US 4,191,262 AGranted

Agriculture light tillage implement and tool mounting mechanism therefor

OwnerMerton E. Sylvesterinventor

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Abstract

A light soil tillage implement is adapted to be drawn by a farm tractor, and is designed to perform a light tillage immediately preceeding fertilizing, planting, and/or other farming operations. The implement comprises a frame having support wheels thereon engaging the ground, one or more tool bars having ground working tools thereon, and a mounting mechanism for each tool bar connecting each tool bar with the frame. Each mounting mechanism comprises a series of linkage elements which resiliently bias the working tools downwardly into the soil when the implement is in a tilling position. The mounting mechanism is adapted to positively lift the tools and tool bars out of engagement with the ground when it is desired to transport the implement, and further individually mounts each tool bar in a manner which allows the same to laterally rotate about a central point thereon in order to follow the contour of the soil independent from the other tool bars. Additional equipment for the farming operations is connected to the tillage implement by a hitching mechanism to allow lateral rotation thereof with respect to the tillage implement, and allow the tillage implement to be used in tandem with trailing farming operations on uneven ground.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An agriculture implement for light soil tillage immediately preceeding a trailing, agriculture earth working device, said implement comprising:

(a) a frame shaped for connection to a forward side of the earth working device, and including mobile ground engaging support means for translating said implement over the ground;
(b) a control arm having one end thereof pivotally connected with said frame;
(c) a motor connected with and selectively rotating said control arm with respect to said frame;
(d) a tool support carriage suspended from and operably connected with the other end of said control arm and adapted for mounting a plurality of earth working tools thereto;
(e) a linkage arm having first and second ends thereof pivotally connected with said frame and said tool support carriage respectively;
said linkage arm second end being spaced apart from said control arm other end to securely retain tool orientation when said implement is in a tilling position;
(f) a longitudinally resilient member having first and second ends thereof respectively connected with said tool support carriage and said control arm other end, whereby rotation of said control arm in a normally downwardly direction resiliently urges said tools into the ground when said implement is in the tilling position;
(g) stop means limiting maximum separation between said tool support carriage and said control arm, and positively interconnecting the same when said implement is in a transport position, whereby rotation of the control arm in a normally upwardly direction lifts said tools out of engagement with the ground for transport;
(h) an elongate tool bar adapted for having said earth working tools mounted therealong, and being pivotally connected with and supported by said tool support carriage, whereby said tool bar laterally pivots with respect to said tool support carriage thereby conforming said earth working tools with the contour of the ground during the tilling position;
(i) a frame attached to a medial portion of said tool bar and extending horizontally therefrom;
said frame having a support section horizontally spaced apart from said tool bar;
and
(j) an axle extending between said tool bar medial portion and said support section;
said axle being thereby positioned generally perpendicular to the forward motion of said implement and horizontal;
said tool support carriage being pivotally mounted on said axle;
whereby said tool bar will rotate laterally about said axle but will not rotate in a horizontal plane in relation to said axle.

13 more elements

An agriculture implement for light soil tillage immediately preceeding a trailing, agriculture earth working device, said implement comprising:

(a) a frame shaped for connection to a forward side of the earth working device, and including mobile ground engaging support means for translating said implement over the ground;
(b) a control arm having one end thereof pivotally connected with said frame;
(c) a motor connected with and selectively rotating said control arm with respect to said frame;
(d) a tool support carriage suspended from and operably connected with the other end of said control arm and adapted for mounting a plurality of earth working tools thereto;
(e) a linkage arm having first and second ends thereof pivotally connected with said frame and said tool support carriage respectively;
said linkage arm second end being spaced apart from said control arm other end to securely retain tool orientation when said implement is in a tilling position;
(f) a longitudinally resilient member having first and second ends thereof respectively connected with said tool support carriage and said control arm other end, whereby rotation of said control arm in a normally downwardly direction resiliently urges said tools into the ground when said implement is in the tilling position;
(g) stop means limiting maximum separation between said tool support carriage and said control arm, and positively interconnecting the same when said implement is in a transport position, whereby rotation of the control arm in a normally upwardly direction lifts said tools out of engagement with the ground for transport;
(h) an elongate tool bar adapted for having said earth working tools mounted therealong, and being pivotally connected with and supported by said tool support carriage, whereby said tool bar laterally pivots with respect to said tool support carriage thereby conforming said earth working tools with the contour of the ground during the tilling position;
and
(i) a connector arm pivotally connecting said tool support carriage to said control arm, said connector arm having one end thereof pivotally connected to said control arm at a point spaced inwardly of said control arm other end, an opposite end thereof pivotally connected to said tool support carriage, whereby movement of said tool support carriage relative to said control arm in a horizontal direction is substantially limited, and said tool support carriage may be urged to move in a vertical direction relative to said control arm but is biased to a specific relative position therefrom by said relient member.

8 more elements

An agricultural earth working mechanism, comprising in combination:

(a) a tractor means;
(b) a light tillage implement for working soil connected to said tractor means;
said implement comprising a mobile frame structure having a plurality of tool bars operably depending therefrom;
each of said tool bars being adapted for mounting tools thereon to work soil when in a soil engaged position;
each of said tool bars including means to engage and be simultaneously biased toward said soil, and allowing the same to independently follow the contour of said soil;
(c) a plurality of trailing agriculture devices, each said device performing an agriculture operation;
said devices being arranged in a tandem unit behind said light tillage implement;
said tandem unit being independently connected with said tillage implement to follow the contour of soil, whereby said soil is lightly tilled, in a single swath across said soil in combination with said agriculture operations, and said tillage implement is free to independently follow the soil contour apart from said tandem unit, thereby permitting multiple farming operations in unison on uneven ground;
(d) said tillage implement has a hitch receiver mounted thereon;
and
(e) said tandem unit has a hitch mechanism thereon having an engaged position with said hitch receiver;
said hitch mechanism including means for permitting free, independent lateral rotational movement of said tandem unit about a longitudinal axis thereof with respect to said tillage implement, and restricting rotational movement of said tandem unit in a horizontal plane with respect to said tillage implement, whereby said implement and said unit maintain a proper alignment and are free to individually follow the soil contour.

9 more elements

An agriculture implement for light soil tillage immediately preceeding a trailing, agriculture earth working device, said implement comprising:

(a) a frame shaped for connection to a forward side of the earth working device, and including mobile ground engaging support means for translating said implement over the ground;
(b) a control arm having one end thereof pivotally connected with said frame;
(c) a motor connected with and selectively rotating said control arm with respect to said frame;
(d) a tool support carriage suspended from and operably connected with the other end of said control arm and adapted for mounting a plurality of earth working tools thereto;
(e) a linkage arm having first and second ends thereof pivotally connected with said frame and said tool support carriage respectively;
said linkage arm second end being spaced apart from said control arm other end to securely retain tool orientation when said implement is in a tilling position;
(f) a longitudinally resilient member having first and second ends thereof respectively connected with said tool support carriage and said control arm other end, whereby rotation of said control arm in a normally downwardly direction resiliently urges said tools into the ground when said implement is in the tilling position;
(g) stop means limiting maximum separation between said tool support carriage and said control arm, and positively interconnecting the same when said implement is in a transport position, whereby rotation of the control arm in a normally upwardly direction lifts said tools out of engagement with the ground for transport;
and
(h) a connector arm pivotally connecting said tool support carriage to said control arm, said connector arm having one end thereof pivotally connected to said control arm at a point spaced inwardly of said control arm other end, an opposite end thereof pivotally connected to said tool support carriage, whereby movement of said tool support carriage relative to said control arm in a horizontal direction is substantially limited, and said tool support carriage may be urged to move in a vertical direction relative to said control arm but is biased to a specific relative position therefrom by said resilient member.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.