AGRICULTURAL DRILL

Abstract: An agricultural drill incorporating foam bout markers (11) each comprising a tubular arm pivotally mounted at each side of the drill to be raised and lowered in use, and foam generating apparatus (13 to 17) that selectively supplies foam to each marker arm (11) so that it flows through the tubular body of the arm to a foam dispension head (23) carried at its outer end. An individual hydraulic actuator (12) operates each arm (11). A hydraulic control valve (50) allows one or the other actuator (12) to be operated to raise the corresponding marker arm (11). Operation of rams (8) to raise the coulters (4) causes both actuators (12) to operate automatically to raise the marker arms (11). Lowering of each marker arm (11) is used to trigger the supply of foam to it.

Description: AGRICULTOBAl DRILL. Field of Invention This invention relates to an agricultural drill incorp- orating apparatus for marking guide lines for successive drilled bouts. Commonly known bout markers on drills comprise pivoted arms mounted at each side that can be selectively raised or lowered to bring a mechanical marking tool such as a disc into engagement with the ground. A difficulty met with in using these markers is that ground conditions can sometimes prevent them from making a clearly visible mark. For example, when direct-drilling/ i.e. drilling in untilled soil, the ground may be too hard for the marker to penetrate. It is also known to use foam to mark bouts. A form gener¬ ator produces the foam and valve means is used to control the flow of foam through flexible pipes to either end of a boom where it is dispensed through fixed foam heads. Disclosure of the Invention The present invention consists in providing a drill with foam bout markerscomprising tubular arms pivotally mounted at each side of the drill to be raised and lowered in use, and a foam generator that selectively supplies foam to each arm so that it flows through the tubular body of the arm to a foam dispensing head carried at its outer end. •e It will be appreciated that a foam marker is particularly advantageous with a direct-drill because it produces a clearly visible mark without requiring penetration of the ground. Further, the use of tubular arms for the flow of foam to the dispensing heads produces a particularly simple construction that avoids trailing flexible foam pipes that could be damaged by raising and lowering of the arms or by movement over crop or obstructions. Description of the Drawings An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a drill fitted with a bout marker according to the invention, Figure 2 is a schematic plan of the bout marker control system installed on the drill of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a plan view of a bout marker arm in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a plan view of the pivotal mounting of the bout marker arm of Figure 3 , and Figure 5 is a side ^ elevation of the pivotal mounting of Figure 4 Best Mode of Carrying out " the Tnvention The direct drill illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a frame 1 mounted on a pair of wheels 2 and connectable by a draw¬ bar 3 to a tractor hitch. A series of disc coulters 4 are mounted by trailing links 5 on the frame at positions which are spaced apart in a direction transverse to the direction of operative forward motion of the drill, together with actuating means capable of thrusting the coulters down¬ wards into the ground to open furrows into which seeds can be dropped. The actuating means comprises a transverse overhead beam 6 that is connected to the coulters through resilient thrust transmitting means 7 and is supported from the frame between a pair of upright hydraulic rams 8. The rams 8 are connected to the beam at their upper ends via articulated joint means 9 so that the beam can be raised and lowered by the rams to raise and lower the coulters, and can tilt from side to side if the ground profile varies across the drill while the coulters are in work as shown in Figure 2. The two rams are connected in parallel and are connected through a spool valve 10 to a hydraulic supply so that the rams can be raised and lowered together under the control of the spool valve and can move in opposite directions to one another with the displacement of hydraulic fluid from one ram to the other. A more detailed description of the main features of the drill outlined above is given in British Patent Specification No. 1593874. A pair of bout marker arms 11 are pivotally mounted to the frame 1 at opposite sides of the drill so that each can be pivoted between a raised position and a lowered position in which it extends laterally from the side of the drill to leave a mark on the ground. The arms 11 are operated by hydraulic rams 12 under the control of the tractor driver, the arms 11 being alternatively raised and lowered for successive bouts. Typically, each arm has an effective length of half the width of the drill so that it marks a line down the centre of the next bout to guide the tractor driver. The bout marks are produced by foam that is deposited from the end of each arm 11 when it is lowered. The foam is produced by foam generation apparatus comprising an air compressor 13 and pressure regulator 14, a manifold block 15 through which compressed air is applied from the comp¬ ressor to a liquid reservoir 16 so as to produce a return flow of liquid to the manifold block in which the liquid is aerated to produce the foam. The compressed air then feeds the foam via control valves 17 to the marker arms 11, the feed rate being controlled by the setting of the pressure regulator 14. The foam generation apparatus may be of known construction and thus it will not be described in any further detail. Operation of the foam generation apparatus is controlled through operation of the compressor 13 and the two valves 17. The compressor and valves are electrically operated and may be controlled at will by the tractor driver so as to supply foam to either marker arm that he has lowered. Preferably, however, operation of the marker arms and the supply of foam can be interconnected by providing switch means 18 to detect the lowering of each arm and to trigger opening of the corresponding valve. Operation of the compressor 13 could also be controlled by the switches 18 so that control of the foam generation apparatus is fully automated and the tractor driver has only to raise and lower the marker arms. The foam generation apparatus is preferably housed in the weight frame at the rear of the drill (not shown) , the reservoir 16 being located to one side of the drill while a replacement reservoir is located at the other side of the drill. These reservoirs are interchanged when the first reservoir 16 becomes exhausted. The construction of the bout marker arms 11 is illustrated with reference to the right-hand arm in Figure 3. Each arm is of tubular construction throughout and comprises three tubes 19, 19', 19' ' of successively smaller outside diameter that are fixed each within the end of the last so that the arm tapers towards its outer end. The inner end of the inner tube 19 is closed by a plate 20 and is provided with an inlet pipe 21 in its side wall through which foam 0!.-?I can be applied to the interior of the arm. A flexible pipe 22 connects each valve 17 to the inlet pipe 21 of the corresponding marker arm 11. The outer end of the arm carries a foam dispensing head 23 that directs foam downwards onto the ground. The illustrated head 23 comprises a length of corrugated flexible tube that is releasably connected to an end portion 24 of the outer tube 19'' that is turned downwards through a right angle. The two innermost tubes 19, 19* are welded together, but the two outermost tubes 19', 19' ' are clamped together by a releasable clamp 60 that encircles the end of tube 19' and can be released to allow the tube 19* ' to be slid in and out of the tube 19'. A longitudinal split 61 in the end of tube 19' will allow it to be contracted radially onto the tube 19''. Axial adjustment of the outer tube 19' ' allows adjustment of the length of each arm 11 to suit different tractors if the tractor wheels are following the bout marks. The manner in which the marker arm 11 is pivotally connected to the frame 1 of the drill is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. The inner end of the inner tube 19 is connected within a box-like support that is pivotally connected by a pin 26 within the arms of a U-shaped bracket 27 on a side member 28 of frame 1 so that the support 25 and arm 11 pivot about a horizontal axis 29 extending in the direction of travel of the drill. The U-shaped bracket 27 is located near the front corner of the frame 1 and an operating lever 30 connected to the leading side of the support 25 projects downwards therefrom and is joggled forwards at 31 so that its lower end moves in an arc with the arm 11 in a vertical plane spaced forwards of the front beam 32 of frame 1. The hydraulic ram 12 that lifts and lowers the marker arm 11 "' , < .- M(_ ζ is mounted by bolts 33 on the front face of the beam 32 so that the piston rod 34 extends horizontally outwards therefrom towards the operating lever 30. A vertical plate 35 is welded to the end of the piston rod 34 and an adjustable length screw connector 36 is provided between the plate 35 and the lower end of the operating lever 30. As shown in Figure 5, the marker arm is in the lowered position with the ram 12 fully retracted, in which the connector 36 can be adjusted so that the outermost end of the arm is at the correct height for marking. Extension of the ram causes the arm 11 to be raised, as shown in broken lines in Figure 5. The ram is single acting and has a return spring 37 connected between a lug 38 on the ram cylinder and the plate 35 so as to assist movement of the arm 11 to its lowered position. The marker arm is pivotally connected within the box-like support 25 so that* it can break-back if it hits an obstruc¬ tion when lowered. The pivotal connection is provided by a pivot sleeve 39 that is fixed diametrically through the inner tube 19 and is received between the top and bottom plates 4θ, 41 of the support 25, and a pivot pin 42 that extends perpendicular to the pivot pin 26 through the plates 40, 41 and sleeve 39. A pair of coil springs 43 serve to hold the arm 11 in its normal outwardly extending position, the springs 43 being located one above and one below the support 25 and being connected at one end to a pin 44 that extends through the support and at the other end to a pin 45 carried on an arm 46 that projects forwards from tube 19. The break-back action of the marker arm is shown in broken lines in Figure 4. It will be appreciated from Figure 4 that only a short length of flexible pipe 22 extends across the space between the foam inlet pipe 21 of the marker arm and the side frame member 28 of the drill so that the chance of this being damaged by an obstruction when the arm is lowered is very slight. The two bout marker rams 12 are connected into the hydraulic circuitry as shown in Figure 2 so that each is connected via a line 47 and check-valve 48 to the supply line 49 that is pressurised to raise the beam 6 and attached coulters. This pressure passes via the check- valves 48 to operate both rams 12 simultaneously and raise the marker arms 11. Thus, at the end of a bout, raising of the coulters causes automatic raising of the marker arms 11, this being the safest state for manoeu- vering of the drill at.the headlands and for transport if drilling is complete. Lowering of a marker at the beginning of a bout is controlled by an auxiliary tractor spool valve 50 that has its two output lines 51, 52 connected to respective ones of the marker rams 12 between the check-valve 48 and the ram. Operation of the spool valve 50 to one position will therefore supply pressure to one ram to maintain it in the extended state and will release pressure from the other ram allowing it to retract and lower the corresponding marker arm. Operation of the spool valve 50 to the other position will similarly allow said one ram to retract and lower the corresponding marker arm, whilst maintaining said other ram in the extended state with the marker arm raised. Thus, the tractor driver can select to lower either marker arm and can change this choice at any time by operation of the spool valve 50. Further, both marker arms can be raised at any time by raising the coulters. CMH The Figure 5 shows electrical control switch 18 used to control the flow of foam to each marker arm through the valve 17. The switch 18 is secured via a mounting plate 53 to the front face of the beam 32 and is operated by a plate 54 carried on the plate 35 on the piston rod 34 of the ram. The plate 54 moves longitudinally with the piston rod past the operating plunger 55 of the switch, that portion of the plate nearest the ram being inclined downwards to form a ramp 56 that progressively depresses the switch operating plunger 55 as the ram retracts to lower the marker arm. The operating plunger is then held depressed by the plate so that the switch is isolated from the affect of bouncing of the marker arm during drilling. A cover plate 57 is secured to the beam 32 so as to protect the switch 18 and ram 12 and associated parts. In a simpler alternative embodiment of the invention, both marker arms 11 are-raised and lowered together under the control of a spool valve and the supply of foam is switched to one arm or the other under the control of a foam supply valve, which may be electrically operated. Thus in operation, both arms will be lowered but only one will be supplied with foam for marking. The rams operating the marker arms may be independent of the rams operating the coulters or may be connected to them so that both arms are raised automatically at the end of each bout. C\1?I [_

Claims: Claims 1. An agricultural drill incorporating bout marker apparatus comprising marker arms pivotally mounted at each side of the drill to be raised and lowered in use char¬ acterised in that the arms 11 are tubular and foam generating apparatus (13 to 17) is provided on the drill so as to selectively supply foam to each arm (11) so that it flows through the tubular body of the arm to a foam dispensing head (23) carried at its outer end. 2. A drill as claimed in claim 1 further characterised in that an individual actuator (12) is provided to operate each marker arm (11) . 3. A drill as claimed in claim 2 further characterised in that each actuator (12) is operatively connected to a lever (30) that is connected to the marker arm (11) . 4. A drill as claimed in claim 3 further characterised in that each actuator (12) comprises a hydraulic arm that is extended to raise the marker arm (11) . 5. A drill as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that each marker arm (11) is carried by a support (25) that is pivotally connected to the drill so as to allow raising and lowering of the arm (11) , a pivotal connection (29, 42) being provided between the arm (11) and the support (25) so as to allow a break-action of the arm (11) against the action of a spring (43). 6. A drill as claimed in claim 5 further characterised in that the support (25) comprises a box-like structure pivotally connected to the drill at its inner end by a pivot pin (26) and pivotally supporting the marker arm (11) between opposed walls (40,- 41) thereof by a pivot pin (42) extending substantially perpendicular to the pivot pin (26) . 7. A drill as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6 further characterised in that the actuators (12) comprise hydraulic actuators connected to a valve (50) that can be manually operated at will to connect pressure to either actuator and to exhaust pressure from one whilst the other is press¬ urised. 8. A drill as claimed in claim 7 further characterised in that hydraulic actuators (8) operate the coulters (4) and both hydraulic marker actuators (12) are connected to a hydraulic supply line (49) that is pressurised to lower the coulters so that lowering the coulters causes both marker arms (11) to be raised automatically. 9. A drill as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the foam generating apparatus includes as individual valve (17) that controls the supply of foam to each marker arm (11) and which operates auto¬ matically in response to raising and lowering of the respective marker arm (11) . 10. A drill as claimed in claim 9 further characterised in that each valve (17) is electrically operated and is cont¬ rolled by a corresponding electrical switch (18) that is operated by an individual actuator (12) that operates a respective marker arm (11) . 11. An agricultural drill substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Inventors: BAILEY ALFRED JOHN, SARGENT RONALD STEPHEN, STONE EDWARD DAVID
Applicants: BAILEY ALFRED JOHN, MASSEY FERGUSON PERKINS LTD, MASSEY FERGUSON SERVICES NV, SARGENT RONALD STEPHEN, STONE EDWARD DAVID
Application year: 1982
Main classification: A01B69
IPC codes: A01B69