Spreader for particulate material

A spreader for spreading particulate material has a plurality of outlets transversely spaced-apart in a direction perpendicular to a direction of travel of the spreader. The outlets are configured to receive the material from a metering device and to dispense an amount of the material to mid-rows between crop rows on a field such that the plurality of outlets dispenses half the amount of material to an outermost mid-row compared to the amount of material dispensed to the other mid-rows. Also, the metering device may have two metering elements, which may be controlled to meter the material to only one side of the spreader. A centrally located outlet situated on a driving line of the spreader may receive material from both metering elements so that the centrally located nozzle can dispense the material whenever one or the other side of the spreader is not dispensing material.

FIELD

This application relates to agriculture, in particular to an apparatus for applying solid agricultural product to a field.

BACKGROUND

In modern agriculture, many crops (e.g. corn) are often planted by seeding a field with seed in evenly-spaced parallel rows. Seeding a field generally involves towing a seeding implement behind a towing vehicle (e.g. a tractor) such that the wheels of the towing vehicle and the wheels of the seeding implement follow the same path, and the seeds are planted in crop rows spaced-apart by a distance such that the wheels are between crop rows. The seeding implement generally has a plurality of transversely spaced-apart seed outlets so that a plurality of crop rows may be planted at the same time in a single swath as the towing vehicle drives in a driving line in one direction on the field. Currently, all such seeding implements comprise an even number of seed outlets, for example 12, 16, 18, 24, 36, 48, etc. seed outlets. When the towing vehicle and the seeding implement arrive at the end of the field, the towing vehicle and the seeding implement are shifted over and driven in a new driving line in the opposite direction to plant another swath of crop rows. The new driving line is chosen so that the spacing between all of the parallel crop rows in the field remains constant across the field. The new driving line is determined based on the location in the field of the previous driving line and on the number and spacing of seed outlets on the seeding implement. The driving lines may be stored as coordinates in a global positioning system (GPS) for future reference and/or for automating the planting.

After planting, it is often desirable to apply post-planting product (e.g. fertilizer, micronutrients, etc. or mixtures thereof) in between the crop rows (i.e. mid-rows). A different implement but the same towing vehicle are often used for application of post-planting product. Because axle width of the towing vehicle remains unchanged, to avoid driving on the crop rows during post-planting product application, the towing vehicle is driven on the same driving lines as was driven during planting. In order to apply post-planting product between the crop rows under such conditions, the implement used to apply post-planting product has a plurality of product outlets spaced-apart by substantially the same or a similar distance as the seed outlets on the seeding implement, but the outlets on the post-planting implement are transversely offset with respect to a centerline of the towing vehicle by an amount equal to about half the spacing distance. Alternative to towing a post-planting implement, a self-propelled vehicle may be used to apply post-planting product to the field. Nevertheless, the self-propelled vehicle should drive between rows and it is desirable for the self-propelled vehicle to drive on the same rows as the towing vehicle that towed the seeding implement in order to prevent excessive compaction. Such a practice is called tramlining where all traffic drives in same rows as much as possible.

With reference toFIG. 1, irrespective of the number of outlets on a post-planting implement1, when a towing vehicle3drives the same driving lines X-X, Y-Y, Z-Z towing the post-planting implement1as the vehicle3did towing a seeding implement2during planting, such an arrangement unfortunately results in some mid-rows receiving twice the desired amount of post-planting product, or some mid-rows receiving no post-planting product, or some mid-rows receiving twice the desired amount of post-planting product and others receiving none. Mid-rows are depicted by open-headed arrows inFIG. 1. Because the outlets on the post-planting implement1are offset from the lines followed by the outlets on the seeding implement2, when the towing vehicle3makes a turn to drive in the opposite direction along the next driving line, the outlets on the post-planting implement1are transversely shifted in relation to crop rows. Crop rows are depicted by closed-headed arrows inFIG. 1. Having the same number of outlets on the post-planting implement1as were on the seeding implement2(in this case six outlets) results in doubling the amount of post-planting product applied in mid-row5and no post-planting product applied in mid-row7when a towing vehicle3is driving the same driving lines X-X, Y-Y, Z-Z as were driven during planting. Having fewer outlets on the post-planting implement would result in no doubling of post-planting product in a mid-row, but would result in more mid-rows receiving no post-planting product. Having more outlets on the post-planting implement would result in all mid-rows receiving post-planting product, but more mid-rows receiving double the amount of post-planting product.

The problem outlined above could be mitigated by shifting every second driving line during application of the post-planting product. However, shifting every second driving line is generally undesirable due to the difficulty in feeding from a fixed set of endless belts or meter rollers into a gated metering device and having a moveable boom to switch between rows. Such a solution requires many more moving parts, which can jam, wear out from movement and experience other problems associated with moving parts.

There remains a need for a post-planting implement that can apply the same amount of post-planting product to all the mid-rows between crop rows while being towed by a towing vehicle on the same driving lines used for planting the crop rows.

SUMMARY

A spreader for spreading particulate material on a field comprises a plurality of outlets transversely spaced-apart in a direction perpendicular to a direction of travel of the spreader. The outlets may be configured to receive the particulate material from a metering device and to dispense an amount of the particulate material to mid-rows between crop rows on a field such that the plurality of outlets dispenses half the amount of particulate material to an outermost mid-row compared to the amount of particulate material dispensed to the other mid-rows. In one aspect, the metering device may have two metering elements, which may be controlled to meter the particulate material to only one side of the spreader. A centrally located outlet situated on a driving line of the spreader may receive the particulate material from both metering elements so that the centrally located nozzle can dispense the particulate material whenever one or the other side of the spreader is not dispensing the particulate material. The particulate material may be a solid agricultural product, for example fertilizer, a micronutrient, a granular herbicide, a cover crop seed for interrow seeding or any mixture thereof.

In one aspect, there is provided a spreader for spreading particulate material on a field, the spreader comprising: a hopper configured to contain a particulate material; a metering device configured to receive the particulate material from the hopper; a plurality of outlets transversely spaced-apart in a direction perpendicular to a direction of travel of the spreader and configured to receive the particulate material from the metering device, the plurality of outlets further configured to dispense an amount of the particulate material to mid-rows between crop rows on a field, the mid-rows comprising an outermost mid-row and at least one other mid-row, the plurality of outlets dispensing half the amount of particulate material to the outermost mid-row compared to the amount of particulate material dispensed to the at least one other mid-row.

The at least one first outermost outlet and the at least one center outlet may receive particulate material from a single gate of the first metering element. The at least one first outermost outlet may receive half of the particulate material from the single gate of the first metering element to dispense half the amount of particulate material to the first outermost mid-row. The at least one center outlet may receive another half of the particulate material from the single gate of the first metering element to dispense half the amount of particulate material to the center mid-row. The at least one second outermost outlet and the at least one center outlet may receive particulate material from a single gate of the second metering element. The at least one second outermost outlet may receive half of the particulate material from the single gate of the second metering element to dispense half the amount of particulate material to the second outermost mid-row. The at least one center outlet may receive another half of the particulate material from the single gate of the second metering element to dispense half the amount of particulate material to the center mid-row.

The plurality of outlets may be configured to receive the particulate material from the plurality of gates through a plurality of air lines connecting the plurality of gates to the plurality of outlets. The particulate material may be transported through the air lines by an air stream. The air lines from the single gates may each split into two air lines to deliver the halves of the particulate material to the respective at least one outermost outlets and to the at least one center outlet.

In another aspect, there is provided a boom spreader for spreading particulate material on a field, the spreader comprising: a hopper configured to contain a particulate material; a metering device comprising first and second independently controllable metering elements, each metering element receiving the particulate material from the hopper, and a gate box having a plurality of gates therein that receive the particulate material from the metering element; a first boom and a second boom, the booms transversely extendible in opposite transverse directions substantially non-parallel to a direction of travel of the spreader and substantially non-perpendicular to a field; a plurality of outlets transversely spaced-apart in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the spreader, the plurality of outlets comprising at least one first outermost outlet situated on the first boom, at least one second outermost outlet situated on the second boom and at least one center outlet situated over a travel line of the spreader, the plurality of outlets configured to receive the particulate material from the plurality of gates and to dispense an amount of the particulate material to mid-rows between crop rows on a field, the mid-rows comprising a center mid-row, a first outermost mid-row, a second outermost mid-row and at least two other mid-rows; the at least one first outermost outlet dispensing half the amount of particulate material to the first outermost mid-row compared to the amount of particulate material dispensed to the at least two other mid-rows, and the at least one second outermost outlet dispensing half the amount of particulate material to the second outermost mid-row compared to the amount of particulate material dispensed to the at least two other mid-rows.

The plurality of outlets may comprise at least one outermost outlet that dispenses the particulate material to the outermost mid-row. The spreader may further comprise a boom transversely extendible in a direction substantially non-parallel to a direction of travel of the spreader and substantially non-perpendicular to the field. The boom may have thereon the at least one outermost outlet.

The at least one other mid-row may comprise a center mid-row situated on a travel line of the spreader. The metering device may comprise first and second independently controllable metering elements. The first metering element may be configured to deliver half the amount of particulate material to the center mid-row. The second metering element may be configured to deliver half the amount of particulate material to the center mid-row.

The outermost mid-row may comprise a first outermost mid-row situated on a first side of the spreader and a second outermost mid-row situated on a second side of the spreader. The at least one other mid-row may comprise a center mid-row situated over a travel line of the spreader. The spreader may further comprise a first boom and a second boom. The first boom may be transversely extendible on the first side of the spreader in a direction substantially non-parallel to a direction of travel of the spreader and substantially non-perpendicular to the field. The second boom may be transversely extendible on the second side of the spreader in a direction substantially non-parallel to a direction of travel of the spreader and substantially non-perpendicular to the field. The plurality of outlets may comprise at least one first outermost outlet situated on the first boom and at least one second outermost outlet situated on the second boom. The at least one first outermost outlet may dispense half the amount of particulate material to the first outermost mid-row. The at least one second outermost outlet may dispense half the amount of the particulate material to the second outermost mid-row. The metering device may comprise first and second independently controllable metering elements. The first metering element may be configured to deliver half the amount of particulate material to the center mid-row. The second metering element may be configured to deliver half the amount of particulate material to the center mid-row. The spreader may further comprise a plurality of air lines and a blower configured to transport the particulate material from the metering device to the plurality of outlets.

The first metering element may comprise an apron that receives the particulate material from the hopper. The first metering element may comprise a gate box having a plurality of gates therein that receive the particulate material from the apron. One of the plurality of gates may deliver half the amount of particulate material to the at least one first outermost outlet. The gate that delivers the particulate material to the at least one first outermost outlet may also deliver the particulate material to at least one center outlet to dispense half the amount of particulate material to the center mid-row. The second metering element may be constructed like the first metering element or differently from the first metering element. The second metering element may be configured to deliver the particulate material to the at least one second outermost outlet. The second metering element may be configured to deliver the particulate material to the at least one center outlet to dispense half the amount of particulate material to the center mid-row. The apron may comprise an endless belt or a set of meter rollers.

In another aspect there is provided a method of applying particulate material to a field using a boom spreader, the method comprising: driving a boom spreader in a first direction along a first driving line in a first swath of a field planted with a crop, the field comprising a plurality of mid-rows between a plurality of crop rows, the mid-rows in the first swath comprising first and second outermost mid-rows and at least one mid-row between the first and second outermost mid-rows, the boom spreader comprising a plurality of transversely spaced-apart outlets through which a particulate material is applied to the mid-rows, the plurality of transversely spaced-apart outlets comprising first and second outermost outlets configured to apply the particulate material to the first and second outermost mid-rows and at least one inner outlet configured to apply the particulate material to the at least one mid-row between the first and second outermost mid-rows; applying a particulate material to the first and second outermost mid-rows in an amount that is about half an amount of the particulate material applied to the at least one mid-row between the first and second outermost mid-rows; driving the boom spreader along a second driving line in a second swath of the field in a second direction opposite the first direction, the second swath comprising the second outermost mid-row, a third outermost midrow and at least one mid-row between the second and third outermost mid-rows, the first and second outermost outlets configured to apply the particulate material to the second and third outermost mid-rows and the at least one inner outlet configured to apply the particulate material to the at least one mid-row between the second and third outermost mid-rows; and, applying the particulate material to the second and third outermost mid-rows in an amount that is about half an amount of the particulate material applied to the at least one mid-row between the second and third outermost mid-rows, the second outermost mid-row thereby receiving about the same amount of the particulate material as the at least one mid-row between the first and second outermost mid-rows of the first swath and about the same amount of the particulate material as the at least one mid-row between the second and third outermost mid-rows of the second swath.

The boom spreader may comprise at least one innermost outlet configured to apply the particulate material to the at least one mid-row on the driving line between the outermost mid-rows. The boom spreader may further comprise first and second booms transversely extendible over the field on either side of the spreader. The first boom may comprise the first outermost outlet and at least one other outlet between the first outermost outlet and the at least one innermost outlet. The second boom may comprise the second outermost outlet and at least one other outlet between the second outermost outlet and the at least one innermost outlet. The boom spreader may further comprise a metering device. The metering device may comprise first and second independently controllable metering elements. The first metering element may deliver the particulate material to the outlets on the first boom and the at least one innermost outlet. The first outermost outlet and the innermost outlet may receive about half the amount of particulate material as the at least one other outlet. The second metering element may deliver the particulate material to the outlets on the second boom and the at least one innermost outlet. The second outermost outlet and the innermost outlet may receive about half the amount of particulate material as the at least one other outlet. The first metering element may be switched off when the first boom is over a portion of the field, which has already received the particulate material or which is not intended to receive the particulate material.

Further features will be described or will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description. It should be understood that each feature described herein may be utilized in any combination with any one or more of the other described features, and that each feature does not necessarily rely on the presence of another feature except where evident to one of skill in the art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference toFIG. 2,FIG. 3,FIG. 4,FIG. 5,FIG. 6andFIG. 7, a boom spreader10for spreading solid particulate material (e.g. solid agricultural product such as fertilizer, micronutrients and the like) on a terrain (e.g. a field) comprises a hopper12for containing the solid particulate material. As seen inFIG. 2, the hopper12is a dual compartment hopper having two bins14,16for containing two types of particulate material and separated by a partition15. However, the hopper may comprise any number of compartments. The hopper12is normally supported on a frame (not shown), which can be towed behind or supported on a vehicle (not shown) such as a tractor, truck or the like. When the spreader is towed, the frame would normally be supported on wheels to enable towing of the spreader.

The spreader10also comprises first and second extendible booms21,22mounted on first and second sides of the spreader10, respectively, which are extendible horizontally over the field in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the spreader10and transverse to a direction of travel of the spreader10on the field. To allow movement of the booms21,22between a vertical stowed position and a horizontal operating position, the booms21,22rotate about mounting pins23,24, respectively mounted in mounting brackets,25,26, respectively.

A plurality of particle delivery nozzles27(only nine of twenty-five shown and labeled as27a,27h,27i,27j,27k,27l,27m,27n,27y) are mounted on the booms21,22and on a support frame28for the booms21,22. The nozzles27are shown covered by deflectors29a,29h,29i,29j,29k,29l,29m,29n,29yto direct particulate material downward toward the field. The nozzle27mis a central nozzle that applies the particulate material to a mid-row under a centerline of the spreader10, which is also a travel line for the spreader10when the spreader10is traveling across the field. While each of the nozzles27may comprise a single nozzle, it will be understood that any one or more of the nozzles27may, in fact, comprise more than one nozzle.

The particulate material in the hopper10is metered into an air system50for transport to the nozzles27by a metering apparatus30comprising a first set of two independently controllable endless belts31,32and a second set of two independently controllable endless belts33,34. The first set of endless belts31,32transports particulate material from the bin14, while the second set of endless belts33,34transports particulate material form the bin16. The sets of endless belts31,32and33,34are disposed under openings in the respective bins14and16to receive the particulate material flowing from the bins14and16under the influence of gravity. The sets of endless belts31,32and33,34may be operated serially to meter one type of particulate material at a time, or simultaneously to meter two types of particulate material at the same time. While two sets of endless belts are illustrated, the spreader may comprise any number of endless belts, although it is preferred that there is one set of endless belts per bin in the hopper. While endless belts are illustrated, any of the independently controllable metering elements could be an endless belt or a set of meter rollers. Therefore, any number of endless belts and sets of meter rollers may be present in the metering apparatus. For example, one or more of the endless belts may be replaced by sets of meter rollers or sets of meter rollers may be included in addition to the endless belts. In one example, the second set of endless belts may be replaced by two sets of meter rollers, one set of meter rollers replacing one of the endless belts in the second set and another set of meter rollers replacing the other of the endless belts in the second set.

The metering apparatus30also comprises a first gate box41and a second gate box42disposed under the endless belts31,33and32,34, respectively, which receive the particulate material from the sets of endless belts31,33and32,34. The first gate box41receives the particulate material from the endless belts31and/or33, while the second gate box42receives the particulate material from the endless belts32and/or34. As described in more detail below, the first gate box41meters the particulate material for delivery to the nozzles27on the first side of the spreader10, while the second gate box42meters the particulate material for delivery to the nozzles27on the second side of the spreader10. As further described in more detail below, both gate boxes41and42meter the particulate material to the central nozzle27m. The central nozzle27mmay therefore conveniently comprise, if desired, two side-by-side nozzles receiving the particulate material from different gate boxes but applying the particulate material to the same mid-row, in this case the mid-row under the centerline of the spreader. Alternatively, the central nozzle27mmay be a single nozzle with the streams of the particulate material from the gate boxes41and42being combined before reaching the central nozzle27m.

The first gate box41comprises individual gates41a,41b,41c,41d,41e,41f,41g, which are parallel vertical channels separated from each other by walls from a top of the first gate box41to the bottom of the first gate box41. Each of the gates41a,41b,41c,41d,41e,41f,41gof the first gate box41taper inwardly toward the bottom of the gate box41where they open through respective gate outlets43a,43b,43c,43d,43e,43f,43gto meter the particulate material into the air system50to be delivered by an air stream in the air system50to the nozzles27primarily on the first side of the spreader10where the particulate material is applied to the mid-rows in the field. The second gate box42likewise comprises individual gates42a,42b,42c,42d,42e,42f,42ghaving respective gate outlets44a,44b,44c,44d,44e,44f,44gat the bottom of the gate box42for metering the particulate to the nozzles27primarily on the second side of the spreader10. Also, the gate41gdelivers the particulate material both to a first outermost nozzle27a(seeFIG. 2) on the first side of the spreader10and to the central nozzle27m, while the gate42gdelivers the particulate material both to a second outermost nozzle27y(seeFIG. 2) on the second side of the spreader10and to the central nozzle27m.

As best seen inFIG. 6andFIG. 7, the air system50may comprise a blower (not shown) that blows air through a main blower line39into air lines51a,51b,51c,51d,51e,51f,51g,52a,52b,52c,52d,52e,52f,52g,53a,53b, which receive the particulate material from the gate boxes41,42. The following describes how the particulate material is metered on the first side of the spreader10to apply a desired amount of the particulate material through the nozzles27to the mid-rows. Because a mid-row is between two crop rows, the desired amount of the particulate material is an amount sufficient to service both of the two crop rows.

The gate outlet43aand/or the gate41ahave a cross-sectional area appropriate for metering the desired amount of the particulate material to the air line51a. Thus, the air line51areceives the desired amount of the particulate material from the outlet43ato deliver the particulate material along air stream A to the nozzle27l, where the desired amount of particulate material is applied to the mid-row serviced by the nozzle27l.

The gate outlet43band/or the gate41bhave a cross-sectional area appropriate for metering twice the desired amount of the particulate material to the air line51b. Thus, the air line51breceives the particulate material from the outlet43bof the gate41bto deliver the particulate material along air stream B to two nozzles27jand27k. The air line51bsplits into two air lines (not shown), one for delivering the desired amount of the particulate material to the nozzle27jand another for delivering the desired amount of the particulate material to the nozzle27k. The air line51breceives twice the desired amount of the particulate material because the air line51bdelivers the particulate material to two nozzles.

The gate outlet43cand/or the gate41chave a cross-sectional area appropriate for metering twice the desired amount of the particulate material to the air line51c. Thus, the air line51creceives the particulate material from the outlet43cof the gate41cto deliver the particulate material along air stream C to two nozzles27hand27i. The air line51csplits into two air lines (not shown), one for delivering the desired amount of the particulate material to the nozzle27hand another for delivering the desired amount of the particulate material to the nozzle27i. The air line51creceives twice the desired amount of the particulate material because the air line51cdelivers the particulate material to two nozzles.

The gate outlet43dand/or the gate41dhave a cross-sectional area appropriate for metering twice the desired amount of the particulate material to the air line51d. Thus, the air line51dreceives the particulate material from the outlet43dof the gate41dto deliver the particulate material along air stream D to two nozzles (not shown). The air line51dsplits into two air lines (not shown), for delivering the particulate material to the two nozzles associated with the gate41d. The air line51dreceives twice the desired amount of the particulate material because the air line51ddelivers the particulate material to two nozzles.

The gate outlet43eand/or the gate41ehave a cross-sectional area appropriate for metering twice the desired amount of the particulate material to the air line51e. Thus, the air line51ereceives the particulate material from the outlet43eof the gate41eto deliver the particulate material along air stream E to two nozzles (not shown). The air line51esplits into two air lines (not shown), for delivering the particulate material to the two nozzles associated with the gate41e. The air line51ereceives twice the desired amount of the particulate material because the air line51edelivers the particulate material to two nozzles.

The gate outlet43fand/or the gate41fhave a cross-sectional area appropriate for metering twice the desired amount of the particulate material to the air line51f. Thus, the air line51freceives the particulate material from the outlet43fof the gate41fto deliver the particulate material along air stream F to two nozzles (not shown). The air line51fsplits into two air lines (not shown), for delivering the particulate material to the two nozzles associated with the gate41f. The air line51freceives twice the desired amount of the particulate material because the air line51fdelivers the particulate material to two nozzles.

The gate outlet43gand/or the gate41ghave a cross-sectional area appropriate for metering the desired amount of the particulate material to a single air line (not shown) at the gate outlet43g. The single air line at the gate outlet43gsplits into the air lines51gand53aat a splitter shown at55where air streams G1and G2diverge downstream of the gate outlet43g. Thus, both the air line51gand the air line53areceive the particulate material from the outlet43g, but the air lines51gand53aeach receive only half the desired amount of the particulate material. The air stream G1delivers half the desired amount of the particulate material to the central nozzle27m. The air stream G2delivers half the desired amount of the particulate material to the first outermost nozzle27a.

While the gates41b,41c,41d,41eand41fin the spreader10each service two nozzles in order to economize space at the metering apparatus30, any one or more of such gates may each service only one nozzle, in which case the one or more gates each servicing only one nozzle would meter the desired amount of the particulate material into the air line instead of twice the amount. Likewise, any one or more of such gates may each service more than two nozzles (i.e. three or more nozzles), in which case the one or more gates would each meter a multiple of the desired amount of the particulate material into the air line, the multiple for each gate being equal to the number of nozzles being serviced by each gate, and the air line being split downstream into a number of air lines equal to the multiple.

The metering apparatus30and the air system50on the second side of the spreader10are mirrors of the metering apparatus30and the air system50on the first side of the spreader10. Thus, the same description as above applies to the gates42a,42b,42c,42d,42e,42f,42gand air lines52b,52c,52d,52e,52f,52g,53b. As a result, all of the nozzles27between the first outermost nozzle27aand the central nozzle27mand all of the nozzles27between the second outermost nozzle27yand the central nozzle27mreceive the desired amount of the particulate material to be applied to their respective mid-rows. Further, all of the nozzles27between the first outermost nozzle27aand the central nozzle27mreceive the particulate material only from the first gate box41, which receives the particulate material only from the first set of endless belts31,32. Likewise, all of the nozzles27between the second outermost nozzle27yand the central nozzle27mreceive the particulate material only from the second gate box42, which receives the particulate material only from the second set of endless belts33,34.

The first outermost nozzle27aalso receives the particulate material only from the first gate box41, but the first outermost nozzle27aonly receives half the desired amount of the particulate material. Likewise, the second outermost nozzle27yreceives the particulate material only from the second gate box42, but the first outermost nozzle27yonly receives half the desired amount of the particulate material. The central nozzle27mreceives the particulate material from both the first and second gate boxes41,42, half the desired amount from the first gate box41and half the desired amount from the second gate box42for a total amount equal to the desired amount of the particulate material. Thus, for a given swath in the field when the spreader10is traveling in one direction, the outermost mid-rows only receive half the desired amount of the particulate material while all of the mid-rows between the outermost mid-rows receive the desired amount of the particulate material.

FIG. 8shows how a seven-nozzle spreader100designed in accordance with the principles described above for the twenty-five-nozzle spreader10can provide an appropriate amount of solid agricultural product to all mid-rows in a field when the towing vehicle3drives the same driving lines U-U, V-V, W-W that were used for planting crop rows with the seeding implement2. InFIG. 8, the mid-rows are depicted by open-headed arrows and the crop rows are depicted by closed-headed arrows.

As seen inFIG. 8, when traveling a first swath along the driving line U-U, the spreader100applies the desired amount of agricultural product (depicted by full length open-headed arrows) to mid-rows in the swath between an outermost mid-row4and an outermost mid-row6. However, the outermost mid-row4and the outermost mid-row6only receive half the desired amount of agricultural product (depicted by a shortened open-headed arrow). A central mid-row on the driving U-U receives the desired amount of agricultural product as depicted by two shortened open-headed arrows to represent that the agricultural product applied to the central mid-row comes from both of the gate boxes on the spreader100.

When the spreader100makes a turn to travel in the opposite direction along the driving line V-V in a second swath, the spreader100applies half the desired amount of agricultural product to both the outermost mid-row6and an outermost mid-row8of the second swath. The first and second swaths overlap only along the outermost mid-row6so that completion of the first and second swaths results in the outermost mid-row6receiving the desired amount of agricultural product. When the spreader100again makes a turn to travel in the opposite direction along the driving line W-W in a third swath, the overlap between swaths is repeated and so that completion of the second and third swaths results in the outermost mid-row8receiving the desired amount of agricultural product. The process may be repeated across the entire width of the field to evenly apply the desired amount of agricultural product to all the mid-rows between the crop rows. Because the towing vehicle3is driving the same driving lines U-U, V-V and W-W as were driven during planting, the same towing vehicle may be used for planting seed and spreading agricultural product without driving on the crop rows, thereby avoiding damage to the crops.

Still referring toFIG. 8, the field has two outermost edges101,102. InFIG. 8, the outermost mid-row4is an edge-row at the edge101of the field. Being an edge-row, the outermost mid-row4is not between two crop rows, but borders along only one crop row. Further, the outermost mid-row4only ever receives half the amount of agricultural product as the mid-rows6and8. However, because the outermost mid-row4is an edge-row that borders only one crop row, the agricultural product applied to the outermost mid-row4only needs to service one crop row instead of two. Half the amount of agricultural product applied to an edge-row when compared to the amount applied to a mid-row between two crop rows is an appropriate amount for the edge-row, therefore, half the desired amount of agricultural product is an appropriate amount for the outermost mid-row4, which inFIG. 8is an edge-row.

In some instances, it is desirable to be able to apply particulate material (e.g. agricultural product) on one side of the driving line but not the other. Such instances can occur at an edge of a field, at edges of unplanted portions of a field or at edges of a portion of a field that have already received the particulate material. At such edges, it is undesirable to waste agricultural product by spreading the product beyond the edges. In spreaders of the present invention, the endless belts are independently controllable. By switching off the belt or belts on one side of the spreader, it is possible to apply particulate material at only one side of the spreader. Advantageously, switching off the belts on one side of the spreader does not change how the spreader can provide an appropriate amount of solid agricultural product to all mid-rows in a field when the towing vehicle drives the same driving lines that were used for planting crop rows with the seeding implement. Because the central nozzle receives half the desired amount of particulate material from one gate and half the desired amount from the other gate, switching off the belts on one side of the metering apparatus results in the central nozzle still receiving half the desired amount of particulate material from the belts on the other side of the metering apparatus. In effect, the central nozzle becomes an outermost nozzle. Therefore, the spreader of the present invention may provide sectional control over the spreading of solid agricultural product while at the same time not losing the ability to provide an appropriate amount of the solid agricultural product to all mid-rows in the field.

With reference toFIG. 8, when the spreader100is traveling along the driving line W-W at the outermost edge102of the field, the endless belts on the right side of the metering apparatus of the spreader100are switched off to prevent application of the agricultural product beyond an edge-row9, the edge-row9being a mid-row on the driving line W-W. The endless belts on the left side of the metering apparatus of the spreader100remain switched on to provide the desired amount of agricultural product to the mid-rows at the left side of the spreader, including half the desired amount of agricultural product to the outermost mid-row8, which had already received half the desired amount of agricultural product from the spreader100while the spreader100traveled the driving line V-V. In addition, the edge-row9on the driving line W-W is effectively an outermost mid-row receiving half the desired amount of agricultural product from the central nozzle of the spreader100, which, as discussed previously, is an appropriate amount of agricultural product for an edge-row.

The novel features will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon examination of the description. It should be understood, however, that the scope of the claims should not be limited by the embodiments, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the wording of the claims and the specification as a whole.