Abstract:
An air divider having a shutoff plate for converting row spacing on a seeding implement. A reversible shutoff plate has a closed position wherein one end of the plate extends through a slot and completely blocks a leg of a Y-shaped output end of the divider. By reversing the shutoff plate, the leg is opened to air and material flow. The shutoff plate is retained in a clip or post adjacent the slot in both the closed and open positions. A seal closes the slot if the shutoff plate is not inserted and permits the shutoff plate option to be selected at any time.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to seeding implements and, more specifically to air delivery system dividers for such implements. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Seeding equipment such as an air drill often utilizes air flow dividers to direct-air and material from one supply hose to two or more delivery hoses. In some drills, two ranks of openers are offset from each other to provide a relatively narrow row spacing. When a wider row spacing is required, the air delivery hoses to one of the ranks of openers are incapacitated by removing the delivery hoses from the dividers, capping the hoses and reinserting the blocked hoses in the dividers for storage. Alternatively, the operator can remove the divider and directly connect the appropriate delivery hose to the supply hose. Other systems include internal valves having selectively positionable plates or flaps. 
   Operators are demanding air systems that better facilitate row spacing changes. Manually changing hose routings to achieve the desired spacings can be time consuming and inconvenient. Additional parts including caps are required and are subject to loss. Internal plates or flaps generally require a linkage for external control that can easily become inoperable from product buildup and contamination. Some dividers are costly to mold and time-consuming to assemble. A considerable amount of hardware often is necessary to assure an air-tight assembly. Many operators purchase a machine without a conversion feature but later desire to have the feature. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved divider for an air delivery system on an implement such as an air seeder. It is a further object to provide such a divider that overcomes most or all of the aforementioned problems. 
   It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved divider that has a minimal number of parts, is easy to assemble and does not require internal flaps or valves. It is another object to provide such a divider that requires no valve linkages or hose or divider caps and is relatively unaffected by product buildup and contamination. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved air flow divider for facilitating conversion of row spacing on a seeding implement. It is another object to provide such a divider that may easily be converted to receive a delivery hose cutoff feature even if the feature is not originally supplied with the implement. 
   An air divider includes common divider halves with integral interlocking features to reduce molding costs, hardware, and assembly time. The interlocking features facilitate the use of common divider halves on the top and bottom of the assembly. Raised ribs in the air divider permit outlet hoses to simply be slid into place but prevent the hose from pulling out from between the divider halves. 
   Slots incorporated into both halves of the air divider receive a shutoff plate. A removable seal prevents air leakage and can be easily displaced by the shutoff plate to thereby allow conversion of an air divider not originally purchased with a shutoff feature. A reversible shutoff plate has a closed position wherein one end extends through the slot and completely blocks a leg of a Y-shaped output end of the divider. By reversing the shutoff plate, the leg is opened to air and material flow. The shutoff plate is retained in a post or clip adjacent the slot in both the closed and open positions. A finned post is supported in a cavity defined in the assembled divider halves projects from the body member, and the shutoff plate is apertured for convenient receipt over the finned post. The post is a separate piece and is molded from wear-resistant plastic for good retention characteristics. The post can easily withstand multiple shutoff plate changes during seeding seasons. Shutoff plate changes can be made with one hand and without need for tools. 
   These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the description below in view of the drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of a portion of a seeding implement having two ranks of openers and an air divider system. 
       FIG. 2  is a view of the bottom half of the air divider. 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the air divider showing the cutoff plate in the open position. 
       FIG. 4  is a view similar to  FIG. 3  but showing the cutoff plate in the closed position. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the air divider. 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of the cutoff plate. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1 , therein is shown a portion of an implement such as an air drill  10  having trailing tools  12  for depositing material such as seeds or fertilizer in the soil. As shown, the tools  12  include first and second ranks  16  and  18  of furrow openers for applying the material in narrowly spaced rows. An air delivery system  20  includes delivery hoses  22  and  24  connected to outputs of an air divider indicated generally at  30 . A supply hose  32  is connected to an input of the divider  30  and to a source of pressurized air (not shown) for delivering material to the divider  30 . The divider  30  splits the material and air into separate streams for delivery to the tools  12  via hoses  22  and  24 . 
   If a more widely spaced row pattern or a particular non-uniformly spaced row pattern is desired, flow to specific tools  12  is blocked. For example, for a uniform wide row spacing the flow to either the first rank  16  or to the second rank  18  can be interrupted. If adjacent rows are to be skipped to accommodate an implement wheel spacing, both delivery hoses  22  and  24  from a single divider can be blocked. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2–6 , an embodiment of the divider  30  is shown for selective blocking and unblocking of preselected delivery hoses  22  and  24 . The divider  30  includes a body  40  having first and second portions or top and bottom body halves  42  and  44 . The halves  42  and  44  are generally identical and include snap fasteners  46  for securing the halves together to form the body  40 . Additional screws or fasteners  48  extend through apertures in the body to tightly secure the halves  42  and  44  together and seal the mating surfaces. 
   As shown, the divider  30  is Y-shaped and includes an input leg or end  50  receiving the supply hose  32  and diverging output legs or ends  52  and  54  receiving the delivery hoses  22  and  24 , respectively. Raised ribs  62  and  64  permit the hoses to be slipped into position into the legs  52  and  54  and prevent the hoses from pulling out. 
   The divider  30  includes selective shutoff structure indicated generally at  70  for preventing material from flowing to one of the tools to thereby change row spacing of the material deposited in the ground. The divider includes slotted areas  72  and  74  closely adjacent the upstream ends of the legs  52  and  54  adjacent the downstream end of the input leg  50 . The slotted areas  72  and  74  define slots having a width generally corresponding to the diameter of the inner bores  82  and  84  of the legs  52  and  54  and terminating within the bores. A foam seal  90  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) of circular cross section and length approximately equal to the width of the slots is initially located in each of the slotted areas  72  and  74 . The seal as shown extends generally tangentially to the respective bore  82  or  84 . Initially the divider  30  may be provided to the customer with seals  90  in the slotted areas so that the divider functions as a conventional splitter. If the customer later decides to add the shutoff feature described below, a reversible shutoff plate  100  can be inserted in the corresponding slotted area to displace the seal  90  and provide sealing for the slotted area. 
   The reversible shutoff plate or angle  100  ( FIG. 6 ) includes a first or open end portion  102  and an opposed second or closed end portion  104 . The end portions  102  and  104  are connected by a central 90 degree angled portion  106  having slots or apertures  112  and  114  offset equal distances from the bend in the angled portion  106 . Quick attach ratcheting or fin type fastener posts  120  include headed portions  122  captured in conforming cavities or receiving slots  124  molded into the body halves  42  and  44  adjacent and downstream of the slotted areas  72  and  74 . The apertures  112  and  114  have a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the fins of the fastener posts  120  to firmly secure the shutoff plate  100  to the divider  30  when either the first end portion  102  or the second end portion  104  is inserted in the slotted area. 
   As shown, the posts  120  are push pin or finned point types of connectors commonly utilized in automotive applications. One half of the receiving slot  124  is molded into each of the two mating halves  42  and  44 . When assembled, the halves  42  and  44  trap the headed portions  122  in the slots  124 . The exposed finned posts  120  projecting from the body receive the desired aperture  112  or  114 . The fins deflect as the aperture moves downwardly during engagement of the shutoff plate, and the slot  72  or  74  prevents rotation of the shutoff plate about the axis of the post  120 . The post  120  facilitates mounting and removal of the plate  100  with a single hand and without the need for tools. To change the selected shutoff plate position, the plate  100  is pulled outwardly in a direction parallel to the slot and to the axis of the post  120 . Since each post  120  is separate from the body of the divider, the post does not have to be molded with the body and can have different properties for better wear and retention characteristics for multiple shutoff plate changes during seeding seasons. However, various other types of quick attach clips or fasteners may also be used in place of the posts  120  to secure the shutoff plate  100 , including clips or other fasteners molded directly into the body similar to those shown at  46 . 
   To provide flow through both of the legs  52  and  54  to the tools  12 , the shutoff plate  100  is positioned with the aperture  112  over the post  120  so that the open end portion  102  inserts into the slotted area  72 . The open end portion  102  has an arc-shaped cutout  102   c  conforming to the inner surface of the bore  82  so that air and material flow through the leg  52  are substantially unimpeded. To change delivery to the tools  12 , for example, when the operator desires to increase row spacing by cutting off material flow to one of the ranks  16  or  18 , the closed end  104  is inserted into the slotted area with the aperture  114  received over the post  120 . The closed end  104  includes an arc-shaped edge  104   c  conforming to the shape of the bore  82  opposite the slotted area  72  to generally close the upstream end of the leg  52  and prevent air and material flow through the leg  52  into the delivery hose  22 . The location of the slotted areas  72  and  74  closely adjacent each other and the downstream area of the input end  50  limits the dead space adjacent a closed end  104  of the shutoff plate in the blocking position to eliminate material build-up in the slotted area. 
   Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims. For example, although the shutoff structure is described for a pair of legs, the structure could also be used for a single leg or for any number of legs.