GB1566837A

GB1566837A - Cultivating machine

Info

Publication number: GB1566837A
Application number: GB1192278A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Howard Machinery Ltd
Current assignee: Howard Machinery Ltd
Priority date: 1977-04-13
Filing date: 1978-03-28
Publication date: 1980-05-08
Also published as: FR2386977A1

Description

(54) CULTIVATING MACHINE (71) We, HOWARD MACHINERY LIMITED, a British Company of Saxham, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to cultivating machines and in particular to machines having rotary cultivating tools which cultivate the ground by breaking up the soil, the tools preferably being of the kind which rotate about a horizontal axis transverse to the direction of travel.

Such tools throw up the soil during operation and usually the machine is provided with a shield for deflecting the soil towards the ground, and the shield is usually in the form of a plate pivotally mounted on the machine frame along one edge so that in an operative position the plate extends downwards from said edge into the path of the soil thrown up by the tools. In pivoting the plate the other edge of the plate is raised and lowered relative to the ground surface.

Such movement of the plate is desirable to vary the operative effect of the cultivating action of the tools by which different tilths can be achieved according to the soil conditions and the required cultivating action.

With the conventional pivoting shield the overall length of the machine is relatively great in the direction of travel and this becomes particularly significant when a further implement, for example a seed drill, is carried on the frame behind the shield. In such a case the tractor three-point linkage on which the combination is mounted can be overstressed or the combination can only be lifted by large tractors. Thus it is desirable that the overall length of the cultivating machine is reduced.

To meet this problem it has been proposed to provide a shield which is movable vertically between lateral guides but such a shield occupies a large space vertically and this space is not usually available, particularly when the machine is combined with a seed drill. Moreover such shields are presented at the same angle to the flow of soil from the tools whatever their vertical position. whereas the path of flow of the soil from the tools varies according to the soil conditions, the speed of travel and other factors. In addition there is a preferred angle of impact of the soil with the shield to cater for the force applied on the shield by the flow of soil.

An object of the invention is to provide a shield for a rotary cultivating machine which requires relatively little space in the direction of travel and which is adjustable in its angle relative to the flow of soil from the rotary cultivating tools.

According to the invention a cultivating machine comprises a machine frame, rotary cultivating tools, a shield for deflecting soil thrown up by the cultivating tools towards the ground, and adjustment means for moving the shield up and down relative to the ground surface and relative to the frame, the shield including upper and lower shield portions pivotally interconnected about a horizontal pivot, the upper portion being pivotally connected to the frame, and the angle of the portions relative to one another being capable of alteration during operation of said adjustment means.

Preferably the lower portion is pivotally attached to the lower edge of the upper portion, the adjustment means including a linkage attached at one end to the frame and at the other end to the tipper portion spaced from the pivotal connection of the upper portion to the frame.

In one arrangement the ajustment means includes a guide member connected at one end to the lower shield portion spaced from the interconnecting pivot and at the other end to said linkage.

Alternatively the adjustment means includes a guide member pivotally connected at one end to the frame and at the other end to the lower shield portion.

Conveniently the machine comprises further adjustment means for adjusting the relative inclination of the upper and lower shield portions without adjustment of the upper shield portion relative to the frame.

The two-portion design of the shield enables the shield to have its lower edge raised and lowered without appreciably raising the height of the uppermost part of the shield. Moreover the extend that the lower edge of the shield projects from the tools when in the raised position is reduced.

A further advantage is that the angle of the shield portions relative to the soil flow path can be changed to alter the angle of impact of the soil on the shield and in one embodiment this angle can be changed without adjusting the shield vertically. Thus the position at which the soil is deposited on the ground relative to the machine can be adjusted and sometimes, for example when operating in combination with a seeder, it is important to provide the facility to make such an adjustment.

In another aspect it may be important to maintain the lower portion of the shield at a predetermined angle irrespective of the height of said portion relative to the ground and this can be achieved in one embodiment of the invention.

The invention may provide the facility for adjusting the disposition of the shield portions to give the optimum characteristics according to the prevailing soil conditions, the cultivating action required and the available power input to the machine.

Further features of the invention will appear from the following description of two embodiments of the invention given by way of example only and with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation through part of a cultivating machine, Figure 2 is a schematic side elevation of the machine of Figure 1 showing several positions of a deflector shield, Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation through part of a cultivating machine having an alternative arrangement of deflector shield, and Figure 4 is a schematic side elevation of the machine of Figure 3 showing severl positions of the deflector shield.

Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figures 1 and 2 a cultivating machine is shown which is of the kind which includes a machine frame, only part of which is seen, incorporating a fixed top shield 7 and a cross membr 8. A transverse horizontal shaft whose axis is at 3A carries conventional L-shaped earth working tools the outer ends of which subscribe a cylinder 3, the direction of rotation being as shown by arrow B.

The machine is moved over the ground G in a direction of travel X and is arranged to be mounted at the rear of a tractor which draws the machine over the ground and which powers the cultivating tools.

The machine has seed dispensing tubes 4 to the rear of the cultivating tools which are arranged to deposite seeds on or in the ground G acted on by the tools and a seed container 9 is mounted on the frame and the tubes 4 are fed with seeds from the container through flexible conduits 10. The seed tubes 4 are mounted on supports 11 from the frame and are adjustable in height and inclination.

The illustrated machine is provided with a draw bar 5 to which a crumbler (not shown) for consolidating the ground behind the machine can be attached.

The top shield 7 has an extension along its rear edge to which an adjustable two-part deflector shield 6 is attached to lie between the cultivating tools 3 and the seed tubes 4.

An upper shield part 12 is pivotally attached by a horizontal pivot 13 along one edge to the top shield 7 extension and the other edge of the part 12 is pivotally attached through a horizontal pivot 15 to a lower shield part 14. An extension piece 16 is secured to the inner side of the shield part 14 and a link 17 is pivotally attached at one end to the extension piece 16 and at the other end to the machine frame.

A rod 18 is attached at one end to the shield part 12 remote from the pivot 13, and a cranked lever 19 is pivotally attached towards the upper end of the rod 18 at one end and to a plate 20 attached to the machine frame at the other end. The plate 20 is formed with several holes extending along an arc and the lever 19 has a hole so that the lever 19 can be selectively located at any one of several positions relative to the plate 20. The lever 19 is indirectly attached to the rod 18 through compression springs 21 and 22 to provide a resilient connection between the lever 19 and the rod 18.

Depending on the positions of the lever 19 relative to the plate 20 the shield parts 12 and 14 adopt different positions, as shown in Figure 2, whereby the lower free edge of the lower shield part 14 is raised and lowered relative to the ground surface. In the different positions of the shield 16 the part 14 is at different inclinations which vary the angle at which the flow of soil from the tools impinges against the shield.

The radius of the arc of movement 23 of the link 17 is smaller than the radius of the arc of movement 24 of the upper shield part 12.

As can be seen in Figure 2 the inclination of the shield part 14 relative to the vertical and to the flow of soil is increased as the part is moved downwards. Moreover the shield does not occupy a large space in the direction of movement X in any position of the shield.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, which show a second embodiment of the invention, the machine is of the same kind as in the previous embodiment having rotary cultivating tools rotatable about a transverse horizontal axis 25A so that they subscribe a cylinder of rotation 25. The tools are mounted on a frame including a fixed top shield 26 and to the rear edge of the shield 26 is attached an upper part 28 of a soil deflector shield through a pivot 27. A lower shield part 30 is pivotally attached to the upper part 28 through a pivot 29.

The upper shield part 28 is adjustably supported by a rod 31 pivotally attached at one end to the rear edge of the part 28 and a cranked lever 32 is pivotally mounted on the machine frame through a plate 33 and a pivot 38 with a pivotal connection 36 between the lever 32 and the rod 31. The connection between the lever 32 and the rod 31 is indirect and resilient through compression spring 34 and 35 above and below the pivot 36.

As shown in Figure 3 the lever 32 is in its uppermost position in which it is almost horizontal so that the pivot 36 is in its rearmost position as is apparent from the arc of movement 37 of the pivot. In this way when the upper shield part is lowered about pivot 27 the rod 31 executes a clearly defined pivoting movement about the pivot 36 in one direction. Such movement guides the pivoting movement of the lower shield part 30 about the pivot 29 which is achieved by connecting a guide plate 39 to the rod 31 through an extension piece 40 fixed to the rod 31. The other end of the plate 39 is attached to the shield part 30 part way down the shield part 30 from the pivot 29. The connection between the plate 39 and the extension piece 40 is adjustable by selecting one of several fixing holes 41 for effecting the connection which is in the form of a pivot pin. Thus it is possible to preselect the relative inclination of the shield parts 28 and 30, and the inclination of the part 30 relative to the flow of soil independently of the height of the part 30, and the position of the lower edge of the part 30 relative to the ground G.

In Figure 4 can be seen the various positions of the shield parts upon adjustment of the position of the lever 32 whereby on lowering the shield the lower part 30 approaches the ground surface and reaches a fully extended position at its lowermost point. As the shield is lowered both parts adopt a different inclination relative to the direction of flow of earth from the cultivating tools.

The embodiment of Figures 3 and 4 is more able to accommodate high impact forces of the soil flow particularly in the horizontal direction. The springs 34 and 35 absorb most of these forces so that the components cannot become overloaded during operation.

The connections between the shield parts and between the upper shield part and the frame are preferably in the form of pivots having some flexibility to further enable the shield to absorb the forces due to the soil impinging on the shield.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A cultivating machine comprising a machine frame, rotary cultivating tools, a shield for deflecting soil thrown up by the cultivating tools towards the ground, and adjustment means for moving the shield up and down relative to the ground surface and relative to the frame, the shield including upper and lower shield portions pivotally interconnected about a horizontal pivot, the upper portion being pivotally connected to the frame, and the angle of the portions relative to one another being capable of alteration during operation of said adjustment means.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the lower portion is pivotally attached to the lower edge of the upper portion, the adjustment means including a linkage attached at one end to the frame and at the other end to the upper portion spaced from the pivotal connection of the upper portion to the frame.

3. A machine according to claim 2 wherein the adjustment means includes a guide member connected at one end to the lower shield portion spaced from the interconnecting pivot and at the other end to said linkage.

4. A machine according to claim 2 wherein the adjustment means includes a guide member pivotally connected at one end to the frame and at the other end to the lower shield portion.

5. A machine according to claim 4 wherein the guide member is less than the corresponding length of the upper shield portion, and the distance between the axes of pivoting of the upper portion and the guide member relative to the frame is greater than the distance between the pivot axis of the lower shield portion on the upper shield portion and the pivot axis of the guide member on the lower shield portion.

6. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims comprising further adjustment means for adjusting the relative inclination of the upper and lower shield portions without adjustment of the upper shield portion relative to the frame.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. of the shield part 14 relative to the vertical and to the flow of soil is increased as the part is moved downwards. Moreover the shield does not occupy a large space in the direction of movement X in any position of the shield. Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, which show a second embodiment of the invention, the machine is of the same kind as in the previous embodiment having rotary cultivating tools rotatable about a transverse horizontal axis 25A so that they subscribe a cylinder of rotation 25. The tools are mounted on a frame including a fixed top shield 26 and to the rear edge of the shield 26 is attached an upper part 28 of a soil deflector shield through a pivot 27. A lower shield part 30 is pivotally attached to the upper part 28 through a pivot 29. The upper shield part 28 is adjustably supported by a rod 31 pivotally attached at one end to the rear edge of the part 28 and a cranked lever 32 is pivotally mounted on the machine frame through a plate 33 and a pivot 38 with a pivotal connection 36 between the lever 32 and the rod 31. The connection between the lever 32 and the rod 31 is indirect and resilient through compression spring 34 and 35 above and below the pivot 36. As shown in Figure 3 the lever 32 is in its uppermost position in which it is almost horizontal so that the pivot 36 is in its rearmost position as is apparent from the arc of movement 37 of the pivot. In this way when the upper shield part is lowered about pivot 27 the rod 31 executes a clearly defined pivoting movement about the pivot 36 in one direction. Such movement guides the pivoting movement of the lower shield part 30 about the pivot 29 which is achieved by connecting a guide plate 39 to the rod 31 through an extension piece 40 fixed to the rod 31. The other end of the plate 39 is attached to the shield part 30 part way down the shield part 30 from the pivot 29. The connection between the plate 39 and the extension piece 40 is adjustable by selecting one of several fixing holes 41 for effecting the connection which is in the form of a pivot pin. Thus it is possible to preselect the relative inclination of the shield parts 28 and 30, and the inclination of the part 30 relative to the flow of soil independently of the height of the part 30, and the position of the lower edge of the part 30 relative to the ground G. In Figure 4 can be seen the various positions of the shield parts upon adjustment of the position of the lever 32 whereby on lowering the shield the lower part 30 approaches the ground surface and reaches a fully extended position at its lowermost point. As the shield is lowered both parts adopt a different inclination relative to the direction of flow of earth from the cultivating tools. The embodiment of Figures 3 and 4 is more able to accommodate high impact forces of the soil flow particularly in the horizontal direction. The springs 34 and 35 absorb most of these forces so that the components cannot become overloaded during operation. The connections between the shield parts and between the upper shield part and the frame are preferably in the form of pivots having some flexibility to further enable the shield to absorb the forces due to the soil impinging on the shield. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A cultivating machine comprising a machine frame, rotary cultivating tools, a shield for deflecting soil thrown up by the cultivating tools towards the ground, and adjustment means for moving the shield up and down relative to the ground surface and relative to the frame, the shield including upper and lower shield portions pivotally interconnected about a horizontal pivot, the upper portion being pivotally connected to the frame, and the angle of the portions relative to one another being capable of alteration during operation of said adjustment means.

7. A machine according to claim 2

wherein the linkage includes spring means whereby the shield is movable against spring bias of the spring means so as to be yieldable under external force applied to the shield.

8. A machine according to claim 2 wherein the linkage includes a rod pivotally attached at one end to the upper shield portion and at the other end to a lever which pivots relative to the frame upon operation of the adjustment device.

9. A machine according to claim 8 wherein the lever is selectively locatable in any one of the several postions according to the desired position of the shield, whereby the position of the shield relative to the ground is adjusted.

10. A cultivating machine substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.