WO1987006791A1

WO1987006791A1 - Method and apparatus for mechanised planting, especially of young trees

Info

Publication number: WO1987006791A1
Application number: PCT/SE1987/000216
Authority: WO
Inventors: Olof Herolf
Original assignee: Osa AB
Current assignee: Osa AB
Priority date: 1986-05-06
Filing date: 1987-04-27
Publication date: 1987-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 1988-11-06
Also published as: SE8602071L; AU7392587A; SE453147B; SE8602071D0; FI875759A7; FI82874C; FI875759A0; FI82874B

Abstract

Method and apparatus for mechanised planting of young trees, includes an applicator (11) carried by a vehicle and vertically movable in relation thereto, said applicator being connected with a magazine (29) for supplying plants (28) one by one to said applicator. The applicator (11) can be adjusted at or above ground level and is adapted to cooperate with a rotary cultivator (19) also carried on said vehicle, serving to build up a heap of soil on the ground and around said applicator, while the applicator and a plant contained therein are held in the said position.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MECHANISED PLANTING, ESPECIALLY OF YOUNG TREES

Technical field of the invention

This invention relates primarily to a method of mechanised planting, especially of young trees, by means of a vehicle-borne, vertically movable and preferably tubular applicator which is connected to a similarly vehicle-borne plant magazine for supplying plants by the piece to said applicator. The invention also comprises an apparatus for this purpose. Background of the invention For conventional mechanised planting, use is made of cross-country vehicles which heap the soil (mostly till) in strands, and automatically set the plants down into the soil strands at predetermined intervals. Setting is effected by means of lance-like, vertically movable tubes to which the plants are supplied pneumatically or mechanically and which are provided at the lower end with a pointed closure mechanism which is held closed while the pipe is being driven down into the soil strand and not opened until the tube has been driven down, thereby to leave the root system of the plant in the soil strand.

However, this planting technique suffers from a number of practical and technical shortcomings. Thus, the automatic planting at predetermined intervals, in which the operator usually takes no part, may cause some plants to take root very poorly or not at all, for example if the planting tubes hit upon stones or other hard objects in the heaped soil strand. Furthermore, the planting machines become complicated, expensive and short-lived, without affording the desired efficiency. For example, it frequently happens that the supplied plants get stuck either in the tube system leading to the applicator or in the applicator itself. Brief account of the inventive concept

The present invention aims at obviating the abovementioned shortcomings and opening up possibilities of an efficient planting technique by simple means. To this end, the present invention proposes a method which is characterised primarily in that the applicator and a plant supplied thereto are held in position at or above ground level, while a soil cultivating implement, for example a rotary cultivator, is caused to heap soil around the applicator and the plant therein, whereupon the applicator is removed from the soil heap, leaving the root system of the plant within the heap.

The invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying the method into effect, and the characteristic features of this apparatus will appear from the appended claims. Brief description of the accompanying drawings

In the drawings. Fig. 1 is a simplified lateral view of a vehicle including the planting apparatus according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the said vehicle; Fig. 3 is a simplified perspective view illustrating the planting apparatus according to the invention; Figs. 4-8 are enlarged detail views showing different planting phases; and Fig. 9 is a detail view illustrating a conceivable embodiment of an applicator comprised by the apparatus. Detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention In Figs. 1 and 2, a cross-country vehicle generally designated 1 comprises a frame 2 which, in this instance, is supported by two pairs of wheels 3, 3' and 4, 4'. The frame 2 may be of optional type, for example in the form of a simple longitudinally extending, central tube. The frame carries at one end a cab 5 having a front window 6 and a rear window 7. The vehicle, when used for planting, is intended to be driven to the left in Figs. 1 and 2. In its basic design, the vehicle preferably is of the type described in SE patent application 8600123-7. The vehicle comprises two planting apparatuses generally designated 8. The construction details of the individual planting apparatus are shown in Fig. 3 (see also Figs. 1 and 2). Secured to the free end of an arm 9 projecting from the vehicle frame 2 is a stationary guide 10 in the form of a collar or sleeve adapted to guide a tubular applicator 11 which is essentially vertically oriented and provided at its top with a hopper 12. The applicator tube 11 and/or the hopper 12 are mounted on an attachment 13 which also carries a baffle 14 and which is vertically movable by means of a doubleacting hydraulic cylinder 15 which in the drawings is shown to be attached to a second arm 9' projecting from the vehicle frame (although, for illustration purposes, the hydraulic cylinder is shown to be mounted on a separate arm, it is preferred in actual practice to mount the cylinder on the same arm 9 as the collar

10, more precisely between the collar 10 and the vehicle frame 2). In this manner, the applicator tube 11 and the baffle 14 can be raised and lowered simultaneously and in synchronism by means of the hydraulic cylinder 15. As will be evident from Fig. 3, the baffle is curved or arcuate in cross-section and spaced from the centrally mounted applicator tube 11. In actual practice, the cross-section of the baffle may be essentially in the form of part of a circle. Mounted on the outer side of the tube 11 is a ring or collar 16 which is movable up and down the tube and which is adapted to cooperate with a stop 17, for example in the form of a ring mounted at the lower end of the tube 11. A locking member 18 is adapted to hold the ring 16 for a predetermined period of time in an upper end position relative to the applicator tube. As will be evident from Figs. 1 and 7, the ring may preferably be either conical or tapering, and furthermore it may be made relatively thick. Made of steel, the ring will therefore act in the manner of a drop-hammer which, when released from its upper end position, exerts a compressive effect on a heap of soil underneath the applicator tube. The stop 17 should be made adjustable into different vertical positions relative to the tube 11 to permit the degree of compression to be varied and to adapt the movement of the ring to different plant species.

Cooperating with the applicator tube 11 is a soil cultivating implement in the form of a rotary cultivator 19 which, in the embodiment illustrated, is mounted at the free end of an arm 20 pivotally mounted on an attachment which is displaceable along the frame tube 2 and can be locked in different positions therealong by means of a locking mechanism 22. The arm 20 is pivoted by means of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 23, one end of which is connected to an angular lug 24 on the pivot arm 20, while the opposite end of the cylinder is connected to an adjustable attachment 25 which also is displaceable along the frame tube 2 (see Fig. 2). The cultivator 19 is rotated by means of a hydraulic motor 26 centrally mounted in the cultivator. The attachments 21 and 25 are adjustable along the frame 2 for varying the position of the cultivator relative to the applicator tube in order to achieve maximum heap formation effect.

As will be evident from Fig. 3, there is arranged, in the area above the hopper 12 a preferably hoppershaped device 27 which serves to turn the plants 28 right way round which are supplied one at a time from a plant magazine designated 29, such that the plants will always drop into the applicator tube root foremost. In actual practice, this magazine may conceivably include a guide 30 along which panel-shaped plant holders 31 are intermittently advanced to a discharge position in which a robot 32 squeezes the plants one at a time down into the turning device 27 from where each plant drops vertically down into the hopper 12 to the applicator tube 11. Empty plant holders can be kept in a separate store 33, while larger numbers of loaded plant holders can be kept in a larger store 33'.

As will be evident from Figs. 1 and 2 in combination, the front window 6 of the cab 5 presents the operator with a substantially unobstructed view of the area around the applicator tube 11 and the rotary cultivator 19 so that he can conveniently supervise the two planting apparatuses and the underlying ground, the planting apparatuses being mounted within the free space between the wheels 4, 4' and the common central frame 2.

According to Fig. 9, the lower part of the applicator tube 11 may be formed with a number of slits 34 which serve to facilitate the release of the plant from the tube when this is rejected. Brief description of the planting method according to the invention and the advantages thereof

Fig. 4 illustrates how the applicator tube 11 and the baffle 14 connected thereto are lowered into an initial position by means of the hydraulic cylinder 15. As will appear from Fig. 4, the lower edge 35 of the tube 11 is located at a given level above the lower edge 36 of the baffle 14, such that the lower edge of the tube 11 will be automatically located at a given level above the ground when the lower edge of the buffle has come into contact with the ground. In the situtation illustrated, the ring or compacting member 16 is retained in its upper end position by means of the locking mechanism 18. Fig. 5 illustrates how a plant 28 drops down through the tube 11 to be located in a position in which the plant root projects slightly beyond the lower tube edge, simultaneously as it rests upon the ground. In the next step which is shown in Fig. 6, the rotary cultivator 19 is started and heaps up soil in the direction toward the tube 11. The soil is caught by the baffle 14 and forms a heap 37 of the type which forest workers call mammoth heap. Such mammoth heaps are extremely advantageous from the viewpoint of plant biology in so far as they give a better soil temperature, good drainage and oxygen supply, and reduce the risk of freezing and the vegetative competition. In order to compact the freshly dug up and relatively loose soil, the ring 16 is allowed to drop from its upper end position into the lower end position shown in Fig. 7, in which it is stopped by the stop 17. The plant which lies protected within the applicator tube 11 while the heap 37 is built up, will stick in the heap with its root after the applicator tube and the baffle have been raised, as will appear from Fig. 8. In the area around the plant 28 in the heap, the compacting ring 16 makes a depression which serves to collect rain-water after the tree has been planted. After planting, the applicator tube 11 and the baffle are raised by means of the cylinder 15 and moved back into initial position, the stop 17 carrying the compacting ring 16 along to a position in which the ring engages the locking mechanism 18 and is retained thereby until the next compacting step. While the applicator tube is moved back, the arm 20 is pivoted to the position shown by dash-dot lines, in which the rotary cultivator 19 can pass over the heap containing the plant. The vehicle is then moved one step forward, for example 1-3 metres, in order to repeat the planting operation described above.

Compared with prior art technique, the planting method according to the invention brings a number of advantages. Thus, the plants will be very gently treated since they are not urged into position by, for example, compressed air, but are allowed to drop freely through the applicator tube. The plants need not be pressed down into the soil, but will be successively embedded therein in a condition unaffected by external pressure. Moreover, planting can be carried out at locations where regeneration prospects are good, in that the operator, because he has an unobstructed view of the area between the cab and the planting apparatus, can select precisely those ground sections which are free from stones and suitable for planting. It should be noted in this connection that the entire machine can be operated by one man only (in prior art machines, one man drives the vehicle proper and another is in charge of the planting apparatus). Furthermore, the planting apparatus according to the invention is extremely cheap in manufacture and maintenance because of its simple construction. Conceivable modifications of the invention

It will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to the embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the applica- tor tube may be replaced by some other means capable of conveying the plant down to towards the ground and holding it in a protected condition above the ground while soil is being heaped around the plant. For example, the applicator may consist of a gripping means provided with protective plates. Furthermore, it is conceivable to substitute for the rotary cultivator other types of devices, for example a harrow, bucket or the like for heaping the soil around the plant. The soil cultivating implement need not be mounted on a pivotable arm, but may be mounted on, for example, a rectilinearly and vertically movable arm. Although it is preferred, in actual practice, to heap the soil against a baffle of the type disclosed above, it is possible to dispense with this baffle. The planting apparatus according to the invention can also be mounted, either alone or two or more jointly, on other types of vehicles than the one illustrated in the drawings, for example on a tractor or similar cross-country vehicle. When two or more apparatuses are mounted on the vehicle, they can be positioned along a line inclined to the longitudinal extent of the vehicle, such that one apparatus is located ahead of the other, for example at a mutual distance of 0.5-1.0 m. Moreover, the device for compacting the soil heap may be designed differently tha'n in the accompanying drawings. For example, the compacting ring 16 can be pressed down into the heap by means of, for example, a hydraulic cylinder, instead of being made to drop freely, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Naturally, the planting apparatus as described above can be designed such that the individual functions are carried out automatically as soon as the operator has chosen a suitable planting location.

Finally, it should be emphasised that the planting apparatus according to the invention, in contrast to prior apparatuses, handles the plants in a very gentle manner on their way from the magazine to the applicator, in that the plants on the one hand are alXowed to drop freely substantially vertically from the robot or plant holder and, on the other hand, have a very short way to travel from the plant holder to the applicator.

Claims

1. A method of mechanised planting, especially of young trees, by means of a vehicle-borne, vertically movable and preferably tubular applicator (11) which is connected to a similarly vehicle-borne plant magazine (29) for supplying plants by the piece to said applicator, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the applicator (11) and a plant (28) supplied thereto are held in position at or above ground level, while a soil cultivating implement (19), for example a rotary cultivator, is caused to heap soil (37) around the applicator (11) and the plant therein, whereupon the applicator is removed from the soil heap, leaving the root system of the plant within the heap.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the heaped-up soil (37) is compacted before the applicator (11) is removed.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the applicator (11) in a first step is oriented with a downwardly facing discharge opening (35) at a level above the ground, and that the individual plant is dropped down into the applicator (11) at a later stage, whereby the root system of the plant will be automatically oriented, while projecting at least partially from the applicator, before the soil is heaped up and made to surround and hold the root system.

4. An apparatus for mechanised planting, especially of young trees, comprising a preferably tubular applicator mounted on the vehicle (1) and vertically movable in relation thereto, said applicator being connected with a magazine (29) for supplying plants by the piece to said applicator, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said applicator (11) is adjustable in a position at or above ground level and adapted to cooperate with a soil cultivating implement (19) which also is mounted on the vehicle and adapted to build up a heap (37) of soil on the ground and around the applicator, while the latter containing a plant (28) is held in the said position.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said applicator is in the form of an essentially vertical tube (11) which is mounted in a sleeve or guide (10) and provided at its upper end with a hopper (12) for receiving plants from a magazine (29, 27) which is mounted at a higher level and is open at its lower end.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the applicator tube (11) is vertically movable by means of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder (15).

7. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4-6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that there is mounted, at a distance from the applicator (11), a baffle (14) arranged to accompany said applicator during the vertical movement thereof and serving to catch or stop soil thrown up by the soil cultivating implement (19) in the area around the applicator.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 5-7, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that there is arranged, around the applicator tube (11), a ring (16) which is vertically movable in relation to said tube and serves to compact at least the central part of a soil heap built up around the tube before the latter is removed therefrom.

9. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4-8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said soil cultivating implement comprises a rotary cultivator (19) operated by a hydraulic motor (26) and mounted at the free end of an arm (20) which, by means of a doubleacting hydraulic cylinder (23), is pivotable and adjust able in different positions of pivotment relative to the vehicle.

10. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4-9, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that it is mounted on a vehicle having a cab and at least four wheels

(3, 3', 4, 4'), said apparatus being mounted in front of the vehicle cab (5) and between opposite wheels (4, 4') and affording free view of the area between the applicator (11) and the front window (6) of said cab.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the compacting ring (16) is movable along said pipe (11) to a lower end position determined by a stop (17) adjustable at different optional levels along said tube.