Agricultural Land Roller Implement with Transport Wheel Arrangement Having a Reduced Turning Radius

A land roller implement arranged to be towed in a forward working direction by a towing vehicle for flattening and levelling land, the implement comprising:

• a main frame section arranged for connection to the towing vehicle, the main frame section supporting a main roller thereon for rolling movement in the forward working direction;
• two wing assemblies extending along respective longitudinal axes from inner ends of the wing assemblies to outer ends of the wing assemblies respectively, the inner ends of the wing assemblies being pivotally coupled at opposing sides of the main frame section respectively whereby the wing assemblies are movable relative to the main frame section between a working position in which the longitudinal axes of the wing assemblies extend laterally outward in opposing directions from the main frame section and a transport position in which the longitudinal axes of the wing assemblies extend rearwardly from the main frame section;
• each wing assembly comprising:
• (i) an outer frame section at the outer end of the wing assembly, the outer frame section including an outer roller supported thereon for rolling movement in the forward working direction in the working position of the wing assembly;
• (ii) an intermediate frame section supported between the outer frame section and the inner end of the wing assembly, the intermediate frame section including an intermediate roller supported thereon for rolling movement in the forward working direction in the working position of the wing assembly;
• and
• (iii) an inner end of the outer frame section being coupled to an outer end of the intermediate frame section;
• a set of transport wheels supporting the frame sections for rolling movement in the forward working direction in the transport position, the set of transport wheels including:
• (i) two leading wheel assemblies supported on the main frame section;
• (ii) two trailing wheel assemblies supported at the outer ends of the outer frame sections respectively, each trailing wheel assembly including at least one trailing wheel;
• and
• (iii) two steerable wheel assemblies supported on the wing assemblies respectively at a location nearer to the inner ends of the wing assemblies than the trailing wheel assemblies, each steerable wheel assembly including an actuating arrangement associated with the steerable wheel assembly, the actuating arrangement being arranged to controllably pivot the steerable wheel about an upright steering axis between a transport configuration oriented for rolling movement about a wheel axis lying perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the wing assembly and a field configuration oriented transversely to the transport configuration;
• each steerable wheel assembly being supported on the respective wing assembly adjacent to a connection of the inner end of the outer frame section and the outer end of the intermediate frame section;
• and
• said at least one trailing wheel of each trailing wheel assembly is supported for free pivotal movement about an upright caster axis of the trailing wheel assembly and said at least one trailing wheel being laterally centered relative to the caster axis of the trailing wheel assembly in a trailing relationship with the caster axis.