Deere + Company

John D Long

Richard Hugo Clark

David Carl Winter

Daniel M Foley

Michael D Snyder

Richard Wayne Hook

Terry L Lowe

Michael Lee Pearson

Phillip E Stevens

Harry M Meinert

John O Nieting

Steven G Gray

A seed brake for a pneumatic agricultural seeding and/or fertilizing machine. The seed brake comprises a curved tube having an inner curved side and an outer curved side. The inner curved side is provided with an opening. The inner curved side is also provided with a baffle located between the opening and the outlet of the tube. The baffle extends into the tube and is integrally formed with the inner curved side. The baffle is formed by kinking the tube.

Seed brake

A grain drill row unit includes a furrow opening device that opens a furrow into which seeds are deposited as the machine advances, and a combination gauge and press wheel rides along the ground behind the furrow opening device to firm the soil around the seed and to control the depth at which the furrow opening device operates. A paddle type scraping wheel is rotatably mounted on a support above the gauge wheel axis, the scraper wheel having edges at the outer ends of the paddles, generally parallel to the axis of the scraper wheel but angled relative to the axis of the gauge wheel, the scraper wheel edges engaging material on the periphery of the gauge wheel and being rotated by contact with said material so that the scraper wheel edges scrape the periphery of the gauge wheel.

Scraper for planting mechanism gauge wheel

A partial width seeding attachment includes electronically controlled solenoids which activate hydraulic flow control valves connected to the hydraulic cylinders on respective implement sections. Switches in the tractor cab control the rockshaft of one or more selected sections independently of the other sections to raise the openers on the selected section or sections from contact with the soil. An electronically activated flow reversing valve is connected between the source of hydraulic fluid under pressure and the lift cylinder for each of the sections. Activation of a selected valve after the selective control valve on the tractor is moved to the normal field working position pressurizes the side of the cylinder that raises the openers on the section. The remaining cylinders operate normally to maintain preselected down pressure on the other openers. A master raise switch provides implement lift independent of the position of the individual rockshaft control switches. A latching relay connected to a momentary on switch prevents valve operation without manual switch movement after a power interruption.

Partial width seeding attachment

Hitch structure for connecting first and second implements for operation side-by-side in the field, and one directly behind the other for transport. A freely rockable swing hitch has a forward end connected to one side of the first implement frame for pivoting less than 180.degree. about an upright axis located inwardly from the side. A latch on the swing hitch mates with a frame-mounted rear bracket to secure the hitch in the transport position. The same latch secures the swing hitch to a bracket on the forward towing hitch when the swing hitch and towing hitch are in the field-working position. A sliding tubular member and two-position latch selectively secure the towing hitch in either a central transport position or an offset field-working position. Both latches have release levers for changing from one position to the other, and the latches automatically lock in the new position when the desired position is attained. A steering mechanism located on the caster wheel assembly of the trailing implement and operable from the tractor cab guides the second implement as the swing hitch pivots during conversions.

Multiple implement hitch and steerable wheel assembly therefor

A drawbar assembly includes a self-locking bushing which is supported from the drawbar mounting bracket by a conventional nut and bolt fastener. Each end of the bushing includes radial line projections which bite into the mounting bracket and into a washer interposed between the nut and the bushing when the nut is threaded onto the bolt. By capturing both bushing ends, the bushing cannot rotate to loosen the nut or wear against the mounting bracket and washer. The bushing is formed as a single component with the radial line projections by a powdered metal process and hardened to provide wear resistance. Dissimilar metals in the bushing and the drawbar at the pivotal connection reduce wear.

Agricultural drawbar and self-locking bushing therefor

A flexible seed boot extension fabricated from an ultra-high molecular polyethylene sheet and releasably held in position by a slot and retaining lug so that seed bounce and soil coverage variations are reduced while desired seed flow from the boot to the furrow is unrestricted. The length of the extension is sufficient to prevent seed from bouncing out of the furrow and yet short enough that normal press wheel operation remains unimpeded. The extension, which is constantly in contact with the soil, and is flexible and smooth to easily ride over objects and resist breakage soil build-up.

Seed boot extension

A depth gauging adjustment mechanism includes a spring-loaded handle which pivots about a common axis with the depth gauging wheel arm on an opener assembly. The handle has two transversely located pins, and the back of the opener assembly has notches on a radius struck on the axis for receiving the pins. The wheel arm and thus the planting depth are maintained by the handle. Each handle position represents a different planting depth which can be adjusted easily with one hand by pulling the handle against the bias, repositioning the pins and then releasing the handle. The wheel arm is freely rockable downwardly from the depth adjusted position to facilitate handle movement when the opener assembly is raised from the ground-working position.

Depth adjusting device for a furrow opener

A hitch assembly for joining two implements together for side-by-side field operations. Half of the hitch assembly is carried by each implement drawbar and consists of a collapsable linkages pivotally mounted to the drawbar in a cantilvered fashion. Springs floatingly suspend each linkage for ease for movement between its collapsed stored configuration and an unfolded, extended configuration assembled with the other linkage. Equalizer linkages extend between the assembled hitch assembly and the two implements to maintain fore-and-aft alignment of the two implements and bumper-cable means control the side-to-side spacing of the two implements.

Dual implement hitch assembly

A flexible spike-tooth harrow having a plurality of tooth-supporting angles spaced fore-and-aft by connecting structure including reversible link straps having opposed edge surfaces on one end thereof tapered with respect to the axis of the strap at differing angles. A selected one of the edges is positioned against the top side of the angle to maintain the spikes in a preselected working attitude. By simply reversing the strap with respect to its longitudinal axis, the working angle of the spikes can be changed.

Harrow with link having spike support attitude control

A soil-smoothing or leveling tool, such as a harrow or press wheel gang, is rockably connected to the rear of the main frame of a tillage or seeding implement. The tool frame width is substantial compared to the width of the implement, and the height of the tool frame relative to the main frame is sensed to provide an accurate indication of the average depth of penetration across the width of the implement. The angle-sensing device operably connected to the drawbar of the trailing tool senses the angle between the main frame and the drawbar, and a control valve assembly responsive to the sensed angle controls the main frame lift system to maintain a preselected relationship between the tool and the main frame and thereby accurately control tillage or planting depth.

Depth sensing structure for an agricultural implement

To form a furrow for row guidance systems, a shank is mounted on a frame forwardly of a wheel which includes a V-shaped tire. The shank opens the ground and the tire crushes clods and packs the sides of the furrow. Depth bands on each side of the tire shape the edges of the furrow and prevent loose dirt from rolling back into the furrow. When utilized to reform a furrow, the frame is pivotally connected to the implement for rocking about an upright axis to allow the wheel to trail and average out guidance system corrections and driver steering corrections so that the reformed furrow will be more accurate for the next operation.

Method and apparatus for forming and reforming a furrow

A spring trip standard assembly for a chisel plow or the like, the standard assembly having a compact single coil spring structure with a trip geometry producing a high initial trip force and a reduced maximum to initial trip force ratio. The horizontal trip force remains above the initial trip force through greater than half the trip height and then the trip force decreases. By reduction of the ratio of maximum to initial trip force, a heavy duty standard assembly is provided which may be used on lightweight tool frames originally designed for high trip force ratio standards having lower initial spring trip forces.

Spring mounted standard assembly

A hydraulic system is provided for an integrally-mounted agricultural implement which permits control of the tractor three-point hitch rockshaft cylinder, upper draft link hydraulic cylinder and lift assist hydraulic cylinder through a single valve control lever. One end of the double-acting lift assist cylinder is plumbed in parallel with the single-acting rockshaft cylinder and the other end of the lift assist cylinder is plumbed in parallel with the single-acting upper link cylinder. The fluid lines are coupled with a single control valve to permit the implement to be supported by the lift assist wheel and three-point hitch during transport, permit it to rock about the lower connection with the three-point hitch during transport and float vertically at the hitch connection during field operations while operating with the lift assist wheel elevated.

Growing community of inventors

Ankeny, IA, United States of America

John D Long