Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090025944 | Agricultural Tillage Device - An agricultural implement for tilling at least a strip of soil to be planted includes a tillage device for penetrating and tilling a strip of soil and displacing soil and residue upwardly, and a depth control device laterally offset from the centerline of the strip of soil and mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation located rearwardly of the tillage device and positioned to intercept soil and residue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. Multiple tines mounted on the depth control device extend laterally away from the depth control device toward the centerline to intercept a portion of the soil and residue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. The tines are attached to the depth control device only at one end of each tine, and the free ends of the tines terminate laterally short of the centerline and vertically between the elevations of the upper and lower edges of the depth control device. | 01-29-2009 |
20100300710 | AGRICULTURAL TILLAGE DEVICE - An agricultural implement for tilling at least a strip of soil to be planted includes a tillage device for penetrating and tilling a strip of soil and displacing soil and residue upwardly, and a depth control device laterally offset from the centerline of the strip of soil and mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation located rearwardly of the tillage device and positioned to intercept soil and residue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. Multiple tines mounted on the depth control device extend laterally away from the depth control device toward the centerline to intercept a portion of the soil and residue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. The tines are attached to the depth control device only at one end of each tine, and the free ends of the tines terminate laterally short of the centerline and vertically between the elevations of the upper and lower edges of the depth control device. | 12-02-2010 |
20110036602 | AGRICULTURAL TILLAGE DEVICE - An agricultural implement for tilling at least a strip of soil to be planted includes a tillage device for penetrating and tilling a strip of soil and displacing soil and residue upwardly, the tillage device including at least one coulter wheel mounted for rotation about a first axis of rotation and positioned at least in part below the soil, when tilling the strip of soil, such that the coulter wheel is able to cut a slit in the soil, and a depth control device laterally offset from the centerline of the strip of soil and mounted for rotation about a second axis of rotation located rearwardly of the trailing end of the tillage device. The depth control device is positioned to intercept soil and residue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. Multiple tines made of a polymeric material are mounted on the depth control device, extending laterally away from only one side of the depth control device toward the centerline to intercept a portion of the soil and residue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. | 02-17-2011 |
20120060731 | HYDRAULIC DOWN PRESSURE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CLOSING WHEELS OF AN AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT - In one embodiment, an agricultural row unit for use with a towing frame hitched to a tractor includes an attachment frame adapted to be rigidly connected to the towing frame. A support member is pivotably coupled to the attachment frame to permit vertical pivoting movement of the support member relative to the attachment frame, and at least one furrow-closing device is mounted on the support member. A hydraulic cylinder is coupled to the support member for urging the row unit frame downwardly toward the soil. The hydraulic cylinder includes a movable ram extending into the cylinder, and a hydraulic-fluid cavity within the cylinder for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid for urging the ram in a first direction that pivots the support member in a first vertical direction. An accumulator has a fluid chamber containing a pressurized gas for urging the ram in a second direction that pivots the support member in a second vertical direction. | 03-15-2012 |
20120167809 | AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT HAVING FLUID DELIVERY FEATURES - An agricultural implement for delivering fluid fertilizer into a furrow in the soil of an agricultural field includes a main frame, an opener device attached to the main frame for forming a furrow in the soil, a closing device having an axis of rotation and trailing the opener device for closing the furrow, and a dispensing device for delivering a fluid into the furrow. The injection device has a bottom end extending downwardly into the furrow between the opener device and the axis of rotation of the closing device, an inlet port for receiving the fluid, at least two outlet ports for discharging the fluid into different regions of the furrow, and a bifurcated passageway for conducting the fluid from the inlet port to the outlet ports. The outlet ports may be located to discharge the fluid onto or adjacent to both of the side walls of the furrow. | 07-05-2012 |
20120210920 | ROW UNIT FOR AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT - An agricultural row unit for use with a towing frame hitched to a tractor includes an attachment frame adapted to be rigidly connected to the towing frame, and a furrow-opening module comprising a first linkage pivotably coupled to the attachment frame, a first movable frame pivotably coupled to the linkage to permit vertical pivoting movement of the first movable frame relative to the linkage, a furrow-opening device mounted on the first movable frame, and a first biasing element pivotably attached to the linkage and coupled to the first movable frame for urging the furrow-opening device downwardly against the soil. The row unit also includes a furrow-closing module and a second biasing element for urging the at least one furrow-closing device downwardly against the soil. | 08-23-2012 |
20120305274 | Hydraulic down pressure control system for an agricultural implement - An agricultural row unit includes an attachment frame adapted to be rigidly connected to a towing frame, and a linkage assembly pivotably coupled to the attachment frame to permit vertical pivoting movement of the linkage assembly relative to the attachment frame. A hydraulic cylinder is coupled to the linkage assembly for urging the linkage assembly downwardly toward the soil, and an accumulator is mounted to the hydraulic cylinder for supplying pressurized gas to the hydraulic cylinder urging the linkage assembly upwardly away from the soil. A manifold is removably mounted to the hydraulic cylinder via a mounting interface, the manifold being selected from a group of different types of modular manifolds in which each manifold is removably mountable to the hydraulic cylinder, one at a time, via the same mounting interface, the manifold having two hydraulic-fluid ports including an inlet port and an outlet port. | 12-06-2012 |
20130133904 | Row Unit For Agricultural Implement - An agricultural row unit includes a linkage pivotably coupled to an attachment frame, and a row unit frame with a leading end pivotably coupled to the linkage. A hydraulic cylinder is coupled to the attachment frame and the linkage, for urging the row unit frame downwardly toward the soil, and includes a movable ram extending into the cylinder. A hydraulic-fluid cavity is located within the cylinder for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid for advancing the ram in a direction that pivots the linkage and the row unit frame downwardly toward the soil. An accumulator is positioned adjacent to the hydraulic cylinder and has a fluid chamber containing a diaphragm, with the portion of the chamber on one side of the diaphragm being connected to the hydraulic-fluid cavity in the hydraulic cylinder, and the portion of the chamber on the other side of the diaphragm containing a pressurized gas. | 05-30-2013 |
20130146318 | Agricultural Apparatus With Integrated Controller For A Row Unit - An agricultural row unit includes a linkage assembly that is pivotably coupled to an attachment frame. A hydraulic cylinder is coupled to the linkage assembly and applies pressure to the linkage assembly. A controller is mounted in the row unit such that is coupled to the hydraulic cylinder for controlling the pressure applied by the hydraulic cylinder. | 06-13-2013 |
20130192186 | AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT WITH AUTOMATIC DOWN PRESSURE CONTROL - An agricultural row unit includes a hydraulic cylinder coupled to a support member for urging a soil-engaging tool coupled to the support member downwardly toward the soil. A hydraulic line is coupled to the hydraulic cylinder for supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to the cylinder, and a controllable valve is provided in the hydraulic line for controlling the supply of pressurized hydraulic fluid to the cylinder through the line. A pressure sensor, such as a load cell or strain gauge, is connected between the hydraulic cylinder and the support member for producing an electrical signal corresponding to the pressure on the tool, and a controller is coupled to the pressure sensor and the controllable valve, the controller being adapted to receive the electrical signal from the pressure sensor and produce a control signal for controlling the valve thus the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the cylinder. | 08-01-2013 |
20130199808 | Row Unit For Agricultural Implement - An agricultural row unit for use with a towing frame hitched to a tractor includes an attachment frame adapted to be rigidly connected to the towing frame, a linkage pivotably coupled to the attachment frame, and a row unit frame having a leading end pivotably coupled to the linkage to permit vertical pivoting movement of the row unit frame relative to the attachment frame. A hydraulic cylinder coupled to the attachment frame and the linkage, for urging the row unit frame downwardly toward the soil, includes a movable ram extending into the cylinder, and a hydraulic-fluid cavity within the cylinder for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid for advancing the ram in a direction that pivots the linkage and the row unit frame downwardly toward the soil. An accumulator positioned adjacent to the hydraulic cylinder has a fluid chamber containing a diaphragm, with the portion of the chamber on one side of the diaphragm being connected to the hydraulic-fluid cavity in the hydraulic cylinder, and the portion of the chamber on the other side of the diaphragm containing a pressurized gas. | 08-08-2013 |
20130213676 | Row Unit For Agricultural Implement - An agricultural row unit for use with a towing frame hitched to a tractor includes an attachment frame adapted to be rigidly connected to the towing frame, a linkage pivotably coupled to the attachment frame, and a row unit frame having a leading end pivotably coupled to the linkage to permit vertical pivoting movement of the row unit frame relative to the attachment frame. A hydraulic cylinder coupled to the attachment frame and the linkage, for urging the row unit frame downwardly toward the soil, includes a movable ram extending into the cylinder, and a hydraulic-fluid cavity within the cylinder for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid for advancing the ram in a direction that pivots the linkage and the row unit frame downwardly toward the soil. An accumulator positioned adjacent to the hydraulic cylinder has a fluid chamber containing a diaphragm, with the portion of the chamber on one side of the diaphragm being connected to the hydraulic-fluid cavity in the hydraulic cylinder, and the portion of the chamber on the other side of the diaphragm containing a pressurized gas. | 08-22-2013 |
20130248212 | AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS - An agricultural implement includes at least one row unit having a plurality of support members, each of which is pivotably coupled to an attachment frame or another of the support members to permit vertical pivoting vertical movement of the support members, and a plurality of soil-engaging tools, each of which is coupled to at least one of the support members. A plurality of hydraulic cylinders are coupled to the support members for urging the support members downwardly toward the soil. A plurality of controllable pressure control valves are coupled to the hydraulic cylinders for controlling the pressure of hydraulic fluid supplied to the cylinders. A plurality of sensors produce electrical signals corresponding to predetermined conditions, and a controller is coupled to the sensor and the controllable pressure control valves. The controller receives the electrical signals from the sensors and produces control signals for controlling the pressure control valves. | 09-26-2013 |
20130264078 | Row Unit For Agricultural Implement - In one embodiment, an agricultural row unit for use with a towing frame hitched to a tractor includes an attachment frame adapted to be rigidly connected to the towing frame. A support member is pivotably coupled to the attachment frame to permit vertical pivoting movement of the support member relative to the attachment frame, and at least one furrow-closing device is mounted on the support member. A hydraulic cylinder is coupled to the support member for urging the row unit frame downwardly toward the soil. The hydraulic cylinder includes a movable ram extending into the cylinder, and a hydraulic-fluid cavity within the cylinder for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid for urging the ram in a first direction that pivots the support member in a first vertical direction. An accumulator has a fluid chamber containing a pressurized gas for urging the ram in a second direction that pivots the support member in a second vertical direction. | 10-10-2013 |
20130306337 | Agricultural Apparatus With Hydraulic Cylinder And Manifold For A Row Unit - An agricultural row unit includes an attachment frame adapted to be rigidly connected to a towing frame. A linkage assembly is pivotably coupled to the attachment frame to permit vertical pivoting movement of the linkage assembly relative to the attachment frame. A hydraulic cylinder is coupled to the linkage assembly for urging the linkage assembly downwardly toward the soil. A hose connection manifold is mounted adjacent to the hydraulic cylinder for circulating hydraulic fluid between a hydraulic source and the hydraulic cylinder. The hose connection manifold has a plurality of ports including an inlet port, an outlet port, and a valve port, the inlet port being adapted to receive an inlet hose, the outlet port being adapted to receive an outlet hose, and the valve port being adapted to receive an end of a hydraulic control valve. | 11-21-2013 |
20130312988 | AGRICULTURAL TOOL WITH STRUCTURAL HOUSING FOR HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR - An agricultural row unit having a support frame, a structural support housing coupled to the support frame, and a swing arm having a leading end pivotably coupled to the structural support housing. An agricultural tool is coupled to a trailing end of the swing arm, and a hydraulic actuator is mounted to and fully enclosed within the structural support housing. The hydraulic actuator adjustably urges the agricultural tool downwardly toward a soil surface such that vertical pivoting movement is permitted in response to terrain changes in the soil surface. | 11-28-2013 |
20130333599 | Row Crop Planter Having Closing Wheel With Modular Wheel Design - An agricultural row unit includes a towing frame, an attachment frame, and a linkage. A row unit frame has a forward end coupled to the linkage to permit vertical pivoting movement of the row unit frame relative to the attachment frame. A closing-wheel assembly includes a support arm having a leading end coupled to the row unit frame, and a hub assembly mounted at a trailing end of the support arm. The hub assembly has a wheel-fastening mechanism with one or more removable fasteners. The closing-wheel assembly further includes a closing wheel connected to the hub assembly with the one or more removable fasteners such that the closing wheel is interchangeable with different types of modular closing wheels. | 12-19-2013 |
20140026792 | SIDE DRESSING FERTILIZER COULTER - An agricultural side dressing fertilizer coulter row unit includes a first attachment member adapted to be rigidly connected to a towing frame, and a second attachment member pivotably coupled to the first attachment member for pivoting movement about a substantially vertical axis. A linkage is pivotably coupled to the second attachment member for pivoting movement of the trailing end of the linkage relative to the second attachment member, and a tool-carrying stem pivotably coupled to the trailing end of the linkage carries a rotatably mounted coulter wheel for forming a slit in the soil, a liquid fertilizer dispenser for dispensing fertilizer, and a rotatably mounted closing wheel for closing the slit. A biasing element is pivotably attached to the linkage and coupled to the second attachment member for urging the stem downwardly with a controllable force. | 01-30-2014 |
20140033958 | Forged Toothed Wheel For A Row Crop Planter - A forged agricultural wheel with a radial grain pattern includes a plurality of teeth projecting radially outwardly from a hub, with each tooth having a tooth root adjacent to the internal periphery of the hub. Each tooth further has a leading soil-contacting surface extending from the tooth root in a curved counterclockwise manner and having a variable width with a maximum tooth width. A trailing surface opposite the leading soil-contacting surface extends from the tooth root in a curved counterclockwise manner. A tooth end is angled counterclockwise away from a radius passing from a central axis through a central point of the tooth root. The tooth end connects the two surfaces and converges to a point on a maximum outside diameter of the wheel. An adjoining root valley connects each pair of adjacent teeth and has a thickness that is substantially thinner than the maximum tooth width. | 02-06-2014 |
20140034344 | AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT KIT - A kit of components for use in assembling different agricultural implements includes (1) multiple linkages each of which includes a pair of parallel arms mounted for vertical pivoting movement at a first end of the linkage, and adapted to be coupled to a tool-support arm at the second end of the linkage, the multiple linkages having different sizes, (2) multiple coupling elements for coupling said linkages to a toolbar to be attached to a tractor, (3) multiple tool-support arms adapted to be connected to the second ends of the linkages, and (4) multiple tools adapted to be mounted on the tool-support arms. | 02-06-2014 |
20140048001 | Agricultural Apparatus For Sensing And Providing Feedback Of Soil Property Changes In Real Time - An agricultural system includes a towing frame to which a planting row unit is attached. The planting row unit is movable in a forward direction on a field having soil of varying hardness conditions, including a soft soil and a hard soil. The planting row unit includes a planting bin positioned rearwardly of the towing frame for carrying at least one of a fertilizer and seeds to be deposited into the soil. The planting row unit further includes a linkage assembly for coupling the planting bin to the towing frame, and an opener device forward of the towing frame. The opener device prepares the soil and includes an opener blade and a soil-hardness sensor. The opener blade maintains the same soil-penetration depth Z in the soft soil and the hard soil based on soil-hardness changes detected by the soil-hardness sensor. | 02-20-2014 |
20140048295 | Agricultural Apparatus For Sensing And Providing Feedback Of Soil Property Changes In Real Time - An agricultural system includes an agricultural row unit movable on a field between a first soil condition and a second soil condition, the first soil condition having a different soil hardness than the second soil condition. A down-pressure actuator applies an initial first pressure associated with the first soil condition. A soil-hardness sensing device is positioned at a distance D forward of the row unit and outputs a soil-hardness change signal when detecting a change from the first soil condition to the second soil condition. At least one memory device stores instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the down-pressure actuator to change, in response to receiving the soil-hardness change signal, the initial first pressure to a different second pressure when the row unit encounters the second soil condition. | 02-20-2014 |
20140048296 | Agricultural Apparatus For Sensing And Providing Feedback Of Soil Property Changes In Real Time - A planting row unit is attachable to a towing frame and is movable in a forward direction on a field having soil of varying hardness conditions. The planting row unit includes an opener device forward of the towing frame for preparing the soil for receiving at least one of the fertilizer and the seeds. The opener device includes a soil-hardness sensor for detecting changes in soil-hardness conditions and an opener blade for maintaining, in response to the changes, a constant soil-penetration depth Z in the soil independent of the varying hardness conditions. A modular actuator is mounted to the opener device for applying pressure to the opener blade, the modular actuator being mountable to at least one other component of the planting row unit for applying pressure. | 02-20-2014 |
20140116735 | Agricultural Systems - An agricultural implement includes at least one row unit having a plurality of support members, each of which is pivotably coupled to an attachment frame or another of the support members to permit vertical pivoting vertical movement of the support members, and a plurality of soil-engaging tools, each of which is coupled to at least one of the support members. A plurality of hydraulic cylinders are coupled to the support members for urging the support members downwardly toward the soil. A plurality of controllable pressure control valves are coupled to the hydraulic cylinders for controlling the pressure of hydraulic fluid supplied to the cylinders. A plurality of sensors produce electrical signals corresponding to predetermined conditions, and a controller is coupled to the sensor and the controllable pressure control valves. The controller receives the electrical signals from the sensors and produces control signals for controlling the pressure control valves. | 05-01-2014 |
20140190712 | UNIVERSAL BRACKET ADAPTOR ASSEMBLY FOR AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS - Universal bracket adaptor assemblies, pressure control units, and methods for using the same are disclosed. A bracket adaptor assembly is disclosed for assisting in coupling any of an assortment of structurally distinct agricultural implements to a towing frame of an agricultural machine. The assembly includes a support bracket with two coupling portions, the first coupling portion being configured to operatively attach to any of the agricultural implements. An adaptor plate is configured to operatively attach to the towing frame. The adaptor plate has numerous attachment interface points configured to couple with the second coupling portion of the support bracket. Coupling the support bracket to a first subset of the attachment interface points of the adaptor plate assists in coupling a first agricultural implement to the towing frame. Coupling the support bracket to a second subset of the attachment interfaces assists in coupling a second agricultural implement to the towing frame. | 07-10-2014 |
20140216312 | Agricultural Apparatus With Hybrid Single-Disk, Double-Disk Coulter Arrangement - An agricultural furrow opening system having a hybrid single-disk, double-disk opener is disclosed including a swing-arm, a primary disk, and a deflecting disk. The primary disk is coupled to a distal end of the swing-arm and configured to rotate about a first axis. The primary disk is rolled about a direction of travel at a first oblique angle θ | 08-07-2014 |
20140216313 | Agricultural Apparatus With Hybrid Single-Disk, Double-Disk Coulter Arrangement - An agricultural row unit assembly includes an attachment frame configured for attachment to a tow bar that is movable in a direction of travel. A proximal end of a swing-arm is coupled to the attachment frame, and an opener disk is mounted to and offset from a distal end of the swing-arm for forming a furrow. A deflecting disk is mounted to the distal end for deflecting debris from entering the furrow, and is mounted between the distal end of the swing-arm and the opener disk. The deflecting disk has a top peripheral edge spaced away from a top peripheral edge of the opener disk. A support bracket is attached as a cantilevered structure depending from the proximal end of the swing arm and extends in a space between the top peripheral edges. A tube is routed long the support bracket for dispensing a material into the furrow. | 08-07-2014 |
20140216771 | Agricultural Apparatus With Hybrid Single-Disk, Double-Disk Coulter Arrangement - An agricultural row unit assembly includes an attachment frame configured for attachment to a tow bar that is movable in a direction of travel. A proximal end of a swing-arm is coupled to the attachment frame, and an opener disk is mounted to and offset from a distal end of the swing-arm for forming a furrow. The opener disk is configured to rotate about a first axis relative to the direction of travel. A deflecting disk is mounted to the distal end for deflecting debris from entering the furrow, and is mounted between the distal end of the swing-arm and the opener disk. The deflecting disk is configured to rotate about a second axis, which is different than the first axis, relative to the direction of travel. A closing wheel is coupled to the attachment frame for closing the furrow. | 08-07-2014 |