Patent ID: 7617785

Claim:
A direct drive mechanism for use with a seed metering system comprising: a meter housing having a back plate and a cover connected to each other and define a meter cavity therebetween; said meter cavity includes a seed plate therein; a meter housing opening passes through said meter housing; a drive housing having an open end attached to the metering housing between a one o'clock to a six o'clock position; said meter housing opening and said open end of said drive housing connect together; a prime mover attached to the drive housing; said prime mover having a drive output assembly including a output gear and a pinion gear mounted to an output shaft; said pinion gear driven by said prime mover; and said output gear driven by the pinion and interfacing the seed plate, wherein the direct drive mechanism is directly connected to and selectively directly drives the seed metering system; wherein said cover encloses said meter housing opening and said prime mover keeping enclosed area free of debris.