FR2583259A1 - Salt spreader - Google Patents

Abstract

Spreader for spreading salt on the grass after mowing. This spreader is composed of a coupling for mounting on the mower, of a salt storage hopper fastened to the coupling, of a distribution shaft with special gears, of an assembly for controlling rotation by geared motor, and of a flap for adjusting the flow of the salt.

Description

 The present invention relates to a seed drill for spreading salt on the grass after mowing.

 Before the current conditioning presses picked up the hay in round or rectangular bundles, farmers brought it in loose in the attics of their farm. For the good conservation of this hay and to give it a better taste for consumption, it was regularly salted in uniform layers.

 Nowadays, farmers mow the grass, dry it by various operations, pack it in bundles of different capacities and shapes to store it without salt for livestock feed in winter.

 It turns out that unsalted hay does not have the same properties, knowing also that salt is a staple food for livestock as for humans.

 The present invention aims to simultaneously salt the grass at the time of mowing. The salt is spread directly on the grass which absorbs the dissolved salt by dew or relative humidity.

 When pre-drying before handling before packaging, all of the grass or hay is impregnated with salt.

 The description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting example, will make it clear how the invention is implemented and what it is for.

In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 shows the diagram of the seed drill, its coupling mode and simulates its use.

 Figure 2 shows the salt flow control system.

 Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2.

 Figure 4 is a section through the salt distribution tree.

 FIG. 5 represents the engine and the transmission controlling the distributor shaft.

 The salt seeder is fixed by a drawbar 8 and link arm 6 to the mower 1. Said mower being towed and put into operation by a conventional agricultural tractor.

The classic mower 1 also mows the grass 3 according to arrow 2
The collected grass 5 is salted with the salt 4 distributed by the seed drill.

 The above is visible in Figure 1.

The salt spreader is composed of a hopper 7 with a capacity of 65 liters of salt, giving a salting autonomy of one hectare. This autonomy is random because salting takes place as a function of the density of the forage which in some cases requires a flow adjustment.

 At the bottom of the hopper 7 is the distributor shaft composed of an axis 21 mounted in bearings 18. On this axis are arranged kinds of gears 19 with alveolar teeth having the function of distributing the salt by turning.

 These gears 19 are braced by washers 20 of the same diameter which avoid a distribution of salt over the entire length of the shaft.

 Figure 4 shows this pre-described distributor shaft.

 At the end of the latter is fixed a chain pinion with a pitch of 12.7 13 rotating the distributor shaft by a chain 14 of the same pitch, lacquer is actuated by a pinion 16 fixed at the end of the axis of a 12 volt DC motor 17.

 This gearmotor is fixed to the hopper on a plate bracket 15, the above being represented by FIGS. 4 and 5.

 The gearmotor is powered by the tractor battery and connected to that by an electric cable and a multi-pin plug. A safety fuse is provided for connection.

 Figures 2 and 3 show the said adjustment system. This setting is done manually at the start of each salting mowing operation.

 This device is composed of a flap 9 articulated on axes at the two ends which are mounted in bearings fixed to the hopper 7.

 On the side opposite to the geared motor 17 a graduated sector 10 is fixed to the flap giving the possibility by an angular position of closing or opening the opening of the flap in order to vary the flow of salt.

The sector 10 as described in Figures 2 and 3 is blocked by a knurled bolt 11 and a screw 12 fix8c on the blank of the thirty 7
Given the nature of the product to be spread, all of the 7-axis hopper mechanical elements 21 are made of stainless steel and the gears 19 and washers 20 are made of nylon-type material resistant to attack by mineral salts.

 It goes without saying that modifications can be made to the embodiment which has just been described, in particular by substitution of equivalent technical means, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (7)

 1 - Seed drill for spreading salt on the grass during mowing, intended to be fixed without particular adaptation to mower of any type, the assembly being put into action by an agricultural tractor, characterized in that  This seed drill is composted with a hitch for fixing to said mower, a hopper 7 fixed to said drawbar, a salt distribution shaft, a geared motor 17 rotating said distribution shaft and a salt flow control flap 9.  2 - Seeder according to claim 1 characterized in that said hitch consists of a hitch bar 8 and link arms 6 fixed to the hopper 7.  3 - seed drill according to claim 1 characterized in that said hopper 7 is provided with an opening at its base, provided for mounting the tree -distribution of salt.  4 - Seed drill according to claims 1 and 3 characterized in that said distribution shaft is composed of an axis 21 on which are mounted sprockets 19 with honeycomb teeth causing the salt in its rotation, said gears being interposed on their axis by spacers 20, said distribution shaft being mounted on bearings 18 and at one end is fixed a transmission pinion 13.  5 - Seeder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said distribution shaft is rotated by a geared motor by means of chain 14 and sprockets 13 and 16.  6 - Seeder according to claim 5 characterized in that said gear motor is direct current, 12 volts connected by electric cable and multi-pin socket on the battery circuit of said tractor.  7 - seed drill according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said flow adjustment flap 9 consists of a movable profile devabt open or more or less close the opening of the passage of the salt leaving the hopper 7 and control by the distributor shaft, the flap 9 being held in the previously selected position by means of a graduated sector 10.