GB2360433A

GB2360433A - Drilling hoe

Info

Publication number: GB2360433A
Application number: GB0007210A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Edward Hentges
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-25
Filing date: 2000-03-25
Publication date: 2001-09-26
Also published as: GB0007210D0

Abstract

A drilling hoe comprises an elongate bar 10, a handle 14 extending from bar 10 with which the bar 10 can be drawn across the ground with the bar extending transversely to the drawing direction, and a plurality of blades 18 projecting from the bar 10 for forming respective drills in the ground as the bar 10 is drawn across the ground. At least one of the blades 18 is detactably secured to the bar and/or is adjustable in position along the bar 10 so that the pitch of the blades 18 on the bar 10 can be varied. The hoe enables two or more parallel drills to be formed simultaneously, and the number of drills which are formed and/or the spacing between them can be selected as desired. There may be rake tines 22 also mounted to the bar 10 facing in a different direction to the blades 18. The blades 18 may be locked into a channel (24, figure 4) by a screw mechanism and may be slidable along the channel (24) for adjustment of position.

Description

2360433 TITLE Gardening Hand Tools, In Particular Drilling Hoes

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a gardening hand tool in the form of a drilling hoe with which a channel, or drill, can be formed in the ground into which seeds can be sown, or plants can be placed.

A common method of sowing seeds is to form parallel drills in the ground, sprinkle seeds into the drills and then cover the seeds. Typically, a gardener might use the corner of a straight-edged hoe, or simply a stick of wood, which is dragged along the ground to form the drills.

The present invention is concerned with facilitating the neat formation of properly spaced apart drills.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a drilling hoe comprising: an elongate bar; a handle extending from the bar with which the bar can be drawn across the ground with the bar extending transversely to the drawing direction; and a plurality of blades projecting from the bar for forming respective drills in the ground as the bar is drawn across the ground; wherein at least one of the blades is detactably secured to the bar and/or is adjustable in 15 position along the bar so that the pitch of the blades on the bar can be varied.

It will therefore be appreciated that the drilling hoe of the present invention enables two or more parallel drills to be formed simultaneously and that the number of drills which are formed and/or the spacing between them can be selected as desired.

Preferably, at least one of the blades is detactably secured to the bar, so that the number 20 of drills which are formed can be selected.

In one embodiment of the invention, the bar has a hole, and said one blade is provided with a screw-threaded element for conveniently attaching that blade in the hole. In this case, the hole is preferably screw-threaded, and the screw-threaded element comprises a stud projecting from the blade for engagement in the hole. Because there is no need for the screw-threaded 25 element to be detached from the blade, there is little risk of losing the screw-threaded element. Preferably, the hole is a through-hole, so that if soil gets into the hole it can easily be cleaned out, for example by inserting the screw-threaded element in to hole or poking through the hole with a piece of wire. Preferably, a plurality of such holes are provided, spaced apart along the bar. Preferably, at least two of the blades (and more preferably all of them) are detactably secured to the bar. Different combinations of the number of the blades and the spacing of them 5 can therefore be chosen.

In another embodiment, at least one of the blades is adjustable in position along the bar. In this case, the bar preferably has a channel extending therealong, and said one blade is provided with a element which is captive in the channel, can be slid along the channel and can be locked in position along the channel so as to adjust the spacing of the blades. Preferably, the element is conveniently screw-threaded so that upon tightening the screw- threading the blade is locked in position and upon loosening the screw- threading the blade and element can be slid along the channel. Preferably, at least one end of the channel is open so that the blade and element can be slid to the end of the channel and detached from the bar, so as to change the number of drills produced by the hoe. Preferably, at least two of the blades (and more preferably all of them) are adjustable in position along the bar. Different combinations of the number of the blades and the spacing of them can therefore be chosen.

Preferably, each blade is generally conical or hemi-ellipsoidal, so that in the case where the blade is turned to attach it to the bar or tighten it to the bar, the final turning position of the blade does not affect the shape of the drill which it forms.

Preferably, the hoe has a series of rake tines projecting from the bar in a different direction to the hoe blades and the handle. For example, with the hoe blades rake tines may be arranged to project in opposite directions and generally at right angles to the handle.

Accordingly, the rake tines can be used to form an even, finely-tilthed surface, and then with a half-tum of the handle about its axis, the hoes blades can be used to form the required drills.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the head of a first embodiment of drilling hoe looking towards its drilling blades; Figure 2 is an end view of the head of the hoe of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a back view of the head of the hoe of Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 4 is an end view of the head of a second embodiment of drilling hoe.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, a drilling hoe has an elongate bar 10 which may be formed of any suitable material, such as aluminium, steel or injection-moulded plastics. Typically, the bar 10 would be about 700 nun long. A socket 12 is formed half way along the bar 10, and one 5 end of a handle 14 (only part of which is shown in the drawings) is fitted into the socket 12. Typically, the length of the handle 14 would be about 1 to 1.4 m, so that, with the bar 10 at ground level, the other end of the handle 14 can be conveniently held by a gardener in the standing position. A series of through-holes 16 extending through the bar 10 are formed along the bar 10. Typically, ten such holes 16 are provided with a spacing between them of about 75 nim. Towards one end of each through-hole 16, it is screw-threaded. The hoe is provided with a number of blades 18, each of which would typically be conical with a rounded point. Typically, the height of each blade 18 would be about 65 nun, and the diameter of its base would be about 45 nim. A screw-threaded stud 20 projects from the base of each blade 18 and has a thread to match the screw-threaded holes 16. Four such blades 18 are shown in the drawings, but typically five such blades would be provided for a particular hoe. The hoe also has a series of raking tines 22 which project from the bar 10 in the opposite direction to the blades 18. Typically, twenty-five to thirty such tines 22 are provided with a spacing of about 25 to 30 mm, and the projecting length and diameter of each tine 22 are about 50 to 60 nun and 7 to 10 nun, respectively.

The number and spacing of the blades 18 on the bar 10 can be selected as desired. For example, all five blades 18 can be attached to the bar 10 using alternate holes 16 so that the spacing between the blades 18 is 150 mm. Four blades 18 can be attached in every third hole 16 (as shown in figures 1 and 3) so that the spacing between the blades 18 is 225 mm. Three blades 18 can be attached in every fourth hole 16 so that the spacing between the blades 18 is 300 mm.

Two blades 18 can be attached in the third and fifth holes 16 along the bar 10 so that the spacing between the blades is 375 nim, or in other holes 16 so that the blade spacing is 450, 525, 600 or 675 nun. Also, just one blade can be attached to the bar 10, for example in one of the two holes 16 nearest the handle socket 12, for forming a single drill.

In use, the hoe can be initially used with the raking tines 22 projecting downwardly so as to rake the soil. The number and spacing of the drilling blades 18 can then be varied if and as desired, and then the hoe can be drawn across the ground with the drilling blades 18 projecting downwardly so as to form the drills. After seeds have been sown in the drills, the hoe can be used again with the raking tines 22 projecting downwardly so as to level the soil and fill the drills. The hoe can then be used with the handle vertical to tamp down the soil with the face 24 of the bar 10 opposite the handle socket 12. It will therefore be appreciated that the hoe facilitates preparation of the ground for sowing seeds in drills by providing the combined functions of a rake, drilling hoe and tamper to produce neat, evenly-spaced, parallel drills. In addition to being used to form straight, parallel drills, it will be appreciated that the hoe can also be used to form curved, evenly spaced drills.

The differences between a second embodiment of the invention, as shown in figures 4 and 5, and the first embodiment of the invention as described above, will now be discussed.

In the second embodiment, the drilling blades 18 are not locatable in distinct holes 16 in the bar 10. Instead, the bar 10 is formed with an elongate channel 24, open at both ends of the bar 10, and the channel 24 has a pair of lips 26 so that square nuts 28 can be held captive in, and prevented from rotation in, the channel 24. The stud 20 projecting from each blade 18 is a screw fit in a respective nut 28, and the distal end of the stud 20 is burred over to prevent the nut 28 getting lost. It will therefore be appreciated that, by loosening the nut, the blade 18 can be slid to a desired position along the bar 10, with the nut 28 sliding in the channel 24, and the blade 18 can then be turned so that the lips 26 of the channel 24 are nipped between the base of the blade 18 and the nut 28 so as to lock the blade 18 in the desired position. When loosened, blades 18 can be removed from the bar 10 by sliding them to one or other of the open ends of the channel 24, and further blades can be added to the bar 10 at the open ends of the channel 24. The bar 10 may be engraved with ruler-like markings so as to facilitate the setting of the blades 18 with the desired spacing between them.

Many modifications and developments may be made to the embodiments of the invention described above. For example, other ways may be employed for locking a selected number of the blades 18 in selecting positions along the bar 10. The blades 18 may have other shapes, and, instead of being smooth-sided, they may be ridged. Especially in the case where each blade 18 can be locked in place in more than one position around its axis, it may have a non-circular cross- section so that the width of the drill formed by the blade 18 can be adjusted.

It should be noted that the embodiments of the invention have been described above purely by way of example and that many other modifications and developments may be made thereto within the scope of the present invention..

Claims

1. A drilling hoe comprising: an elongate bar; a handle extending from the bar with which the bar can be drawn across the ground with the bar extending transversely to the drawing direction; and a plurality of blades projecting from the bar for forming respective drills in the ground as the bar is drawn across the ground; wherein at least one of the blades is detactably secured to the bar and/or is adjustable in position along the bar so that the pitch of the blades on the bar can be varied.

2. A hoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the blades is detactably secured to the bar.

3. A hoe as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the bar has a hole; and said one blade is provided with a screw-threaded element for attaching that blade in the hole.

4. A hoe as claimed in claim 3, wherein: the hole is screw-threaded; and the screw-threaded element comprises a stud projecting from the blade for engagement in the hole.

5. A hoe as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the hole is a through-hole.

6. A hoe as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5, wherein a plurality of such holes are provided, spaced apart along the bar.

7. A hoe as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6, wherein at least two of the blades are detactably secured to the bar.

8. A hoe as claimed in claim 7, wherein all of the blades are detactably secured to the bar.

9. A hoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the blades is adjustable in position along the bar.

10. A hoe as claimed in claim 9, wherein: the bar has a channel extending therealong; and said one blade is provided with a element which is captive in the channel, can be slid along the channel and can be locked in position along the channel.

11. A hoe as claimed in claim 10, wherein the element is screw-threaded so that upon tightening the screw-threading the blade is locked in position and upon loosening the screw-threading the blade and element can be slid along the channel.

12. A hoe as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein at least one end of the channel is open so that the blade and element can be slid to the end of the channel and detached from the bar.

13. A hoe as claimed in any of claims 9 to 12, wherein at least two of the blades are adjustable in position along the bar.

14. A hoe as claimed in claim 13, wherein all of the blades are adjustable in position along the bar.

15. A hoe as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each blade is generally conical or hemiellipsoidal.

16. A hoe as claimed in any preceding claim, and further having a series of rake tines projecting 10 from the bar in a different direction to the hoe blades and the handle.

17. A drilling hoe, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.