ZA200804914B

ZA200804914B - No-till planters

Info

Publication number: ZA200804914B
Application number: ZA200804914A
Authority: ZA
Inventors: Pieterse Pieter Willem
Original assignee: Pieterse Pieter Willem
Priority date: 2007-05-14
Filing date: 2008-06-05
Publication date: 2009-10-28

Description

THIS INVENTION relates to no-till planters. In particular, the invention: relates to a residue mover or manager for a no-till planter and to a no-till planter which includes a residue mover.

Of all the various conservation tillage and planting options open to a farmer, the no-till system maintains the greatest amount of the previous crops’ residue at or near the soil surface after planting. Advantageously, this residue can control erosion caused by wind and water over large areas despite variations in the terrain of the field. Other advantages of no-till planting systems are that it conserves moisture, reduces the size of tractor power and the need for tillage equipment, uses less labour, requires fewer days for planting crops, uses less liquid fuel, increases soil organic matter and tilth, reduces crusting, provides firmer soil conditions at harvest and reduces soil temperatures.

Heavy or wet residue often keeps conventional planters from functioning properly. Some conventional no-till planters include a coulter for cutting the residue.

Instead of cutting the residue however, the coulter may just push it into the earth, causing so-called hairpinning of the residue. Even if it is cut, heavy residue may bind in the planter units or cause seed units not to plant at uniform depths. It is however possible to remove residue from a planting row area, allowing planting into a 15cm — 20cm cleared strip. Advantageously, this also aids drying and warming of the seed bed.

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Research has shown that it can provide an increase in yield and the toxic effects of the decomposing residue may also be avoided by clearing the new row area.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a residue mover or manager for an agricultural implement, the residue mover including at least one residue wheel or disc rotatably mounted to a carrier to rotate in a plane, with a plurality of outwardly projecting tine spaced circumferentially about the wheel or disc, at least some of the tine also projecting out of the plane of rotation of the wheel or disc.

The wheel or disc is rotatably mounted to said carrier in use to rotate in an operative or normal rotation direction. The tine may be swept counter to the normal direction of rotation of the disc. In other words, the tine may not extend radially, but at an angle to the radius of the disc.

Preferably, the tine all project out of the plane of rotation of the residue wheel or disc, on the same side of the plane of rotation. The tine may form an acute angle with the plane of rotation of the disc of between about 2° and about 60°, preferably between about 5° and about 40°, most preferably between about 10° and about 25°, e.g. about 15°. : 20 .

The residue wheel or disc may be mounted to the carrier so that the plane of rotation of the residue wheel or disc is at an acute offset angle to the vertical in use. ~ Thus, the residue wheel or disc may lean away from the vertical, with the residue wheel or disc being furthest away from the vertical in uppermost regions. An included angle between the vertical and a tine at a bottom of the residue wheel or disc may be less than said offset angle of the wheel or disc.

The offset angle of the residue wheel or disc may be between about 2° and about 60°, preferably between about 10° and about 45°, most preferably between about 25° and about 35°, e.g. about 30°.

The plane of rotation of the residue wheel or disc may form an acute included angle to the normal direction of travel of the residue mover. In other words, the residue wheel or disc may have a toe-in. This included angle may be between about 2° and about 50°, preferably between about 10° and about 45°, most preferably between about 25° and about 35°, e.g. about 28°.

The tine may be swept counter to the normal direction of rotation of the disc at an included obtuse swept angle between a centre line of a tine and a radius of the disc of between about 100° and about 178°, preferably between about 100° and about 150°, most preferably between about 110° and about 130°, e.g. about 120°.

The tine may be twisted about their centre lines so that a leading edge of a tine, in a free end portion of the tine, is facing in a direction which is more-or-less parallel in use to a direction of travel of the residue mover. Advantageously, such an arrangement will reduce the rolling resistance of the residue wheel or disc.

In one embodiment of the invention, the residue mover includes a pair of said residue wheels or discs, arranged next to each other, with the residue wheels

® 5 leaning away from each other and the tines intermeshing. Thus, the residue wheels may be mounted so that one residue wheel of a pair forms a mirror image of the other residue wheel of the pair, and the tines intermeshing in a region which is in use in front of and above bottom regions of the residue wheels.

In one embodiment of the invention, the residue mover includes at least one of said pairs of residue wheels and at least one further residue wheel as hereinbefore described, said further residue wheel being arranged behind the pair of residue wheels so that in use said further residue wheel follows behind said pair of residue wheels.

In another embodiment of the invention, the residue mover includes two of said residue wheels, arranged one in front of the other, with the residue wheels leaning away from the vertical in opposite directions, and with the tines of the two residue wheels following the same line where they contact the ground.

The residue mover may include other components found on a conventional no-till planter, such as coulters, disc openers, firming shoes, firming wheels, press wheels, seeders, drills, fertilizer and/or herbicide feeders, closing wheels, gauge wheels, covering chains, etc.

In one embodiment of the invention, the residue mover or manager includes a gauge wheel to set a depth to which the tine of the residue wheel or disc enter the ground, and a closing wheel in use trailing the residue wheel or disc, the closing wheel being mounted to said carrier to rotate in a plane, with a plurality of

® 6 outwardly projecting tine spaced circumferentially about a disc portion of the closing wheel, the tine also projecting out of the plane of rotation of the disc portion.

The tine of the closing wheel may be swept counter to an operative or normal direction of rotation of the closing wheel and the closing wheel may be mounted to the carrier, so that the plane of rotation of the closing wheel is at an offset angle to the vertical in use and so that the plane of rotation of the closing wheel forms an included angle to the normal direction of travel of the residue mover. The closing wheel may thus be the same or similar as a residue wheel hereinbefore described, but may have a smaller diameter if desired.

The invention extends to a no-till planter which includes at least one residue mover or manager as hereinbefore described.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which

Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a residue mover of a no-till planter in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 shows a rear view of the residue mover of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a bottom view of the residue mover of Figure 1;

Figure 4 shows a view of a pair of residue wheels of the residue mover of Figure 1, viewed along the line IV in Figure 1;

Figure 5 shows a view from above of the pair of residue wheels of Figure 1, in the plane of rotation of one of the residue wheels;

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Figure 6 shows a three-dimensional view of a residue wheel of the residue mover of Figure 1;

Figure 7 shows a side elevation view of the residue wheel of Figure 6;

Figure 8 shows a plan view of a no-till planter which includes a plurality of the residue movers of Figure 1;

Figure 9 shows a three-dimensional view of another embodiment of a residue mover in accordance with the invention;

Figure 10 shows a side elevation view of another embodiment of a residue mover or manager in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 11 shows a bottom plan view of the residue mover or manager of Figure 10.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a residue mover or manager in accordance with the invention. The residue mover 10 includes, broadly, a carrier 12 carrying three residue wheels or discs 14 mounted for rotation to the carrier 12. The residue mover or manager 10 has a normal direction of travel indicated by the arrow 16. The residue wheels 14 are arranged so that two of the wheels 14 form a leading pair with the third residue wheel 14 following behind the pair. As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, the third residue wheel 14 is set off to one side.

The carrier 12 is in the form of a framework with some frame members pivotally attached at pivot joints 18. A lifting bar 20 extends through the carrier 12. The lifting bar 20 can pivot about its longitudinal axis as shown by the arrow 23 and by

® 8 means of the lifting bar 20 and a lifting member 22 the residue wheels 14 can be raised and lowered.

Each residue wheel or disc 14 comprises a metal disc, with a plurality of outwardly projecting tine 24 spaced circumferentially about the wheel 14. The tine 24 are equidistantly spaced and are swept counter to the normal direction of travel 16 of the residue mover 10. In other words, the tine 24 are swept in a direction which is counter to a normal direction of rotation 38 of the residue wheels 14. An angle 26 of about 120° is formed between the centre line 28 of each tine 24 and a radius 30 of the residue wheel 14 (see Figure 7).

As can be clearly seen in Figure 6 of the drawings, the tine 24 all project out of a plane in which the residue wheel 14 is positioned for rotation. All of the tine 24 project on the same side from the plane of rotation of the residue wheel 14. If desired, 16 the tine 24 may be twisted slightly about their centre lines 28 so that a leading edge 32 of each tine 24 is facing in a direction which is more or less parallel in use to the normal direction of travel 16 of the residue mover 10, thereby reducing the rolling resistance of the residue wheel 14.

The tine 24 form an acute angle 34 of about 15° with the plane of rotation of the residue wheel 14 (see Figure 5).

The plane of rotation of all of the residue wheels 14 are at an offset angle to the vertical of about 30°. In other words, the residue wheels 14 lean away from the vertical with uppermost regions of the residue wheels 14 being furthest away from the

Qo 9 vertical. As will be appreciated, with the offset angle of about 30° and the angle 34 of about 15°, an included angle between the vertical and a tine 24 at a bottom of the residue wheel 14 is less than the offset angle of the residue wheel 14.

The plane of rotation of each residue wheel 14 forms an included acute angle to the normal direction of travel 16 of the residue mover 10. This included acute angle is indicated by reference numeral 36 in Figure 5 of the drawings. The angle 36 is typically about 28°.

The residue wheels 14 arranged in a pair are mounted such that they form mirror images of each other, with the tine 24 of the paired residue wheels 14 intermeshing in a circumferential region which is slightly in front of and slightly above bottom regions of the paired residue wheels 14. As will be appreciated, the circumferential region of the paired residue wheels 14 where the tine 24 intermesh is determined by the angle 36, with the intermeshing region moving further forward and upward as the angle 36 is increased.

In use, as the residue mover 10 is pulled over a soil surface to be planted and which is covered by residue from a previous crop, the residue wheels 14 rotate in the direction of arrow 38, with the tine 24 running over the soil and pushing to some extent into the soil. The residue is raked towards the sides of the residue mover 10, clearing a planting row area of about 15cm-20cm wide.

Figure 8 illustrates a typical arrangement of residue movers 10 in a no-till planter 42. Although not shown in Figure 8, the no-till planter 42 or the residue movers

10 may include other typical no-till planter components such as coulters, seeders, drills, closing wheels and the like. In fact, in Figures 1 and 2, a portion of a seeder line 56 is shown.

Referring to Figure 9 of the drawings, a further embodiment of a residue mover in accordance with the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 50.

The residue mover 50 is similar to the residue mover 10 and unless otherwise indicated, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar parts or features. | In the residue mover 50, the one residue wheel 14 is about 200mm in front of the other residue wheel 14, with the residue wheels 14 leaning away from the vertical in opposite directions. The residue wheels 14 are arranged so that the tine 24 of the following residue wheel 14 follows in the same track on the ground formed by the tine 24 of the leading residue wheel 14.

The residue mover 50 includes a gauge wheel 52 by means of which the penetration depth of the tine 24 into the soil can be set. The residue mover 50 also includes a closing wheel 54 following behind the residue wheels 14. The closing wheel 54 is identical to the residue wheels 14 apart from the fact that it has a smaller diameter and is arranged to cover the planting row area and not to clear the planting row area.

This residue mover 50, as illustrated, also works well in fields that have been ploughed.

Referring to Figures 10 and 11, another embodiment of a residue mover or manager in accordance with the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 100. The residue mover or manager 100 is in many respects similar to the residue movers 10, 50 and unless otherwise indicated, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar parts or features, as were used in respect of the residue movers 10, 50.

The residue mover 100 forms part of a no-till planter and in Figures 10 and 11 are shown a planter disc 102, a wheel 104 which functions as a gauge wheel to set a depth at which the planter disc 102 operates, and a press wheel 106 to compress the soil over seeds that have been planted by the planter disc 102.

The residue wheels 14 are arranged one in front of the other, with the two residue wheels 14 leaning away from the vertical in opposite directions. The residue wheels 14 are arranged such that, in use, the tine 24 of the two residue wheels 14 follow the same line where the tine 24 contact the soil. The applicant has found that, in many instances, e.g. when the soil includes loose stones and rocks, the configuration 16 shown in Figures 10 and 11 is preferable. With the residue wheels 14 arranged one in front of the other, there is no intermeshing of the tine 24 of the two residue wheels 14.

The arrangement of the residue wheels 14 shown in Figures 10 and 11 thus avoids the possibility of rocks and stones being caught between the tine 24 of the residue wheels 14.

The applicant believes that the residue movers 10, 50, 100, as illustrated, are more effective at clearing a planting row area than other residue movers on conventional no-till planters of which the applicant is aware.

Claims

LB CLAIMS: TT

1. A residue mover or manager for an agricultural implement, the residue mover including at least one residue wheel or disc rotatably mounted to a carrier to rotate in a plane, with a plurality of outwardly projecting tine spaced circumferentially about the wheel or disc, at least some of the tine also projecting out of the plane of rotation of the wheel or disc.

2. The residue mover or manager according to claim 1, in which the wheel or disc is rotatably mounted to said carrier in use to rotate in an operative or normal rotation direction with the tine being swept counter to the normal direction of rotation of the disc.

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3. The residue mover or manager according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the tine all project out of the plane of rotation of the residue wheel or disc, on the same side of the plane of rotation.

4. The residue mover or manager according to any of the preceding claims, in which the tine form an acute angle with the plane of rotation of the disc of between about 2° and about 60°.

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5. The residue mover or manager according to any of the preceding claims, in which the residue wheel or disc is mounted to the carrier so that the plane of rotation of the residue wheel or disc is at an offset angle to the vertical in use.

6. The residue mover or manager according to claim 5, in which an included angle between the vertical and a tine at a bottom of the residue wheel or disc is less than said offset angle of the residue wheel or disc.

7. The residue mover or manager according to claim 5 or claim 6, in which the offset angle of the residue wheel or disc is between about 2° and about 60°.

8. The residue mover or manager according to any of the preceding claims, in which the plane of rotation of the residue wheel or disc forms an included angle to the normal direction of travel of the residue mover.

9. The residue mover or manager according to claim 8, in which said included angle is between about 2° and about 50°.

10. The residue mover or manager according to claim 2, in which the tine are swept counter to the normal direction of rotation of the disc at an obtuse included swept angle between a centre line of a tine and a radius of the disc of between about 100° and about 178°.

11. The residue mover or manager according to any of the preceding claims, in which the tine are twisted about their centre lines so that a leading edge of a tine, in a

® 14 free end portion of the tine, is facing in a direction which is more-or-less parallel in use to a direction of travel of the residue mover.

12. The residue mover or manager as claimed in any of the preceding claims, which includes two of said residue wheels, arranged one in front of the other, with the residue wheels leaning away from the vertical in opposite directions, and with the tines of the two residue wheels following the same line where they contact the ground.

13. The residue mover or manager as claimed in any of the preceding claims, which includes a gauge wheel to set a depth to which the tine of the residue wheel or disc enter the ground, and a closing wheel in use trailing the residue wheel or disc, the closing wheel being mounted to said carrier to rotate in a plane, with a plurality of outwardly projecting tine spaced circumferentially about a disc portion of the closing wheel, the tine also projecting out of the plane of rotation of the disc portion.

14. The residue mover or manager as claimed in claim 13, in which the tine of the closing wheel are swept counter to an operative or normal direction of rotation of the closing wheel and in which the closing wheel is mounted to the carrier, so that the plane of rotation of the closing wheel is at an offset angle to the vertical in use and in which the plane of rotation of the closing wheel forms an included angle to the normal direction of travel of the residue mover.

15. A no-till planter which includes at least one residue mover or manager as claimed in any of the preceding claims.

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16. A residue mover or manager as claimed in claim 1, substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to any of the drawings.

17. A no-till planter as claimed in claim 15, substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to any of the drawings. Dated this 5" day of June 2008 ADAMS & ADAMS ATTORNEYS Applicant’s Patent Attorneys