The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements, and in particular, to an edge-on shank and an agricultural tool adapter, such as a seed boot, that enables an agricultural tool, such as a sweep, to be mounted to the shank in a manner that reduces soil disturbance and drag.
Agricultural implements are typically towed by a tractor or similar device and include an implement to which a number of shanks are mounted. The shanks are designed to carry an agricultural tool such as a sweep, coulter, spike, or chisel plow. Rather than coupling the tool directly to the shank, increasingly, adapters, also referred to as boots, are being used to mount an agricultural tool to the shank. Some adapters are also designed to receive a seed or fertilizer tube so that product may be dispensed rearward of the tool as the tool passes through the field.
Conventional adapters or boots fit around the outside of the shank thereby increasing the overall width presented at the ground contact level. As a result, any benefit to a shank having a relative narrow leading edge is negated. More particularly, the increased width at the ground engaging level can lead to undesirable soil disturbance and trash flow. In addition, excessive soil disturbance can increase fuel consumption of the tractor as well as increase soil moisture loss, which can negatively impact crop yields.
The present invention is directed to a shank having an upper portion and a lower portion with a smaller footprint than the upper portion and a tool adapter or boot in which the width of its leading edge is matched to that of the leading edge of the upper portion of the shank. The adapter includes an internal receiver that receives the lower portion of the shank and, as a result, the leading edge presented at the ground engaging level is not increased by the mounting of the adapter to the shank. The adapter is also configured to interchangeably couple various agricultural tools to the shank, such as sweeps, spikes, and plows.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.
Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout.
In the drawings:
The two sets of discs 14 are coupled to the implement frame 12 by a disc frame 24. As known in the art, the disc frame 24 can be raised and lowered relative to the implement frame to independently control the depth of the discs. Similarly, as known in the art, the sweeps 16 may be raised and lowered independent of the discs 14. The implement frame 12 may also be rotated over the wheel assembly 20 to raise and lower the implement frame 12. It is understood that the present invention is applicable with other types of implement frames.
Referring now to
As shown in
The adapter 26 has a main adapter body 42 from which an angled and generally downwardly extending mounting flange 44 extends. As will be described, the flange 44 is used to mount interchangeable plowing and other agricultural tools to the shank 18, such as sweep 16. The main adapter body 42 also includes a shank receiver 46 generally defined in an upper portion of the body 42 opposite the flange 44. The shank receiver 46 is shaped to snuggly receive the lower portion 34 of the shank 18. The adapter body 42 also has a seed tube receiver 48 configured to receive a seed or fertilizer tube (not shown).
After the lower portion 34 of the shank 18 is positioned within the receiver 46, a locking pin 50 may be used to securely fasten the adapter 26 to the shank 18. Similarly, a pin 52 may be used to fasten the sweep 16 to the flange 44.
As noted above, and referring briefly to
Referring now to
Referring now to
It will be appreciated that a tool, such as a sweep, spike, chisel plow or similar tool, having an interior channel may be mounted directly to the shank 18. Preferably, the width of the leading edge of the tool is matched to the width of the leading edge of the shank 18.
Many changes and will modifications could be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. The scope of these changes will become apparent from the appended claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
448861 | Hoyt | Mar 1891 | A |
1416331 | Campbell | May 1922 | A |
1574917 | Mitchell | Mar 1926 | A |
3196956 | Ratkowski | Jul 1965 | A |
3439636 | Lemke | Apr 1969 | A |
3529673 | Morris | Sep 1970 | A |
3704753 | Hasforth et al. | Dec 1972 | A |
4388878 | Demzin | Jun 1983 | A |
4638748 | Kopecky | Jan 1987 | A |
4765263 | Wilkins | Aug 1988 | A |
4799823 | Williams | Jan 1989 | A |
4911090 | Schimke | Mar 1990 | A |
4932478 | Jones | Jun 1990 | A |
5695012 | Kesting | Dec 1997 | A |
5787994 | Friesen | Aug 1998 | A |
6182587 | Lempriere | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6363871 | Puetz et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6405665 | Henry et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6457426 | Cruson | Oct 2002 | B1 |