Arcuate aeration tine
AssigneePlanetAir Turf Products, LLC
InventorsDavid R. Maas, Scott W. Bjorge
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A soil aeration device may include a plurality of arcuate blades mounted to an assembly adapted to rotate and translate the blades proximate a ground surface, thereby forming aeration pockets in the soil. In certain embodiments, the arcuate tines penetrate and fracture the soil while minimizing the amount of soil lifted from the pocket deposited on the top of the soil. In various embodiments, a planetary gear assembly imparts to the tine a translational and rotational movement which creates a fractured pocket in the soil while minimizing the amount of soil lifted from the pocket and deposited on the surface of the soil. In still other embodiments, the arcuate tine may have mounted thereon a coring tube that cuts and removes a plug from the pocket formed in the soil.
Claims17
A soil aerator tine comprising:
- an elongated arcuate member having a concave surface and a substantially complimentary and opposed convex surface, the arcuate member being operable to fracture soil and form an aeration pocket;
- and
- an aeration tube coupled to the arcuate member at one of said convex surface or said concave surface, the aeration tube being operable to remove a soil plug as the blade portion fractures soil and forms an aeration pocket.
A soil aeration tine, comprising:
- a means for fracturing soil and for drawing the aeration tine into said soil, said means including a curved elongate member;
- and
- a means for removing a soil plug, said plug removal means being coupled to the soil fracturing means and being laterally offset from at least a portion of the soil fracturing means,
- wherein the plug removal means is operable to cut a soil plug while the soil fracturing means fractures soil to form an aeration pocket.
A method of forming an aeration pocket, comprising:
- penetrating a patch of soil with a tip portion of an elongated arcuate aeration tine having a knife portion and an aeration tube coupled to the knife portion and spaced apart from the lip portion;
- fracturing the soil with the knife portion;
- and
- removing a soil plug with the aeration tube;
- whereby a fractured soil pocket is formed, said pocket having a horizontal length significantly greater than the diameter of said soil plug.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.