GB2196224A - Ground care implements and appliances - Google Patents

Abstract

A towable ground drainer (10) comprises a beam (22) on which one or more blade/bullet combinations (34,36) are adjustably mounted, ground slitting means, such as a coulter disc (26), preceding the blade/bullet combinations and roller means (42) following. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Ground care implements and appliances This invention concerns ground care implements and appliances, and is especially concerned with drainers.

A requirement for ground and turf, particularly for sports fields and golf courses, is good drainage. Natural drainage may not always be sufficient to cope with more than average rainfalls and so drainage assistance or additional drainage facilities may be needed. In draining or installing such additional drainage facilities, it may be desirable to cause as little damage as possible to the ground or turf under treatment.

Thus, drainers are used that comprise a horizontally arranged bullet on the end of a blade that is pulled through the ground to form a channel below the ground surface in order to facilitate drainage.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved ground drainer.

According to the invention there is provided a, preferably towable, drainer comprising a beam on which one or more blade/bullet combinations are adjustably mounted, ground slitting means preceding the blade/bullet combinations and roller means following.

The ground slitting means is preferably a coulter disc. The diameter of the disc is preferably chosen to be sufficiently large so that it can be used whatever depth is chosen for the blade/bullet.

The roller is preferably height adjustable again so as to be usable at whatever depth the bullet is to be used. For this, the roller may be on an arm that is telescopically adjustable. The roller is preferably pivotable but damped so that uneven or rough ground will not cause the roller and hence the bullet to jump. The damping means may be hydraulic but is preferably a spring under tension.

The blade aligned in the intended direction of travel thereof is preferably angled rearwardly relative to the normal direction of travel thereof and the bullet is preferably tapered or pointed towards its front end to facilitate passage thereof through the ground. The bullet may have attachment means, such as an eyelet on its rear end, for a pipeline or cable or the like to be laid in the passage cut by the bullet.

The beam is preferably part of a frame that includes three connection points for a three point tractor type linkage. The linkage preferably includes means, preferably hydraulic, for raising and lowering the drainer.

The means of attaching the blade/bullet combinations which are preferably associated each with their own roller is preferably such that speedy removal, replacement and positional adjustment is possible. Thus, in a preferred embodiment the blade/bullet and associated roller are provided as a single assembly that is mountable on the beam but without any attachment means through or into the beam. One way of achieving that is to use generally inverted U-shaped bars, screw threaded at each end, that lie over the beam and are secured by nuts to the assembly that is under the beam.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows mole drainage equipment according to the invention.

In the drawing, a drainer 10 comprises an inverted V-frame 12 at the apex of which is a first connection point 14 and at the ends of which are second and third connection points 16 and 18 for a conventional three point linkage of a tractor and associated hydraulic means for raising and lowering the drainer 10.

Thus, the drainer 10 is intended to be hauled behind a tractor or other suitable vehicle.

The ends of the V-frame 12 are welded to side plates 20 that are in turn welded to a rectangular section beam 22 parallel to the Vframe 12. A diagonal brace 24 connects the apex of the V-frame to the beam 22.

A coulter disc 26 is rotatably mounted on a spindle supported between the side plates 20.

Mounted on the beam 22 is a drainage bullet assembly 30. One such assembly is shown but in fact more than one assembly 30 may be mounted on the beam. The assembly 30 may be mounted on the beam 22 at any desired position.

The assembly 30 comprises J-section members 32 between which is fixed depending blade 34 in line with the intended direct of travel of the drainer. On the end of the blade 34 is a bullet 36 in line with the intended direction of travel of the drainer 10. That part of the bullet in front of the blade has its top surface sloped to form a point at the front end of the bullet.

On the top side of ech of the L-section members 32 are vertical plates 38 between which a support 40 for a roller 42 is mounted. The support 40 comprises an arm 44 pivotally mounted at 45 between the plates 38 at the rear thereof having the roller 42 mounted on one end thereof and the other end thereof beyond the pivot connection 45 being connected via a damper 46, in the form of a spring under tension, to the front of the plates 38. The arm 44 is telescopic so that it can be lengthened or shortened.

The whole assembly 30 is attached to the beam 22 by means of inverted U-shaped bars 50, screw threaded at each end, that are over the beam, pass through the L-section members 32 situated under the beam and are secured in place by nuts 54 on the screw threaded ends thereof.

In operation the drainer is towed by a tractor being gradually lowered to the depth at which the bullet is required to make a drain age channel. The bullet is shaped so as to assist the gradual passage thereof to that depth. At the required depth, the coulter disc cuts through the surface of the ground or turf so that the following blade does not cause tearing of the surface. This is particularly useful for golf courses, where minimum surface disturbance is desirable.

The roller, having been adjusted to match the depth of the bullet i.e. by lengthening or shortening the roller arms, then helps to close over the slit formed by the blade. Being damped, the roller can go over rough or uneven ground without causing the blade and hence the bullet to be jerked up or down i.e.

so that the bullet can travel smoothly through the ground.

If it is intended to lay a drainage pipeline in the channel cut by the bullet, that may be conveniently achieved by attaching the pipeline to the bullet for which a suitable attachment means, such as an eyelet on its-trailing end, may be provided.

As well as drainage pipelines, the drainer may be used to install any other pipelines and cables, such as under soil heating wires at a required constant depth below the surface.

Claims (15)

1. A ground drainer comprising a beam on which one or more blade/bullet combinations are adjustably mounted, ground slitting means preceding the blade/bullet combinations and roller means following.

2. A ground drainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ground slitting means is a coulter disc.

3. A ground drainer as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the roller is height adjustable.

4. A ground drainer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the roller is on an arm that is telescopically adjustable.

5. A ground drainer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the roller is pivotable but damped.

6. A ground drainer as claimed in claim 5, wherein said damping means comprises a spring under tension.

7. A ground drainer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the blade aligned in the intended - direction of travel thereof is angled rearwardly relative to the normal direction of travel thereof.

8. A ground drainer as calimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the bullet is tapered or pointed towards its front-end.

9. A ground drainer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bullet has attachment means for a pipeline or cable or the like to be laid in the passage cut by the bullet.

10. A ground drainer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the beam is part of a frame that includes three connection points for a three point tractor type linkage.

11. A ground drainer as claimed in claim 10, wherein the linkage includes means for raising and lowering the drainer.

12. A ground drainer as claimed in claim 11, wherein the means for raising and lowering is hydraulic.

13. A ground drainer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the blade/bullet and associated roller are provided as a single assembly that is mountable on the beam but without any attachment means through or into the beam.

14. A ground drainer as claimed in claim 13, wherein said assembly is secured to the beam by generally inverted U-shaped bars, screw threaded at each end, that lie over the beam and are secured by nuts to the assembly that is under the beam.

15. A ground drainer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.