Abstract:
A v-slice insert for row crop planters includes a precision cast insert body which extends from an upper forward attachment end to a lower trailing end. The v-slice insert features a precision cast internal fertilizer tube receiving channel which protects a fertilizer tube, which, in turn delivers fertilizer to soil that eventually lies directly under planted seeds. The v-slice insert also includes a step feature near the fertilizer tube outlet to prevent the obstruction of the fertilizer tube with soil should the v-slice insert be moved in a reverse direction through soil during a turn. Further, side bulges in the sides of the v-slice insert fracture seed planting furrow side walls to facilitate closure of the furrow and complete covering of the planted seed.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/892,781 filed on Oct. 18, 2013 which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This invention relates to V-Slice inserts for row crop planters. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Modern cultivators, or row crop planters cut spaced furrows, deposit seeds in those furrows and then close the furrows over the deposited seeds. In many instances, row crop planters will deposit small amounts of low rate starter fertilizer adjacent to the seeds to promote germination and initial growth. The essential objects of a row crop planter are to position seeds with uniform spacing, depth and access to a starter fertilizer. When these conditions occur, the crop plants will be more likely to emerge at the same time and initially grow at a uniform rate. Uniform emergence and uniform initial growth increases the likelihood that individual plants will tend to produce similar yields which will result in an optimum overall yield for the crop. The skilled reader will appreciate that modern cultivators are extensive, covering many rows, and they must move rapidly across a field in order to be productive. Thus, in very rapid succession, a furrow is opened and smoothed, a liquid low rate starter fertilizer is applied, a seed is deposited and the furrow is closed around the seed simultaneously across dozens of rows for hundreds or maybe even thousands of seeds per minute. And, still further, this is now often done in the highly challenging no-till or low-till context wherein forming a smooth, uniform planting furrow may be difficult. One skilled in the art will recall that in the industry, decades of research and development have been directed toward accomplishing these objects for optimum results. 
     Present row crop planters have a plurality of planting units. Each planting unit typically includes a pair of closely spaced rotating discs, a fertilizer tube, a seed tube and various rotating elements for closing the planting furrow. Some present row crop planting units include a v-slice insert which is placed between the discs. The discs are closely spaced apart transversely and have beveled edges which are turned toward the opposite disc. If the forward most portion of the each disc is understood as the nine o&#39;clock position, then the discs nearly touch a approximately the eight o&#39;clock position and diverge most at approximately the opposite two o&#39;clock position. As the discs move through the soil, they break up the soil and create a furrow. A typical v-slice insert, when viewed from the side is shaped much like the prow of a boat. When viewed from the front, a v-slice insert resembles a thick, heavy blade. The forward end of the v-slice insert is located between the diverging discs and its lower edge is located low enough to shape a groove in the soil at the bottom of the unfinished furrow so that the bottom of the furrow has a V shape. It is into this V-shaped furrow bottom that a relatively a small quantity of starter fertilizer and evenly spaced seeds are deposited. Trailing rotating wheels or other similar devices press down on the soil surface and inwardly on either side of the furrow in order to close up the furrow. 
     The optimum planting process wherein seeds are planted in uniform straight rows, at a uniform depth, completely covered by properly compacted soil with starter fertilizer present in the soil immediately below the planted seeds is very difficult to achieve. Delivering small quantities of starter fertilizer to a zone immediately beneath each seed presents a difficult challenge. This is especially difficult because, in order position a liquid fertilizer tube near the bottom of a furrow is to also expose such a tube to wear and damage. Moreover, a fertilizer tube in close proximity to soil is susceptible to being plugged with dirt during a turn. Because of the extreme widths of modern seed planters, when a seed planter is turned at the end of each set of rows, the outboard planting units on the inside portion of the turn will actually reverse direction in the soil which will often cause the exposed discharge end of a liquid fertilizer tube to be clogged with dirt. This, in turn, leads to the non-uniform application of starter fertilizer and non-uniform emergence. Defining furrow walls that are not glassy but sufficiently fractured in order to crumble and collapse around the planted seeds when furrow closing pressure is applied is another difficult challenge. What is needed is a V-slice insert that facilitates the delivery of starter fertilizer to a zone immediately below the seed and which defines furrow walls which are more susceptible to collapse and crumbling for optimum seed coverage. 
     SUMMARY 
     A v-slice insert for row crop planters meets the above described needs with a cast v-slice insert which extends from an upper forward attachment end to a lower trailing end. The v-slice insert has a v-shaped leading edge and an internal fertilizer tube channel that extends from the upper forward end to a trailing surface which is located above the lower trailing end of the v-slice insert. The tube channel makes it possible to install a protected fertilizer tube having an outlet that is optimally positioned to deposit liquid starter fertilizer in a zone directly under the planted seeds. The lower trailing end of the v-slice insert may also present a rearwardly protruding step that breaks up and crumbles soil when the insert is moving in reverse through the soil. This feature prevents soil from compacting in the exposed discharge end of a fertilizer tube which is located near the outboard end of a planter when that planter pivots. The sidewalls of the insert body near the lower back portion of the insert body may also present generally symmetrical flared-out zones which bulge gradually outward. These flared-out zones reduce the compaction of the furrow sidewalls rendering them partially fractured and less stable. When the furrow is subjected to closing pressure, its partially fractured and less stable sidewalls are more susceptible to crumbling and collapse thereby providing better coverage above the planted seed after the furrow is closed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is side view of one embodiment of a v-slice insert shown mounted in a planting unit. 
         FIG. 2  is perspective view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert mounted in a planting unit shown with the left disc removed for clarity. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert shown mounted in a planting unit with the v-slice insert shown placed in a soil furrow which is shown in cross section. 
         FIG. 3A  is a cross section view a furrow showing a seed and a zone of liquid starter fertilizer as indicated in the drawing key shown with the furrow open prior to closing. 
         FIG. 3B  is a cross section view of a furrow showing a seed and a zone of liquid starter fertilizer as indicated in the drawing key shown with the furrow closed. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a one embodiment of the v-slice insert. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert. 
         FIG. 6  is a rear view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert. 
         FIG. 7  is a cut-away side view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert taken from plane A-A indicated in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert. 
         FIG. 8A  is a cut-away rear view of a one embodiment of the v-slice insert taken from plane A-A indicated in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 8B  is a cut-away rear view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert taken from plane B-B indicated in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 8C  is a cut-away rear view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert taken from plane C-C indicated in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 8D  is a cut-away top view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert taken from plane D-D indicated in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 8E  is a cut-away top view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert taken from plane E-E indicated in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 8F  is a cut-away top view of one embodiment of the v-slice insert taken from plane F-F indicated in  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the drawings,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrates a seed planting unit  5  which is mounted to a row crop planter bracket  200 . Row crop planter bracket  200  is a component of a row crop planter. The remaining portions of the row crop planter other than bracket  200  and planting unit  5  are not shown in  FIGS. 1-8F . The row crop planter should be understood by the skilled reader as including a wheeled frame and a plurality of brackets  200  suitable for supporting a corresponding seed plurality of seed planting units  5 . Seed planting unit  5  is mounted to bracket  200  and includes a pair of inclined discs  6 , a seed tube  7  and a v-slice insert  10 . As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , discs  6  have inwardly beveled outer rims which are beveled in the inboard direction. The outer rims of discs  6  preferably converge at a location that is between the seven and eight o&#39;clock positions and diverge at a location that is between the one and two o&#39;clock positions. The skilled reader will note that the six o&#39;clock position indicates straight down, the nine o&#39;clock position indicates forward and so on. As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , V-slice insert  10  is suspended from bracket  200  between discs  6  so that the body of v-slice insert  10  extends back and down to define an angle of approximately 60° with the soil surface  2  so that v-slice insert  10  emerges from between discs  6  generally between the four o&#39;clock and six o&#39;clock positions. A liquid fertilizer tube  12  is received by a channel  30  in v-slice insert  10  as will be described in greater detail below. 
     In this example, seed tube  7  is also carried by planting unit  5  and is supported by a seed tube bracket  7 A which is attached to v-slice insert  10 . Seed tube  7  is located and angled in order to deposit seeds in the furrow formed by discs  6  and insert  10  behind discs  6  and v-slice insert  10  as they move through the soil. This action forms a furrow  100  shown in  FIGS. 3, 3A and 3B . Furrow closing wheels and discs which are not shown trail behind seed tube  7  and operate to close the furrow created by discs  6  and v-slice insert  10 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  a zone of liquid starter fertilizer  106  is deposited by fertilizer tube  12  immediately beneath seed  104 . 
     In this example, V-slice insert  10  is preferably a solid cast part fashioned from chromium cast iron or an equivalent material with a high degree of wear resistance. The solid cast part for v-slice insert  10  may be considered as a v-slice insert body  11 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 , in this example, v-slice insert  10  has an upper mounting portion  11  for mounting v-slice insert  10  to a planting unit  200 . However, other row crop planting implements may require other configurations. The body of v-slice insert  10  has a leading edge  14  and a trailing edge  22 . In this example, upper mounting portion  11  is configured to pivotably mount v-slice insert  10  to a planting unit  200  so that v-slice insert  10  is able to pivot at least slightly from side to side about longitudinal axis A which is indicated in  FIG. 1A . (Another type of row crop planter may require a different mounting geometry for v-slice insert  10 , but usually, the interface will permit similar side to side pivoting.) This feature allows v-slice insert  10  to pivot around an obstacle such as a buried rock or the like. Most of trailing edge  22  in this example is a narrow flat surface which is oriented at approximately a 60° angle with respect to soil surface  2 . However, the lower portion of trailing edge  22 , namely lower portion  22 A, which, in this example is also a flat surface, is generally upright but tilted slightly forward. The bottom end of lower portion  22 A presents a step  23  which will be discussed in greater detail below. Leading edge  14  includes an upper leading edge portion  14 A and a curved lower leading edge portion  14 B. Upper leading edge portion  14 A is at slightly steeper angle than the trailing edge  22  but is still generally aligned with the body of v-slice insert  10 . Because upper leading edge portion  14 A does not engage the soil in order to shape a planting furrow, upper leading edge portion  14 A may be generally flat as can be seen by referring to  FIG. 6 . However, the curved lower leading edge portion  14 B has a v-shaped cross section as can be seen in  FIG. 6  and  FIGS. 6A-6F . Lower leading edge portion  14 B describes an arc segment so that at its upper end it is almost parallel to trailing edge  22  and almost horizontal at its lower end. This v-shaped leading edge is crucial for shaping the very bottom of the furrow in order to receive a seed such as a corn kernel in an optimum position (which is, according to agronomist a position wherein the corn kernel lays on edge and on its side). 
     As can be best seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the opposite sides of v-slice insert  10  have seed tube bracket recesses  24 A and  24 B. These recesses receive the opposite sides of a flexible plastic clip structure  7 A that is used to support seed tube  7 . Seed tube  7  is not part of the subject matter of this application. However, it may be useful to note seed tube  7  is an ingeniously designed light weight hollow plastic channel which controls the deposition of seeds with surprising accuracy. The seeds bounce down the tube and somehow, especially in the case of corn kernels, nearly always land in the optimum orientation described above if a well formed v-shaped furrow is present to receive them. 
     An important feature of v-slice insert  10  is a fertilizer tube channel  30  which extends from an inlet  30 A at the upper end of leading edge  14  to an outlet  30 B in lower portion  22 A of trailing edge  22  at a location immediately above step  23 . In this example, fertilizer tube channel  30  is a cylindrical channel which is precision cast into v-slice insert  10  when v-slice insert  10  is cast. Tube channel  30  is suitable for receiving and protecting a flexible plastic starter fertilizer tube  12  which is shown in  FIG. 1 . Fertilizer tube  12  is connected to a source of starter fertilizer which is not shown. Tube  12  is protected by v-slice insert  10  so that no portion of it comes in contact with moving soil as the planting unit progresses across a field. The location of outlet  30 B of fertilizer tube channel  30  is particularly advantageous. From this protected location, liquid starter fertilizer can be applied to the bottom of the furrow immediately ahead of the location where seed tube  7  will deposit a seed. This results in liquid starter fertilizer  106  being present immediately below the seed when the furrow is closed a fraction of a second after the seed is deposited as is shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . 
     Another important feature of v-slice insert  10  is step  23  which is referred to above. As noted above, step  23  is at the lower end of lower portion  22 A of trailing edge  22 . Step  23  is a projecting area that juts out immediately below the outlet of tube channel  30 . The purpose of step  23  is to prevent soil from clogging the outlet end of fertilizer tube  12  when insert  10  is moving through the soil in a reverse direction. The skilled reader will recall that a planting implement typically covers upwards of 18 rows and in some cases as many as 36 rows. (Even greater numbers of rows may be present in a planting implement). Most likely, the planting implement is pulled by a tractor which has a turning point located well ahead of the implement. Thus, when a reverse turn (a U-turn) is executed at the ends of a set of rows, inevitably, a v-slice insert positioned on the inside portion of the turn will be moved backward into the soil. When this occurs, step  23  encounters the soil and breaks it up before it reaches the outlet of tube channel  30  and tube  12 . If none of the fertilizer tubes of a row crop planter are obstructed, then the row crop planter will uniformly apply starter fertilizer to all of the rows being planted. The Uniform application of starter fertilizer promotes the uniform emergence and growth of plant seedlings. 
     Yet another important feature of v-slice insert  10  is a pair of symmetrical flared-out zones  52  that flare outward from the lower back portions of the side surfaces of the insert body. As can be seen in  FIGS. 8D-8F , in this example, flared-out zones  52 , when considered in the horizontal direction, gradually flare outward toward the back end of v-slice insert  10  reaching a maximum thickness at the lower portion  22 A of trailing edge  22  around the outlet of tube channel  30 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 8A-8C , in this example, flared-out zones  52  generally increase in thickness as the cross section shifts from the upper extent of flared-out zones  52  toward the center of flared-out zones  52  and then decreases in thickness at the lower extent of flared-out zones  52 . Accordingly, flared-out zones  52  present bulged out or flared-out surfaces. These flared-out surfaces operate to partially fracture the sidewalls of furrow  100  (shown in  FIG. 3A ) of the planting furrow and to prevent the formation of smoothed or trowelled furrow sidewalls. Such formed, compacted sidewalls often have enough structural integrity to remain intact even after the furrow is closed. This can result in leaving a fissure in the soil directly above the plated seed or air pockets proximate to the planted seeds, both of which are agronomically undesirable. By preventing the formation of smoothed, furrow sidewalls, v-slice insert  10 , increases the likelihood that upon closing, the walls of the planting furrow will crumble so that planted seeds will have uniform soil coverage and will not be in compromised by voids, fissures or air pockets. 
     As can be seen from the above description, v-slice insert  10  enhances the performance of a planting implement. Because of fertilizer tube channel  30 , liquid starter fertilizer is delivered to a zone immediately below the planted seed. The presence of step  23  prevents the introduction of fertilizer tube obstructing soil during sharp turns at the end of planting rows. And, flared out portions  52  prevent furrow sidewall compaction which increases the likelihood of optimum soil coverage for planted seeds. 
     It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto, except in so far as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable equivalents thereof.