Kinze Manufacturing, Inc.

Vaughan G Stevenson

Courtney N Achen

Marvin Bachman

Matthew J Wilhelmi

Dustan Lee Hahn

Robert Blackwell

Michael J Myers

Marvin L Bachman

Agricultural devices, row unit adjustment systems, and methods of adjusting a depth of a furrow. In some aspects, an agricultural device is adapted to plant seeds and includes a frame, a furrow opener coupled to the frame and adapted to cut a furrow including a depth, a sensor adapted to sense a characteristic associated with planting seeds and generate a signal associated with the sensed characteristic, and a processing unit receiving the signal associated with the sensed characteristic. The depth of the furrow is adjustable based on the signal associated with the sensed characteristic. Such characteristic may be a characteristic of the soil, a force applied to the agricultural device, or a position of a portion of the agricultural device.

Remote adjustment of a row unit of an agricultural device

An agricultural implement includes a number of row units. The row units include one or more seed meters for receiving, singulating, and dispensing seed to the ground such that preferred spacing of subsequent seed is attained. Seed delivery systems are included to aid in transporting the seed from the seed meter to the ground in a controlled manner to mitigate skips and to aid in controlling the spacing of the seeds, which can be based upon the ground speed of the implement as it moves through the field. The seed delivery systems can control the transport of the seed to a furrow in the field such that the seed can experience zero or near zero relative velocity so that the seed will have little to no movement once positioned in the furrow.

Planter with seed delivery apparatus

A chemical granule metering system, for use on a row crop planter, allows for control of chemical granule drop rate. The chemical granule metering system also includes a motor permitting control of chemical granule drop rate by adjusting the rotational speed of the motor. An impeller for a chemical granule meter system having a plurality of apertures is optimized to allow a broad range of chemical granule flow rates, reduce or mitigate clogging, and reduce pulsing characteristics of the metering system.

Meter for dispensing a granular product

Agricultural devices, row unit adjustment systems, and methods of adjusting a depth of a furrow include an agricultural device that is adapted to plant seeds and includes a frame, a furrow opener coupled to the frame and adapted to cut a furrow including a depth, a sensor adapted to sense a characteristic associated with planting seeds and generate a signal associated with the sensed characteristic, and a processing unit receiving the signal associated with the sensed characteristic. The depth of the furrow is adjustable based on the signal associated with the sensed characteristic. Such characteristic may be a characteristic of the soil, a force applied to the agricultural device, or a position of a portion of the agricultural device.

An agricultural device includes a number of row units that each includes a seed furrow opener that creates a furrow in the soil for seed placement. Each row unit is mounted to a toolbar of the device by a four-bar linkage which allows each row unit to move vertically to adjust to the contour of the soil independently of the other row units on the same toolbar. The four-bar linkages include one or more springs which work to transfer weight from the toolbar to the row unit. An actuator varies the tension in the spring thereby adjusting the down or up force applied to the row unit.

Down and/or up force adjustment system

A forward folding agricultural implement frame has a center frame with pivotally connected wings that fold forward for storage and laterally for use. A pair of draft links connects the wings to a telescopic hitch that extends forward from the center frame. A pivot pin operably mounted to a forward portion of the telescopic hitch defines a generally vertical pivot axis. A pivot link is connected to the pivot pin to pivot about the generally vertical pivot axis. The pivot link having a first portion on one side of the pivot pin and a second portion on an opposite of the pivot pin from the first portion. The draft links are pivotally connected to the first and second portions of the pivot link. When the wings are flexed in opposite directions (or when one wing is neutral and the other wing is flexed), the pivot link will permit opposite relative movement of the draft link ends relative to the inner hitch, which reduces internal stress and prevents permanent strain of the components.

Front fold implement frame with pivotal draft link connection

An agricultural implement is provided that includes a number of row units. The row units include one or more seed meters for receiving, singulating, and dispensing seed to the ground such that preferred spacing of subsequent seed is attained. Seed delivery systems are included to aid in transporting the seed from the seed meter to the ground in a controlled manner to mitigate skips and to aid in controlling the spacing of the seeds, which can be based upon the ground speed of the implement as it moves through the field. The seed delivery systems can control the transport of the seed to a furrow in the field such that the seed can experience zero or near zero relative velocity so that the seed will have little to no movement once positioned in the furrow.

An agricultural device includes a number of row units that each includes a seed furrow opener that creates a furrow in the soil for seed placement. Each row unit is mounted to a toolbar of the device by way of a four-bar linkage which allows each row unit to move vertically to adjust to the contour of the soil independently of the other row units on the same toolbar. The four-bar linkages include one or more springs which work to transfer weight from the toolbar to the row unit. An actuator varies the tension in the spring thereby adjusting the down or up force applied to the row unit.

Agricultural devices, row unit adjustment systems, and methods of adjusting a depth of a furrow are provided. In some aspects, an agricultural device is adapted to plant seeds and includes a frame, a furrow opener coupled to the frame and adapted to cut a furrow including a depth, a sensor adapted to sense a characteristic associated with planting seeds and generate a signal associated with the sensed characteristic, and a processing unit receiving the signal associated with the sensed characteristic. The depth of the furrow is adjustable based on the signal associated with the sensed characteristic. Such characteristic may be a characteristic of the soil, a force applied to the agricultural device, or a position of a portion of the agricultural device.

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Williamsburg, IA, United States of America

Vaughan G Stevenson