Abstract:
This combine manure-crushing and soil-mixing rotary machine adapted to be hitched to a tractor is provided with a tool carrier shaft operable at least at two different velocities, namely a higher speed for performing the manure-crushing operation and a lower speed for performing the soil-mixing operation; the change from one velocity and one mode of operation to the other is obtained by simply interchanging gear wheels and reversing the machine end hitched to the tractor. (FIG. 1)

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates in general to farming machines intended for preparing the soil and has specific reference to a rotary machine of this type which is capable of crushing manure and mixing or harrowing the soil preliminary to seeding operations. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Rotary machines for preparing the stubble having hitherto been designed according to the current harrow practice. These rotary machine are operated as a rule at rotational velocities of the order of 250 r.p.m. and therefore the mulch, grass and residual hay on the soil surface are simply mixed with the earth without being crushed, so that their decay takes a relatively long time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is especially directed to a rotary machine capable of crushing both green manure and stubble during a first phase and to subsequently mix up the crushed manure with the earth, so that the ensuing decay takes place much more rapidly before the seeding operation. 
     To perform these different operations, the machine should have two speed ranges, i.e. a first or low range of the order of 250 r.p.m. for mixing the soil and a second or high range of the order of 1,000 r.p.m. for crushing the green manure and stubble; besides, the machine should be capable of revolving in either direction, namely in the direction of travel of the machine for mixing the soil and in the opposite direction for the preliminary crushing of manure. 
     To meet these requirements, the machine according to the present invention comprises two opposite hitching systems designed the one for the harrowing function and the other for crushing the manure, each hitching system being associated with a separate power input member for rotatably driving the tool carrier shaft. Therefore, the machine comprises two opposite hitching systems and two power inputs also opposed to each other, whereby the desired opposite directions of rotation can be obtained while keeping the same rotation direction of the tool-carrier in relation to the machine frame, in one or the other circumstance of utilisation. This arrangement is advantageous in that it allows to use, as well for the mixing work as for the crushing work, the same cutting edge of the tools. 
     As to the different velocities of rotation, they are obtained by simply interchanging two pinions of two lateral gear trains for transmitting the torque from the power or driving shaft to the tool carrier shaft. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section showing a preferred embodiment of the machine according to this invention hitched to the rear of a towing tractor; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view from above showing more particularly the mechanism for transmitting the torque to the tool carrier shaft, and 
     FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic, simplified view of one of the lateral gear trains, as seen from the outside. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The manure-crushing and earth-mixing rotary machine according to this invention comprises a main frame 1 and a pair of lateral carrier wheels 2; this machine is adapted to be hitched to a tractor 3 by means of a conventional three-point attachment comprising a pair of lower side rods 4 and a single upper central rod 5 connected to the top bearing pin 6 of the machine. The lower rods 4 are adapted to be pivotally connected to either of two pairs of hitching pins 7, 8 fixedly carried by the machine: one pair of pins 7 is disposed on one side of the machine, the other pair of pins 8 being disposed on the opposite side, as clearly shown in FIG. 2. 
     The crushing and mixing tools or blades 9 are carried by a carrier assembly having a transverse shaft 10 provided at its ends with side pinions 11 meshing with driving pinions, as will be explained presently. 
     In the assembly illustrated in the drawing the lower rods 4 are connected to hitching pins 7 and the driving pinions meshing with pinions 11 consist of toothed wheels 12 rigid with adjacent pinion 13 meshing in turn with toothed power wheels 14 keyed or otherwise fastened to transmission half-shafts 15, 16 operatively connected through bevel gears 17, 18 to longitudinal stub shafts 19, 20 rotating in opposite directions and at the same speed, these stud shafts 19, 20 being interconnected by meshing pinions 21, 22 respectively. The stub shaft 19 comprises at its end nearest to the pair of hitching pins 7 a splined or like power input portion 23 adapted to be drivingly coupled to the power take-off of the tractor through a cardan drive shaft 24 for crushing the mulch, stubble or green grass, by rotatably driving the tool carrier at high speed in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the tractor. At its opposite end, the stub shaft 19 is operatively connected via a train of reversing gears 25, 26 to another longitudinal stub shaft 27 constituting the power input member for the mixing operation during which the tool carrier is rotated in the direction of travel of the tractor and at a lower rotational velocity. 
     The mode of operation of this machine will be clearly apparent from the above description to those skilled in the art; however, it will be explained more in detail hereinafter, with reference firstly to the transmission path providing the fast rotation of the tool carrier shaft 10 when the hitching is through pins 7, as shown in the drawing. The arrows of FIGS. 1 and 2 show merely the shafts rotating constantly in the same direction with respect to the frame of the machine (though changing this direction of rotation with respect to its direction of travel). The cardan drive shaft 24 drives the stub shaft 19 through the power input portion 23 thereof, and this shaft 19 drives in turn the half-shaft 15 through bevel gears 17 and half-shaft 16 through pinions 21 and 22, shaft 20 and bevel gears 18. The half-shafts 15, 16 rigid with the driving toothed wheels 14 are in constant meshing engagement with pinions 13, thus driving the latter as well as the toothed wheels 12 rigid therewith and meshing in turn with the wheels 11 of the tool carrier shaft 10, whereby this shaft 10 will rotate at a higher speed (overdrive) with the transmission ratio provided by gears 14, 13, 12 and 11, and in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the machine for performing the mulch and stubble crushing operation. 
     To perform the subsequent soil mixing operation, the machine is hitched to the tractor through the other pack of pins 8 and the drive is provided through the opposite power input 27. The torque is thus transmitted via pinions 26, 25 to stub shaft 19 which, in relation to the frame 1, will still rotate in the direction of the arrow, as shown, but this time in the direction of travel of the tractor pulling the machine from the opposite side. To obtain a lower speed, it is only necessary to interchange the toothed wheels 14 and 13; in other words, the half-shafts 15 and 16 are rigid with pinions 13 and drive the wheels 14 rigid with pinions (not shown) meshing with gear wheels 11. Thus, assuming for instance that the diameter of wheels 14 is twice that of pinions 13, it is clear that the meshing between 14 and 13 will step up the angular velocity in the ratio of 2:1 for the crushing operation and step down this velocity in the same ratio for the mixing operation which will therefore take place at a velocity four times lower than the preceding angular velocity. 
     It will be readily understood that the above-described form of embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, since many modifications and changes may be brought thereto without departing from the basic principles of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.