Air seeder/fertilizer apparatus having metering means and distribution manifold with selectively openable ports

An agricultural implement for injecting particulate material namely seed, fertilizer, or inoculant into soil, towable behind a vehicle such as a tractor, comprising:

• a wheeled cart having at least one containment bin mounted thereon for containing said particulate material;
• a tool bar adapted to be operatively coupled to said wheeled cart, comprising a plurality of elongate mounting arms mounted thereto, each mounting arm adapted to be moved from a raised transport position to a lowered operating position,
• soil engaging means mounted on each of said mounting arms, adapted to engage soil when each of said mounting arms is in said lowered operating position;
• material-dispensing means on each of said mounting arms, proximate said soil engaging means, for dispensing said particulate material into the soil;
• a distribution manifold, having:
• (i) an inlet port for centrally receiving therein metered particulate material;
• (ii) a plurality of outlet ports, arranged about a circular periphery of said manifold., each in fluid communication with a corresponding one or more of said material-dispensing means;
• and
• (iii) valve means on each of said plurality of outlet ports to permit selected opening and closing of said plurality of outlet ports;
• metering means adapted to distribute said particulate material to said inlet port of said distribution manifold at a metered rate, said metered rate proportional to both a rate of travel of said implement over the ground and a number of outlet ports on said distribution manifold which have been selectively opened.

An agricultural implement for injecting particulate material namely seed, fertilizer, or inoculant into soil, towable behind a vehicle such as a tractor, comprising:

• a central frame;
• at least one containment bin mounted on such central frame, for containing said particulate material;
• a plurality of elongate mounting arms mounted to said central frame, each mounting arm adapted to be moved from a raised transport position to a lowered operating position,
• soil engaging means mounted on each of said mounting arms, adapted to engage soil when each of said mounting arms is in said lowered operating position;
• material-dispensing means on each of said mounting arms, proximate said soil engaging means, for dispensing said particulate material into the soil;
• a distribution manifold, having:
• (i) an inlet port for receiving metered particulate material;
• (ii) a plurality of outlet ports, each in fluid communication with at least one material-dispensing means on said soil-engaging members;
• and
• (iii) valve means on each of said plurality of outlet ports to permit selected opening and closing of said plurality of outlet ports;
• metering means adapted to distribute said particulate material to said inlet port of said distribution manifold at a metered rate, said metered rate proportional to both a rate of travel of said implement over the ground and a number of outlet ports on said distribution manifold which have been selectively opened.