Patent Application
20160088785
The present invention relates to a system and method for terminating cover crops. Specifically, the current invention relates to a system that uses vehicle-generated heat to terminate cover crops.
Cover crops are an important part of most no-till soil conservation systems, but they must be managed correctly to fully realize their potential benefits. Among other things, these benefits include a reduction in soil erosion and the suppression of weed pressure.
At the end of a selected cover crop-growing cycle, the cover crops are terminated so that a selected newly planted crop can emerge and thrive. Termination of the cover crop allows the new selected crops to fully benefit from the soil conditioning properties of the terminated cover crops without competing with the cover crops for water and nutrients.
In the past, herbicides were the preferred means of terminating cover crops, primarily because the herbicide application process is relatively fast and effective. Although herbicide application effectively kills the cover crops, there may be problems associated with unintended over-spray, spray drift, and undesirable chemical run-off. The herbicides also leave the cover crop stalks in tact. The stalks and associated crop residue subsequently interfere with the planting process associated with the new crops, particularly for cover crops (such as rye) that generate a large amount of biomass. Further, the use of herbicides is prohibited for farmers that intend to market their crops as “organically grown”.
Rolling and crimping devices have been developed to destroy and mulch the cover crops and thereby address these issues. These devices generally require large conventional tractors to tow the rollers and/or crimpers across the cover crops. However, these large tractors are not practical for small-scale organic farmers (particularly vegetable farmers) who could benefit from the use of no-till soil conservation practices.
The need exists for a means to terminate cover crops that is directed to smaller scale organic farming operations. The current invention provides a system whereby heat (which is currently wasted) is directed from a vehicle (preferably an inexpensive walk-behind garden tractor) to the system described herein to terminate a cover crop.
The current invention is directed to a walk-behind tractor crop terminating system. The system includes an elongated blade that extends perpendicular to the direction of travel of the walk-behind tractor. A flexible heat/exhaust duct connects an engine exhaust system of the walk-behind tractor to a perforated manifold that is integral with the blade. In operation, as the blade slides over and flattens the cover crop, heat and exhaust gasses from the perforated manifold are directed through the blade to terminate the cover crop.
The current invention is also directed to a method of terminating cover crops. In accordance with the method, an elongated blade is attached to a front portion of a walk-behind tractor. The blade extends perpendicular to the direction of travel of the walk-behind tractor. The blade includes a perforated manifold that extends parallel with the blade and is integral with the blade. A flexible heat/exhaust duct extends from the engine exhaust system of the walk-behind tractor to the perforated manifold. As the walk-behind tractor is propelled across a field of cover crops and the blade slides over and flattens the cover crop, heat and exhaust gasses from the perforated manifold terminate the cover crop.
The vehicle heat crop termination system 10 is generally shown in
In the preferred embodiment, the exhaust of a walk-behind tractor is used to terminate the cover crop. Typical examples of these types of tractors are manufactured by DR, Troy-Built, and BCS. For the purposes of the current disclosure, a walk-behind tractor is a tractor that does not accommodate a riding operator so that the operator walks behind the tractor and guides the tractor with a linkage that may include handlebars, hand grips, or the like.
As shown in
A second end 16 of the heat/exhaust duct 12 attaches to a horizontally extending manifold 18. Hot exhaust gasses generated by the tractor are ultimately directed out of perforations 19 (as shown in
The manifold 18 is configured so that the manifold 18 extends parallel with the blade 20. Although the manifold 18 is shown in
Specifically, the manifold 18 may have (roughly) a rectangular shape and thereby maximize the surface area of the manifold 18 that is positioned adjacent to a cover crop. The manifold 18 may also be insulated (in a similar manner to the exhaust duct 12) to ensure that all available heat is focused on the portion of the manifold 18 that is adjacent to the cover crops. The direct application of the exhaust gasses themselves (even without the heat) may be toxic to some cover crops.
The blade 20 has a general “L” shape, however the vertex of the “L” is rounded so that the blade 20 effectively flattens cover crops as the walk-behind tractor moves in the direction of the arrow 22. In the preferred embodiment, the blade 20 is comprised of light-weight aluminum.
As shown in
As best shown in
In the preferred embodiment, the walk-behind tractor configuration described herein generates exhaust gases having a temperature of about 650° F.—which are distributed along the length of the manifold 18. The strip heaters 21 generate continuous heat at about 1000° F. distributed along the length of the heater element 21. Either the exhaust components 12, 18, 19 or the strip heaters 21 may be used alone or in combination to terminate a cover crop. Since the vehicle heat crop termination system 10 described herein is mounted in the front of the tractor, the system 10 may be used in conjunction with the powered rolling and crimping device described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,176,991 to Kornecki, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The powered rolling and crimping device is designed to mount behind the tractor.
In operation, as the walk-behind tractor pushes the vehicle heat crop termination system 10 in the direction of the arrow 22, the blade 20 flattens a cover crop. As the blade 20 moves over the cover crop, exhaust heat and gasses from the walk-behind tractor flow through a heat/exhaust duct 12 and into a horizontal manifold 18 that is integral with the blade 20. The exhaust gases are eventually expelled through manifold perforations 19 and associated that are adjacent to the cover crop.
Simultaneously, heat is generated by one or more strip heaters 21 that are configured so that heat from the heaters is also directed to the cover crop. The heat generated by the exhaust gases in combination with the strip heaters 21 acts to terminate the cover crop. The vehicle heat crop termination system 10 which is mounted to a front portion of the walk-behind tractor, may be used in conjunction with a powered rolling and crimping device which mounts at the rear of the tractor.
For the foregoing reasons, it is clear that the current invention provides an innovative means of destroying a cover crop. The invention may be modified in multiple ways and applied in various technological applications. The current invention may be customized as required by a specific operation or application, and the individual components may be modified and defined, as required, to achieve the desired result.
For example, although the preferred embodiment is intended for use with a walk-behind tractor, in alternative embodiments the scale of the components may be increased or decreased. An implement with the design described herein may be used with other types of powered devices including conventional riding-type farm tractors as well as devices that would not conventionally be considered to be “tractors” (such as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)). Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
