Patent Description:
For various reasons a soil pan may appear, causing troubles for the cultivation and growth of a crop. The appearance may result from repeated soil preparation to the same depth, causing a so-called plough sole to be created, or from fine-grained material tending to flow with rain water or irrigation water, precipitating below the soil surface, thus creating a hard pan which is difficult to penetrate for plant roots and also leaving the underground inaccessible for the rain water and irrigation water, causing the crop to suffer from draught or flood.

From <CIT> is known a device for breaking or fragmenting the plough sole. A device is fastened directly to the plough, makes it possible to break the said plough sole in a single operation and simultaneously with the action of the plough. From a plate fastened to the rear part of the ploughshare beam an inwardly curved tooth provided with a small ploughshare or wear plate is projecting underneath the level of the plough share.

<CIT> discloses tripping mechanism for an earth-working tool such as a cultivator, wherein a tine shank is pivotally attached to a stem about a horizontal pin, the shank being held in a working position by a coiled spring and a shear strip resting against a shoulder on a shank body.

From <CIT> is known a spring-controlled shovel mount for a cultivator, wherein a cultivator shovel is supported on a staff. The shovel is held in position by a trip mechanism allowing the shovel to retract when striking an obstruction. Shovel supports are pivotal connected to the staff and also connected to a spring-loaded link system.

<CIT> discloses a safety trip for a cultivator or the like, wherein a shoe carrying a shovel is pivotal connected to a shank, the shovel and the shove held against tripping by a spring-loaded tripping mechanism.

Patent publication <CIT> discloses a spring-loaded subsoiler wherein the spring pushes sub-surface tines toward an active working position, and where the spring allows the tine to pivot away when it meets a too high resistance, for instance when it hits a stone.

Patent publication <CIT> discloses a counter-weighted subsoiler. The subsoiler is automatically retracted when the implement is lifted, due to the counter-weight. A drag point on the subsoiler engages the ground when the implement is lowered and thereby activates the subsoiler.

Patent publication <CIT> discloses a moldboard plough having a soil engaging shank that is extendable to a depth of six to eight inches deeper than the reach of the moldboard plough. The moldboard plough comprises a trip mechanism to raise the plough and the soil engaging shank when either or both encounter a hard buried object.

Patent publication <CIT> discloses a sweep blade and a ripper blade attached to a common support. The ripper blade is attached to a ripper shank, which is attached to the common support via a pair of bolts, wherein one of the bolts provides a pivot axis and the other bolt being a shear pin.

Patent publication <CIT> discloses an apparatus for deep ploughing highly compacted soil. A trough is formed by pulling a first det of point ploughs, and a second point plough is used to loosen the remaining soil. A reset mechanism permits the second point plough to raise in the event that it strikes an obstacle.

Patent publication <CIT> discloses a planter including a plurality of furrow openers comprising shanks, ploughs mounted thereon, and seed drop tubes rearwardly of the furrow openers.

Patent publication <CIT> discloses a stump-jump plough comprising a curved-shank ploughshare journalled in a jump-box for limited pivotal movement in a vertical plane.

A disadvantage with prior art is the lack of allowing the soil-working tool to be moved to a released, raised position when the implement carrying the tool is parked, the tool still being easy to reposition to a working position and remain there unaffected of any release systems.

Additional optional features are provided in the dependent claims.

In the following is described an example of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:.

In <FIG> a plough body <NUM> of a plough (not shown) is depicted with a plough sole breaker <NUM> attached at an inner face 215a of a land side <NUM> of the plough body <NUM>, more exactly to a plough body saddle <NUM> onto which is also attached a mouldboard <NUM> and a share <NUM> with a wearing point <NUM> forming a forward edge of the plough body <NUM>. The plough body <NUM> is attached to an end portion of a beam leg (not shown), and a mouldboard stay <NUM> is forming a connection between a rear portion of the mouldboard <NUM> and the saddle <NUM>.

It is now referred to <FIG> for further details of the first example of the plough sole breaker <NUM>. A bracket <NUM> is provided with a forward end portion <NUM> and a rear end portion <NUM>. The forward end portion <NUM> is provided with several through-holes 111a corresponding with holes (not shown) in a rear portion of the saddle <NUM> and in the land side <NUM> and arranged for receiving attachment means <NUM>, preferably screws which are countersunk in the land side <NUM>, thus leaving an outer side face of the land side <NUM> smooth and plane with no elements extending from said side face.

The rear bracket portion <NUM> is provided with a shaft <NUM> arranged approximately perpendicular to the land side <NUM> and extending away from the second, inner land side face 215b.

A tine <NUM> is provided with an exchangeable wearing part 13a releasably attached to a second tine end portion <NUM>. An angle of attack of the wearing part 13a may also be adjustable, and the wearing part 1a may be displaceable in its longitudinal direction and possibly reversable to maintain its functionality when worn.

A first end portion <NUM> of the tine <NUM> remote the wearing part 13a is provided with a hub <NUM> arranged to bear smoothly on the shaft <NUM>, the tine <NUM> extending perpendicularly from the shaft <NUM>. A pivot axis <NUM> of the tine <NUM> is co-centric with a centre axis <NUM> of the shaft <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>).

An end portion <NUM> of the shaft <NUM> extending from an end portion <NUM> of the tine hub <NUM> is provided with a radial through bore <NUM> arranged to receive a locking means <NUM> extending from at least one end of the through bore <NUM>, thus securing the tine <NUM> on the bracket <NUM> in an axial direction of the shaft <NUM>. The locking means <NUM> is preferably a ring pin, a split pin or a tension pin.

When arranged in a working state, an intermediate portion <NUM> of the tine <NUM> is resting against a forward face of a tine support <NUM>, the tine support <NUM> here shown as a bolt extending from the rear bracket end portion <NUM> approximately parallel to and spaced apart from the shaft <NUM>. The portion of the support <NUM> contacting the tine <NUM> may be U-shaped, providing even lateral support to the tine <NUM> by side wings <NUM>, in the embodiment shown as washers defining a collar (see even <FIG>).

When the tine support <NUM> is a bolt, the rear bracket end portion <NUM> may be arranged with several bolt holes providing alternative positions of the tine support <NUM>, thus allowing the angle of attach of the tine <NUM> to be changed.

If space allows the tine to pivot to a position PII shown in <FIG>, a top face of the support <NUM> may support the tine <NUM> when in an idle state. Alternatively, the tine <NUM> is supported inside the saddle <NUM> when in an idle state according to position Plla of <FIG>, particularly when fitted to a reversible plough.

When the tine support <NUM> is a bolt extending from the rear bracket end portion <NUM>, said bolt may be a shear bolt also providing overload protection, allowing the tine <NUM> to pivot backwards when the shear bolt breaks.

In its working state position PI, the tine <NUM> resting against the support <NUM>, the tine <NUM> is preferably slanting in the working direction of the plough body <NUM>, e.g. the free end of the tine <NUM> pointing in the direction of the share <NUM> of the plough <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>.

The disclosed first example of the plough sole breaker <NUM> allows the plough with one or more plough bodies <NUM> to be lowered onto a parking site <NUM> without the need of firstly tilting the tines <NUM> from their working state positions PI (see <FIG>) to an intermediate state position PIII like the one shown in <FIG> by slightly reversing and simultaneously lowering the plough to the ground, the coordinated shifting of the plough causing the tines <NUM> to be pivoted in a forward direction about the shafts <NUM> as the free ends of the tines <NUM> touches the ground.

For the purpose of ploughing without engaging the plough sole breakers <NUM>, the tines <NUM> are tilted and parked in their idle state positions as shown in <FIG>, resting against the top face of the support <NUM>.

It is now referred to <FIG> for further details of an embodiment of the plough sole breaker <NUM> according to the invention, wherein most of the features are identical to those of the first example. However, in the embodiment shown in <FIG>, some features have been added, providing characteristics which causes this embodiment of the plough sole breaker <NUM> being suitable even for reversible ploughs.

In this embodiment the tine hub <NUM> is provided with a stepped through-bore <NUM> perpendicular to a centre axis of the tine <NUM>. A first bore portion <NUM> has a diameter larger than that of a second bore portion <NUM>, the second bore portion <NUM> being arranged to bear smoothly on the shaft <NUM>. The first and second bore portions <NUM>, <NUM> are co-centric. The first bore portion <NUM> and the shaft <NUM> is defining an annulus <NUM> arranged to accommodate a spring <NUM>, a first spring end <NUM> being supported by a spring contact face <NUM> forming a radially extending transition portion from the larger diameter first bore portion <NUM> to the smaller diameter second bore portion <NUM>. When connecting the tine <NUM> and the bracket <NUM>, the spring <NUM> is entered onto the shaft <NUM>, surrounding a portion of the shaft <NUM> with a second spring end <NUM> being axially supported by a portion of the bracket <NUM> from which the shaft <NUM> is extending.

The end portion <NUM> of the shaft <NUM> is extending from the end portion <NUM> of the tine hub <NUM>. An end face <NUM> of the tine hub <NUM> is provided with opposing recesses <NUM> arranged to receive the locking means <NUM> inserted in the through bore <NUM> of the shaft <NUM> and extending from at least one end of the through bore <NUM>, thus securing the tine <NUM> on the bracket <NUM>. The axial lengths of the spring <NUM> and the tine hub <NUM> allow the spring <NUM> to be tensioned at least when the tine <NUM> is tilted between a first orientation PI (see <FIG>) and a second orientation PII or Plla (see <FIG>), by the axial displacement of the tine hub <NUM> when the recesses <NUM> are moved away from meshing with the locking means <NUM>.

In this embodiment the locking means <NUM> is preferably a tension pin offering accurate positioning of the locking means <NUM> in the axial direction of the through bore <NUM>.

The angular positions of the radial through bore <NUM> of the shaft <NUM> and the recesses <NUM> of the hub <NUM> is set according to a prescribed working state position I of the tine <NUM>, the tine <NUM> preferably slanting in the working direction of the plough <NUM>, e.g. the free end of the tine <NUM> pointing in the direction of the share <NUM> of the plough <NUM>.

When arranged in the working state PI according to <FIG>, the tine <NUM> is resting against the support <NUM>.

Even the disclosed embodiment of the plough sole breaker <NUM> allows the plough to be lowered onto a parking site <NUM> without the need of tilting the tines <NUM> from their working state positions PI according to <FIG> to their idle state positions PII according to <FIG> by slightly reversing and simultaneously lowering the plough to the ground, the coordinated shifting of the plough causing the recesses <NUM> of the tine hubs131 to be released from engagement with the locking means <NUM> as the free ends of the tines <NUM> touches the ground and a forcing the tines <NUM> to be pivoted about the shafts <NUM>.

For the purpose of ploughing without engaging the plough sole breakers <NUM>, the tines <NUM> are tilted and locked in their idle state positions PII as shown in <FIG>, the locking means <NUM> re-engaging with the hub recesses <NUM>, the tines <NUM> pointing up- and rearwards. In a situation wherein the layout of the plough <NUM> does not allow the tines <NUM> to be tilted as shown in <FIG>, the tine hub <NUM> might be provided with a second set of recesses <NUM> rotated an angle, i.e. <NUM> degrees, as shown in <FIG>, thereby allowing the tines <NUM> to be locked pointing up- and forward.

<FIG> shows the plough sole breaker according to the embodiment is in a second idle state position PII, tilted further rearwards from the idle position shown in <FIG>.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiment illustrates rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claim 1:
A plough sole breaker (<NUM>) arranged to be connected to a plough body (<NUM>), extendable below a working depth of the plough body (<NUM>), the plough sole breaker (<NUM>) comprising:
a bracket (<NUM>) arranged to be attached to the plough body (<NUM>), a forward portion (<NUM>) of the bracket (<NUM>) comprising attachment means (<NUM>);
a tine (<NUM>) being connected to a rear end portion (<NUM>) of the bracket (<NUM>), wherein
the tine (<NUM>) is pivotal about a transverse, horizontal axis (<NUM>) between a first orientation (PI), where the tine (<NUM>) is in an active working state extending downwardly, and a second orientation (PII, Plla), where the tine (<NUM>) is in an inactive idle state facing away from the first orientation (PI) wherein a first end portion (<NUM>) of the tine (<NUM>) is provided with a hub (<NUM>) comprising a bore (<NUM>) arranged to accommodate a shaft (<NUM>) extending transversely from the rear end portion (<NUM>) of the bracket (<NUM>), a centre axis (<NUM>) of the shaft (<NUM>) constituting the pivot axis (<NUM>) of the tine (<NUM>),
characterised in that
the bore (<NUM>) is stepped, a first bore portion (<NUM>) facing the bracket (<NUM>) having a radial clearance to the shaft (<NUM>), and a second bore portion (<NUM>) bearing against a portion of the shaft (<NUM>), said first bore portion (<NUM>) and the corresponding encircled portion of the shaft (<NUM>) defining an annulus (<NUM>) accommodating a compression spring (<NUM>), a first end (<NUM>) of the compression spring (<NUM>) abutting a surface (<NUM>) forming a transition between the bore portions (<NUM>, <NUM>), and a second end (<NUM>) of the spring (<NUM>) abutting the bracket (<NUM>); and
an end face (<NUM>) of the hub (<NUM>) opposite the first bore portion (<NUM>) is provided with two radial, diametrically opposite recesses (<NUM>) arranged to rest against a pin (<NUM>) extending through a radial through-bore (<NUM>) in an end portion (<NUM>) of the shaft (<NUM>), the pin (<NUM>) being oriented to engage with the recesses (<NUM>) when the tine (<NUM>) is in its first orientation (PI).