GB2131661A

GB2131661A - Soil cultivation apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2131661A
Application number: GB08331964A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Heinz Kitzinger; Franz Salzner
Original assignee: Steyr Daimler Puch AG
Current assignee: Steyr Daimler Puch AG
Priority date: 1982-12-01
Filing date: 1983-11-30
Publication date: 1984-06-27
Also published as: GB2131661B; IT8323958A0; IT8323958A1; GB8331964D0; DE3341199C2; DE3341199A1; IT1167041B; AT378656B; ATA435982A

Abstract

A soil cultivation apparatus having shafts (1, 2, 3) driven in the same direction, positioned transverse to the direction of movement of the apparatus. The shafts (1, 2, 3) carry soil-engaging tools (4) mounted in the peripheral and longitudinal directions. The depth of penetration of the tools (4) decreases at least between the front shaft and the next adjacent rear shaft. In order to ensure that the soil is well broken up with a reduced power requirement and so as not to be exposed to the risk of lifting, each shaft (1, 2, 3) bears soil breaking-up tools (4) which are identical or at least similar. The radius of the path of rotation of the tool tips of the following shafts (2, 3) in each case is at least the same size as that of the path of rotation of the tool tips of the front shaft. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Soil cultivation apparatus The invention relates to a soil cultivation apparatus having shafts positioned one behind the other transverse to the direction of movement of the apparatus, the shafts being driven in the same direction and carrying soil-engaging tools mounted peripherally and longitudinal of the shafts the depth of soil penetration of the shafts increasing at least between the front shaft and the next adjacent rear shaft.

A soil cultivation apparatus having only one tool shaft is known, on which shaft there is mounted with an angular offset adjacent one another, a plurality of soil-engaging tools which are curved forwards in a sickle-shaped manner and terminate in a cutting edge (German Patent Specification 1 048 058). This is an apparatus for breaking up the soil which requires comparatively high drive power and, when the tools thereof have relatively large depths of soil penetration, involves the risk of being lifted out of the soil as a result of the reaction forces.

A soil cultivation machine is further known (German Offenlegungsschrift 2 417 152), having a shaft provided with angular cutters, behind which a second shaft of square or polygonal crosssection is mounted so as to be adjusted in terms of height and carries polygonal plates in the form of a sliding harrow, the plate diameter being substantially smaller than the diameter of the path of rotation of the angular cutters of the front shaft.

The rear shaft is utilized to break up the layers lying deeper in the soil owing to the greater depth of penetration of its plate-like tools, the aim being that the shaft with the plate-like tools works the soil region which immediately follows the region worked by the angular cutters or which lies at an even deeper level. With a machine of this type no reduction of the drive power can be obtained and the risk of lifting owing to the reaction forces is also not eliminated since the rear polygonal shaft with the tool plates which only surmount the shaft cross-section to a relatively slight degree can scarcely penetrate the soil and acts almost like a ground support.

The object of the invention is therefore to overcome these deficiencies and provide a soil cultivation apparatus which ensures that the soil is broken up well with reduced power requirement and is not subject to the risk of lifting.

The present invention consists in soil cultivation apparatus having shafts which lie one behind the other transverse to the direction of movement of the apparatus, the shafts being driven in the same direction and carrying soil-engaging tools mounted peripherally and longitudinally of the shaft the depth of soil penetration of the shafts increasing at least between the front shaft and the next adjacent rear shaft, wherein each shaft carries soil engaging tools which are identical or at least similar, the radius of the path of rotation of the tool tips of the rearward shaft or shafts being at least the same size as that of the path of rotation of the tool tips of the front shaft.

Since each shaft is provided with soil-engaging tools which are identical or similar and the depth of soil penetration of these tools increases from the front shaft towards the rear shaft, the entire breaking-up operation to be performed is divided between two or more shafts one behind the other, the tools of the first shaft only breaking up the uppermost soil layer, the following tools of the second shaft then firstly reaching through the top layer, which has already been broken up, and likewise penetrating the soil only over a partial area of the total working depth, such that the power requirement is less compared with an apparatus in which the entire depth of penetration is effected by tools mounted on only one shaft, since the foremost tools in each case perform a certain amount of preparatory work for the following tools.Since the radii of the paths of rotation of the tool tips of the following shafts in each case are the same as, or greater than, the radii of the paths of rotation of the tool tips of the front shafts, the soil which is broken up in each case by the tools of the front shaft is again worked through by the tools of the following shaft and in this way the entire soil is well broken up. In order to reach the various depths of penetration of the tools of shafts which are one behind the other, the shafts may be provided with tools of the same size, at least as regards the radii of the paths of rotation of their tips, but mounted in a frame which slopes from the front to the rear of the apparatus, which provides the advantage that the same tools can be used for all the shafts and thus the manufacturing costs can be reduced.In this connection it may be possible to alter the inclined position of the frame or the like in order to reach different working depths depending on the circumstances.

In each case the tools of the shafts lying one behind the other can be arranged in common vertical planes extending in the direction of movement such that the penetration into the soil of the following tools in each case is further facilitated, this type of breaking-up of the soil generally being sufficient since the tools do not only cut the soil but also break it up laterally.

In a further construction of the invention the number of tools disposed adjacent one another on a shaft decreases towards the rear shaft or shafts.

As a result, a soil structure with a fine, loosened upper layer and a lower layer which is only roughly broken up, which is often desired, is attained.

A particularly favourable construction is achieved in that the apparatus frame consists of two or more detachably connected individual sub-frames each with a shaft and a shaft drive.

This not only results in a favourable mode of construction of structural units but also provides the advantage that the apparatus can be readily provided with more or less shafts and tools according to the circumstances in each case. In this connection it is also preferabie if the height of the individual frames can be displaced with respect to one another so that the difference in working height of one tool shaft with respect to another can be altered and it is also possibie, if desired, to dispose the rearmost shaft so high that to a certain extent it only operates as a harrow.

In the accompanying drawings:- Figure 1 is a side view of one embodiment of a soil cultivation apparatus according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view, similar to Fig. 1, showing a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a side view, also similar to Fig. 1, showing a third embodiment of the invention, and Figure 4 is a plan view showing a detail of Fig. 3.

The soil cultivation apparatus according to Figure 1 comprises three parallel shafts 1 ,2,3 positioned one behind the other transverse to the direction of movement, of the apparatus as indicated by an arrow. Each shaft is provided with rotary soil break-up tools 4.which are of sickle shape and distributed peripherally and longitudinally of the shaft, the respective tools 4 of all the shafts 1, 2, 3 being of similar construction.

It can be seen that the radius of the paths of rotation of the tool tips increases from the front to the rear so that the depth of penetration of the tools 4 of the front shaft in each case is smaller than that of the tools of the rear shaft. The frame of the apparatus consists of three detachably connected individual sub-frames 5, each of which carries one of the shafts 1, 2, or 3 and is provided with a shaft drive consisting of a gear unit 6 and a chain drive or belt drive 7. The drive is taken from the power take-off shaft (not shown) of a tractor, the individual gear units 6 being connected to one another by universal drive shafts or the like.

According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the three shafts 1, 2 and 3 are all provided with soil break-up tools 4 which are of the same size and the varying depths of penetration, which increase from the front to the rear, of the apparatus, are effected by a frame 5a which slopes from the front to the rear, it being possible to alter the inclination thereof by means of afluiod actuated, piston-and-cylinder arrangement 8.

The embodiment shown in Figure 3 likewise comprises soil break-up tools 4 of the same size mounted on the shafts 1, 2, 3. In order to obtain a different depth of penetration, the individual subframes 5 can be adjusted relatively to one another as regards height, the front individual sub-frames 5 in each case having spaced flanges 9 which are provided with vertically aligned rows of holes and between which an apertured flange 10 of the adjacent rearward frame 5 engages clevis pins 11 establishing the connection therebetween. The rearmost sub-frame 5 is placed at such a height with respect to the penultimate sub-frame that the tools 4 of the shaft 3 are only used to finely crumble the soil. It can be seen that all these individual units are similar and can be easily combined to form an apparatus with a different number of tool shafts.

The tools 4 of the shafts 2 and 3 can in each case lie in parallel vertical planes with the tools 4 of the shaft 1. It is, also possible for the number of tools 4 disposed adjacent one another on a shaft 1, 2, 3 to be selected such that they are different and it may be preferable for more tools 4 to be provided on the shaft 1 than on the shaft 2 and for more tools to be provided on the latter than on the shaft 3.

Claims

1. Soil cultivation apparatus having shafts which lie one behind the other transverse to the direction of movement of the apparatus, the shafts being driven in the same direction carrying soilengaging and tools mounted peripherally and longitudinally of the shafts the depth of soil penetration of the shafts increasing at least between the front shaft and the next adjacent rear shaft, wherein each shaft carries soil engaging tools which are identical or at least similar, the radius of the path of rotation of the tool tips of the rearward shaft or shafts being at least the same size as that of the path of rotation of the tool tips of the front shaft.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shafts are provided with soil-engaging tools which are the same size at least with respect to the radii of the paths of rotation of their tips, said tools being mounted in a frame or the like which slopes from the front to the rear of the apparatus.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inclination of the frame or the like can be altered.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the soil-engaging tools of the shafts lying one behind the other are, respectively disposed in common vertical planes extending in the direction of movement.

5. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the number of tools disposed adjacent one another on a shaft decreases from the front shaft to the rearmost shaft.

6. An apparatus as claimed in either of claims 4 or 5 in their appendancy to claim 1 , wherein the frame of apparatus consists of two or more detachably connected individual sub-frames each having a tool mounting shaft and a shaft drive.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the ihdividual frames can be displaced with respect to one another as regards height.

8. Soil cultivation apparatus substantially as described with reference to, and as illustrated in Fig. 1, or Fig. 2, or Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.