GB2327844A

GB2327844A - A reversible semi-mounted plough

Info

Publication number: GB2327844A
Application number: GB9816831A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Eric James Barrett
Original assignee: DOWDESWELL ENG CO Ltd
Current assignee: DOWDESWELL ENG CO Ltd
Priority date: 1997-08-06
Filing date: 1998-08-04
Publication date: 1999-02-10
Anticipated expiration: 2018-08-04
Also published as: GB2327844B; GB9716542D0; GB9816831D0

Abstract

An assembly for a reversible semi-mounted plough for pivotally interconnecting a leading plough beam (12) and a trailing plough beam (14), comprises an articulation (16) in the form of a universal joint (22) having first and second connection means (18, 20) for connecting said articulation respectively to said first and second plough beams. The assembly has a wheeled chassis (40) for supporting the articulation (16) so as to allow it to rotate about an axis extending generally in the direction of ploughing. First restricting means (60) limit lateral movement of the second plough beam (14) relative to the first plough beam (12) and second restricting means (80) limit vertical movement of the second plough beam (14) relative to the first plough beam (12). In use, the first and second restricting means (60, 80) retain substantially in the same positions relative to the chassis (40) irrespective of rotation of the articulation about said axis. The invention also contemplates a reversible semi-mounted plough having such an assembly.

Description

ASSEMBLY FOR A REVERSIBLE SEMI-MOUNTED PLOUGH AND PLOUGH COMPRISING SUCH AN ASSEMBLY.

This invention relates to an assembly for a reversible, semi-mounted plough and to a plough comprising such an assembly.

Semi-mounted ploughs are generally long and because of this the plough beam needs to be hinged about a transverse horizontal axis at a location intermediate its ends. The hinge allows the plough to follow the undulating contours ofthe land more easily, and allows more furrows to be ploughed on one pass of the tractor than with traditional ploughs. These hinged ploughs are referred to as articulated ploughs.

Articulated ploughs are known in which the two parts of the plough beam are hinged such that as the beam rotates 90 degrees from the ploughing position into the transport position, so does the hinge. A locking device is then needed to come into action to prevent sway of the distal end.

In some prior proposals, the plough beam needs to be locked by operation of controls by the driver. This is undesirable as it requires additional actions to be carried out at a time when the driver is already occupied in operating controls to lift the beam and/or to turn the tractor.

It has also been proposed to use strong clamping springs but these are not sufficiently positive in action to prevent risk of the distal end of the plough from flailing about on rotation from the ploughing to the transport position.

According a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an assembly for a reversible semi-mounted plough for pivotally interconnecting a first, leading plough beam and a second, trailing plough beam, the assembly comprising: an articulation for pivotally connecting the first plough beam to the second plough beam, said articulation having first and second connection means for connecting said articulation respectively to said first and second plough beams; a chassis means for supporting the articulation so as to allow rotation of said articulation about an axis extending generally in the direction of ploughing; wheel means for supporting the chassis; first restricting means for limiting lateral movement of the second plough beam relative to the first plough beam; and second restricting means for limiting vertical movement of the second plough beam relative to the first plough beam; wherein the first and second restricting means are retained substantially in the same positions relative to the chassis, irrespective of rotation of said articulation about said axis extending generally in the direction of ploughing.

An advantage of providing such an assembly is that it may be made and sold separately and allows two smaller conventional ploughs to be joined together to form a longer, articulated plough. This is therefore a less expensive item for a farmer to purchase as two existing turn over ploughs can be connected together using the assembly.

Preferably, the articulation comprises a universal joint.

The assembly may comprise a steering tube which is adapted to provide a journal for rotatably mounting the second, trailing plough beam, the steering tube defining said axis extending generally in the direction of ploughing.

The first and second restricting means may be mounted relative to the steering tube.

The first restricting means preferably comprise a pair of lateral check members, each of elongate form, one end of each lateral check member being pivotally secured to the chassis on a common generally horizontal axis at spaced positions and the other end of each lateral check member being retained for limited sliding movement in a respective elongate aperture of the steering tube to permit limited lateral movement of the steering tube and hence of the second plough beam relative to the first plough beam.

In this case, said common generally horizontal axis may be disposed at a position slightly spaced from the centre of rotation of the universal joint, whereby lifting of the steering tube in order to lift the second plough beam takes up said limited sliding movement ofthe lateral check members relative to the steering tube and hence locks the steering tube and second plough beam against lateral movement.

The second restricting means may comprise an hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly disposed between an upstanding portion ofthe chassis and a portion ofthe steering tube. The piston and cylinder assembly may be double acting. It may be operable in an hydraulic "float" mode to allow said limited vertical movement of the second plough beam.

The piston and cylinder assembly may be operable to lift the steering tube and hence the second plough beam to a transport position and to lower it to a working poSition.

In a possible alternative, the second restricting means may comprise a link rod disposed between an upstanding portion of the chassis and a portion of the steering tube and having adjustable stop means to limit the vertical movement of the second plough beam.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a reversible semi-mounted plough comprising a first, leading plough beam and a second, trailing plough beam pivotally interconnected by an assembly according to any of the preceding statements of invention.

The plough may have a trailing plough beam provided with an angular adjustment linkage adapted to adjust the angle ofthe second plough beam relative to the direction ofploughing.

The plough may have an offset adjustment to adjust the lateral position of the second plough beam relative to the direction of ploughing whereby a consistent furrow width can be obtained throughout the length of the plough.

The offset adjustment may comprise a parallelogram linkage having a diagonal link of selectively variable length.

The present invention is further described hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a first embodiment of an assembly according to the present invention for a reversible semi-mounted plough showing part of a first, leading plough beam and a second, trailing plough beam in the transport position; Figure 2 is a plan view of the assembly ofFigure 1 in the ploughing position; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of a tractor pulling an articulated plough and illustrating the position of the assembly during ploughing; and Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3 showing the second plough beam in a slightly raised attitude as ploughing commences.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, these show an assembly 10 for interconnecting two plough beams 12, 14 to form a semi-mounted articulated plough.

The assembly comprises an articulation 16 which has first and second connection means 18, 20 for connecting the articulation respectively to the first, leading plough beam 12 and the second, trailing plough beam 14.

The assembly also has a chassis 40 which is supported on wheels 43, a first restricting means 60 which limits lateral movement of the second plough beam relative to the first plough beam, and a second restricting means 80 which limits vertical movement of the second plough beam relative to the first plough beam.

The first and second connection means 18, 20 are joined together by a universal joint 22 which allows the second connection means to pivot relative to the first connection means in two orthogonal axes, and therefore allows pivoting of the trailing plough beam 14 relative to the leading plough beam 12 in these two axes. As can be seen from the drawings, one of these axes X-X is generally horizontal and the other Y-Y extends generally in a vertical direction (in practice inclined slightly to the vertical). Obviously, these positions of the axes are adopted when the plough is in either one of the two ploughing positions (separated by 180 degrees) or in the transport position (at 90 degrees to the ploughing positions).

In Figure 2, the plough beams 12, 14 are shown in the ploughing position. When the plough beams are turned over they move initially from the ploughing position of Figure 2 to the transport position as shown in Figure 1, and then through a further 900 into the new ploughing position.

The first connection means 18 has a recess 24 which receives an end portion 26 of the leading plough beam 12. This is secured in the recess by suitable means.

The first connection means 18 is mounted to the chassis 40 by way of a pivot connection 28 in the form of a pivot pin 30 passing through a sleeve 42. The sleeve 42 can be in the form of a separate sleeve which is rigidly secured to the chassis or could be part of the chassis itself.

The pivot axis 36 of the pivot pin 30 is shown orthogonal to the two pivot axes of the universal joint although some slight deviation could be allowed. The pivot axis 36 is also shown extending generally in the direction of travel of the plough at an acute angle to the horizontal. The exact angular position of the pivot axis is not critical.

The second connection means 20 is connectable to the leading end of the trailing plough beam 14 through a steering means in the form of a steering tube 34. The second connection means 20 and the plough beam 14 are rotatable about the pivot axis 36 relative to the steering tube 34 which is retained by the first and second restricting means 60, 80.

The first restricting means 60 is formed by two lateral check chains 62, 64 which connect the steering tube 34 to the chassis 40. As can be seen from Figure 2, the lateral check chains 62, 64, if fully tightened, can be used to prevent any lateral movement of the steering tube 34 relative to the chassis 40 and therefore of the second connection means 20 and plough beam 14 relative to the chassis 40. In use, however, these are preferably adjusted to allow some limited lateral movement. This lateral movement would normally be about the generally vertical axis Y-Y at the time of the universal joint 22.

The lateral check chains are each secured at one end 61 to the chassis for pivotal movement about an axis 63 spaced slightly below the horizontal axis X-X of the universal joint. At the other end of each lateral check chain, a limited sliding connection 65 is made with a bracket 67 on the steering tube 34. Thus, in normal use, there is the preferred slight lateral movement of the plough beam 14 relative to the chassis 40 but when the plough beam 14 is raised as described later, the spacing of the pivotal axes X-X and 63 effectively tightens the lateral check chains until they take up the slack of the sliding connections 65 and then automatically prevent any lateral movement ofthe plough beam 14. Therefore, ifthe trailing plough beam 14 is raised to the transport position, it cannot flail about from side to side and no intervention by the plough driver is required to achieve this desirable effect.

If the plough is not operating in a straight line, a small amount of lateral movement allowed by the check chains 62, 64 can be beneficial in reducing draught.

The second restricting means 80 is formed by an hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 81 interconnecting a pair of upstanding arms 44 on the chassis with a pair ofupstanding brackets 35 on the steering tube 34. Each end of the hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 81 is pivotally secured. The hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 81, which can conveniently be either double acting or single acting, is coupled to the tractor hydraulics in order to allow the plough beam 14 to be raised or lowered. In addition to the "raise" and "lower" conditions, the operator can select a "float" condition of the hydraulic supply valve to the cylinder, which allows a small amount of movement of the trailing plough beam 14 during ploughing, to provide the second restricting means. When the controls are operated to raise or lower the plough beam 14, the float control is overridden.

As an alternative, the second restricting means could comprise a link rod (not shown) which is pivotally connected between a bracket on the steering tube 34 and an upstanding arm 44 of the chassis. The link would include a float comprising a pair of spaced apart stops on the rod, co-operating with the bracket on the steering tube to determine the amount of vertical movement of the steering tube which is allowed. Thus the alternative second restricting means allows limited vertical movement of the second connection means 20 and the plough beam 14 relative to the first connection means 18 and the plough beam 12. In a preferred form, one stop could be in the form of a nut which engages an external screw thread on the rod so that its axial position on the rod can be adjusted to adjust the amount of float allowed.

In this case, a separate means needs to be provided to lift and lower the trailing plough beam.

In the above described assembly the two restricting means and the steering tube are retained substantially in the same positions relative to the chassis, regardless ofthe rotational position of the articulation, that is, they do not turn over when the plough is turned over by rotating the leading plough beam 12 to rotate the articulation 16 and the trailing plough beam 14. The restrictions on the lateral movement of the trailing plough beam 14 remain effective in both ploughing positions at 180 degrees to each other and no additional locking mechanism needs to be engaged. During movement from one ploughing position to the other, the plough is lifted and turned through the transport position, which involves the movement of the check chains 62, 64, and of the piston and cylinder assembly 81 set out above but the general positions of the two restricting means and the steering tube do not alter relative to the chassis.

Raising and lowering of the trailing plough beam 14 for transport and ploughing is also effected by the hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 81. When the trailing plough beam 14 is held in a raised position as the tractor moves into the ploughing area and is then lowered, a square finish to headlands can be obtained. Figures 3 and 4 diagrammatically show a tractor 120 pulling a reversible, semi-mounted plough.

In Figure 3, the trailing plough beam 14 is being allowed to move vertically downwardly relative to the leading plough beam 12, to work along the whole length of the plough in undulating land. In Figure 4, the trailing plough beam 14 has been lifted using the hydraulic cylinder 81 to a transport condition, and the plough is again being brought into work by firstly using the leading plough beam 12 and then, as the trailing plough beam reaches the ploughing area, lowering the trailing plough beam 14 into work as shown. The distal end 15 of the trailing plough beam 14 carries a depth wheel which controls the amount of penetration of the plough.

When the plough is turned over or the second plough beam is raised it is not necessary to lock the second plough beam 14 to the first plough beam 12. The constraints applied by the steering tube 34, the lateral check chains 62, 64 and the link 80 do not allow the plough beams to move undesirably relative to one another. As the beam 14 is raised, the lateral check chains tighten automatically, as described above, taking up the slack in the slidable coupling 65. The hydraulic "float" is overridden by the driver operating the "raise" control on the hydraulic supply to the cylinder 81. The lowering of the beam 14, whether in one or the other ploughing position, automatically restores the lateral check chains 62, 64 to their normal condition and the hydraulic control is returned to the "float" condition, allowing a slight, controlled degree of movement of the beam as before.

The articulation can be made and sold separately and allows two smaller conventional ploughs to be joined together as the leading and trailing plough beams 12, 14, to form a longer, articulated plough. This is therefore a less expensive item for a farmer to purchase as two existing turn-over ploughs can be connected together using the assembly. However, the invention also contemplates a reversible semi-mounted plough comprising a first, leading plough beam and a second, trailing plough beam pivotally interconnected by such an assembly.

As seen in Figure 2, the trailing plough beam is provided with an angular adjustment linkage 110 including a turnbuckle 112 adapted to adjust the angle of the second plough beam 14 relative to the direction ofploughing. The second, trailing plough beam 14 also has an offset adjustment 1 14, provided to adjust the lateral position ofthe second plough beam 14 relative to the direction of ploughing whereby a consistent furrow width can be obtained throughout the length of the plough. This offset adjustment 114 comprises a parallelogram linkage having a diagonal link 116 comprising a turnbuckle of selectively variable length.

Claims

1. An assembly for a reversible semi-mounted plough for pivotally interconnecting a first, leading plough beam and a second, trailing plough beam, the assembly comprising: an articulation for pivotally connecting the first plough beam to the second plough beam, said articulation having first and second connection means for connecting said articulation respectively to said first and second plough beams; a chassis means for supporting the articulation so as to allow rotation of said articulation about an axis extending generally in the direction of ploughing; wheel means for supporting the chassis; first restricting means for limiting lateral movement of the second plough beam relative to the first plough beam; and second restricting means for limiting vertical movement of the second plough beam relative to the first plough beam; wherein the first and second restricting means are retained substantially in the same positions relative to the chassis, irrespective of rotation ofsaid articulation about said axis extending generally in the direction of ploughing.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the articulation is a universal joint.

3. An assembly according to claim 2 comprising a steering tube which is adapted to provide ajournal for rotatably mounting the second, trailing plough beam, the steering tube defining said axis extending generally in the direction of ploughing.

4. An assembly according to claim 3 wherein the first and second restricting means are mounted relative to the steering tube.

5. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein said first restricting means comprise a pair of lateral check members, each ofelongate form, one end ofeach lateral check member being pivotally secured to the chassis on a common generally horizontal axis at spaced positions and the other end of each lateral check member being retained for limited sliding movement in a respective elongate aperture of the steering tube to permit limited lateral movement of the steering tube and hence of the second plough beam relative to the first plough beam.

6. An assembly according to claim 5 wherein said common generally horizontal axis is disposed at a position slightly spaced from the centre of rotation of the universal joint, whereby lifting of the steering tube in order to lift the second plough beam takes up said limited sliding movement ofthe lateral check members relative to the steering tube and hence locks the steering tube and second plough beam against lateral movement.

7. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein said second restricting means comprises an hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly disposed between an upstanding portion of the chassis and a portion of the steering tube.

8. An assembly according to claim 7 wherein the piston and cylinder assembly is double acting.

9. An assembly according to claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the piston and cylinder assembly is operably in an hydraulic "float" mode to allow said limited vertical movement of the second plough beam.

10. An assembly according any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the piston and cylinder assembly is operable to lift the steering tube and hence the second plough beam to a transport position and to lower it to a working position.

11. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein the second restricting means comprise a link rod disposed between an upstanding portion of the chassis and a portion of the steering tube and having adjustable stop means to limit the vertical movement of the second plough beam.

12. A reversible semi-mounted plough comprising a first, leading plough beam and a second, trailing plough beam pivotally interconnected by an assembly according to any preceding claim.

13. A plough according to claim 12 wherein the trailing plough beam is provided with an angular adjustment linkage adapted to adjust the angle ofthe second plough beam relative to the direction of ploughing.

14. A plough according to claim 12 or claim 13 wherein an offset adjustment is provided to adjust the lateral position of the second plough beam relative to the direction of ploughing whereby a consistent furrow width can be obtained throughout the length of the plough.

15. A plough according claim 14 wherein the offset adjustment comprises a parallelogram linkage having a diagonal link of selectively variable length.

16. An assembly for a reversible semi-mounted plough substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

17. A reversible semi-mounted plough substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.