Abstract:
A nurse receiver header for an agricultural planting implement is cooperable with a nurse mechanism that conveys seeds entrained in an air stream from a central hopper. A receiver is positioned at the planting mechanism to receive the seeds entrained in the air stream and accumulate a supply of seeds for utilization by the associated planting mechanism. The receiver header includes a plurality of legs and a rotatable baffle positioned internally at an uppermost position of at least one leg of the receiver header. The baffle is pivoted by an external lever that is positioned in the same orientation as the baffle to indicate the position of the baffle. The header can be placed in a closed configuration by positioning the baffle across the leg to be blocked. When in an open configuration, the baffle is positioned parallel to the leg and all of the legs of the header are open.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to planters or air seeders for planting seeds in the ground in an agricultural environment. In particular, the present invention relates to a nurse inductor system co-operable with a planter mechanism to feed seed or other particulate material to a planting mechanism for insertion of that material into the ground. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   As the size of agricultural implements continues to grow, the versatility of such implements becomes more significant. Large air seeders have become increasingly popular for the planting of seeds, fertilizer, and other product without strict regard for the exact placement of the seeds particles. For crop planting operations that require seed singulation, nurse systems are used to feed seed or other particles from larger hoppers into smaller reservoirs located at the singulation meters. A nurse inductor system enables an air cart typically used for dryland farming (cereal crops, etc.), to be adapted for use in row crop planting applications, such as corn and soybean, though not limited to soybean and corn. A nurse inductor system along with a central fill hopper can be used to enable a farmer to plant more acres before having to stop to fill the planter, resulting in quicker planting and less labor, while maintaining the precision spacing available by on-row singulation. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,473, a nurse system is disclosed which works off a specialized cart. The air comes into the seed delivery area coaxial with the seed tube that takes the air and seed to the row units. With this system substantial energy is used to nurse the seed since the air changes direction abruptly. This particular nurse system provides a dedicated fan to feed the 12 rows to be planted from the nurse system. This system requires the adding or removing of shims to adjust for different line length, which is difficult and inconvenient to accomplish. 
   In September, 2002, Deere and Company introduced a planter with a central nurse system configured with one line to fill on-row mini-hoppers. The planter has a 12/23 row configuration, thus, when planting 12 rows, 13 of the rows must be plugged at the mini-hoppers. To plug the mini-hoppers, a special plug is placed in the non-active lines. However, these removable plugs must be stored by the operator when not in use, and can be easily lost or misplaced. 
   Another example of a nurse system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,102 to Kongskilde. This nurse system distributes grain from a central hopper to a number of smaller hoppers. A metering device on each small hopper delivers to a number of seed boots. In this particular system, the operator is able to shut off one of the meter rollers independent of the other meter rollers, and is therefore able to stop the rotation of one section on the roller independent of the others. However, this system does not permit the operator to shut off the delivery to any of the nurse lines independently. U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,181, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,652, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,067 teach other nurse embodiments with varying problems. 
   It is therefore desirable to provide a nurse inductor system that overcomes the disadvantages of the known prior art. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a nurse inductor system co-operable with a planter mechanism to feed seed or other particulate material to a planting mechanism for insertion of that material into the ground. 
   It is another object of this invention to provide a nurse inductor system operable for use with planters requiring singulation of the seeds for planting in the ground. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a nurse inductor system that can be easily switched from one crop spacing to another. 
   It is a feature of this invention that the nurse inductor system enables the use of an existing air cart for nursing individual planter units in a passive manner. 
   It is another feature of this invention that replacement of existing components on a conventional air cart with nurse induction components, to convert the standard air cart without requiring permanent modifications to the cart. 
   It is yet another feature of the present invention that in the header, the unoperational unit is not filled with seed. 
   It is another advantage of this invention that the induction of seed or other particulate product is accomplished more evenly and consistently, thereby reducing the possibility of a plugging of the lines. 
   It is still another advantage of this invention that a planting implement can be configured with respect to the number of rows to be utilized without requiring removable pieces that can be lost or misplaced. 
   It is a further advantage of this invention that the farmer can quickly verify the crop spacing on the distribution header. 
   It is yet another feature of this invention that bridging in the hopper side of the induction unit is avoided by increasing the room for particulate material to flow. 
   It is still another advantage of this invention that the air pressure and flow required by the nurse induction system is reduced, so that the existing fan on an air cart can be used for both nurse induction of seeds and the application of particles from one of more other air cart hopper(s) at the same time. 
   It is still another feature of this invention that the wings of the planter toolbar can be folded without the need to empty particles out of the planter seed reservoir before folding. 
   It is yet another advantage of this invention that the planter can be folded with the wings pivoted closer to the first row unit on the wing section of the planter row unit without interference between the planter seed reservoirs. 
   It is yet another advantage of this invention that more than one planter singulator can be fed with one nurse inductor line, thus enabling the development of a wider planter toolbar with substantially more planter units than previously available. 
   It is a further advantage of this invention that the nurse inductor mechanism can be used on an air cart that may also be used in dryland farming. 
   It is still a further object of this invention to provide nurse inductor mechanism for an agricultural seeding implement which is durable in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, carefree of maintenance, facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use. 
   These and other objects, features, and advantages are accomplished according to the present invention by providing a nurse receiver header for an agricultural planting implement which is cooperable with a nurse mechanism that conveys a stream of seeds entrained in an air stream from a central hopper. A receiver is positioned at the planting mechanism to receive the seeds entrained in the air stream and accumulate a supply of seeds for utilization by the associated planting mechanism. The receiver header includes a plurality of legs and a rotatable baffle positioned internally at an uppermost position of at least one leg of the receiver header. The baffle is pivoted by an external lever that is positioned in the same orientation as the baffle to indicate the position of the baffle. The header can be placed in a closed configuration by positioning the baffle across the leg to be blocked. When in an open configuration, the baffle is positioned parallel to the leg and all of the legs of the header are open. 
   The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description that follows, in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a typical air seeder mechanism on which a nurse induction mechanism incorporating the principles of the instant invention is mounted; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nurse induction system depicted in  FIG. 1 , the arrows depicting the direction of air flow through the mechanism; 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the nurse induction mechanism shown in  FIG. 2  to depict the flow of air and seed through the uppermost seed distribution tubes leading to the planting mechanism, the arrows depicting the direction of air flow through the mechanism; 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view similar to that of  FIG. 3  except depicting the flow of air and seed through the lowermost seed distribution tubes to the corresponding planting mechanism, the arrows depicting the direction of air flow through the mechanism; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the divider wall portion of the nurse induction apparatus to depict the divider walls separating the uppermost and lowermost seed distribution tubes; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the particle hopper side of the nurse induction unit, with the exterior induction box wall removed, the nurse distribution lines being oriented in vertical pairs to leave open space between the lines for the seed particles to pass through; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the outlet side of the nurse induction unit seen from the exterior of the apparatus; 
       FIG. 8  is a front elevational view of a typical planting mechanism adapted for operative association with a parallel nurse system depicted in FIG.  1  and incorporating the principles of the instant receiver header invention, the side wings of the planting mechanism being folded upwardly relative to the central section to place the planting mechanism in a transport position; 
       FIG. 9  is a front elevational view of the planting mechanism depicted in  FIG. 8  except with the side wing sections being folded down into an operative position; 
       FIG. 10  is an enlarged elevational view of the nurse system receiver apparatus corresponding to the circled mechanism within  FIG. 9 ; 
       FIG. 11  is an enlarged perspective view of the nurse system receiver assembly; 
       FIG. 12  is an enlarged front elevational view of the nurse system receiver assembly shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
       FIG. 13  is an enlarged side elevational view of the nurse system receiver assembly shown in  FIG. 12 ; 
       FIG. 14  is a front elevational view of a nurse system receiver header assembly of the present invention in a narrow row configuration; 
       FIG. 15  is a front elevational view of a nurse system receiver header assembly of the present invention in a wide row configuration; 
       FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a nurse system receiver header assembly of the present invention in a wide row configuration; 
       FIG. 17  is an elevational view of a nurse system receiver header assembly of the present invention in a wide row configuration; 
       FIG. 18  is an end view of a nurse system receiver header assembly of the present invention in a wide row configuration; 
       FIG. 19  is a front elevational view of a planting mechanism adapted for operative association with a series nurse system and incorporating the principles of an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 20  is an enlarged partial schematic of a series nurse system incorporating the principles of an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 21  is an enlarged perspective view of a nurse system receiver header assembly for use in the series nurse system shown in FIG.  19 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring first to  FIGS. 1-4 , the principles of the nurse induction apparatus can best be seen. The nurse inductor  20  enables the use of a standard air cart  10  for both the central hopper and the nurse system air source. The air cart fan can be used for both fertilizing and nursing operations simultaneously. The inductor  20  can be designed in an adapter arrangement which enables the air cart  10  to be readily converted from a roller type volumetric metering system to the nurse inductor system, and vice versa. Such nurse mechanisms are described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,289,830, 6,298,797, and 6,267,067, to Mayerle et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
   The nurse induction adapter is mounted on a conventional air seeder or air cart, and redirects the air stream  13  coming from the fan  11  in an air cart meter box  16  into a path that leads through the nurse inductor  20 . The air stream is guided into a nozzle region  30  that directs the air along a flow path that tangentially engages a pile of seed particles S exiting the opening  19  at the bottom of the seed hopper  12 . The turbulence of the blast of air from the nozzle  30  loosens the seed particles from this assemblage of seed particles S exiting the opening  19  in the bottom of the seed hopper  12 , entraining the individual seed particles into the air stream as it follows a path to the distribution lines  22  above the seed particle pile. The individual seed particles remain suspended in the air stream where the air bleeds off and the individual seed particles fall by gravity into a second pile or mass at the planting mechanism. 
   As best seen in  FIGS. 3-7 , the air stream  13  through the nurse inductor apparatus  20  is split at the general location of the seed particle mass at the bottom of the central seed hopper  12  on the air cart  10  into individual sections  31  that are isolated by generally vertical walls  32 . Each individual section  31  leads to a different seed distribution tube  22  and, ultimately, to a different receiver header  45  and associated receivers  40 . The nurse inductor  20  induces seed particles into the air stream when and where there is demand for the particles. The demand for particles is controlled by the level of product in each respective receiver header on the output end of the seed distribution tube. In smaller planting systems, the primary nurse lines  22  run directly to the receivers  40  without benefit of a receiver header  45 . The nurse inductor  20  induces seed particles into the air stream when and where there is demand for the particles. The demand for particles is controlled by the level of product in each respective receiver  40  or receiver header  45  on the output end of the seed distribution tube. When the receiver header  45  is full, air is restricted from escaping from the seed distribution tube by the massed seed particles within the seed distribution tube. As a result of the filled receiver header  45 , which prevents the passage of air there through, the air flow and air velocity reduce due to increased pressurization of the line. This resultant reduction in potential air pressure reduces the capacity of the flow of air to induce the seed particles into the corresponding seed distribution tube  22 . Since the flow of air through the nurse inductor  20  is spread across the entire unit, the flow of air will tend to go to the lines that have open receivers because of the less airflow resistance. 
   The divider walls  32 , that separate the air and entrained seed particle flows to each respective seed distribution tube  22 , are sealed such that air cannot get into the seed distribution tubes  22  downstream of the pickup area. The sealed vertical walls  32  also prevent cross over of air and entrained seed to different seed distribution tubes  22 . This division of airflow enhances operation since each line is operable to run at different times, depending on demand as represented by the massed seed particles in the output end of the seed distribution tubes  22 . 
   The shape of the air and entrained seed particle flow path has an impact on the performance of the inductor. When the receiver  40  or receiver header  45  is filled, only a small volume of air flows through the receiver and seed delivery is stopped. Air is still capable of traveling through the lines, through the massed seed particles, and past the seed particles at the vent. If seed particles were to be allowed to be induced into the lines with airflows that are less than carrying velocity, a blocking of the seed distribution tubes  22  can occur. This problem of blocking the seed distribution tube  22  can be avoided by forming the portion of the inductor structure, just above the area adjacent to the bottom of the central seed hopper where the individual seed particles are entrained into the airflow, larger so that the air velocity slows down in this region. 
   With the slowed air velocity, any seed particles that had been entrained into the slow flowing air stream fall out of the airflow and are dropped back into the seed particle mass region. Thus, the seed particles are picked up and carried by the air stream only when the air velocity is above the minimum carry velocity, thereby allowing air to be flowing slowly without transporting any entrained seed particles into the full seed distribution tube. Correspondingly, the cross-sectional area of the seed distribution tubes is smaller than the cross-sectional area between the generally vertical walls dividing the plenum into discreet channels. As a result, the air velocity increases once entering the seed distribution tube, allowing the seed particle to be retained within the air stream once it enters the seed tube. 
   The regulator  25  for the flow of seed particles into the area for entrainment within the air stream is defined by a movable gate  29  forming a common edge along which seed particles flow into the particle pick-up area. The product regulator  25  extends across the entire nurse induction apparatus  20 . As the seed particles flow under the product regulator, the seed particles form a pile falling naturally at the angle of repose of the seed particles. The angled surface of the pile of seed particles forms the bottom wall of the air channel in the pick-up area. The proximity of the air nozzle  30  to the wall of product affects the amount of product carried in the air stream. As the regulator  25  is rotated and more or less product is permitted to pass through the opening  19   a  at the bottom of the central seed hopper  12 , the seed particles fall either closer to or farther from the air nozzle  30 . Since different products, such as different seed types, have properties that affect how easily the air stream picks them up, as well as the differences in the angle of repose at which the products slump, the ideal distance between the product surface and the air nozzle varies with the product being distributed. The product regulator  25  is adjustable to enable the optimum distance to be set for each product type, as well as the desired flow rate. 
   As the air stream  13  strips the product away close to the bottom of the product regulator  25 , product from the hopper  12  replenishes the created cavity. The closer to the bottom of the regulator  25  the product is stripped away, the more quickly the product is replenished. Thus, when the regulator  25  is positioned correctly for the specific type of product being nursed, the induction of product into the air stream is relatively steady. During testing, it was found that steady induction of product into the air stream reduced plugging problems within the distribution tubes  22  while maximizing product delivery efficiency. 
   The product regulator  25  is located on the hopper side of the induction box so that it does not interfere with the seal of the divider walls  32 . The product regulator  25  is formed as a single crescent shaped plate  29  that extends across the entire width of the induction unit  20 . The regulator plate  29  is attached to a shaft that is rotated by an external handle  28 . Thus, the flow of product across the induction box is controlled with the adjustment of a single handle  28 . As a result, the flow rate of seed particles can be controlled for all of the tubes  22  simultaneously, and can be completely shut-off to permit clean-out during which process the air will still be guided through the distribution tubes  22  without carrying seed particles. The rotatable regulator plate  29  can be adapted easily for remote control by appropriate actuators connected to the regulator  25 . Such a configuration is particularly advantageous in precision farming practices, as the flow of seed particles through the seed distribution tubes  22  can be turned on and off easily. Alternatively, the inductor box  20  could be configured to control the flow of air through the nozzle  30  instead of the flow of seeds. 
   The generally vertical divider walls  32  are constructed such that the nurse inductor apparatus is made in pair segments that are stacked to fit the width of the induction box. The vertical nature of this modular design allows the inductor apparatus to be compact. The modularity of such a design allows the nurse inductor to be easily adapted to different widths and numbers of product lines, including a compact induction box width having a large number of product lines. To allow more space on the particle hopper side of the inductor unit, the distribution tubes  22  forming the outlet pipes are stacked in vertical pairs. The additional space between outlet pipes reduces bridging of the particles as they flow past the pipes and into the region of the product regulator  25 . Each distribution tube  22  is independent. The walls  32  dividing the distribution tubes are curved to direct the air and entrained seed particle stream as shown in FIG.  5 . The air and entrained seed make relatively small directional changes in the inductor apparatus, which improves the efficiency of the air system. This efficiency enables both the nursing of more than 12 rows and the use of the second air cart tank for simultaneous fertilizer operations. 
   Alternatively, the nurse induction unit  20  is adaptable for use with a stand-alone tank, as well as for with an air cart. Furthermore, the nurse induction unit  20  can also be adaptable to other planter units. As best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the nurse induction apparatus is preferably formed as a modular unit that can be inserted into a standard air cart structure to convert the air cart from a straight meter box into a nurse induction box. The conventional air delivery tubes  17  are sealed and remain on the air cart  10 , while the nurse induction unit  20  is interposed to receive the air stream  13  from the fan  11 . A connection mechanism  16  facilitates the convenient connection of the nurse unit  20  to the air cart  10  as a modular component. 
   One skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is not limited to the conveyance of seed particles, as other particulate matter is commonly distributed through an air cart system, such as fertilizer. Furthermore, the typical air cart  10  is provided with multiple hoppers or tanks containing different product to be planted in the ground. One tank could have seed stored therein, while another tank would have fertilizer and yet another tank could have herbicides or still another reservoir of fertilizer. In such multi-tank configurations, one of the tanks could be provided with a nurse induction unit  20  to convey seeds to the planting devices, while a conventional meter box is used to control the flow of fertilizer or other product to the planting devices by separate distribution tubes. Such a conventional meter box could apply the fertilizer or other product at a variable rate and could be controlled by an electronic controller, as is known for precision farming techniques. Other alternative configurations can include one tank nursing seed to all the singulators, as well as multiple tanks nursing seeds to any one particular singulator. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 8-18 , the nurse system receiver  40  and receiver header  45  can best be seen. The receiver  40  and receiver header  45  are used in conjunction with the nurse inductor system  20 , such as the one described above. One skilled in the art will recognize that the header  45  is needed in configurations where the flow is to be split between multiple receivers. The nurse inductor  20  sends an air and entrained particle stream to the receiver header  45  when the receiver header  45  has less than a desired level of product particles in it. The receiver header  45  is designed to allow air from the air and entrained particle stream to escape when the particle level is below the air vent  50 , but to limit the amount of air to escape when the particle level is above the air vent  50 . 
   The nurse line  22  leading to the header  45  is smaller than the lines  42  between the header and the receiver  40  to reduce the velocity of the air flow at the receiver header  45 , thus allowing the entrained seed particles to drop out of the air stream and fall by gravity to the receiver  40 . To stop particle blocking in the nurse line  22 , the receiver header  45  is mounted such that the inlet line  48  is always vertically above the outlet lines  42 , regardless of the position of the implement. Moreover, the header  45  never inverts, so the seed particles stay in the receivers  40  when the implement is moved between operating and transport positions. 
   In operation, the seeds are massed in the receiver  40  and in the line  42  from the receiver  40  up to the receiver header  45 , which is formed of two legs  46 ,  47  in fluid communication with an inlet line  48 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , a rotatable baffle  63 A is located in the header Y to enable an operator to close off one leg of the header  45 . The baffle can be operated in the header  45  by an external lever  63  that is pivotable at a pivot  61 . The external lever  63  is positioned in the same orientation as the baffle. Therefore, the position of the external lever  63  also designates the position of the rotatable baffle. If the operator desires both legs of the header  45  to be operational, such as for narrow row plantings, e.g., 15 inches apart, the header  45  can be placed into the open configuration by positioning lever  63  such that it is parallel with leg  47 . In the open configuration, the seed particles are directed into both leg  46  and leg  47  of the header  45 . 
   The receiver  40 , as best seen in  FIGS. 11-13 , provides a small mass of seeds in the location of the singulator meter&#39;s pickup area  41 . In the open configuration, when the seeds are accumulated up to the top of one leg, e.g., leg  46 , they block the flow of air through the air vent  50  near the header bottom. When the air does not flow freely through the air vent  50 , the flow of seeds from the nurse inductor unit diminishes. Only the small flow of air that can escape through the seeds and vent  50  will continue to flow. This airflow is too low to entrain or pick up seeds. 
   If only one leg is full, seeds will continue to be nursed into the empty leg, e.g., leg  47 , until the air vent  50  is covered in the second leg. Then, the airflow to the header  45  will drop off and seeds will not be sent in the nurse line  22  until such a time that one of the receivers  40  empties the receiver header  45  below the air vent  50 . The vent hood  52  makes a roof over the vent  50  to allow the air to be vented out and guard against rain and contaminants getting in. The orientation of the receiver header  45  always keeps the hood  52  opening facing down, even when the toolbar is rotated into the transport configuration. In an alternative embodiment, the vent and rain guard may be incorporated directly into the receiver design if a separate header is not desirable. 
   Alternatively, if the operator desires to plant in wide rows, e.g., 30 inches apart, the rotatable baffle  63 A can placed into the closed configuration by positioning the external lever  63  such that it is positioned across leg  47 . As discussed above, the position of the external lever  63  indicates the position of the rotatable baffle  63 A. In this closed configuration, all of the seed flowing from the receiver  40  is directed into leg  46  of the header  45 . By blocking the flow of air to leg  47 , seeds are not unnecessarily placed in an unoperational unit. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 14-16 , the lever  63  on the outside of the header  45  is designed to allow only one leg of the header  45  to be shut off. However, the header  45  can be mounted on either the top or the bottom surface to allow either the left or right side (i.e., leg  46  or  47 ) to be controlled. Furthermore, because lever  63  indicates the position of the rotatable baffle  63 A in the header  45 , the operator can quickly go across the implement and determine the baffle position for appropriate seed placement into the field (i.e., narrow or wide rows), or quickly change from a narrow seed placement to a wide seed placement and vice versa. 
   It should be noted that although a two legged header is described herein, other embodiments of the receiver header  45  would use the header in triple or other variations. For example, the triple configuration would be similar to the double configuration described above with the addition of another leg and another baffle. 
   A preferred embodiment for use with smaller planters using a parallel distribution system (i.e., where a primary nurse line runs directly to a receiver) includes an internally reconfigured inductor box so that seed cannot be picked up and delivered to inactive receivers, singulator meters, or row units. An internal baffle covers the entry to the inactive rows, thereby preventing the product to be picked up. An external lever corresponding to the internal baffle position allows the operator to determine the operational position. Because one lever adjusts the position/operation of many lines, there is only one simple, central adjustment necessary to activate or inactivate rows. 
   In a second preferred embodiment for use with smaller planters using a parallel distribution system, a valve, such as a ball valve, is located on distribution tubes associated with inactive rows during wide row planting to stop airflow in the tube. Typically, the ball valve is actuated by a lever. When the valve is closed, air is not permitted to flow through the distribution tube, and, as a result, no seed is delivered to the receiver header and associated receiver. Because air and entrained seed is not permitted to flow through a particular distribution tube, the seed cannot enter the tube or plug the tube. The lever on the ball valve serves as an indicator for the operator to quickly determine whether the distribution tube is open or closed. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 19-21 , an alternative embodiment of the present invention for use in a series planting system can best be seen. In a series planting system, as shown in  FIGS. 19-20 , a single primary line  50  directs seed to an entire row of receiver headers  55 . The headers are formed of a first leg  56  and a second leg  57  in fluid communication with an outlet line  58 . When narrow row spacing is desired, a baffle  59  located at the interface of legs  56  and  57  and outlet line  58  is in an open configuration where the baffle  59  is positioned by an external lever (not shown) to a position parallel with the outlet line  58  (shown in phantom). The baffle is pivotable about pivot point  66 . In this open configuration, seed flows from the hopper  51  through the primary line  50  to headers  55 , where a portion of the seeds flowing through line  50  is diverted through outlet line  58  and into storage bins  53 . Seeds flow into the bins  53  until all the bins  53  are filled with seed. When all of the bins  53  are filled with seed, the operator is able to start planting on a narrow row spacing. 
   On the other hand, if an operator wishes to utilize the parallel system illustrated in  FIGS. 19 and 20  to plant in wide rows, he simply shuts off the desired headers  55  by actuating the baffle  59  located in outlet line  58  such as by the external lever (not shown) to close off outlet line  58 . Air and entrained seed is therefore not permitted to flow down the closed outlet line  58 , and will continue down the primary line  50  to the next header  55 . 
   As described above with respect to the parallel distribution systems, the lever indicates the position of rotatable baffle  59  in the header  55 . As a result, the operator can quickly determine the baffle position for the appropriate placement of product into the field (i.e., narrow or wide rows), or quickly change from a narrow seed placement to a wide seed placement and vice versa. 
   The invention of this application has been described above both generically and with regard to specific embodiments. Although the invention has been set forth in what is believed to be the preferred embodiments, a wide variety of alternatives known to those of skill in the art can be selected within the generic disclosure. The invention is not otherwise limited, except for the recitation of the claims set forth below.