Case Corporation

Cnh America LLC

Lisle J Dunham

Thomas A Olson

John F Stufflebeam

Chad Michael Johnson

Stephen Dylan Berry

Thomas Brown

Guntis Ozers

Donald T Johnson

David N Slowinski

Gerald J Tiedt

Richard J Crabb

Alexander B Ekrut

Joseph A Michalic

John F Stufflebeanm

A planter apparatus includes a seed meter including a housing assembly with a cover releasably connected to a shell. The housing assembly includes at least one opening formed therein adjacent a seed discharge area to promote the release of seeds from a disc rotatably attached to the housing assembly. The disc divides an interior of the housing assembly to include a vacuum chamber and a seed chamber. The disc including a plurality of openings formed adjacent a periphery of the disc. The planter apparatus may also include a singulator assembly having rotatably spools, a rotatable chute door, a disc having clusters of openings for simultaneous release, and a one-piece baffle.

Seed planter apparatus and method

A seed metering system includes a first metering member having a first bearing surface and a second metering member having a plurality of seed engaging surfaces adapted to engage seeds and a second bearing surface positioned against the first bearing surface. The second metering member moves relative to the first metering member. At least one depression extends into the second bearing surface opposite the first bearing surface.

Seed metering system with improved wear enhancement

A seed tube for an agricultural implement having a seed metering mechanism for uniformly dispensing seeds. The seed tube defined an enclosed curved seed pathway extending between opposite ends of the tube. To promote control over the seeds passing through the tube, the tube has a smooth but decreasing cross-sectional configuration between the ingress and egress ends of the tube. The tube generally includes a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of side walls. The front wall is generally separated into an upper and lower portion. An opening in the front wall, which is provided to receive a monitoring device, is associated with the lower front wall portion. In addition, the lower front wall portion is stepped forward relative to the upper front wall portion. The enclosed seed pathway further includes a narrowed front edge extending in an upward direction from the egress end of the tube along some section of the front wall. The narrowed front edge enhances control over the seeds such that individual seeds passing through the tube and deposited to the ground have equidistant spacings between the seeds on the ground. The stepped forward arrangement for the lower front wall portion also allows a monitoring device to be used without disrupting the flow of seeds in the seed tube.

Seed tube for seed metering apparatus

A hopper and lid system for an implement includes a hopper having a bottom and a plurality of walls forming an internal volume with a first opening through which the internal volume is filled and a second opening through which the internal volume is emptied, a lid configured to cover the opening, a first hook coupled to the lid and configured to engage one of the plurality of walls to support the lid relative to the hopper with the opening uncovered and a second hook coupled to the lid and configured to engage one of the plurality of walls to support the lid relative to the hopper with the opening uncovered. The second hook extends obliquely to the first hook. Preferably, the second hook extends perpendicular to the first hook to enable the lid to be coupled to perpendicular walls of the hopper. The hopper and lid system further includes a flexible tether having a first end coupled to the hopper and a second end coupled to the lid.

Hopper system with lid

A multiple seed drop disc includes a disc member including a vacuum side and a seed side. The vacuum side includes a plurality of spaced-apart recesses formed therein. The seed side includes a plurality of clusters formed therein. Each cluster includes a plurality of openings which communicates with one of the recesses.

Multiple drop seed disc

A seed tube for an agricultural implement having a seed metering mechanism for uniformly dispensing seeds. The seed tube defines an enclosed curvilinear seed passageway extending between opposite ends of the tube. To promote control over the seeds gravitationally passing through the tube, the seed passageway has a smooth but decreasing cross-sectional configuration between ingress and egress ends of the passageway. The interior surface of the passageway and preferably the tube itself is formed from a material having a coefficient of surface friction ranging between about 0.02 and about 0.10. The enclosed seed passageway furthermore includes a narrowed front edge extending upwardly from a lower end of, the tube and for a majority of the length of the passageway. The narrowed front edge passes beneath and across, in a fore-and-aft direction, the entire ingress end of the passageway for enhancing control over and such that the individual seeds passing through the passageway have substantially equivalent time therein thus promoting equidistant spacings between seed plantings.

Growing community of inventors

Downers Grove, IL, United States of America

Lisle J Dunham