A press ring assembly for an agricultural machine comprises an axle (70) and two opposing dish-like members (78, 80) each having a substantially circular base (88) and an outwardly curving peripheral wall (90). The wall (90) comprises a wall portion extending radially and axially out from the base and a ground cutting rim portion extending substantially radially out from the wall portion, the wall portion and rim portion defining, in section, a continuous curve. The dish-like members (78, 80) are located such that the outer edges of the respective peripheral walls (90) are adjacent and the members together define a hollow disc with a radially extending, ground cutting peripheral rim and a soil compressing, crack propagating tapered peripheral wall. The dish-like members (78, 80) are arranged on the axle (70) clamped together by means of a compressive axial load. The members comprise a resiliently deformable material so as to deflect towards one another under the compressive axial load.

A soil cultivator (12) has a frame (13), digging and lifting means (14) at the forward end of the frame (13) and operative to dig-up soil to be cultivated, transfer means (15) arranged on the frame (13) to transfer the dug-up material rearwardly, and soil-crumbling means (9, 10) mounted on the frame (13) rearwardly of the transfer means (15). The cultivator is adapted to return all the dug-up material to the ground during and after the soil-crumbling. The soil crumbling means comprises at least two power-rotatable arrays of co-axial resilient star wheel members (9,10), the arrays being mounted for rotation about respective axes spaced apart in the direction of travel. The star wheels (1) of said arrays cooperate to define sieving spaces (11) therebetween through which soil particles pass downwardly onto the ground and the resilient fingers (2) of each star wheel (1) of one row or array of star wheels being adapted by their profiles and positions to cooperate with the fingers (2) of a corresponding star wheel of an adjacent row in order to exert a combined crushing action on clod material which is oversized relative to said sieving spaces (11), in order to break down or crumble such material prior to discharge onto the ground.

Bodenbearbeitungsgerät mit einer aus axial beabstandeten Walzensegmenten (2) mit geschlossenen Seitenwänden (12) bestehenden Walze und mit an einem Rahmen (1) über Tragarme (8) gehalterte Zinken (3), die in den Walzensegmentzwischenräumen angeordnet sind und in ihrem vorderen Bereich jeweils einen schräg vorwärts ansteigenden und zu einem die Walzensegmente verbindenden Walzeninnenrohr (7) hin verlaufenden Abstreifer (4) aufweisen.

A press ring 74, 76 for an agricultural machine comprises two opposing dish-shaped plates 78, 80. Each plate has a substantially circular base 88 and an outwardly curving peripheral wall 90. The plates are located such that outer edges of the peripheral walls are adjacent and together define a hollow disc with a peripheral edge.

A press cultivator 10 for breaking down and consolidating ploughed ground prior to sowing with seed is shown in Figure 1. The cultivator 10 includes a levelling board 18, 46 ahead of two rows of press rings 14, 16. The levelling board 18 serves to consolidate the profile of the soil prior to it being acted upon by the press rings 14, 16. In one embodiment the levelling board 18 has a plurality of spaced leaf springs 34. One or more rows of tines 20, 30 may be provided ahead of the levelling board 18, 46 to further consolidate the profile of the soil.

The invention relates to a rotary harrow (roller) with helical leaf spring (4) for soil cultivation combinations. Machine combinations that can perform more than one operation in one pass are important in terms of reducing soil cultivation costs in agricultural production. Rotary harrow with helical leaf spring acting as the last operator in a combination mixes the soil and the plant residues homogenously in a stubble, and has a structure which does not spoil the evenness of the field through its special spring arrangement, and which breaks up the surface soil and performs a flexible compaction on the surface, not at the bottom.

The invention relates to a combined soil cultivator and stone/clod separator, a soil cultivator, a stone and clod separator, and to a method of cultivating soil and separating stones/clods.

In an embodiment of the invention, a combined soil cultivator and stone/clod separator (7) is disclosed which comprises a digging device (1), a first soil sieving conveyor (3), a soil crumbling assembly (4) and a further soil sieving conveyor (5). The digging device (1) is arranged to dig up material and to transfer the material rearwardly, relative to a direction of travel, to the first soil sieving conveyor (3). The soil crumbling assembly (4) is positioned downstream of the first soil sieving conveyor (3), for receiving material from the first soil sieving conveyor (3). The further soil sieving conveyor (5) is positioned to receive substantially all of the material passing down through the at least one soil crumbling assembly (4). The soil cultivator and stone/clod separator (7) exerts a combined cultivating and stone/clod separating action on soil in a single pass across the surface of a field or the like.

A press ring assembly for an agricultural machine comprises an axle (70) and two opposing dish-like members (78, 80) each having a substantially circular base (88) and an outwardly curving peripheral wall (90). The wall (90) comprises a wall portion extending radially and axially out from the base and a ground cutting rim portion extending substantially radially out from the wall portion, the wall portion and rim portion defining, in section, a continuous curve. The dish-like members (78, 80) are located such that the outer edges of the respective peripheral walls (90) are adjacent and the members together define a hollow disc with a radially extending, ground cutting peripheral rim and a soil compressing, crack propagating tapered peripheral wall. The dish-like members (78, 80) are arranged on the axle (70) clamped together by means of a compressive axial load. The members comprise a resiliently deformable material so as to deflect towards one another under the compressive axial load.

Bodenbearbeitungsgerät mit einer aus axial beabstandeten Walzensegmenten (2) mit geschlossenen Seitenwänden (12) bestehenden Walze und mit an einem Rahmen (1) über Tragarme (8) gehalterte Zinken (3), die in den Walzensegmentzwischenräumen angeordnet sind und in ihrem vorderen Bereich jeweils einen schräg vorwärts ansteigenden und zu einem die Walzensegmente verbindenden Walzeninnenrohr (7) hin verlaufenden Abstreifer (4) aufweisen.

Bei einer Vorrichtung zum Verfestigen des Bodens für Bodenbearbeitungs- und Sävorgänge mit Hilfe von walzenförmigen Werkzeugen, insbesondere als Stempelräder ausgebildeten Stempelwerkzeugen, deren Stempelelemente einseitig mit der Achse befestigte abgewinkelte Federarme sind, wird vorgeschlagen, an einem parallel zur rotierenden Achse der Federstempelwalze verlaufenden Rahmenteil zwischen den Stempelrädern angeordnete feststehende Kammelemente zu befestigen, die in Fahrtrichtung hinter der Achse angeordnet sind, und die Kammelemente den Stempelelementen so zuzuordnen, dass sie schräg zur Teilumfangsfläche der Federelemente in den freien Raum zwischen den Federelementen eingreifen. Anstelle der Kammelemente oder zusätzlich zu den Kammelementen können Nivellierelemente vorgesehen sein, die in Fahrtrichtung vor der Achse angeordnet sind und die den Stempelelementen so zugeordnet sind, dass sie schräg zur Teilumfangsfläche der Federelemente in den freien Raum zwischen den Federelementen und durch den freien Raum hindurch bis zur Bodenoberfläche nach unten gebogen sind sowie auf der Bodenoberfläche schleifen und einen Druck ausüben.

Als Schollenplanier- und -zerkleinerungsgerät dienendes Bodenbearbeitungsgerät mit einem Rahmen (1, 2), einer Mehrzahl von um eine horizontale Achse (3) drehbaren, mit gegenseitigen Abständen axial nebeneinander angeordneten Walzensegmenten (4) und in den Zwischenräumen zwischen den benachbarten Walzensegmenten am Rahmen angeordneten, zum Boden verlaufenden Zinken (7),

dadurch gekennzeichnet,

daß die Zinken unter flachem Anstellwinkel, bezogen auf die Arbeitsrichtung des Geräts, schräg rückwärts abfallend angeordnet sind und ihre hinteren Enden hinterhalb der Drehachse (3) der Walzensegmente liegen.

A crumbler roller device 10 comprises two co-axial soil-­engaging rotors 12,13 mounted one within the other and drive means operative to drive the inner rotor 12 at a different rotational speed to the outer rotor 13.