WO2004004440A1

WO2004004440A1 - A sowing device, and agricultural machine and a procedure for sowing intermediate crops

Info

Publication number: WO2004004440A1
Application number: PCT/SE2003/001130
Authority: WO
Inventors: Crister Stark
Original assignee: Vaderstad Verken AB
Current assignee: Vaderstad Verken AB
Priority date: 2002-07-05
Filing date: 2003-06-27
Publication date: 2004-01-15
Anticipated expiration: 2005-01-05
Also published as: SE0202128L; AU2003237752A1; SE522369C2; SE0202128D0

Abstract

A sowing device comprises a pipe (26) with an inlet (27a) and an outlet (27b), wherein the inlet (27a) is adapted to be associated with a container (13). In accordance with the invention, the pipe (26) comprises a connecting device (28) adapted to interact with an earth levelling device (12) having a negative working angle relative to the direction of travel for levelling of the soil, wherein the earth levelling device (12) has an elongated portion (32), which is slightly curved, and wherein the axial elongation of the pipe (26) essentially follows the slightly curved elongated portion (32) of the earth levelling device (12), wherein the connecting device (28) comprises at least one guide member (30) arranged to be slidably received by the elongated portion (32) of the earth levelling device (12).

Description

A sowing device, an agricultural machine and a procedure for sowing intermediate crops

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sowing device comprising a pipe with an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is adapted to be associated with a container.

The invention also relates to an agricultural machine comprising in the direction of travel a plurality of cultivator tines for soil tillage and thereafter a plurality of earth levelling devices having a negative working angle relative to the direction of travel for levelling of the soil.

It is generally known to provide agricultural machines with such a device.

During recent decades it has become common to provide both seed drills and soil tillage machines with following harrows. The following harrow has several functions, one is to level the soil to give an even field that is well prepared for the subsequent sowing. Another function is to delay drying through the following harrow producing a loosened surface i.e. a surface that is not capillary. Water is raised by the capillarity of the soil. If the soil has a certain degree of compaction or density all the way up to the soil surface, water is transported up to and above the surface where it evaporates. Evaporation is drying and cooling which gives poorer growing conditions. Therefore on certain soil types, e.g. sandy soils, it is very important to provide the soil with an evaporation barrier.

It has also become ever more common to sow different intermediate crops (also called catch crops) i.e. to sow a crop that is normally not harvested during periods when the soil is lying unused. The intermediate crop acts as an uptake of nitrogen and other nutrients that would otherwise leach out to lakes and waterways. Certain intermediate crops take up soil nitrogen and certain plants (incl. clover and legumes) produce plant available nitrogen from atmospheric nitrogen which can be later taken up by the cultivated crop. Another reason for sowing intermediate crops is to pre- vent erosion. For environmental reasons, there is an increasing interest both from farmers and authorities in managing intermediate crops in an efficient way so as to obtain a desired decreased environmental impact.

With today's technology, sowing of an intermediate crop often takes place as a separate operation with the help of a seed drill. In other cases a sowing aggregate is mounted on the seed drill or the soil tillage machine and the seed falls or is blown out on the surface and left uncovered, or alternatively falls or is blown out in the soil flow somewhere in the machine. In both cases the farmer has little control of the sowing depth or of the precision where the seed finally ends up. This is particularly so when it is windy, since grass seed is very light and travels in the wind. The poor control of the sowing stage leads to uneven sowing with varying emergence while at the same time unnecessarily large amounts of seed must be sown per hectare. Farmers have been known to mount a seed drill behind an ordinary seed drill in order to sow grass or another crop at the same time as the ordinary crop. This is of course costly, clumsy, expensive and therefore not a particularly suitable procedure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to improve the known sowing device, so that the above-mentioned disadvantages can be eliminated.

This has been achieved by a sowing device of the initially described type wherein the pipe comprises a connecting device adapted to interact with an earth levelling device having a negative working angle relative to the direction of travel for level- ling of the soil, wherein the earth levelling device has an elongated portion, which is slightly curved, and wherein the axial elongation of the pipe essentially follows the slightly curved elongated portion of the earth levelling device, wherein the connecting device comprises at least one guide member arranged to be slidably received by the elongated portion of the earth levelling device. Hereby, the pipe can easily be drawn onto the following harrow tine. The object has also been achieved by an agricultural machine of the initially described type, wherein at least one earth levelling device is provided with such a sowing device.

Existing earth levelling device in the form of following harrow tines can thereby be used to carry the sowing device, which is very cost-effective, since sowing of an intermediate crop can be performed at the same time as another work operation is performed. Since the following harrow is by its nature flexible and thus follows the soil well, sowing can occur with good precision and without the above-named dis- advantages.

A great advantage of the method is that the seed rate can be strongly reduced, probably more than halved. The cost of seed can therefore be reduced considerably.

Preferably, the pipe abuts the elongated portion of the following harrow tine, at least for a part of the pipe's length.

The following harrow tine has advantageously a helical portion which connects directly to the elongated portion, wherein the connecting device comprises a connect- ing member for detachable connection to the said helical portion. Hereby, a stable insertion of the pipe relative to the following harrow tine is achieved.

Preferably, the connecting member comprises at least one recess adapted to receive a part of the helical portion of the earth levelling device. Hereby, a connection adapted to the following harrow tine is achieved.

Suitably, the connecting member comprises a plurality of recesses for adjustment of the position of the pipe relative to the earth levelling device. Hereby, sowing is permitted under the most variable conditions.

Advantageously, a holding member is adapted to hold the pipe in place relative to the earth levelling device. The combination of recess and holding member provide the possibility for quick connection of the pipe relative to the following harrow tine, for example with a rubber tie. Thanks to that, the pipe is easy to detach from the following harrow tine. Since sowing of the intermediate crop only occurs at certain times, unnecessary wear on the equipment can thereby be avoided.

Preferably, the connecting device is dimensioned for connection to an earth levelling device with circular cross-section and with a diameter in the range 6-12 mm. Hereby, the dimension of the connecting member can be kept down, since the harrow tine has considerably greater dimensions to cope with soil tillage.

Advantageously, the pipe comprises a further coupling member for receiving a seed covering member. Hereby, the sown intermediate crop can be covered adequately. This tine or spring can be shaped in many ways. It is advantageously adjustable.

DRAWING SUMMARY

In the following, the invention is described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings in which:

Figure la illustrates an agricultural machine provided with a plurality of sowing de- vices arranged on following harrow tines.

Figure lb illustrates the working angle of a following harrow tine.

Figure lc illustrates another kind of agricultural machine provided with a plurality of sowing devices according to the invention,

Figure 2 illustrates the sowing device shown in Figure la and lc mounted on a following harrow tine,

Figures 3 a and 3b are different views of the sowing device, and Figure 4 is an exploded view of a sowing device provided with a seed covering member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figure la shows an agricultural machine 2 provided with a towing device 4 for connection to a draught vehicle, a frame 6 comprising a plurality of beams 8 with thereto attached cultivator tines 10. Last in the direction of travel is attached a row of earth levelling devices 12 (also called following harrow tines) having a negative working angle 12a relative to the direction of travel 12b (see figure lb) for levelling of the soil. The function of the cultivator tines 10, having a positive working angle is to cultivate the soil, while the function of the following harrow tines 12 is to level and loosen the soil surface.

On the frame 6 is attached a grass seed box 13 for the intermediate crop. The grass seed box is provided with a fan 14 and a riser pipe 16. Above the riser pipe is attached a distributor head, which in a known way has radially directed connection pieces 18, on which tubes 20 are attached. The tubes 20 lead to a Y-joint 22, which is connected to a sowing device 24.

In Figure lc, the grass seed box 13 supplies both the sowing devices 24 as well as seed coulters (hidden by the grass seed box but arranged in front of it in the direction of travel) for the main crop. The grass seed box 14 is thus divided into a space for the intermediate crop and a space for the main crop.

Figure 2 shows the sowing device 24, which comprises a pipe 26 with essentially elliptical cross-section and with an inlet 27a and an outlet 27b. A connecting device 28 comprising a pair of guide members 30 (one hidden), which has a shape adapted to the following harrow tine 12, which will be provided with the sowing device 24. The internal dimensions of the guide member (for example internal diameter) are slightly greater than the external dimensions of the following harrow tine (for example external diameter), so that the respective guide member can slide relative to the following harrow tine when the sowing device is being attached or detached. The following harrow tine 12 has generally a circular cross-section with a diameter of 6-12 mm, for which reason the guide member has suitably an internal diameter of 7-13 mm. In this respect, it must be added that cultivator tines 10 are normally rectangular. However, there are cultivator tines 10 with a circular cross-section, but since these have to cope with soil tillage, they have a diameter that is 16 mm or greater.

The following harrow tine has a slightly bowed, elongated portion 32, which extends between an end portion 34 and a helical portion 36. The helical portion has two coils, 38a, 38b. Where the first coil 38a meets the elongated portion 32, the first coil is essentially horizontal (at 40) and has a blunt angle relative to the elongated portion 32, which slopes backwards at an angle in the direction of travel. In the elongation 42 of the second coil 38b, the following harrow tine is attached with a clamp 44 to the beam 8.

The connecting device 28 also comprises an adjustable connecting member 46 provided with three side recesses for optional reception of the essentially horizontal portion 40 of the first coil 38a.

For attachment of the sowing device 24 to the following harrow tine 12, the guide member 30 is drawn onto the end portion 34. The pipe 26 is displaced to the required height above the ground and the essentially horizontal portion 40 is inserted into the nearest existing recess 48 and retained by means of a rubber tie 50.

During detaching or adjustment of the height position, the rubber strap 50 is loosened and the essentially horizontal portion 40 is released from the recess 48.

The pipe 26, which is elongated, follows and abuts at least partly against the slightly curved shape of the following harrow tine 12. This, together with the fact that the guide member 30 and the connecting member 44 hold the pipe 26 in place, gives a very stable attachment. Figures 3a -3b show in different perspectives the pipe 26 with the inlet 27a, the outlet 27b, the guide member 30, the connecting member 46 and the recesses 48.

Figure 4 shows a flexible seed covering member 52 with prongs 53. The seed cov- ering member 52 is mounted onto the pipe 26 by means of a screw 54, a washer 56 and a pair of grooves 56a for a U-shaped portion 57 of the seed covering member 52 and a nut 58 permanently arranged on the pipe 26. The seed covering member 52 is adjustable heightwise (see arrow) by loosening the screw so that the U-shaped portion 57 can be displaced along grooves 56a. The prongs 53 can thereby be set to the desired degree of seed covering.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The cross-section of the pipe 26 can thus be circular, rectangular or have other suitable shape. Likewise, the connecting member can be adapted to following harrow tines with differ- ent cross-sections than circular, e.g. rectangular. The helical portion 36 of the following harrow tine can have one coil or three or more. The connecting member 46 can of course be adapted to receive a different part than the horizontal portion 40. Herein, the connecting member 46 is angled to the required degree. The rubber strap 50, as well as the entire connecting member 46, can be replaced by a suitable fixing element. Likewise, the guide member can be replaced by e.g. a hose clamp. The seed covering member 52 can have one, three or more prongs. The seed covering member can of course be attached using a different fixing element, e.g. with a hose clamp. The grass seed box 13 does not need to have pneumatic feed, instead it can just as well have mechanical feed. The tubes 20 can of course lead to individual seed pipes or to a branch pipe that supplies three or more seed pipes with seed. The agricultural machine can also be provided with seed coulters with a separate seed box for ordinary seed.

Claims

1. A sowing device comprising a pipe (26) with an inlet (27a) and an outlet (27b), wherein the inlet (27a) is adapted to be associated with a container (13), character- ised in that the pipe (26) comprises a connecting device (28) adapted to interact with an earth levelling device (12) having a negative working angle relative to the direction of travel for levelling of the soil, wherein the earth levelling device (12) has an elongated portion (32), which is slightly curved, and wherein the axial elongation of the pipe (26) essentially follows the slightly curved elongated portion (32) of the earth levelling device (12), wherein the connecting device (28) comprises at least one guide member (30) arranged to be slidably received by the elongated portion (32) of the earth levelling device (12).

2. A sowing device according to Claim 1, wherein the pipe (26) abuts the elongated portion (32) of earth levelling device (12), at least for part of the length of the pipe

(26).

3. A sowing device according to Claim 2, wherein the earth levelling device (12) has a helical portion which connects directly to the elongated portion (32), wherein the connecting device (28) comprises a connecting member (46) for detachable connection to the said helical portion (36).

4. A sowing device according to Claim 3, wherein the connecting member (46) comprises at least one recess (48) adapted to receive a part of the helical portion (36) of the earth levelling device (12).

5. A sowing device according to Claim 4, wherein the connecting member comprises a plurality of recesses (48) for adjustment of the position of the pipe (26) relative to the earth levelling device (12).

6. A sowing device according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein a holding member (50) is adapted to hold the pipe (26) in place relative to the earth levelling device (12).

7. A sowing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting device (28) is dimensioned for connection to an earth levelling device (12) with circular cross-section and with a diameter in the range 6-12 mm.

8. A sowing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pipe comprises a further coupling member for receiving a seed covering member.

9. An earth levelling device (12) with attached sowing device according to any one of the preceding claims.

10. An agricultural machine comprising in the direction of travel a plurality of cultivator tines (10) for soil tillage and thereafter a plurality of earth levelling devices (12) having a negative working angle relative to the direction of travel for levelling of the soil, characterised in that at least one earth levelling device (12) is provided with a sowing device according to any one of claims 1 - 8.

11. An agricultural machine according to Claim 10, comprising at least one seed coulter for a main crop, wherein the seed coulter in the direction of travel is ar- ranged in front of the said sowing device (24).

12. A procedure for sowing an intermediate crop with the use of an agricultural machine comprising in the direction of travel a plurality of cultivator tines (10) for soil tillage and thereafter a plurality of earth levelling devices (12) for levelling of the soil, characterised in the following steps:

- the agricultural machine (2) is provided with a container (13),

- at least one of the earth levelling devices (12) is provided with a sowing device (24) according to any one of Claims 1- 8,

- the sowing device is associated with the said container (13).