Patent Publication Number: US-2022225561-A1

Title: Agricultural row unit accessory

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 17/446,009, filed Aug. 26, 2021 and U.S. Ser. No. 16/352,179, filed Mar. 13, 2019, which claim priority to Provisional Application U.S. Ser. No. 62/643,862, filed on Mar. 16, 2018, all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS 
     Modern agriculture row crop planters are operating in less tilled soils or no-till applications, due to decreased profit margins resulting from tillage costs, increased environmental concerns due to tillage, increased use of cover crops to control chemical resistant weeds, increased farm efficiency due to less tillage, and increased soil health and fertility. 
     To counter these changes in planting practices, row cleaners also known as “trash whippers”, “residue managers” and other various names, have been added to conventional planter row units to cut, slice or move crop residue away from the planter row unit, prior to the row unit planting the seed in the soil. A clean planting seedbed is crucial to optimal crop yields and these cleaners greatly enhance a clean seedbed. 
     Current aftermarket row cleaner manufactures have created various designs of cleaning disc mounting brackets and configurations, but most bolt to the face plate of the row unit shank or to the side of the row unit mounting plate. These row cleaner designs vary and include cleaners which are fixed, cleaners having manually adjustable depth control, and floating row cleaner disc designs that are controlled with air or hydraulic cylinders. 
     Mounting the row cleaner to the front of the row unit shank adds additional draft load to the planter parallel link arms and row unit frame, and increases the risk of seed singulation issues, due to vibration caused from the row cleaners. Row unit mounted row cleaners also increase need for additional down pressure on the row unit to maintain the desired operating depth. 
     A majority of the floating row cleaners on the market today offer a single arm design with a pivot axis that allows the whole row cleaner assembly to pivot up/down about this axis. In single arm designs, the row cleaner discs change angle as the row cleaner pivots up and down, thus changing the angle of attack of the disc with the soil. This angle of attack change greatly affects how the row cleaner functions and the amount of residue that is moved out of the seedbed. If the row cleaner is too aggressive, a trench can be created which leaves the seedbed without pre-applied herbicide and potentially fertilizer. If the row cleaner is not aggressive enough, the seedbed is not cleaned of residue and “hair pinning” of trash in the seed trench can occur, leading to reduced yield. 
     Current row cleaner depth bands or gauge wheels are fixed to the side of the row cleaner disc and the only depth control is determined by the amount of pressure on the row cleaner through an air or hydraulic cylinder. This prior art system can cause the need for frequent adjustments to eliminate too aggressive or inadequate seedbed cleaning, as mentioned previously. 
     Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved row unit cleaning accessory. 
     Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an accessory system for planter row units which is mounted to the frame of the row unit mounting bracket. 
     A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a planter row unit accessory system which is not directly mounted to the row unit shank. 
     Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a row unit cleaning accessory which minimizes or eliminates draft load. 
     Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a row unit accessory system which reduces vibration. 
     A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a row cleaner system for a planter row unit which reduces seed meter singulation errors. 
     Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a row cleaner system for planter row unit which eliminates additional down force on the row unit. 
     Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a row unit accessory system which maintains proper seed planting depth. 
     A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a row unit accessory tool having a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, or other mechanical force, such as springs, to maintain desired contact with the soil. 
     Another objective of present invention is the provision of an accessory tool system for planter row units having a quick release designed for quickly changing two different tools. 
     A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a row cleaner accessory for a planter row unit having adjustable gauge wheels. 
     These and/or other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The present invention is not to be limited to or by these objects, features and advantages. No single embodiment need provide each and every object, feature, or advantage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The planter row unit and accessory system offers an integrated mounting bracket assembly for the row accessory tools on the planter row unit mounting bracket frame and is not directly mounted to the planter row unit shank. This design removes the draft load from the planter row unit parallel link arms, reduces the potential for row unit vibration, which can reduce seed meter singulation issues, and eliminates additional downforce or upforce on the planter row unit required to maintain proper seed depth. The mounting system for the accessory to the row unit allows the planter row unit and accessory to function together as a complete assembly. This system also utilizes an air or hydraulic down/up force cylinder, or spring or other actuator, to maintain the desired contact of the accessory tool with the soil. 
     Parallel link arm assemblies in conjunction with tapered greaseless non-metallic bushings and pressed in tapered bearing races are utilized to maintain the correct angle of attack with the soil and row accessory tools. This system provides the ability to remove “play” or wear in the link arm pivot points of the parallel link arms by simply removing a cotter pin, adjusting the castle nut to remove “play” and re-inserting the cotter pin. The accessory tool system also incorporated a “quick release” design that allows the operator to quickly change different configurations of tools, such as row cleaners, fertilizer application tools, small in-row rolling baskets, tillage sweeps, coulters, cover crop rollers and/or other types of ground engaging or residue removal tools. The quick release system only requires the operator to remove the quick release retention pin, slightly lift the assembly and replace it with a different tool configuration and replace the retention pin. 
     In addition to the integrated design of the accessory and in the planter row unit, a row cleaner type tool utilizes adjustable depth gauge wheel design that is unique to the row cleaner industry. 
     The accessory gauge wheel and disc on each side of the cleaner frame are mounted on separate spindles. The gauge wheel spindle extends through the hollow disc spindle, to allow the depth control gauge wheel to be adjusted up/down to maintain constant depth of the row cleaner disc, regardless of soil conditions. This also allows constant down/up pressure from the air or hydraulic cylinder to be applied to the row cleaner tool, to maintain consistent seedbed cleaning in varying soil conditions. 
     The depth control gauge wheel spindle is secured to an outer right-angle disc and the gauge wheel is bolted to the arm so that the rotational axis of the wheel is offset with respect to the spindle axis. The inner end of the wheel spindle is fixed to an adjustment arm operatively connected to a depth control handle. This allows the gauge wheel depth control to move the depth gauge wheel up or down on the row cleaner disc, so as to adjust the operating depth. 
     The accessory depth gauge wheel operating position is determined by a depth control handle that is changed in position by pulling the spring-loaded handle out and moving the handle to the desired notch in the row cleaner tool frame. This arm then transfers this handle movement to the gauge wheel arms through a slider rod in the depth control handle assembly that is tangent to rods welded to the inner depth control arms. Additionally, the disc cleaner hollow spindle is equipped with a nonmetallic greaseless bushing and dust seals at both ends to eliminate dust build up that can cause binding of the depth control arm pivot shaft. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a side elevation view of a planter row unit mounted on a tool bar with the cleaner or sweep of the present invention mounted thereon and moved to a lowered, ground-engaging position. 
         FIG. 1B  is a view similar to  FIG. 1A  showing the cleaner or sweep in a raised position above the ground. 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of the planter row unit with the sweep in the lowered position. 
         FIG. 2B  is a view similar to  FIG. 2A , with the sweep in the raised position. 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of the row planter and sweep in the lowered position. 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the row unit and sweep in the lowered position. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged rear perspective view of the sweep in the lowered position. 
         FIG. 6A  is a partially exploded view of the row unit and sweep. 
         FIG. 6B  is another exploded view of the row unit and sweep. 
         FIG. 7  is a rear perspective view of the sweep frame, detached from the row unit. 
         FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the sweep, with a portion of the frame hidden for clarity. 
         FIG. 9  is a front perspective view of the sweep. 
         FIG. 10  is a rear perspective view of the sweep. 
         FIG. 11  is a partially exploded view of the sweep. 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded view of one of the sweep gauge wheels and discs. 
         FIG. 13  is a sectional view of the sweep gauge wheel and the disc as mounted on the sweep. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the exterior side of one of the sweep discs, with the gauge wheel hidden for clarity. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the interior side of one of the sweep discs. 
         FIG. 16  is a sectional view of the sweep disc spindle and bushing assembly. 
         FIGS. 17A-F  are various views of the sweep frame. 
         FIG. 17A  it is a rear perspective view of the sweep frame. 
         FIG. 17B  is a front perspective view of the sweep frame. 
         FIG. 17C  is a top plane view of the sweep frame. 
         FIG. 17D  is a side elevation view of the sweep frame. 
         FIG. 17E  is a front elevation view of the sweep frame. 
         FIG. 17F  is another perspective view of the sweep frame. 
         FIGS. 18A-E  are various views of the sweep depth control arm assembly. 
         FIG. 18A  is as a front perspective view of the sweep depth control arm assembly. 
         FIG. 18B  is a rear perspective view of the sweep depth control arm assembly. 
         FIG. 18C  is a top plan view of the sweep depth control arm assembly. 
         FIG. 18D  is a side elevation view of the sweep depth control arm assembly. 
         FIG. 18E  is a front elevation view of the sweep depth control arm assembly. 
         FIGS. 19A-D  are various views of the sweep depth control handle. 
         FIG. 19A  is a perspective view of the sweep depth control handle. 
         FIG. 19B  is a top plan view of the sweep depth control handle. 
         FIG. 19C  is a side elevation view of the sweep depth control handle. 
         FIG. 19D  is a front elevation view of the sweep depth control handle. I 
         FIGS. 20A-D  are various views of the sweep spindle and bushing assembly. 
         FIG. 20A  is an exploded perspective view of the sweep spindle and bushing assembly. 
         FIG. 20B  is a side elevation view of the sweep spindle and bushing assembly. 
         FIG. 20C  is an end elevation view of the sweep spindle and bushing assembly. 
         FIG. 20  D is a sectional view of the sweep spindle and bushing assembly taken long lines D-D of  FIG. 20B . 
         FIGS. 21A-H  are various views of the sweep gauge wheel spindle. 
         FIG. 21A  is a perspective view of the sweep gauge wheel spindle. 
         FIG. 21B  is a top plane view of the sweep gauge wheel spindle. 
         FIG. 21C  is a side elevation view of the sweep gauge wheel spindle. 
         FIG. 21D  is a front elevation view of the sweep gauge wheel spindle. 
         FIG. 21E  is another perspective view of the sweep gauge wheel spindle. 
         FIG. 21F  is another side elevation view of the sweep gauge wheel spindle. 
         FIG. 21G  is a rear end view of the sweep gauge wheels spindle. 
         FIG. 21H  is a view of the sweep gauge wheel spindle take along line H-H of  FIG. 21F . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed towards a ground engaging accessory or tool  10  used in conjunction with a planter row unit  12  mounted to a tool bar  14 . The row unit  12  includes a front mounting bracket  16  for attached to the tool bar  14 , parallel link arms  18 , and a frame  20  to support a pair of disc openers  22 , and pair of gauge wheels  24 , and a pair of closing wheels  26 . The frame  20  can be raised and lowered between transport and field positions by the hydraulic system of the tractor. While the accessory  10  of the present invention can be used on any row unit, the details of the row unit  12  shown in the drawings are described in detail in Applicant&#39;s published applications 2017/025,8002 and 2017/030,364, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     In the drawings, the accessory  10  is shown to be a sweep or cleaner for pushing aside debris in the field before seeds are planted. It is understood that the accessory may be other tools, such as fertilizer application tools, rolling baskets, coulters, cover crop rollers, and other types of residue removal tools, without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     The accessory  10  is attached to the mounting bracket  16  of the row unit  12  so as to reside at the front of the row unit  12 , substantially below the tool bar  14  and spaced forwardly from the disc openers  22 . A bracket mount assembly  28  having a pair of spaced apart arms  30  is welded or otherwise fixed to the front mounting bracket  16  of the tool bar  12 . A pair of L-shaped upper link arms  32  are pivotally mounted to the arms  30  of the mount assembly  28  via a pivot shaft  34 . A receiver assembly  36  having a pair of spaced apart arms  38  is pivotally mounted to the lower rear ends of the link arms  32  by a pivot shaft  40  at the upper ends of the arms  38 . The mounting of the link arms  32  on the shafts  34  and  40  includes a composite spacer or washer  42 , a tapered bearing race  44 , a tapered bushing  46 , and a retainer nut  48  mounted on the threaded ends of the shafts  34 ,  40 . The tapered bearing or bushing  46  and the race  44  are described in applicant&#39;s published patent application 2017/0261034, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     A pair of lower link arms  50  each have upper ends pivotally attached to the arms  30  of the mount assembly  28  via a pivot shaft  52 , while the lower ends of the link arms  50  are pivotally attached to the arms  38  of the receiver assembly  36  using shafts  54 . The pivotal mounting of the links arm  50  on the shafts  52 ,  54  also include washers, racers, tapered bushings, and nuts, similar to those described above with respect to the upper link arms  32  and shafts  34 ,  40 . 
     A linear actuator, such as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder  56  with an extendible/retractable rod  58 , is mounted between the row unit mounting bracket  16  and the receiver assembly  36 . More particularly, the upper end of the cylinder  56  is pivotally attached to a pair of arms  60  welded or otherwise fixed to the mounting bracket  16  and extending rearwardly therefrom, while the lower end of the rod  58  is attached to a U-shaped plate  60  pivotally attached to the lower ends of the arms  38  of the receiver assembly  36  via bolts or pins  62 , or similar pivotal fasteners. It is understood that the cylinder  56  and the rod  58  can be reversed, such that the rod is attached to the arms  59  and the cylinder  56  is attached to the plate  60 . Also, the cylinder  56  and the rod  58  can be replaced with another linear actuator, such as a spring, or an electric actuator, without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     The accessory tool  10  includes a frame  64 , as shown in  FIGS. 17  A-F. The rear end of the frame  64  includes a pair of upper hooks  66  and a pair of lower hooks  68 . The hooks are adapted to slide over and be retained on upper and lower shafts  70  and  72  extending between the arms  38  of the receiver assembly  36 . A removable retention pin or bolt  74  can be inserted through holes in the arms  38  so as to be positioned immediately above the lower hooks  68 , and thereby prevent the accessory tool  10  from being removed or detached from the receiver assembly  36 . 
     A depth control assembly  76  is mounted within the frame  64 . The depth control assembly  76  includes left and right arms  78 , as shown in  FIGS. 18A-E . The depth control assembly  76  is pivotally mounted between the left and right plates  65  of the frame via a pivot bolt  80 , as best shown in  FIGS. 7 and 10 . A tubular collar  82  is welded or otherwise fixed between the arms  78 . A depth control handle  84 , shown in  FIGS. 19A-D , includes a rearwardly extending post  86  which extends through the collar  82  and retained in any convenient manner, such as by a snap ring  83  ( FIG. 7 ) received in a groove  88  on the post  86 . A curved plate  90  is welded between the plates  65  of the frame  64  and includes a central notch  92  with laterally extending fingers, as best seen in  FIG. 9 . The T-grip  94  of the handle  84  resides in front of the plate  90 , with the post  86  extending rearwardly through the slot  92  and through the collar  82 . The handle  94  includes rearwardly extending buttons or tabs  96  which can be selectively positioned in a pair of the fingers of the notch  92  so as to adjust the depth of the frame  64  of the accessory tool  10 . A spring  97  ( FIG. 7 ) on the rear end of the post  86  retains the handle  84  in a selected position along the plate  90  by biasing the buttons into the fingers of the notch  92 . 
     The accessory tool  10  shown in the drawings is a sweep or cleaner used to remove debris on the ground prior to planting, such as the crop residue resulting from no-till farming. The sweep or cleaner includes a pair of discs  98  and a pair of gauge wheels  100  which are rotatably mounted in canted orientations on the left and right sides of the tool  10 , as best seen in  FIG. 3 . The left and right discs  98  and the wheels  100  are mounted in similar manners, on each side of the tool  10 . As seen in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , each disc  98  is mounted on a hollow hub  110  and a spindle  112 . More particularly, the spindle  112  extends through the hub  110  into a pair of bushings  114  and is retained by a nut  116  on the threaded end of the spindle  112 . The interior of the spindle  112  is lined with a composite bushing  118 , with a dust seal  120  mounted within the spindle  112  at each end. The bushing  118  and seals  120  are described in Applicant&#39;s copending patent application Ser. No. 15/896,225 filed on Feb. 14, 2018 and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     The depth control spindle  122  ( FIGS. 21A-I ) extends through the hollow disc spindle  112 , through the bushings  114 , and through the nut  116 . The end of the spindle  122  extends into a gauge wheel depth control adjustment arm  123  and is secured by a bolt  124  extending through a hole in the end of the spindle  122  and a nut. The gauge wheel  100  is attached to the adjustment arm  123  by a retention bolt  126 , which extends through a bearing  128  mounted in a gauge wheel hub  130  which is bolted or otherwise attached to the gauge wheel  100 . A set screw  125  ( FIGS. 12-14 ) extends through the arm  123  and into a recess in the end of the spindle  122 , to eliminate or minimize movement and wear in the spindle  122  relative to the arm  123 . Preferably, the inner end of the set screw  125  and the recess or pilot hole in the spindle  122  having mating coned shapes. Shim washers  132  may be provided between the adjustment arm  122  and the gauge wheel hub  130 . 
     As seen in the sectional view of  FIG. 13 , the gauge wheel retention bolt  126  is offset from the disc spindle  112 . Thus, the rotational axles of the disc  98  and the gauge wheel  100  are offset, rather than being co-linear. Thus, the depth of the gauge wheel  100  can be adjusted relative to the disc  98  by turning the spindle  122  clockwise or counterclockwise. Such rotation of the spindle  122  is controlled by a depth control slider rod  134  which extends through the lower arms  78  of the depth control assembly  76  and through slots in the arm  136  extending from the spindle  122 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . A cotter pin  137  retains the slider rod  134  in the arms  78 . The opposite sides of the arm slots are provided with a curved surface, such as a rod  138  welded to the arm  134  to minimize friction with the depth control rod  134 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 21A-D , the arm  136  includes compound angles, such that the depth control rod  134  can move along the slots in the arms  136  without binding, as the depth control assembly is adjusted via the T-grip  94  of the handle  84 . 
     In use, the accessory  10  can be quickly and easily attached and detached to the row unit  12  via the hooks  66 ,  68  of the frame  64 , and the retention pin  74 . The rod  58  of the cylinder  56 , or other linear actuator, can be extended and retracted for movement between the lowered position, shown in  FIGS. 1A and 2A , and the raised position shown in  FIGS. 1B and 2B , by controls in the tractor cab and the hydraulic system of the tractor. The desired down/up pressure is controlled by the toolbar control computer, located in the tractor cab. Cylinder pressure is displayed on the control computer screen and is adjusted with by selecting the touch screen mode selector button and then turning a rotary knob to adjust the pressure up/down. This system also has the ability to automatically maintain the desired down/up pressure on the cylinder but can quickly be over-ridden to a manual mode, by pressing the rotary knob and adjusting the rotary knob left or right to change the pressure to the cylinder. This is beneficial when planting through a wet part of the field and allows the tool to be quickly raised out of the soil to decrease the risk of pushing the tool into the wet soil. By pressing the rotary knob again, the system returns to the predetermined pressure setting and maintains this pressure automatically. 
     When the accessory is a sweep, such as one with the discs  98  and gauge wheels  100 , the depth of the sweep can be quickly and easily adjusted by the depth control assembly  76 , such that the gauge wheels  100  on each side of the sweep can be moved in unison, relative to the discs, such that the depth which the discs penetrate the soil can be increased or decreased, depending upon the debris or material being removed in front of the row planter opener discs  22 . 
     The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.