Seed tube guard assembly for agricultural planters

A furrow opener assembly for an agricultural planter, comprising:

• a planter shank having a pair of opener disks rotatably mounted thereto, and a seed tube and seed tube guard assembly positioned between the opener disks;
• wherein said seed tube guard assembly comprises:
• a support bracket having an upper end attached to the planter shank and a lower end positioned between the pair of opener disks;
• a seed tube guide extending from a rear side of the support bracket for receiving a lower end of the seed tube;
• and
• first and second floating wear plates disposed on respective right and left sides of the support bracket in front of said seed tube guide for engaging inner surfaces of said opener disks.

A seed tube guard assembly for an agricultural planter, comprising:

• a support bracket having an upper end adapted to be attached to a planter shank assembly and a lower end adapted to be positioned between a pair of opener disks;
• a seed tube guide extending from a rear side of the support bracket for receiving a lower end of a seed tube between the opener disks;
• a pair of dowels pressed into openings in the support bracket and protruding from the right and left sides of the support bracket;
• a metal ball press fit into an opening in the support bracket between said dowels with opposite sides of the metal ball protruding from the right and left sides of the support bracket;
• and
• first and second floating wear plates each having a pair of holes for mounting the wear plates over the dowels on the respective right and left sides of the support bracket with the protruding sides of the metal ball engaging the wear plates at respective fulcrum points between the dowels.