Adjustable gauge wheel for a planter

A kit for an improved gauge wheel adjusting mechanism, said kit comprising:

• a gauge wheel arm having one end apertured to receive a gauge wheel and another and having an internally threaded bore, an externally threaded bushing for threaded engagement with said internally threaded bore in said gauge wheel arm, a locking member for maintaining said externally threaded bushing in a fixed axial position when said bushing is positioned within said internally threaded bore, an externally threaded bolt having a head and a shank, said bolt slidable with respect to said bushing, mechanism preventing said head of said bolt from sliding into said bushing, and shims mountable on said bolt shank for occupying the distance between said bolt head and an internally threaded shaft mounted to an agricultural implement frame receiving said externally threaded bolt and supporting said externally threaded bushing and said gauge wheel arm mounted thereto.

A method of adjusting the lateral distance between a furrow opening disk rotatably mounted on the frame of an agricultural planting machine and a gauge wheel mounted for rotation on one end of a gauge wheel arm, comprising mounting an externally threaded bushing in the internally threaded bore at the other end of the gauge wheel arm, the externally threaded bushing axially of the internally threaded bore, mounting the bushing and gauge wheel arm on an internally threaded shaft connected to the agricultural planting machine so that the gauge wheel rotates about an axis rearwardly and generally parallel to the axis of an associated furrow opening disk, using a hex-headed externally threaded bolt extending through the externally threaded bushing and the gauge wheel arm mounted thereon to maintain the gauge wheel arm on the internally threaded shaft, and providing a plurality of shim washers between the internally threaded shaft and the hex-head of the bolt to accommodate differences in lengths of the internally threaded shafts.