GB2541366A

GB2541366A - Soil inverter

Info

Publication number: GB2541366A
Application number: GB1512237.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kerridge Paul
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-07-10
Filing date: 2015-07-10
Publication date: 2017-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 2035-07-10
Also published as: GB201512237D0; GB2541366B

Abstract

A seedbed cultivator may comprise a main frame 3 which may be coupled to a tractor three point linkage (Fig 1, 2). A series of discs 19, 27, 28 may be attached to respective leg brackets 18, 20, said discs acting to cut ground and guiding the cultivator, with discs 27, 28 also acting to guide soil along the device. Below and to the rear of disc 28 a leading edge having teeth 13 and vertical swords 23 on one of a series of wing like members 4 starts to lift the soil disturbed by the discs. The partly fragmented soil rises up the wings 4 passes over the mid-section 6 and drops away over the trailing edge 7 onto a lower wing 8 that is wider than the upper wing. This lower wing may be fitted with teeth 14. Concave returns 9 on wings fold the soil inward, in line with with the midpoint of each of the pairs of the upper wings and in line with each of the sets of discs. A line of chisel like tines 16 and a series of rollers 17 may also be fitted to further aerate the tilth and then to consolidate it. The wings and rollers may be fitted to a main support arm 12 fitted with a shear bolt 25. The cultivator is intended to be used in zero till or low input cultivation and does not leave a furrow as it passes through the ground.

Description

SOIL INVERTER BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a soil working agricultural implement for inverting soil in preparation for growing crops.

There are two main techniques for establishing a seed bed for growing crops within arable farming. A plough based system and a minimum tillage system. A plough based system gives favourable results in many aspects, but it is expensive and time consuming, due to multiple passes subsequent to ploughing, to break and crush clods. There are physical limitations to the structure of a plough to attach other implements or tools. In order to gain width on a plough, for larger tractors, length must be gained. This can make large ploughs cumbersome and incompatible for simple multi-hitching of soil working tools and rollers. The plough itself leaves a furrow on every pass, which dictates where the tractor must be, in order to fill the subsequent furrow in. This is limiting if only parts of a field need ploughing. A minimum tillage system has less favourable results in many aspects, but has significant cost and time saving advantages over ploughing. The disadvantages are that soil is not ‘inverted’ like ploughing. Soil is ripped or stirred, chopped or sliced enough to loosen the soil. The surface trash is not cleared. Weed seeds are left on the surface and the proceeding crop would need extra chemicals to keep weeds under control. Due to the lack of ‘inversion’ soil mineralization does not take place properly and capping can occur on the soil, which can cause difficulties in wet years.

The size of the implement can be large enough to become cumbersome due to the amount of soil engaging tools needed to loosen the soil, sufficiently enough for it to almost replicate ploughing. A large investment has to be made owing to the amount of materials and power it takes to resemble ploughing using this method.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

The preferred invention proposes a new technique for establishing a seed bed, within a new implement, without the disadvantages of the two previous main techniques. A soil inverting implement for a draft vehicle, which inverts soil and crop residues within a given width without leaving a furrow.This is in turn attached together with further soil inverter sections to give a desired width. Including the ability to attach soil working tools and rollers to prepare the soil for seeding or drilling. Therefore inverting soil, breaking clods, levelling soil and consolidating soil all in one pass.

ADVANTAGES OF INVENTION

The soil inverting implement will enable soil and crop residues to be inverted in much the same way as ploughing, without leaving a furrow and will crush clods, level soil and consolidate soil in a single pass. It can also be used in the same way as a standard cultivator and at a similar efficiency. Multi hitching will be possible and time can be saved in preparing soil for seeding or drilling. Width can be gained without gaining length making the dimensions of the soil inverter preferable.

I

A BREIF DISCRETION OF DRAWINGS FIG 1. A plan perspective view of a soil inverting implement with a plurality of three, including a draft vehicle, soil working tools and rollers. FIG 2. A side perspective view of a soil inverting implement with soil working tools and rollers. FIG 3. A plan perspective view of a soil inverter with a soil working tool. FIG 4. A slightly elevated frontal view of a soil inverter. FIG 5. A slightly elevated rearward view of a soil inverter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the soil inverting implement that is illustrated therein.

The soil inverting implement comprising a main frame 3 which is connected to a draft vehicle connection 2 and pulled by a draft vehicle 1, perpendicular to the main frames horizontal cross members. A frontal horizontal crossmember of the main frame 3 is connected to a vertical leg bracket 18 which is connected to a front cutting disc 19 and is able to spin radially in a vertical position. In line with the centre of the ascending main body 4. Two other vertical leg brackets 20, are symmetrically attached to a horizontal crossmember of the main frame 3, and is attached to side cutting discs 28 and upper guide discs 27. The side discs 28 and upper guide discs 27 are able to spin radially in a vertical position in line with the periphery edges of the ascending main body 4. A rear horizontal crossmember section of the main frame 3 is attached to two vertical main leg brackets 11 which contain two holes for a pivot bolt 24 and a sheer bolt 25. Within the brackets is a connected releasable leg 12.

The leg 12 is connected too two formed attachments 22 at the lower section of the leg, which is connected to the ascending main body 4.

The ascending main body 4 is flat at the lower introductory section 5. The ascending main body 4 begins to form into two symmetrical outward convoluting forms, substantially around the middle section 6 of the ascending main body 4. This convolution continues to outwardly convolute until it reaches the terminal end at the higher section 7 of the ascending main body 4.

The ascending main body 4 has a substantial hollow 26, substantially along the middle of the length.

The lower introductory section 5 of the ascending main body 4 is connected to detachable teeth 13 wherein the outer teeth have vertical swords 23, which may differ by design or plurality.

The lower inverting section 8 has a lower horizontal skid 10.

The lower horizontal skid 10 is attached to vertical attachments 21 which is attached to the main leg 12.

The lower soil inverting section 8 protrudes from underneath the ascending main body 4 in a trailing position at either side. The lower inverting section 8 is wider than the ascending main body 4 and forms from the horizontal lower skid 10 into a forward facing point which is attached to detachable teeth 14.

The rear section of the lower inverting section 8 forms into two inward symmetrical convolutions 9 which convolute towards the underside of the ascending main body 4 substantially in line with the higher section 7.

The attachment for soil working tools and rollers 15 is attached to the main leg 12 and is of enough length to have rollers or depth wheels 17 to guide or regulate the depth of work of the soil inverter. An attachment for soil working tools 16 is attached to the main leg 12.

In operation the soil inverter, using the draft vehicle 1 and draft vehicle connections 2, is pulled or pushed and lowered into the soil by draft force.

With continued draft force and lowering in to the soil. The front cutting disc 19 cuts a slice into the soil which is in line with the centre of the ascending main body 4 at the required depth.

The side cutting discs 28 cuts slices into the soil in line with the periphery edges of the ascending main body 4 at the required depth.

As the side cutting discs 28 are cutting the soil, a slice of soil, being the width of the ascending main body 4, begins to rise out of the soil after being sliced by the discs, and travels up the ascending main body 4.

With draft force the slice continues travelling up the ascending main body 4 and is guided by the upper guide discs 27 if necessary.

Owing to the slice made in the soil from the front cutting disc 19, and due to the outward convolutions of the higher section 7 of the ascending main body 4. The soil slice starts to separate into two segments by convolving, at the centre of the slice. The soil slice, which is in two segments, convolute away outwardly from the centre, and both segments rotate in a symmetrically timed way, at the higher section 7 of the ascending main body 4, with continued draft force.

At the terminal end of the ascending main body 4 the convolutions reach their maximum radius and with draft force, throw the soil off the terminal end of the ascending main body 4. The soil continues to rotate substantially while in mid air, and drops in to furrows in an inverted position. The furrows are left by the lower inverting section 8.

The lower inverting section 8 inverts soil from either side of the ascending main body 4 in the usual way, with the amount needed to fill the furrow left by lifting the soil out of the ground with the ascending main body 4.

The lower inverting section 8, inverts soil underneath the ascending main body 4, with soil from either side of the ascending main body 4, and creates furrows for the ascending main body 4 to drop inverted soil slice(s) into.

Fundamentally the soil is sliced in to four soil slices and crossed over at two points symmetrically, leaving the slices in an inverted position in an opposing location.

Soil working tools 16 and rollers 17 that are attached then break, level and consolidate the soil behind the soil inverter(s) across the full width.

Width is increased by way of multiplying the amount of soil inverter sections added to the main frame 3. Further mounted options on top of the main frame 3 can also be attached.

Claims

1. A soil inverting implement, comprising a leg, attached to an ascending main body which is formed flat at the lower introductory section, connected to a series of teeth; which forms into two separate outward symmetrical convolutions at the upper section of the ascending main body and convolving substantially near and at the terminal end; a leg connected to a lower inverting section, which is greater in width than the ascending main body and projects substantially out from both sides from underneath a substantially higher section of the ascending main body; which form into two inward symmetrical convolutions, convolving towards the underside of the ascending main body, connected to teeth.

2. The soil inverting implement of claim 1, wherein the connected teeth are detachable.

3. The soil inverting implement of claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer connected teeth of the ascending main body has vertical swords attached.

4. The soil inverting implement of claim 1, wherein the centre lengthways section of the ascending main body is substantially hollow.

5. The soil inverting implement of claim 1, wherein the underside of the ascending main body has attachments running parallel to each other, separated by the substantial hollow, substantially along the length of the ascending main body.

6. The soil inverting implement of claim 5, wherein a leg attached to the inner sides of the attached attachments, substantially within the substantial hollow.

7. The soil inverting implement of claim 1, wherein the lower inverting section is attached to two vertical attachments at the lower horizontal skid, which are positioned either side of the centre, parallel to each other with a hollow between two inner vertical sides.

8. The soil inverting implement of claim 7, wherein a leg is attached within the hollow between the two vertical attachments centrally.

9. The soil inverting implement of claim 1,6 or 8, wherein the leg has attachments for mounting other soil working tools and rollers.

10. The soil inverting implement of claim 1, wherein the lower inverting section has detachable teeth.

11. The soil inverting implement of claim 1, wherein the horizontal lower skid is attached to connecting attachments at the outward terminal ends of its width; which forms in to two inward symmetrical convolutions, convolving towards the underside of the ascending main body; from an outward position, attached to a leg underneath the ascending main body.

12. The soil inverting implement according to any of the proceeding claims wherein adjustments can be made and set accordingly, to the angles of any attachment.

13. The soil inverting implement of claim 1, wherein width can be gained by adding multiple soil inverting implement embodiments parallel upon the frame.