Great Plains Manufacturing, Incorporated

Arr-Maz Products. L.p.

Bergkamp, Inc.

Eric Johnson

J Michael McClure

Roy E Applequist

R Nathan Massey

Randall S Jones

James I Van Blaricon

Stanley R Clark

Timothy J Ptacek

Kevin L Myers

Dan J Obenland

Michael J Dresher

Ray Addison Adee

Richard Wenthe

Monty Oberle

Matthew R Ogorzolka

Gail A Lloyd

A device for breaking up compressed masses of fibers into pieces of fiber and transporting the pieces of fiber, comprising: an intake chute; a plurality of break-up implements mounted on a plurality of shafts rotatably mounted within the intake chute; a plurality of devices with protrusions, where the plurality of devices are mounted on a plurality of shafts rotatably mounted within the intake chute; and a transportation device. A compressed mass of fibers may be placed within the intake chute, the compressed mass of fibers may come into contact with the plurality of break-up implements, the compressed mass of fibers may be broken into large pieces of fiber by the break-up implements, the larger pieces of fiber may come into contact with the plurality of devices, the larger pieces of fiber may be broken into small pieces of fiber by the devices, and the small pieces of fiber may fall onto the transportation device.

Fiber feeder

A material dispensing vehicle broadly includes a material hopper supported by the vehicle and a swing auger with inlet and outlet ends. The swing auger is coupled to the vehicle for shifting into and out of an extended operating position where the inlet end is disposed to receive material from a discharge opening of the hopper and the outlet end can be outboard of the vehicle. From the operating position, the swing auger is shiftable into a compact storage position where the inlet end is spaced from the discharge opening and the outlet end is inboard of its outboard position.

Vehicle-mounted pothole patching apparatus

A seed firming wheel attachment is disposed behind the paired discs of an opener to gently press deposited seeds down into the bottom of a V-shaped trench formed by the discs. An improved bearing assembly couples the wheel of the attachment to its support arm in such a manner that one side face of the upright wheel is left completely smooth and flat without projecting nuts or other structures that would tend to accumulate mud and trash. The solid, unbroken expanse of the smooth side face also serves to shield the bearing assembly against exposure to the elements from that side of the wheel. A specially configured inner race of the bearing assembly has a shaft portion that extends from the opposite side of the wheel to serve as a spacer between the wheel and its support arm, a receiver for the threaded fastening bolt of the assembly, and a sealing surface for a second, resilient, annular seal of the assembly against the elements.

Seed firming wheel for grain drills and the like

The residue wheel has a plurality of multiply bent spring-steel tines that project outwardly from their central hub at such angles that straight foot portions of the tines engage and lie flatly against the ground as the tines sweep residue rearwardly and outwardly during rotation of the wheel about an axis oblique to the path of travel of the planting machine. The tines are equally spaced about the wheel but are arranged in pairs, comprising individual legs of a generally U-shaped, integral unit having a bight at the inner ends of the the legs that joins the legs together and serves as a means by which the unit can be clamped between opposed, flat plates of the hub. Short downturned driving prongs at the outer ends of the legs provide traction for the wheel during use.

Spring-tine residue wheel for planters

An improved snap-on height adjustment spacer clip is provided for height adjustment of wheeled frames including at least one ground-engageable wheel assembly. The snap-on clip includes a pair of mutually opposed, resiliently spreadable arms integrally connected at one end and disconnected at the opposite end. The clip arms are sized for embracing the spindle portion of the wheel assembly when installed, and are sized to permit the arms to yieldably flex toward and away from one another as the spindle passes transversely between the arms during installation and removal of the clip. The clip preferably includes a pair of mutually opposed, resiliently compressible hand knobs for use in clip installation and removal.

Snap-on height adjustment spacer clips for mower deck wheel spindles and

A seed firming wheel assembly is supported in close-coupled relationship with the rear portion of the paired discs of an opener to gently press deposited seeds down into the bottom of a V-shaped trench formed by the discs. The mounting arm of the assembly is configured in a manner to minimize the accumulation of mud and trash residue, while the wheel itself may take the form of a solid, circular block of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene with slick sides to reduce soil adherence or a spoked, molded plastic wheel having open spaces between the spokes to permit soil pass-through.

Grain drill unit having seed firming wheel

A powered rake for windrowing debris for subsequent collection is provided which includes a main frame for coupling to a tractor, a subframe mounted for pivotal movement relative to the main frame about an upright pivot axis, a roller pivotal with the subframe to an oblique angle relative to the direction of travel, and a material control member including a blade extending along the length of the roller and presenting a gap therebetween. The subframe is preferably pivotal for presenting the roller at an oblique angle to the right or left with respect to the intended direction of travel, thereby permitting the powered rake hereof to continuously windrow the debris in the path of the roller. The roller is rotatably mounted on a pair of downwardly and forwardly extending legs which present substantially open areas outboard of the roller to permit debris to pass freely outboard into a windrow without any obstruction from the frame or subframe supporting the roller. The roller preferably presents a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially projecting splines which are spiral oriented around the longitudinal axis of the roller to present an even load on the roller as it rotates in engagement with the soil.

Powered rake having debris windrowing mechanism

A rasp bar assembly for a threshing cylinder includes a single backing plate for carrying a plurality of rasp bars thereacross. The rasp bars are separated by a region of discontinuity for allowing the backing plate to flex without breaking the rasp bars attached thereto. Each of the rasp bars are provided with a toothed surface and a mounting surface, a front edge and a back edge, and at least one end which is angled obliquely to the front and back edge and parallel to the teeth.

Sectional rasp bar assemblies for combine threshing cylinders

The front folding machine has a main fore-and-aft carrier frame provided with transport wheels that may be hydraulically actuated to raise and lower the frame simultaneously with the actuation of gauge wheels on a pair of transverse drill units connected to the rear of the carrier frame, thereby causing the trash cutters and openers which are carried by the drill units to raise out of the ground while the gauge wheels and transport wheels remain in ground engagement. Before folding the drill units forwardly into transport positions extending parallel to the path of travel, the drill units are raised by hydraulically operated tool bars into elevated positions in which the gauge wheels of the units are entirely off the ground and the residue cutters are high enough to clear the transport wheels of the carrier frame as the drill units are folded into the transport position. The tool bars which provide elevation for folding purposes are also provided with flotation pivots by which the drill units are connected to the tool bars so that the individual units can rock laterally about separate fore-and-aft pivots when the machine is unfolded and the gauge wheels encounter changes in terrain during field operations. Flotation limit means associated with the drill units prevent excessive rocking movement during terrain changes and also assist in the control of the drill units during raising and lowering between field and transport positions.

Front folding no-till drill

A fertilizer applicator employs a rotating, trash-cutting coulter and a knife located immediately behind the coulter with the leading arcuate edge of the knife and the rearward arcuate periphery of the coulter in intimately spaced relation to one another. As the coulter wears, the knife may be adjusted upwardly and forwardly along a slightly arcuate path of travel while simultaneously rocked slightly forwardly so as to maximize the length of the front knife edge that is close to the coulter while maintaining a substantially constant depth relationship between the knife and the coulter.

Subsoil fertilizer applicator having arcuately adjustable knife

A towable, furrow opening seed planting assembly includes a mobile frame and a planting unit, the planting unit including a ground engaging opener, a seed depositing apparatus and a press wheel for covering the deposited seed with soil. A variety of different press wheels may be substituted through the use of adapters removably mounted on a universal press wheel arm whereby press wheels having different widths may be maintained in proper alignment with the furrow created by the opener for ensuring proper soil coverage and contact with the deposited seed.

Universal press wheel arm assembly

A pull-type folding implement, such as a grain drill, has individual and independent radial flotation for each of its drill units such that each unit can rise and fall, while remaining level, independently of the other, as well as cock and cant independently of the other as may be necessary to accommodate uneven ground terrain, yet the units may be folded into compact, fore-and-aft extending transport positions in which ground wheels thereof are retracted off the ground and the units are carried by a main, fore-and-aft carrier frame of the implement. A third, center unit may be provided between the two outer units and utilizes its own set of ground wheels during both field working and over-the-road travel when the other units are folded in, the center unit likewise having a floating connection with the carrier frame which permits the center unit to rise and fall, cock and cant when experiencing terrain irregularities. Because the weight of the two outer units is borne entirely by the carrier frame when the outer units are folded in for transport, a safety interlock is provided which prevents unfolding of the outer units from the carrier frame unless the ground wheels of the outer units have first been lowered into ground engaging positions capable of supporting the load of the outer units. Special cocked pivot assemblies coupling the outer units with the central carrier frame cause the units to be likewise cocked about their longitudinal axes when folded into the transport position such that depending, outboard extremities of the units are provided with an extra measure of ground clearance at that time.

Growing community of inventors

Salina, KS, United States of America

Eric Johnson