Abstract:
Agricultural planter row units feature soil finishing assemblies for closing a seed groove after seed is placed in the soil. An adjustable furrow closing assembly enhances upper seed groove coverage and closure with soil resulting in sustained relative humidity levels and optimum seed-to-soil contact for faster seed germination. The furrow closing assembly includes a closing wheel assembly having at least one closing wheel and a press wheel assembly having a press wheel following behind the closing wheels. The closing wheels and press wheel are attached to the planter row unit in a manner allowing the press wheel to move vertically relative to the closing wheels. Adjustable down-force systems are provided to vary the down force applied to the closing wheels and the press wheel to maintain optimum soil contact in irregular terrain and in varying soil densities and conditions to provide optimum soil coverage and compaction of the seed bed.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/767,874 filed on Feb. 14, 2013, which claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/598,678 filed on Feb. 14, 2012. The entire contents of these prior applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to agricultural planters and planter row units, and is particularly directed to the combination of a pair of seed furrow closing wheels and a soil press wheel capable of independent operation for improved soil contact. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Agricultural planters form a furrow in the ground, deposit seed in the furrow, and then cover the seed with soil. The mechanism for covering the seed with soil is generally referred to as a furrow closing assembly. 
         [0006]    A variety of furrow closing assemblies are known in the prior art. For example, furrow closing assemblies are commercially available that are designed to be pivotally attached to pivot pins located at the rear end of planter row units manufactured by John Deere and Kinze. Such furrow closing assemblies include, for example: (1) a pair of press wheels that roll on each side of the furrow and pinch the furrow closed, (2) a drag system that pulls loose soil into the furrow, and (3) a pair of closing discs that direct soil back into the furrow. 
         [0007]    Another furrow closing system designed to be used on John Deere planter row units includes a pair of closing discs followed by a press wheel. However, the press wheel and closing discs in this furrow closing system are not moveable independent of each other, and therefore do not provide consistent soil contact. In uneven terrain, the press wheel will sometimes free wheel because it is not in firm contact with the soil. 
         [0008]    Another furrow closing system comprising a pair of closing discs followed by a press wheel has been disclosed by Case-IH for its Model 1200 planters. However, the press wheel and closing discs in this furrow closing system are attached to separate points on the planter row unit and are not suitable for use with other existing planters, such as John Deere and Kinze planters. Moreover, the down-force systems on these furrow closing systems are not adjustable remotely to adapt the furrow closing system to different soil conditions. 
         [0009]    There is a need in the industry for an improved furrow closing system for agricultural planters. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Objects of the present invention are to provide a furrow closing system that fits existing agricultural planters, that is easy to install, that has independent suspension for more consistent soil contact, that avoids free wheel spin of the press wheel assembly, that provides furrow closing conditions that encourage fast and even seed emergence, that provides more complete seed furrow closure, that minimizes sidewall compaction, and that results in higher crop yields. 
         [0011]    Further objects of the present invention are to provide a furrow closing assembly having a down-force system that can be adjusted remotely to change the amount of down force acting on the press wheel and the down force acting on the closing wheels. 
         [0012]    To accomplish these and other objects, the present invention provides a combination of a leading soil closing wheel assembly for filling a furrow in which are deposited seeds, and a trailing press wheel for pressing the furrow covering soil downward. The closing wheel assembly is pivotal relative to the press wheel assembly to allow relative vertical movement between the closing wheels and the press wheel during operation. The downward pressures applied to the closing wheels and to the press wheel are independently adjustable depending upon such variables as soil conditions and terrain topography to insure optimum soil contact. A first down-force system is used to transfer down force from the planter row unit subframe to the furrow closing assembly, and a second down-force system is used to transfer down force between the closing wheels and the press wheel of the furrow closing assembly. The down-force systems can be adjustable remotely using in-cab controls during planting. Various embodiments are provided that allow the furrow closing assembly to be attached to existing agricultural planters. 
         [0013]    According to one aspect of the present invention, a furrow closing assembly is provided for use with agricultural planters having individual row units, each row unit having a row unit subframe with a pair of pivot pins protruding laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the subframe near a rear end thereof, the furrow closing assembly comprising: a closing wheel rotatably attached to a closing wheel arm assembly and adapted to move soil into a furrow behind the row unit subframe; a press wheel rotatably attached to a press wheel arm assembly and adapted to roll over a soil surface behind the closing wheel; a front portion of the furrow closing assembly pivotally mounted to the pivot pins for allowing the furrow closing assembly to pivot about a generally horizontal axis relative to the row unit subframe; and the press wheel arm assembly and the closing wheel arm assembly being pivotal relative to each other to allow relative vertical movement between the closing wheel and the press wheel during operation. 
         [0014]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a furrow closing assembly for use with agricultural planters is provided, comprising: a press wheel arm assembly having a front end adapted to be pivotally attached to a pair of pivot pins on a planter row unit subframe for pivotal movement about a transverse axis of rotation; a press wheel rotatably attached to a rear end of the press wheel arm assembly and arranged to roll over a soil surface behind the planter row unit subframe; a closing wheel arm assembly having a front end adapted to be pivotally attached to the pair of pivot pins; and at least one closing wheel rotatably attached to the closing wheel arm assembly, the closing wheel being arranged to move soil into a furrow in front of the press wheel. 
         [0015]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a planter row unit for an agricultural seeder is provided, comprising: a row unit subframe having a front portion, a rear portion and a pair of pivot pins protruding laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the rear portion; a furrow opener mounted to the front portion of the subframe for creating a furrow in which seeds can be deposited; and a furrow closing assembly pivotally mounted to the pivot pins to pivot about a generally horizontal axis relative to subframe. The furrow closing assembly includes: at least one closing wheel rotatably attached to a closing wheel arm assembly and adapted to move soil into the furrow created by the furrow opener; a press wheel rotatably attached to a press wheel arm assembly and adapted to roll over a soil surface behind the closing wheel; and the press wheel arm assembly and the closing wheel arm assembly being pivotal relative to each other to allow relative vertical movement between the closing wheel and the press wheel during operation. 
         [0016]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a planter row unit for an agricultural seeder is provided, comprising: a row unit subframe; a furrow opener mounted to the subframe for creating a furrow in which seeds can be deposited; and a furrow closing assembly pivotally mounted to the subframe. The furrow closing assembly includes: at least one closing wheel rotatably attached to a closing wheel arm assembly and adapted to move soil into the furrow created by the furrow opener; a press wheel rotatably attached to a press wheel arm assembly and adapted to roll over a soil surface behind the closing wheel; the press wheel arm assembly and the closing wheel arm assembly being moveable relative to each other to allow relative vertical movement between the closing wheel and the press wheel during operation; a first down-force system arranged between the subframe and a point on the furrow closing assembly for biasing the furrow closing assembly in a downward direction; a second down-force system arranged between the press wheel arm assembly and the closing wheel arm assembly for transferring down force between the press wheel and the closing wheel; and a means for adjusting at least one of the first and second down-force systems remotely to change an amount of down force imparted thereby. 
         [0017]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of closing a furrow during agricultural planting is provided, comprising: providing a planter row unit having a furrow closing assembly with at least one closing wheel followed by a rolling press wheel; and adjusting a down force imparted to the rolling press wheel and/or the closing wheel from a remote location during a planting operation. 
         [0018]    Numerous other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described example embodiments of the present invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various obvious aspects without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    The present invention will become more clearly appreciated as the disclosure of the present invention is made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a planter row unit equipped with a furrow closing assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 1 , with the furrow closing assembly shown with a partial cutaway section; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a side elevation view of the furrow closing assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is an isometric view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is a rear view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 10  is an exploded isometric view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 11  is a side elevation view of a furrow closing assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 12  is a bottom view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 13  is a rear view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 14  is an isometric view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 15  is a side elevation view of a planter row unit equipped with a furrow closing assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0035]      FIG. 16  is a bottom view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 15 ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 17  is a rear view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 15 ; 
           [0037]      FIG. 18  is an isometric view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 15 ; 
           [0038]      FIG. 19  is a side elevation view of the furrow closing assembly according to the third embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 20  is a bottom view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 19 ; 
           [0040]      FIG. 21  is a rear view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 19 ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 22  is an isometric view of the furrow closing assembly shown in  FIG. 19 ; 
           [0042]      FIG. 23  is a side elevation view of a planter row unit equipped with a furrow closing assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0043]      FIG. 24  is a bottom view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 23 ; 
           [0044]      FIG. 25  is an isometric view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 23 ; 
           [0045]      FIG. 26  is another isometric view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 23 ; and 
           [0046]      FIG. 27  is a rear view of the planter row unit shown in  FIG. 23 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0047]    Furrow closing assemblies for planter row units according to embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 27  of the accompanying drawings. 
         [0048]    A furrow closing assembly  10  according to a first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 10 . Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown an isometric view of a planter row unit  11  equipped with the furrow closing assembly  10  of the present invention.  FIGS. 2 to 5  show additional views of the planter row unit  11 , including a side elevation view in  FIG. 2 , a side elevation view with partial cutaway in  FIG. 3 , a bottom view in  FIG. 4 , and a rear view in  FIG. 5 . An agricultural planter may have a plurality of such planter row units  11  mounted on a conventional tool bar or a towed implement in a known manner. 
         [0049]    The planter row unit  11  includes a seed hopper  12  with a seed metering mechanism (not shown), a dry insecticide hopper  13 , and a subframe  14 . Other arrangements can also be used, such as a central seed delivery system (not shown) that supplies seed to multiple row units. A furrow opener assembly  15  is mounted to a front portion  16  of the subframe  14  for creating a furrow in which seeds can be deposited. The furrow opener assembly  15  includes a pair of opener discs  17  positioned between a pair of gauge wheels  18 . The rear portion  19  of the subframe  14  extends behind the furrow opener assembly  15 . 
         [0050]    A pair of pivot pins  20  protrude laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the rear portion  19  of the subframe  14 . The pivot pins  20  are used on conventional John Deere and Kinze planter row units to attach a furrow closing system to the row unit. The furrow closing assembly  10  of the present invention is designed to attach to these existing pivot pins  20  to allow the furrow closing assembly  10  to be easily attached to existing planter row units. 
         [0051]    The furrow closing assembly  10  is pivotally mounted to the pivot pins  20  at the rear portion  19  of the row unit subframe  14  to pivot about a generally horizontal, transverse axis relative to the subframe  14 . The furrow closing assembly  10  includes a closing wheel assembly  21  with at least one closing wheel  22 ,  23  for moving soil into the furrow created by the furrow opener assembly  15 , and a press wheel assembly  24  with a press wheel  25  for rolling over the soil surface behind the closing wheels  22 ,  23 . 
         [0052]    The press wheel assembly  24  includes a press wheel arm assembly  26  having a pair of press wheel arm members  27 ,  28  pivotally attached to the pivot pins  20 . The press wheel arm members  27 ,  28  are attached to the pivot pins  20  on respective first and second sides of the rear portion  19  of the planter row unit subframe  14  for pivotal movement about a transverse axis of rotation. The press wheel arm members  27 ,  28  extend rearwardly from the pivot pins  20 . The press wheel  25  is rotatably mounted between the rear ends of the press wheel arm members  27 ,  28 . The press wheel  25  is arranged to roll over the soil surface behind the planter row unit subframe  14  and apply pressure to the soil to improve seed-to-soil contact. The press wheel  25  can have a recessed portion about its outer circular periphery to more effectively compress and shape the soil covering the seed furrow. 
         [0053]    The closing wheel assembly  21  includes a closing wheel arm assembly  29  having a pair of closing wheel arms  30 ,  31  with their front ends pivotally attached to the pivot pins  20 . The closing wheel arms  30 ,  31  extend rearwardly from the pivot pins  20 . Adjacent to the front ends of each of the closing wheel arms  30 ,  31  are a first inwardly extending flange  32  and a second outwardly extending flange  33 . The first inwardly extending flange  32  is arranged to engage the subframe  14  to limit the lowermost extent of movement of the closing wheel arms  30 ,  31 . The second outwardly extending flange  33  is arranged to engage the press wheel arms  27 ,  28  to limit the lowermost extent of movement of the press wheel arms  27 ,  28 . The first and second flanges  32 ,  33  limit the downward extent of movement when the row unit  11  is raised above the soil. 
         [0054]    A pair of closing wheels  22 ,  23  are rotatably coupled with the rear ends of the closing wheel arms  30 ,  31  by respective closing wheel hubs  34 ,  35 . The closing wheels  22 ,  23  are arranged to laterally displace soil inwardly by each of the closing wheels  22 ,  23  toward the opposing closing wheel and thereby fill the furrow into which seeds have been deposited in front of the press wheel  25 . The closing wheel arms  30 ,  31  pivot about the transverse axis of the pivot pins  20  independent of the press wheel arms  27 ,  28  to allow the press wheel  25  to move vertically relative to the closing wheels  22 ,  23  during operation. 
         [0055]    The closing wheels  22 ,  23  in the illustrated embodiment are spoked wheels that have a plurality of spokes extending outwardly from the outer circumference thereof. However, it should be understood that the closing wheels  22 ,  23  can have various other shapes and configurations, such as spoked or toothed wheels, straight or concave discs, smooth wheels, a single closing disc, and so forth. 
         [0056]    A first down-force system  36  is arranged between the subframe  14  and a point on the furrow closing assembly  10  for biasing the furrow closing assembly  10  in a downward direction against the soil surface. The first down-force system  36  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 10  is a coiled tension spring  37  having a first end  38  connected to an attachment point  39  on the subframe  14  located below and spaced from the pivot pins  20 . A second end  40  of the tension spring  37  is connected to a positioning bracket  41  attached between the press wheel arms  27 ,  28  rearward of the pivot pins  20 . The positioning bracket  41  can be attached to the press wheel arms  27 ,  28 , for example, by weldments. The tension spring  37  operates to impart a down force to the press wheel arm assembly  26 . 
         [0057]    The tension spring  37  is connected to the bracket  41  by a threaded bolt  42 . One end of the threaded bolt  42  is connected to the tension spring  37  and the other end of the bolt  42  is connected to the bracket  41 . For example, a threaded receiver  43  can be fixed in an end of the tension spring  37 , and the bolt  42  can extend through a hole in the bracket  41  and be coupled with the threaded receiver  43 . The effective length of the bolt  42  can be adjusted by rotating the bolt  42  or by rotating a threaded nut  44  on the bolt. The down force imparted on the press wheel arm assembly  26  by the tension spring  37  is adjustable by changing the effective length of the bolt  42 . For example, by shortening the effective length of the bolt  42 , the tension spring  37  will be elongated causing an increased down force to be applied through the positioning bracket  41  to the press wheel arm assembly  26 . By lengthening the effective length of the bolt  42 , the tension spring  37  will be contracted causing a decreased down force to be applied to the press wheel arm assembly  26 . The nut  44  can be used as a jam nut to lock the tension spring  37  in its adjusted position. 
         [0058]    A second down-force system  45  is arranged between the press wheel arm assembly  26  and the closing wheel arm assembly  29  for transferring down force between the closing wheels  22 ,  23  and the press wheel  25 . The second down-force system  45  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 10  is a coiled compression spring assembly. The compression spring assembly  45  includes a compression spring  46  and an elongate threaded member  47  extending through the compression spring  46 . A first end of the threaded member  47  extends through a hole in the bracket  41  attached between the press wheel arms  27 ,  28 , and a second end of the threaded member  47  is connected to a pin  48  on the closing wheel arm assembly  29  spaced from the pivot pins  20 . The compression spring  46  pushes against the bracket  41  and the closing wheel arm assembly  29  to transfer some of the down force from the press wheel arm assembly  26  to the closing wheel arm assembly  29 . 
         [0059]    The down force imparted on the closing wheel arm assembly  29  by the compression spring  46  is adjustable by changing the effective length of the spring  46 . For example, a threaded adjustment nut  49  on the end of the threaded member  47  can be rotated to change the length of the spring  46  and/or the amount of preload on the spring  46 . The amount of down force transferred from the press wheel arm assembly  26  to the closing wheel arm assembly  29  can be adjusted by using the threaded nut  49  to change the length and/or the amount of preload on the compression spring  46  in a continuous manner. For example, tightening the nut  49  on the threaded member  47  will increase the amount of down force applied by the compression spring  46  on the closing wheel arm assembly  29 . Adjusting the down force on the closing wheel arm assembly  29  allows the depth of the closing wheels  22 ,  23  in the soil to be precisely adjusted. 
         [0060]    The amount of down force transferred by the compression spring  46  can also be adjusted by providing multiple mounting locations (not shown) for attaching the spring  46  on the closing wheel arm assembly  29 . For example, by attaching the compression spring  46  to different mounting locations on the closing wheel arm assembly  29 , the length and/or preload on the compression spring  46  can be changed in an incremental manner as desired. 
         [0061]    A furrow closing assembly  50  according to a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 11 to 14 . Referring to  FIG. 11 , there is shown a front elevation view of a furrow closing assembly  50  of the present invention.  FIGS. 12 to 14  show additional views of the furrow closing assembly  50 , including a bottom view in  FIG. 12 , a rear view in  FIG. 13 , and an isometric view in  FIG. 14 . The same element numbers used in identifying various components of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-10  are also used in identifying individual elements of the second embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 11 to 14 . 
         [0062]    The furrow closing assembly  50  of the second embodiment is similar to the furrow closing assembly  10  of the first embodiment, except that the first and second down-force systems are different. The first down-force system  51  in the second embodiment includes a first actuator  52  that can be operated remotely, such as a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, or an electric actuator. For example, the first actuator  52  can be a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator having a first end  53  connected to an attachment point on the subframe  14 , and a second end  54  connected to the positioning bracket  41  on the press wheel arm assembly  26 . The first actuator  52  is thus connected in a manner similar to the tension spring  37  of the first embodiment. 
         [0063]    The first actuator  52  provides a means for adjusting the first down-force system  51  remotely to change an amount of down force imparted thereby. The first actuator  52  can be extended and/or retracted by selectively increasing or decreasing an amount of pressure supplied through a pressure line to the first actuator  52 . The amount of pressure supplied to the first actuator  52  will also determine how much down force is imparted to the press wheel arm assembly  26 . A plurality of furrow closing assemblies  50  on an agricultural planter can be adjusted simultaneously by connecting the first actuators  52  in parallel to a common pressure source and using an in-cab control system to vary the pressure to the first actuators  52 . 
         [0064]    The second down-force system  55  in the second embodiment includes a second actuator  56  that can be operated remotely, such as a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, or an electric actuator. For example, the second actuator  56  can be a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator having a first end  57  connected to the positioning bracket  41  on the press wheel arm assembly  26 , and a second end  58  connected to the closing wheel arm assembly  29 . The second actuator  56  is thus connected in a manner similar to the compression spring  46  of the first embodiment. 
         [0065]    The second actuator  56  provides a means for adjusting the second down-force system  55  remotely to change an amount of down force imparted thereby. The second actuator  56  can be extended and/or retracted by selectively increasing or decreasing an amount of pressure supplied through a pressure line to the actuator  56 . The amount of pressure supplied to the second actuator  56  will also determine how much down force is transferred from the press wheel arm assembly  26  to the closing wheel arm assembly  29 . A plurality of furrow closing assemblies  50  on an agricultural planter can be adjusted simultaneously by connecting the second actuators  56  in parallel to a common pressure source and using an in-cab control system to vary the pressure supplied to the second actuators  56 . 
         [0066]    A furrow closing assembly  60  according to a third embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 15 to 22 . Referring to  FIG. 15 , there is shown a side elevation view of a planter row unit  11  equipped with a furrow closing assembly  60  of the present invention.  FIGS. 16 to 18  show additional views of the planter row unit  11  equipped with the furrow closing assembly  60 , including a bottom view in  FIG. 16 , a rear view in  FIG. 17 , and an isometric view in  FIG. 18 .  FIGS. 19 to 22  show various views of the furrow closing assembly  60 , including a front elevation view in  FIG. 19 , a bottom view in  FIG. 20 , a rear view in  FIG. 21 , and an isometric view in  FIG. 22 . The same element numbers used in identifying various components of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-10  are also used in identifying individual elements of the third embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 15 to 22 . 
         [0067]    The furrow closing assembly  60  of the third embodiment is similar to the furrow closing assembly  10  of the first embodiment in that it mounts to the existing pivot pins  20  on the rear of the planter row unit subframe  14 . This allows the furrow closing assembly  60  to be easily attached and retrofitted to a large number of existing agricultural planters. 
         [0068]    The closing wheel assembly  61  and press wheel assembly  62  are different in the furrow closing assembly  60  of the third embodiment. The closing wheel arms  63  are pivotally attached to the existing pivot pins  20  on the rear of the planter row unit subframe  14 . However, the press wheel arms  64  are pivotally attached to the closing wheel arms  63 , instead of being attached to the pivot pins  20  on the subframe  14  as in the first embodiment. More specifically, the front ends of the press wheel arms  64  are attached to the rear ends of the closing wheel arms  63  using a transverse shaft  65  or other suitable structure that allows relative pivoting movement between the press wheel arms  64  and the closing wheel arms  63 . 
         [0069]    A first down-force system  66  in the third embodiment includes a tension spring having its first end  67  connected to an attachment point  39  on the subframe  14 , and its second end  68  connected to a point on the closing wheel arm assembly  63  rearward of the pivot pins  20 . The tension on the tension spring  66  can be adjusted using a threaded bolt  69  or other suitable structure as described above. The first down-force system  66  imparts a down force to the furrow closing assembly  60  through the closing wheel arm assembly  63 . 
         [0070]    A second down-force system  70  in the third embodiment includes an actuator  71  that can be operated remotely, such as a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, or an electric actuator. For example, the actuator  71  can be a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator having a first end  72  connected to the closing wheel arm assembly  63 , and a second end  73  connected to the press wheel arm assembly  64 . The actuator  71  is arranged to cause the press wheel arm assembly  64  to rotate relative to the closing wheel arm assembly  63  when the actuator  71  is extended or retracted. The actuator  71  provides a means for adjusting the second down-force system  70  remotely to change an amount of down force imparted by the press wheel  25  and the closing wheels  22 ,  23 . For example, extending the actuator  71  will increase an amount of down force on the press wheel  25  while decreasing the amount of down force on the closing wheels  22 ,  23 , and retracting the actuator  71  will decrease the amount of down force on the press wheel  25  while increasing the amount of down force on the closing wheels  22 ,  23 . 
         [0071]    The actuator  71  can be extended and/or retracted by selectively increasing or decreasing an amount of pressure supplied through a pressure line to the actuator  71 . The amount of pressure supplied to the actuator  61  will also determine how much down force is transferred from the press wheel arm assembly  64  to the closing wheel arm assembly  63 . A furrow closing assemblies  60  on an agricultural planter can be operated simultaneously by connecting the actuators  71  in parallel to a common pressure source and using an in-cab control system to vary the pressure to the actuators  71 . 
         [0072]    A furrow closing assembly  80  according to a fourth embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 23 to 27 . Referring to  FIG. 23 , there is shown a side elevation view of a planter row unit  81  equipped with a furrow closing assembly  80  of the present invention.  FIGS. 24 to 27  show additional views of the planter row unit  81  equipped with the furrow closing assembly  80 , including a bottom view in  FIG. 24 , an isometric view in  FIG. 25 , another isometric view in  FIG. 26 , and a rear view in  FIG. 27 . 
         [0073]    The furrow closing assembly  80  of the fourth embodiment is designed for use with existing planters that have closing wheel assemblies  82  and press wheel assemblies  83  attached to the row unit subframe  84  at separate locations, such as Case-IH Model 1200 planters. In such planters, a portion of the row unit subframe  84  protrudes rearwardly from a location between the furrow opener discs  85 , and the closing wheel assembly  82  is pivotally mounted to that portion of the subframe  84 . 
         [0074]    The furrow closing assembly  80  of the fourth embodiment is similar to furrow closing assemblies used on existing Case-IH Model 1200 planters, except that the first and second down-force systems are different. The first down-force system  86  in the fourth embodiment includes a first actuator  87  that can be operated remotely, such as a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, or an electric actuator. For example, the first actuator  87  can be a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator having a first end  88  connected to an attachment point on the subframe  84 , and a second end  89  connected to the positioning bracket  90  on the press wheel assembly  83 . 
         [0075]    The first actuator  87  provides a means for adjusting the first down-force system  86  remotely to change an amount of down force imparted thereby. The first actuator  87  can be extended and/or retracted by selectively increasing or decreasing an amount of pressure supplied through a pressure line to the first actuator  87 . The amount of pressure supplied to the first actuator  87  will also determine how much down force is imparted to the press wheel arm assembly  83 . A plurality of furrow closing assemblies  80  on an agricultural planter can be adjusted simultaneously by connecting the first actuators  87  in parallel to a common pressure source and using an in-cab control system to vary the pressure to the first actuators  87 . 
         [0076]    The second down-force system  91  in the fourth embodiment includes a second actuator  92  that can be operated remotely, such as a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, or an electric actuator. For example, the second actuator  92  can be a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator having a first end  93  connected to the positioning bracket  90  on the press wheel arm assembly  83 , and a second end  94  connected to the closing wheel arm assembly  82 . 
         [0077]    The second actuator  92  provides a means for adjusting the second down-force system  91  remotely to change an amount of down force imparted thereby. The second actuator  92  can be extended and/or retracted by selectively increasing or decreasing an amount of pressure supplied through a pressure line to the second actuator  92 . The amount of pressure supplied to the second actuator  92  will also determine how much down force is transferred from the press wheel arm assembly  83  to the closing wheel arm assembly  82 . A plurality of furrow closing assemblies  90  on an agricultural planter can be adjusted simultaneously by connecting the second actuators  92  in parallel to a common pressure source and using an in-cab control system to vary the pressure to the second actuators  92 . 
         [0078]    While the invention has been specifically described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.