Vehicle
OwnerCornelis van der Lelyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An agricultural tractor comprises lifting devices to which are hitched rotary supports in the form of rollers. The lifting devices push the rollers downwardly relatively to the rest of the tractor. This transfers some or all of the weight of the tractor to the rollers which reduces or eliminates pressure on the underlying surface, and consequent soil compaction, applied by wheels of the tractor. The rotary supports may be drivable and improve traction. If all of the weight of the tractor is placed on the rotary supports, the wheels are raised from the ground. A system is also described for automatically detecting and eliminating or correcting for skidding of the wheels of the tractor.
Claims19
An agricultural tractor comprising an engine, wheels driven by said engine and a power take-off shaft driven by said engine with a rotational speed proportional to the rotational speed of said wheels, in combination with an agricultural implement which includes at least one rotational soil contacting member and coupling means which connects said soil contacting member with said power take-off shaft so that the rotational speed of said member is proportional to the rotational speed of said wheels and its operational peripheral speed is the same as the tractor's travelling speed, said member being constructed and arranged to avoid compaction of the soil which is adverse to plant growth and to improve traction of the combined tractor and said member.
A roller for use in soil cultivation which is adapted for connection to a tractor so that the roller's axis of rotation is transverse to the tractor's direction of travel, the roller comprising connective means for connection to said tractor and coupling means for interconnection to the tractor's engine so that the operational peripheral speed of said roller is essentially the same as the travelling speed of the tractor and said roller exerts a tractive force on the tractor, said roller being so constructed and arranged to support at least in part the tractor's weight and to avoid adverse compaction of the soil while exerting said tractive force.
The combination of a roller and a soil cultivating machine supported by the roller, the roller being adapted for connection to a tractor and comprising coupling means for a driving interconnection to the tractor's engine so that the roller's operational peripheral speed is essentially equal to the cultivating machine's travelling speed and said roller exerts a tractive force on the tractor, said roller being arranged and constructed to bear at least part of the tractor's weight and to avoid slippage and deterioration of the soil structure by compaction.
A vehicle for agricultural operations which comprises:
- an agricultural tractor including a frame, a power source, a power take-off from said power source, ground wheels and coupling means comprising linkages at its forward and rear aspects;
- rotary support means and agricultural implements connected to each of said coupling means whereby there is a rotary support means and an agricultural implement interconnected to each end of said frame by said coupling means, said rotary support means adapted to support at least in substantial part said tractor to reduce pressure of the tractor on the underlying soil and avoid deterioration of the soil structure by compaction;
- driving means operatively connected to said power source for supplying energy to operate at least one of said implements;
- a detachable shaft interconnecting said power take-off shaft and one of said rotary support means to drive the latter at a speed proportional to the speed of said ground wheels so that the tractive forces of said rotary support means are combined with the tractive forces of said tractor for propelling the vehicle;
- and power means operatively connected between and directly to one said coupling means and the associated said rotary support means for moving the associated said rotary support means and the associated said implement substantially vertically together relative to said tractor, the associated said linkage adapted to maintain the angular disposition of the associated said implement relative to the ground substantially unchanged when it is moved by said power means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.