a Cambridge roll . The invention also relates to other rolls and ground or plant treatment members including flat or cylindrical rollers and the like.

The invention also provides a bearing assembly for use in relation to such treatment members and for other uses In the case of Cambridge rolls and like agricultural and horticultural implements there are various requirements imposed on such equipment by modern conditions of use , and it has in the past been found to be extremely difficult to meet all these requirements , or indeed even to provide a fully satisfactory compromise between them , since some of the requirements are somewhat conflicting Firstly , there is the requirement of width Modern farming conditions and operations impose a requirement for relatively wide implements . Whereas in the past a roll length ( or operating width ) of 8feet ( 2.44 metres ) was usually adequate , present day Cambridge rolls usually have an operating width of between 20 feet ( 6.1 metres ) to 40 feet ( 12.2 metres ) .At such an operating width the conventional arrangement for modern Cambridge rolls is an assembly of three or five individual rollers each of length about 7 feet t 2.13 metres ) arranged in two parallel rows , for example as shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

The second of the above-mentioned requirements for Cambridge rolls and the like concerns transport arrangements . Whereas previous relatively narrow implements could be transported by a tractor in their working configuration , implements of modern working widths have to be either folded or else transported endwise by providing actuatable ground wheels for the purpose.

A third of the above-mentioned requirements concerns the need to avoid scuffing of plants and crop during turning , and the related need to avoid excessive end loads on the bearings of the implement and corresponding side wear of the rolls themselves.

This requirement can perhaps be best understood by reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings in which the conventional arrangement of Cambridge rolls in a rectangular frame is shown . Each of the rolls is journalled for rotation about respetive parallel axes so that the assembly freely travels in the normal forward direction F . However , turning of the implement at a headland is a considerable problem . The implement behaves in a manner comparable to that of a four wheeled trailer having all four wheels fixed in straight-ahead positions. When it is necessary to turn the assembly , the front wheels must be forced to skid laterally over the ground.

When an implement of this sort is employed for rolling newly emerged crop in the spring , such scuffing or skidding causes very significant crop damage Previous proposals for meeting this problem in the case of wide implements have included the idea of providing each of the three rolls as an independent self-trailed assembly , each roller being trailed from a common draft bar or the like. This eliminates the scuffing problem but immediately raises transport problems . The outer two rollers cannot be folded and nor can the implement be readily mounted on a rigid frame for endwise transport. Therefore , the implement becomes untransportable for all practical purposes.

We have therefore identified a requirement for an assembly of ground or plant treatment members for example a Cambridge roll , offering improvements in relation to one or more of the matters discussed above , or generally According to the invention there is provided an assembly of ground or plant treatment members as defined in the accompanying claims , together with an agricultural or horticultural implement incorporating same . The invention also provides a bearing assembly comprising shaft means having at least a hollow end portion , a bearing member inserted into said hollow end portion and secured at its outer end to a bearing support member A non-rotatable inner shaft member may be provided whereby the bearing member provides bearing support between said inner and outer shaft portions.

The invention also provides an assembly of ground or plant treatment members , and an implement incorporating same , comprising any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shows , diagrammatically , a prior art Cambridge roll implement ; Fig. 2 shows , diagrammatically , again in plan view , an embodiment of the invention ; Fig. 3 shows , on a larger scale , a portion of the assembly of Fig. 2 , showing details of the frame , the Cambridge rings , and the bearing support members ; and Fig. 4 shows a section through the two end Cambridge roll rings of Fig. 3 , together with their associated shafts and bearings , the section being taken on the line indicated by arrows IV - IV in Fig.

3.

As shown in Fig. 1 , a prior art implement 10 comprises three roll assemblies 12,14, and 16 . Each roll assembly is carried on a rigid rectangular frame 18 on which it is supported for pivotal movement about respective axes 20,22 and 24 for contouring movement . Frame 18 is drawn by a tractor ( not shown ) by means of a draw bar 26 in a working direction F For transport , a pair of road wheels 28,30 are lowered and the assembly is transported in direction T by connecting the tractor to the right hand end ( as seen in Fig. 1 ) of frame 18 by means of a hitch or draw bar comparable to draw bar 26 Rolls 12,14 and 16 are mounted on respective shafts which are journalled on conventional end bearings 32 In use , implement 10 freely rolls only in direction F When the implement is forced to turn by the tractor , the.

rolls skid across the ground surface and the rib and groove profile of the rolls causes some damage to emerged crops.

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention An implement 100 comprises Cambridge roll assemblies 102 , 104 and 106 . The roll assemblies are mounted on a frame 108 . The frame and the assembly of rolls are articulated for pivotal movement about axes 110 and 112 which extend in the direction F of normal forward movement during use. The pivot axes 110 and 112 permit the implement 100 to follow ground contours during use.

Implement 100 is drawn by a tractor ( not shown. ) by means of a draw bar 114 . For transport to and from the place of work , road wheels 116 and 118 are lowered. Means is actuated for preventing frame 108 from articulating about axes 110 and 112 , and the implement is transported in direction T by hitch means similar to draw bar 114 connected at the right hand end of the implement as seen in Fig. 2 As shown in Fig. 2 , rolls 10.2 104 and 106 are arranged end-to-end in generally coaxial relationship.

As a result , the implement 100 can freely turn at headlands without scuffing or skidding. The in-line rollers can execute differential rotation , as between opposite ends of the implement , and in this way the assembly turns just as freely as a single roller.

Fig. 2 also indicates the narrow gaps 120,122 between the roller assemblies 102,104 and 106.

In this embodiment , the gap between successive roll rings is 2.5 inches ( 6.35 centimetres ) which is significantly less than the width of an individual roll ring of the assembly , the latter width being approximately 3 inches or 7.6 centimetres.

As can be clearly seen from Fig. 1 , if the roll assemblies 12,14 and 16 were arranged end-to-end their bearing assembly 32 would produce very substantial gaps between the ends of the rolls . In fact , it would probably not be possible to reduce such a gap significantly below 12 inches or 30.5 centimetres.

Such a gap , corresponding to the working width of approximately 4 roll rings would be completely unacceptable as an unrolled area in farming practice In the embodiment of Fig. 2 , the gap of less than the operating width of one ring is quite acceptable to farmers . Some increase of this gap could be tolerated , up to a limit of about ( or preferably somewhat below ) twice the working width of a roll ring. Achieving such a relatively small gap is out of the question with the conventional bearing arrangements of Fig.1 .The bearing assembly of the Fig. 2 embodiment is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 shows the edge-to-edge arrangement of the roll rings with their characteristic curved rib and groove profile for soil working purposes.

Fig. 4 shows the adjacent end rings 124 and 126 of roller assemblies 104 and 106 respectively. The rollers of each assembly are mounted on respective rotatable shaft assemblies 128 and 130 respectively.

Each of these shaft assemblies is of similar construction, so only one will be described. Shaft assembly 130 comprises a rotatable tubular outer shaft 132 on which roll ring 126 and the associated rings are journalled by means of their cast inner bearing rings 134. In normal use , when the implement 100 is travelling straight ahead , there is substantially no relative rotation between ring bearings 134 and the rotating outer shaft 132 . However , when the implement is turning , there is relative rotation between the rings and the shafts due to the differential speeds of rotation caused by the turning action. Outer shaft 130 is mounted on a non-rotatable inner shaft 136 through an annular bearing sleeve 138 which is located axially between a stop ring 140 and an end mounting flange 142 .Flange 142 is welded to a bearing support member 144 which extends generally horizontally between roll rings 124 and 126 . A corresponding parallel bearing support member 146 is provided for roll 104 . The bearing support members 144 and 146 are secured at their ends to the frame 108.

At their centre portion , the bearing supports are welded to the flanged members 148 amd 142 . A central squared spigot 150 is formed in the end of shaft 136 and keys into a correspondingly shaped aperture formed in bearing support member 144 , whereby shaft 136 cannot rotate . A similar arrangement is provided for shaft assembly 128 In use , shaft 136 does not rotate . Annular bearing 138 is free to rotate relative to shaft 136 and/or outer shaft 132. The bearing may be , for example , of Tufnel bearing material or may be a needle roller bearing assembly . Its freedom to rotate permits equalisation of wear on the bearing, instead of the wear being concentrated on the top and bottom portions of its periphery. Outer shaft 132 freely rotates with respect to inner shaft 136.

The roll rings 124 and 126 generally rotate with shaft 132 but execute some turning motion relative thereto when the implement is turning at a headland.

Fig. 3 shows the arrangement of the bearing support members 144 and 146 in more detail . They extend generally horizontally between the front and rear portions of frame 108 . At each end , the bearing support members are cranked and pivotally connected about axes 152 and 154 , parallel to direction T , to brackets 156 welded to the frame In their central parallel portion , the frame support members are spaced apart by 0.25 inches ( 0.64 centimetres ) . This gap permits relative angular movement of the roll portions 102,104 and 106 sufficient to allow approximately 3 inches of vertical movement at opposite ends of the roll assemblies The bearing support members are of generally strip-like form formed from metal plate and lie in vertical planes in use.

Details of the articulation of the frame 108 will now be described. As shown in Fig. 3 frame 108 comprises a front frame portion 158 divided into three equal length frame portions 162. Likewise rear frame member 160 is divided up into three equal length portions 164. The frame member portions are pivotally connected by hinge assemblies 166 and 168, each having a pivot pin 170 located co-axially on articulation axis 112 which extends exactly between the bearing support members 144 and 146 . In this way , the frame 108 is formed into three sections.

Each section comprises a front frame portion 162 a rear frame portion 164 and side frame portions constituted by the bearing support members 144 and 146.

Means is provided for rigidifying the frame for transport purposes. This may be achieved by means of hydraulic rams and associated linkages extending across the hinge assemblies 166 and 168 . The arrangement may be such as simply to inhibit downward movement of the frame portions . When the frame is thus set-up for transport , it may be formed into a slightly upwardly tilted structure at its ends . Alternative means may be provided for stiffening the frame for transport, such as a manually-operable screw threaded actuator.

Among modifications which could be made in the above embodiment while remaining within the scope of the invention are the following : 1. Additional sections may be added to the implement each structured and arranged as described above , whereby , subject to practical limits of material strength and tractor power , the implement may be of any suitable width. Means can be provided for adjusting the tow bar or draw bar position according to requirements.

2. The bearing member 138 in the above embodiment can be made as long in the axial direction as may be desired 3. The gap between the bearing support members 144 and 146 can be varied according to requirements.

A slightly greater gap will permit significantly more contour following by the assembly.

4. The permissable gap between the ends of adjacent rolls may vary according to the implement concerned.

Where plain rolls are employed for grass work a larger gap may be tolerated than in the above embodiment.

5. In the above embodiment , an endwise transport arrangement has been described . It would be possible to arrange for the implement to have its end sections fold upwardly for transport if this were preferred. Other transport arrangements are also envisaged.

Claims (16)

1. An assembly of ground or plant treatment members mounted for rotation about a common axis the assembly comprising rotary shaft means to support said rotary treatment members , and bearing means for said shaft means , said bearing means comprising a bearing assembly and a bearing support member for said assembly , characterised by said shaft means comprising two shaft portions arranged to be mounted in generally end-to-end relationship , said bearing means comprising at least a hollow end portion in each of said adjacent shaft ends , and a bearing member inserted into said hollow shaft portions and secured at its end to said bearing support member which extends between the adjacent end treatment members.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 characterised in that said treatment members are journalled for rotation relative to said shaft means.

3. An assembly according to claim lor claim 2 characterised in that said rotary shaft means is of tubular form throughout its length and is rotatably journalled on an inner shaft which extends through said shaft means and projects at each end thereof and is secured to said bearing support member at its inner end.

4. An assembly according to claim 3 characterised in that said bearing means is generally annular in form and extends between said inner and outer shafts

5. An assembly according to claim 3 or claim 4 characterised in that said inner shaft is mounted so as to be non-rotatable and is secured to said bearing support means.

6. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that said bearing support extends generally in the travel direction of said assembly between said adjacent treatment members.

7. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that said bearing support is in the form of a length of strip material lying in a vertical plane extending between the two adjacent end treatment members.

8. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that said bearing support extends between opposite sides of a support frame for the whole of said assembly

9. An assembly according to claim 8 characterised in that said support rame is articulated about an axis extending in the travel direction of said assembly between said shaft portions , and said bearing support comprises two support portions one at each side of said axis.

10. An assembly according to claim 9 characterised in that the clearance between said bearings assemblies is sufficient to permit said frame to articulate to allow vertical movement of said treatment members to follow ground contours means being provided to limit downward movement of said treatment members relative to the frame whereby the frame and the treatment members can be raised for transport purposes.

11. An assembly according to claim 10 characterised in that said means to limit downward movement comprises an hydraulic ram.

12. An assembly according to any one of claims 9 to 11 when dependent on claim 8 characterised in that transport wheels are mounted on said frame , said transport wheels being adapted to be lowered for engagement with the ground in use.

13. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that said ground or plant treatment members comprise roll members of a Cambridge roll.

14. An agricultural implement comprising an assembly according to any one of the preceding claims.

15. An assembly of ground or plant treatment members substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. An agricultural implement comprising an assembly of ground or plant treatment members substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.