Patent ID: 7448335

Claim:
A seed planter comprising: a frame having a plurality of wheels for supporting the planter during rolling over a surface of ground to be planted with seed; a hopper for containing the seed to be planted in the ground; a support which is joined to opposed sides of the frame and to spaced apart locations of the hopper to transfer weight of the hopper to the frame, the support including at least one weight sensing device which senses a weight of seed in the hopper transferred through the support to the frame and provides an output of the sensed weight of the seed in the hopper; and wherein the support comprises a pair of weight bearing supports which are respectively joined to the opposed sides of the frame, each weight bearing support including first and second vertical parts which are respectively attached to the hopper at the spaced apart locations separated along a longitudinal dimension of the grain drill and a horizontal part joined to the vertical parts and attached to the frame; and the at least one, weight sensing device comprises first and second load cells associated with each of the pair of weight bearing supports, the first load cell being loaded with weight transferred from the first vertical part to the horizontal part and the second load cell being loaded with weight transferred from the second vertical part to the horizontal part.