Vineyard cultivator
OwnerDaniel P. Lemonsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cultivator particularly well adapted for use in vineyards and orchards because of its ability to cultivate the ground between successive plants in the same row includes a main frame that is continuously laterally expandable under control of the operator to accommodate variations in the spacing between rows; outriggers that flank the main frame and that contract laterally when collision with an object in their path becomes imminent; a spot sprayer mounted on each outrigger and activated by the lateral contraction and expansion of the outrigger to direct a spray of herbicide or other chemicals at the base of each plant but no where else; and a cultivator shank assembly that is castered-mounted to the outrigger or to the main frame so as to pivot to assume the direction of motion of the outrigger or main frame to which it is mounted.
Claims23
A cultivator of the type that is controlled by an operator and that is particularly well adapted for cultivating a vineyard or an orchard wherein vines, trees, or other objects are spaced along generally parallel rows, said cultivator characterized in that its width can be adjusted continuously by the operator while the cultivator is in use, so as to accommodate variations in the space between two rows, and further characterized in that it cultivates a strip that is as wide or wider than the space between two rows without running over the vines, trees or other objects, said cultivator comprising in combination:
- a main frame including a laterally-movable portion on which laterally-spaced castered sweeps are mounted and a laterally-unmovable portion on which laterally-spaced sweeps are mounted;
- actuator means mounted on said main frame and operable under control of the operator for continuously adjusting while the cultivator is in use the lateral position of the laterally-movable portion with respect to the laterally-unmovable portion;
- and,
- an outrigger pivotally attached to the main frame for movement about a vertical axis and about a horizontal axis and having an outboard end that is supported and maintained at a substantially constant distance from the ground by a wheel to enable the outboard end of said outrigger to follow the contour of the ground, said outrigger further including sensing means and motive means that function without intervention by the operator for respectively sensing the presence of an object in the path of said outrigger and for contracting said outrigger laterally and pivoting said outrigger rearwardly toward the main frame to prevent said outrigger from running over the object.
A cultivator of the type that has a main frame, that is controlled by an operator, and that is particularly well adapted for cultivating a vineyard or an orchard where vines, trees, or other objects are spaced along generally parallel rows, said cultivator characterized in that its width can be adjusted continuously by the operator while the cultivator is in use so as to accommodate variations in the space between two rows, in that it cultivates a strip that is as wide or wider than the space between two rows without running over the vines, trees or other objects, in that it can cultivate the soil between the successive vines or trees in a row without injuring the vines or trees, and further characterized in that without intervention by the operator it can spray a chemical in a limited area about the foot of each vine, tree or object and nowhere else, said cultivator comprising in combination:
- a main frame including a laterally-movable portion on which laterally-spaced castered sweeps are mounted and a laterally-unmovable portion on which laterally-spaced sweeps are mounted;
- actuator means mounted on said main frame and operable under control of the operator for continuously adjusting while the cultivator is in use the lateral position of the laterally-movable portion with respect to the laterally-unmovable portion;
- an outrigger pivotally attached to the main frame for movement about a vertical axis and about a horizontal axis and having an outboard end that is supported and maintained at a substantially constant distance from the ground by a wheel to enable the outboard end of said outrigger to follow the contour of the ground, said outrigger further including sensing means and actuating means that function without intervention by the operator for respectively sensing the presence of an object in the path of said outrigger and for contracting said outrigger laterally and pivoting said outrigger rearwardly toward the main frame thereby causing the outboard end of said outrigger to jog laterally from its forward motion to prevent said outrigger from running over the object;
- and,
- sprayer means mounted on the outrigger near its outboard end and activated by the lateral jogging motion of the outrigger for directing a spray toward the foot of the object, said sprayer means by virtue of its location on the outrigger producing a sprayed area that extends around the foot of the object and nowhere else.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.