Deere + Company

Pgi International, Inc.

Garrett Lee Goins

Shawn Jeremy Becker

Jarrod Ray Ruckle

Richard Joseph Connell

David Alan Payne

James Thomas Noonan

David Lee Steinlage

Brian Thomas Mosdal

Anthony Scott Royer

Mark E Barker

Richard Wayne Hook

James Franklin Bierl

Spencer M Nimberger

Richard David Zaun

Aron Wesley Fleischmann

John O Rumohr

Ryan Anthony Hackert

Roderick A Healy

Francisco Gonzalez

A tube over tube joint for an implement frame includes a self-fixturing weldable connector positioned between upper and lower tubes. Standard fillet welds connect the tubes to the connector. A unitary casting can be used made from material selected to optimize load transfer between the top and bottom tubes to improve the fatigue life of the joint. The casting is self-fixturing so the top tubes can be located by simply placing in the casting on the lower tubes. A tube end connector provides fixturing and weld surfaces for butt joints in planar frames. Outwardly extended weld edges on the connector increase resistance to parallelogramming of the frame.

Implement frame tube joint with weldable connector

A simplified spike tooth harrow includes an apertured bracket pivotally connected to the fore-and-aft connecting strap extending between the tine bars. The bracket adjustably supports a tine bar from the strap. A pin selectively secured in one of the apertures contacts the strap to set the working angle of the tines on the bar when the harrow is operated in the field. A chain or link connected to the bracket at a location offset from the bracket pivot suspends the harrow from an upper drawbar assembly which is movable vertically between field-working and transport positions. When the drawbar assembly is raised to the transport position so the harrow is out of ground contact, the bracket pivots so the pin is offset from the strap and can be easily and quickly removed from the aperture and reinserted in a different aperture to change the tine angle.

Harrow tine angle adjustment

An implement wheel assembly includes two individual wheel arms tied together by a linkage that pivots about a fore-and-aft extending axis at a location above the wheels and generally above the plane of the implement frame. The linkage constrains the wheel arms to pivot in opposite vertical directions as the implement moves over irregular ground surfaces to improve weight distribution on the wheels. Spring structure may be interposed between the ends of a pivoting linkage and the individual wheel arms to lower frame impact forces. The structure allows two wheels to be placed side-by-side with their axes generally aligned and reduces under-frame hardware to improve crop and soil and trash flow.

Agricultural implement walking beam assembly

An NHapplicator implement is equipped with a hitch arrangement for automatically effecting a connection with a tongue of an NHnurse tank wagon. A quick-connect coupler assembly is provided for connecting the transfer hose of the nurse tank wagon to the supply hose of the implement. The quick-connect coupler assembly includes a first coupler section mounted to the applicator implement for powered, guided movement into engagement with a second coupler section mounted to the tongue of the nurse tank wagon. An electro-hydraulic control system including relay logic is used to first lock the fully coupled coupler sections together and then to engage the flow of NHby remote actuation of a main on/off valve located at the nurse tank.

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A tube over tube joint for an implement frame includes a self-fixturing weldable connector positioned between upper and lower tubes. Standard fillet welds connect the tubes to the connector. A unitary casting can be used made from material selected to optimize load transfer between the top and bottom tubes to improve the fatigue life of the joint. The casting is self-fixturing so the top tubes can be located by simply placing in the casting on the lower tubes. A tube end connector provides fixturing and weld surfaces for butt joints in planar frames. Outwardly extended weld edges on the connector increase resistance to parallelogramming.

A bearing block assembly includes a liner having a two piece ring of low friction material extending around the rockshaft and held in place by a bearing block. The rockshaft includes a radially projecting member interacting with the bearing block assembly to maintain the axial position of the rockshaft. The bearing liner includes a flange extending beyond the bearing block to contact the projecting member. The flange is seated in a groove at the side of the bearing block and lowers the coefficient of friction at the rockshaft/thrust surface interface.

Rockshaft liner with thrust surface

A depth control system particularly useful for single point depth control on an agricultural implement includes a valve and actuator mounted directly to the pivotal connection areas of a hydraulic cylinder that controls height. Cylinder motion directly controls valve actuation independently of complicated linkages to reduce the size and cost of the system and substantially overcome hysteresis problems.

Directly actuated depth control

A tower and wheel arm assembly for an implement frame includes a pair of identical single piece pivot castings which are selectively connectible at different locations along the frame and provide both wheel arm pivoting and a cylinder anchor tower pivoting. The wheel arm axle extends between the castings pivots within cylindrical cavities located in the castings. External cylindrical surfaces concentric with the cavities rotatably support a pair of tower plates which include circular openings received over the external cylindrical surfaces. Casting symmetry allows the same part to be used interchangeably for either the right-hand or left-hand support.

Tower and wheel arm assembly

A spring trip shank assembly with a fixed downstop includes a pivot area with an eccentric mechanism for varying the location of the shank pivot relative to the downstop so that shank position and tool pitch can be adjusted without need to change downstop location. A bushing with an eccentric bore and a keyway receives a threaded bolt with a mating key. A captive nut fastens the assembly in position for the desired shank pitch. Marks located on the mounting bracket and on the bolt head provide an easily readable indication of the selected pivot location so a plurality of the assemblies can be adjusted to the same pitch quickly and easily.

Pitch adjustment for a tillage shank assembly

A rockshaft is mounted over the front rank of the implement frame and is operated by cylinders located at opposite ends of the rockshaft connected to lift arms extending radially adjacent bearing mounts. Fore-and-aft extending links aligned with the lift arms and mounts operate lift wheel assemblies. A hitch arm connected near the center of the rockshaft is directly connected to a hitch turnbuckle for level lift operation. An aligned arrangement of cylinders, cylinder brackets, links and arms provides minimal torsional loading, particularly when the rockshaft is rotated to fully raise the implement frame for transport and is in the most susceptible shock loading condition. Moment arms are controlled to minimize rockshaft torsional loading during highest stress conditions. The front-mounted rockshaft provides simplicity and advantageous weight distribution.

Implement lift and level system with a front mounted direct coupled rockshaft

A bearing wear guard includes a slotted body portion cast from a wear-resistant metal. The slots receive two bearing mounting bolts which secure the guard in a protecting position in the path of rocks and abrasive debris traveling towards the bearing and bearing support. An upper edge portion conforms generally to the shape of the lower portion of the bearing. The casting includes a grease zerk-protecting area extending upwardly and outwardly from the upper edge portion to protect the zerk from rocks and abrasive material. Leading and trailing trash shedding surfaces on the body portion prevent trash from catching and building up on the guard. The body portion has an L-shaped cross section also providing protection for the bearing mounting bracket.

Bearing guard for a ground-working implement

An implement frame supported by hydraulically controlled lift wheels includes accumulator structure which is selectively connectable by valve structure to the lift cylinder circuit to control flow between the cylinder and accumulator according to implement status. For transport, the valve structure is opened for absorption of shock loads as the lift wheels move over obstructions and surface irregularities. For working in the field, the valve structure is closed to provide stable lift and precise depth control functions. The valve structure can be operated manually or automatically in response to vertical frame movement. In one embodiment, proportional valves are connected to an implement control unit for active suspension control which varies with changing transport conditions. A similar accumulator structure is provided for the hitch weight transfer system.

Implement suspension with accumulator

A disk scraper system for an agricultural implement includes a tubular member slidably supported by the implement frame adjacent a gang assembly having a plurality of disks. Scrapers are fixed to the member and project into scraping relationship with the disks to remove dirt and debris from the surfaces of the disks. A hydraulic cylinder is connected between the frame and the tubular member and connected through a pressure control valve assembly to a source of fluid under pressure to bias the member so the scrapers are urged into scraping relationship relative to the disks. The pressure control valve assembly may be remotely adjustable to vary the scraper pressure on-the-go as conditions change. The system maintains the selected scraper bias even as the gang assembly moves vertically and from side to side relative to the frame with changing contour and soil conditions.

Constant pressure scraper system with adjustment

A wheel arm assembly for an implement includes a common wheel arm for single wheel, straight tandem wheel, or walking beam configurations. In the straight tandem configuration, a pair of spindles are supported in corresponding bushings at the end of the wheel arm. The spindles are axially aligned, project outwardly from the arm, and support a pair of wheels in tandem. To convert to the optional walking beam configuration, the operator removes the spindles from the bushings and inserts a long pin through a selectively attachable walking beam casting and through the bushings in the arm. The same spindles that attach the wheels to the arm in the conventional tandem configuration are inserted in the offset ends of the walking beam to support the wheels from the walking beam casting.

Wheel arm assembly interchangeable between walking beam and straight

A dual action leveling system for a disk or similar implement connected between the hitch and the lift wheel assembly includes a transport stop for providing a fixed hitch position for good transport leveling and stability. The system includes a fore-and-aft extending member with first and second coil springs and an adjustable spring abutment member threaded through one end of a rod for providing leveling for different ground conditions. Weight can be transferred to and from the front of the implement by simply turning a crank located at one end of the rod. For example, weight can be transferred to the front of the implement to provide compensation for added weight of a rear mounted attachment. The spring structure provides a self-compensating effect which resists changes in front-to-rear implement leveling with changes in ground conditions.

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Ankeny, IA, United States of America

Garrett Lee Goins