GB1578857A

GB1578857A - Agricultural implements

Info

Publication number: GB1578857A
Application number: GB841277A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: DOWLER D
Current assignee: DOWLER D
Priority date: 1978-02-28
Filing date: 1978-02-28
Publication date: 1980-11-12

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS (71) I, DAVID DOWLER, a British Subject, of Stamford Hall Farm, Pillerton Priors, Warwick, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to improvements in or relating to agricultural implements and is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with an agricultural sprayer, a fertiliser distributor or seeder.

When growing certain crops, it is often necessary for a farmer to carry out fertilising or weed-killing operations at intervals throughout the growth period. This normally entails the farmer driving a tractor to-andfrom across the field to distribute the fertiliser or weed-killer, and the tractor wheels can cause appreciable damage to the crop.

Where the crop is at an early stage of growth it can often recover from some of the damage, but cannot easily do so when treatment is carried out late in the growing period. It is known that such damage can result in losses of up to 5 per cent and an object of the invention is to provide an agricultural implement which will cause less damage to crops.

According to the invention there is provided an agricultural implement including an elongate frame, at least one ground wheel carried at each end of the frame, driving means for driving the wheels, means for steering the wheels so that the frame can be driven optionally in a direction transverse to or longitudinally of the frame, an operating station adjacent one end of the frame and control means at the operating station arranged to control the relative speeds of the wheels so that the frame can be steered by driving the wheels at relative speeds when it is driven in the transverse direction.

Preferably, a further ground wheel is carried at each end of the frame, each further ground wheel being in the form of a freely rotatable castor. The castor form of the further wheels enables them to turn automatically when the frame is being driven in the appropriate direction. It is advantageous if the further ground wheels are arranged to align with the steerable wheels at the respective ends of the frame when the frame is being driven.

In a preferred embodiment, the means for driving the frame comprises a motor arranged adjacent the hub of each steerable wheel.

Although various types of motors could be used, I prefer to utilise motors which are fluid operable, the control means in such a case being arranged to operate control valve means which is operable to control fluid flow to the motors, said control valve means having a datum setting at which the motors drive their wheels in the same direction at the same speed, and being adjustable so that the wheels will be driven relatively to each other. The control valve means may be adjustable by means of one or more hand wheels.

Each of the steerable wheels may be steered by a fluid operable ram which acts between the frame and a pivotal mounting for the associated wheel. Each fluid operable ram may be controlled by means of a valve unit mounted on the frame, the aforesaid control means and the valve unit preferably being positioned at one end of the frame at said operating station.

To enable the frame to be extended, it may be longitudinally adjustable or constructed from interconnected sections of given length, the latter construction enabling the frame to be extended by adding extra sections.

Preferably, the frame carries means for distributing liquids, finely divided substances or seeds over the ground which are fed to the distributing means from a container on the frame. I prefer to position the container at the opposite end of the frame to the operating station to provide increased loading of the wheels at that end of the frame.

An agricultural implement in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of an implement in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is an elevation of the implement shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is an end elevation of the implement shown in Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 4 is a view showing in detail the manner of mounting the steerable wheels.

A frame 10 has four longitudinal members 11 which are braced for rigidity. The frame 10 carries end frames 12 and 12' which support ground wheels 13, 14 and 13', 14' respectively. The wheels 13, 13' are each mounted on an inverted L-shaped member 15 which has a king pin 16 welded to its upper limb (see Figure 4). The king pin 16 is rotatably mounted in a projecting arm 17 which is bolted or otherwise secured to an upright 18 connected to the associated end frame. The wheels 14, 14' are in the form of castors. Each castor is mounted in a bifurcated holder 19 rotatably mounted on a projecting arm 20 bolted or otherwise secured to a further upright 22 connected to the end frame. The uprights 18, 22 are braced from the sides of frame 10 by means of bracing bars 23, 24 respectively.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the upper limbs of the inverted L-shaped member 15 are connected to respective double acting fluid operable rams 25, 25' carried by the frame 10 and/or the associated end frames 12, 12'. The rams 25, 25' are controlled from a control unit (not shown) mounted on a platform 26 on top of the frame 10 adjacent the end frame 12. Operation of the rams will turn each L-shaped member about its king pin axis thereby steering the wheels.

As viewed in Figure 1, the wheel 13 steers anti-clockwise as the wheel 13' steers clockwise, the wheels being steerable through approximately 1200 from the positions shown.

In this manner, the implement can be driven (by drive means to be hereinafter described) in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1 transversely to the frame 10, in the direction of arrow B in Figure 1 longitudinally of the frame 10, or in opposite directions. When being driven in the direction of arrow A the wheels 14, 14' align with the wheels 13, 13'. When being driven in the direction of arrow B, the wheels 13, 13' align with each other.

The drive means for the implement comprises a fluid-operable motor M mounted at the lower end of each inverted L-shaped member 15. The motors M drive the wheels 13, 13' through the wheel hubs via reduction gearing G and are independently controllable by a control valve system 21 on the platform 26. The control valve system is adjustable by means of hand wheels 27, 28 which are arranged back to back on a column 29. The hand wheels are interconnected through gearing (not shown) so that rotation of the hand wheel 27 will rotate the hand wheel 28 in the opposite direction. The control valve system has a datum setting at which fluid will be fed to the motors M to drive the motors at the same speed and in the same direction. Thus at the datum setting, the wheels 13, 13' will drive the implement in the direction A (or in a reverse direction) without one end of the frame tending to turn about the other end. When the implement is travelling in the direction A, and the driver is sitting on a seat 30 behind the hand wheel 27, movement of the hand wheel 27 anti-clockwise will shift the control valve system from the datum and cause the wheel 13 to rotate faster than the wheel 13'. Thus the right hand end of the frame as viewed in Figure 1 will tend to advance and turn about the left hand end. Movement of the hand wheel 27 clockwise, to shift the control valve system from the datum in the opposite sense, will have an opposite effect on the frame. Therefore with the wheels 13, 13' fixed in the position shown in Figure 1, the frame can be steered as it moves over the ground by controlling the rotational speeds of the wheels 13, 13'. When travelling in the opposite direction to arrow A, the driver sits on a seat 32 and steers the implement using hand wheel 28. If drive to the motors M is such that the wheels 13, 13' rotate in opposite directions at the same speed, the implement turns about a point midway between the wheels 13, 13'.

When travelling in the direction of arrow B, the speed of the wheels 13, 13' must remain constant. In such a case steering can be effected by operation of the rams to turn the wheels 13, 13', the centre of the turning circle being the intersection of the axes of rotation of the wheels 13, 13'. To assist driving the implement in the direction of arrow B, a third hand wheel may be provided which faces direction B and which is used to control fluid feed to the rams. A seat may be provided for the driver adjacent the third hand wheel. If desired a single swingable seat could be provided for use by the driver when using any one of the hand wheels. Power for the fluid circuits is derived from an engine E on the platform 26.

The frame 10 may carry a spray arrangement for liquids, a distributor system for powdered or granular fertiliser, or seeding apparatus. In each case, a container 34 for the liquid, fertiliser or seeds is preferably situated at the left hand end of the frame 10.

This arrangement provides increased loading for the wheels 13', 14' and improves overall stability. In order to ensure that all four wheels remain in contact with the ground when travelling over uneven terrain, the wheels 14, 14' may have a sprung suspension.

The height of frame 10 above the ground can be varied by adjusting the vertical positions at which the arms 17, 20 are bolted to their respective uprights 18, 22.

In use, the implement travels across a field between headlands in the direction of arrow A.

At the end of the field, the implement is driven on to the headland and the wheels 13, 13' turned to enable the implement to travel in direction B along the headland.

The implement is moved far enough in direction B to enable the wheel 13 to align with a rut in the field left by the wheel 13' on the previous run. The wheels 13, 13' are then turned to enable the implement to be driven across the field again in the opposite direction to arrow A, the wheel 13 following the wheel rut previously made.

The length of the frame 10 may be upwards of thirty feet and may either be telescopically adjustable for length, or made up of bolttogether modular sections. In the latter case, the length can be increased by adding extra sections. With a long frame, fewer runs are necessary to complete treatment of a field and, therefore, fewer wheel ruts will be made.

Furthermore when treating, say, a band of crops adjacent an edge of the field, one set of wheels can be arranged to travel over the normal un-sown shoulder area alongside the outer row of crops. Therefore an implement in accordance with the invention substantially reduces crop damage.

Although I prefer to use fluid driven motors M, an alternative form of drive arrangement could be provided. Similarly, a purely mechanical steering mechanism for the wheels 13, 13' could be substituted for the rams 25.

Although two steerable wheels 13, 13' have been described, the implement could be provided with three or more such wheels On larger implements, the castor-like wheels could be replaced by steerable wheels which may also be drivable. On small implements, a single castor-like wheel could be provided on a suitable "tricycle" type frame.

The castor-like wheel or wheels could be replaced by suitable skid means.

The implement may be used for purposes other than distributing liquids, fertiliser or seeds.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. An agricultural implement including an elongate frame, at least one ground wheel carried at each end of the frame, driving means for driving the wheels, means for steering the wheels so that the frame can be driven optionally in a direction transverse to or longitudinally of the frame, an operating station adjacent one end of the frame and control means at the operating station arranged to control the relative speeds of the wheels so that the frame can be steered by driving the wheels at relative speeds when it is driven in the transverse direction.

2. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 1, in which at least one further ground wheel is carried by the frame, the or each further ground wheel being in the form of a freely rotatable castor.

3. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 2, in which a castor is carried at each end of the frame.

4. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 3, in which the castor wheels are arranged to align with the steerable wheels at the respective ends of the frame when the frame is being driven transversely of the frame.

5. An agricultural implement, according to any preceding claim, in which the means for driving the wheels comprises a motor arranged adjacent the hub of each steerable wheel.

6. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 5, in which the motors are fluid operable, and the control means operates control valve means which is operable to control fluid flow to the motors, said control valve means having a datum setting at which the motors drive their wheels in the same direction at the same speed, and being adjustable away from the datum so that the wheels will be driven relatively to each other.

7. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 6, in which the control means includes a handwheel for adjusting the control valve means.

8. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 7, in which two hand wheels are provided for adjusting the control valve means, one of which faces in a direction transversely of the frame and the other of which faces in the opposite direction.

9. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 8, in which the two hand wheels are interconnected through gearing in that rotation of one of the hand wheels causes the other hand wheel to rotate in the opposite direction.

10. An agricultural implement, according to any preceding claim, in which each of the steerable wheels is steered by a fluid operable ram which acts between the frame and a pivotal mounting for the associated wheel.

11. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 10, in which each fluid operable ram is controlled by means of a valve unit mounted on the frame.

12. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 10 or 11, in which a hand wheel is provided for steering the steerable wheels when the implement is being driven in a direction longitudinally of the frame.

13. An agricultural implement, according to any preceding claim, in which the frame is extendable telescopically.

14. An agricultural implement, according to any of Claims 1 to 12, in which the frame

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. In use, the implement travels across a field between headlands in the direction of arrow A. At the end of the field, the implement is driven on to the headland and the wheels 13, 13' turned to enable the implement to travel in direction B along the headland. The implement is moved far enough in direction B to enable the wheel 13 to align with a rut in the field left by the wheel 13' on the previous run. The wheels 13, 13' are then turned to enable the implement to be driven across the field again in the opposite direction to arrow A, the wheel 13 following the wheel rut previously made. The length of the frame 10 may be upwards of thirty feet and may either be telescopically adjustable for length, or made up of bolttogether modular sections. In the latter case, the length can be increased by adding extra sections. With a long frame, fewer runs are necessary to complete treatment of a field and, therefore, fewer wheel ruts will be made. Furthermore when treating, say, a band of crops adjacent an edge of the field, one set of wheels can be arranged to travel over the normal un-sown shoulder area alongside the outer row of crops. Therefore an implement in accordance with the invention substantially reduces crop damage. Although I prefer to use fluid driven motors M, an alternative form of drive arrangement could be provided. Similarly, a purely mechanical steering mechanism for the wheels 13, 13' could be substituted for the rams 25. Although two steerable wheels 13, 13' have been described, the implement could be provided with three or more such wheels On larger implements, the castor-like wheels could be replaced by steerable wheels which may also be drivable. On small implements, a single castor-like wheel could be provided on a suitable "tricycle" type frame. The castor-like wheel or wheels could be replaced by suitable skid means. The implement may be used for purposes other than distributing liquids, fertiliser or seeds. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. An agricultural implement including an elongate frame, at least one ground wheel carried at each end of the frame, driving means for driving the wheels, means for steering the wheels so that the frame can be driven optionally in a direction transverse to or longitudinally of the frame, an operating station adjacent one end of the frame and control means at the operating station arranged to control the relative speeds of the wheels so that the frame can be steered by driving the wheels at relative speeds when it is driven in the transverse direction.

is constructed from sections of given length and is extendable by adding extra sections.

15. An agricultural implement, according to any preceding claim, in which the frame carries means for distributing liquids, finely divided substances or seeds over the ground which are fed to the distributing means from a container on the frame.

16. An agricultural implement, according to Claim 15, in which the container is positioned at the opposite end of the frame to the operating station.

17. An agricultural implement constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.