Cultivator for high efficiency windrow disintegration and aeration, row forming, and the like

In a cultivator having a frame, wheel means adapted to support the frame over a windrow of material such as compost, power means for rotating said wheel means in a direction to tram the cultivator along the windrow, an improved windrow disintegrator and aerator rotor comprising:

• a drum journaled in the frame for rotation about a horizontal axis extending crosswise of the windrow and power means for rotating said drum in the direction of rotation of said wheel means;
• a plurality of radial mounting posts fixed to the drum, said posts being arranged in a helical pattern having substantially one complete revolution between opposite ends of the drum, a substantially equal number of said posts being on each side of a central vertical plane along the longitudinal centerline of the frame, said posts being thin relative to the space between adjacent posts measured axially of the drum to minimize shear resistance of the posts within the windrow;
• and
• cultivator blades supported on the outer ends of said posts, each of said blades being flat in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drum, each blade having an outer portion canted or curved backwardly relative to the direction of rotation of the drum, and the leading edge thereof being characterized by a knife-like cutting edge to facilitate shredding paper, magazines, cardboard cartons, and the like.

In a cultivator having a frame, wheel means adapted to support the frame for movement over a ground surface for forming parallel elevated ridges and depressed furrows in said ground surface, power means for rotating said wheel means in a direction to tram the cultivator across said surface, an improved row forming rotor comprising:

• an elongated drum journaled in the frame and rotated by power about a horizontal axis extending crosswise of the line of movement of the frame, thin radial mounting posts, with cultivator blades on the ends thereof, angularly spaced apart about the circumference of the drum and spaced apart lengthwise along the axis of the drum to form a continuous helical pattern, at least one group of said posts being relatively short and straddling a vertical plane transverse to the axis of the drum and another group of said posts flanking said one group on one side being relatively long, the blades on both of said groups of posts having paddle portions at the outer ends thereof offset toward said vertical plane and contoured to move dislodged ground material sidewise from the blades mounted on the long posts to the blades mounted on the short posts toward said vertical plane;
• whereby the blades mounted on the long posts dislodge material from the ground to create a furrow and move the dislodged material from the furrow sidewise to the blades mounted on the short posts which create a ridge by heaping the material to a high point along said vertical plane.

In a cultivator for forming parallel ridges and furrows in a ground surface, a frame, wheel means adapted to support the frame for movement over the ground, power means for rotating said wheel means in a direction to tram the cultivator along the ground, an improved ridge and furrow forming rotor comprising:

• a power driven drum journaled in the frame for rotation about a horizontal axis extending crosswise of the line of movement of the frame;
• cultivator blades axially and circumferentially spaced in a helical pattern on said drum between opposite ends thereof;
• said rotor being adapted to make at least one ridge in the ground flanked on each side by furrows all of which are parallel to the line of movement of the frame, said ridge being positioned along a vertical plane intersecting the drum;
• said cultivator blades comprising predetermined long and short blades;
• a group of said short blades being centered at said vertical plane to make said ridge in the ground surface, and a group of said long blades flanking said group of short blades on each side to make furrows flanking said ridge;
• all of said blades, regardless of length, having at their extreme outer ends transverse paddle portions offset toward said vertical plane and being contoured to move ground surface material sidewise along the ground from the long blades to the short blades toward the ridge;
• whereby said groups of long blades dislodge material from the ground to create furrows spaced apart on opposite sides of said vertical plane and move the material sidewise into the space between said furrows, and whereby further said group of short blades help create a ridge by heaping said dislodged ground material to a high point along said vertical plane.

In a cultivator for forming parallel ridges and furrows in a ground surface, a frame, wheel means adapted to support the frame for movement over the ground, power means for rotating said wheel means in a direction to tram the cultivator along the ground, and improved ridge and furrow forming rotor comprising:

• a power driven drum journaled in the frame for rotation about a horizontal axis extending crosswise of the line of movement of the frame;
• cultivator blades axially and circumferentially spaced in a helical pattern on said drum between opposite ends thereof;
• said rotor being adapted to make a plurality of ridges in the ground parallel to the line of movement of the frame, a center one of said ridges being positioned along a central vertical plane intersecting the mid-point of the drum, and at least two other of said ridges being spaced from said center ridge by furrows flanking said center ridge, said other ridges being positioned along other vertical planes intersecting the side portions of the drum;
• said cultivator blades comprising predetermined long and short blades;
• groups of said short blades being centered at said vertical planes to make said ridges, each group of short blades being flanked on both sides by pairs of groups of said long blades to create furrows spaced apart on opposite sides of the corresponding vertical plane;
• all of said blades, regardless of length, having at their extreme outer ends transverse paddle portions offset toward the nearest of said vertical planes and being contoured to move ground surface material sidewise along the ground from the long blades to the short blades toward the nearest ridge;
• whereby each pair of groups of long blades cooperate to dislodge material from the ground to create a pair of furrows spaced apart on opposite sides of a corresponding one of said vertical planes and move the material sidewise into the space between said furrows, and whereby further the group of short blades between each pair of groups of long blades help create a ridge by heaping said dislodged ground material to a high point along said corresponding vertical plane.