IMPROVED TILLING APPARATUS

IMPROVED TILLING APPARATUS

This invention relates to improved tilling apparatus and to ploughs embodying such tilling apparatus wherein the tilling apparatus comprises a primary rotary tilling member, together with a secondary tilling member associated therewith.

There is a need for aiding ground preparation, for ploughing, stubble incorporation and the like which is an improvement over existing systems. Existing ground preparation equipment, such as disc ploughs, usually comprises a plough beam or frame to which is attached at least one plough disc. Such apparatus, when used for ploughing, especially for the purpose of incorporating stubble, is not always economical to use on heavy land and under unpredictably varying soil conditions. The problem of straw and stubble incorporation is well known and various solutions have been proposed, which include burning the stubble and burying the stubble into the soil using soil mixing implements such as tynes and mouldboard ploughs. Burning is undesirable with regard to the smoke pollution it creates whilst tynes and mouldboard ploughs are inefficient, expensive, unreliable and can result in incomplete burial of the straw.

While a variation of this plough using a soil inversion wheel is an advance over disc ploughs, there is still a requirement to provide an improved tilling apparatus particularly suitable for aiding ploughing, more especially where straw and stubble needs to be incorporated in the soil.

The present invention provides a secondary tilling member associated with the primary concave tilling member which assists in further turning and inverting the soil so as to provide a very good coverage and burial of straw or stubble at the surface of the ground being cultivated. According to the present invention, there is provided tilling apparatus comprising a rotatable primary concave tilling member in the form of a plough disc or similar rotary concave member and a secondary smaller rotatable tilling member mounted within the concavity of the primary tilling member in an inclined relationship to the primary tilling member, the secondary tilling member being rotatable about its axis, relative to said primary tilling member.

A preferred aspect of the invention provides a plough comprising a frame and, supported by said frame, tilling apparatus comprising a primary concave tilling member rotatable by reaction with the ground to be tilled and inclined to the direction of forward movement to provide a soil tilling and ploughing action and a secondary, smaller, tilling member mounted within the concavity of said primary tilling member and more greatly inclined to the direction of forward movement in order further to displace some of the soil initially displaced by the primary tilling member in use of the plough, the secondary tilling member being freely rotatable about its axis.

While the primary tilling member may be a conventional concave plough disc, it is preferred that it be a soil inversion wheel comprising a substantially planar disc having a frusto-conical flanged rim as being more efficient than the conventional disc. Similarly, the secondary tilling member may be a conventional plough disc shaped member or an inversion wheel and in some cases may simply comprise a flat disc or skimmer. While the tilling members need not necessarily be comprised by a solid disc or member but may have a perforated or otherwise partially open centre and/or have a shaped or scalloped cutting edge, this is particularly true of the secondary tilling member which may be in the form of a spoked wheel or perforated disc having a cutting perimeter as long as it has a peripheral edge which is capable of moving soil which primarily will be some of the soil displaced by the primary tilling member but which in some cases may be surface soil which has not been shifted prior to engagement with the secondary tilling member.

While the secondary tilling member may be non- rotatable so as to act as a skimmer, it is preferred that it be freely rotatable relative to the primary tilling member so that during ploughing, as will be described, both tilling members will be independently rotated due to the reaction of the forward travel of the discs over the ground being cultivated. However, it is possible for one or both of the tilling members to be mechanically driven and one particular possibility is to have the secondary tilling member mechanically driven, for example by a universal jointed linkage, by the larger disc so as to be rotatable thereby.

Preferably, a point is provided to penetrate the ground in front of the primary tilling member and a land slide may be provided extending rearwardly from the point beneath the tilling member to assist in maintaining directional stability of the plough, both directionally and assisting in maintaining a consistent depth.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of a plough embodying the present invention;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are each diagrammatic perspective views of tilling apparatus having a plough disc as primary tilling element, the secondary tilling member shown in Figure 2 being a disc, that shown in Figure 3 being an inversion wheel and that shown in Figure 4 being a skimmer;

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to Figure 2 but each having an inversion wheel as primary tilling - A - element and with the secondary tilling elements in Figures 5, 6 and 7, respectively being an inversion wheel, a disc^' and a skimmer; and

Figures 8 to 13 are top views of the apparatus shown in Figures 2 to 7, respectively.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown therein in top plan view part of a plough having a beam 1 from which are trailed various plough units by means of pivot connections 2. Trailing from each pivot connection 2 is a frame member 3, only part of each of which is shown in Figure 1. This frame member extends rearwardly over the top of the tilling apparatus 4 having downwardly extending therefrom forwardly of the tilling apparatus an upright member 11 and having near its rear end a downwardly depending pivot support 8.

A hollow shaft 7 extends from pivot support 8 and rotatably carries a primary tilling element shown as a plough disc 5. Rotatably supported by means extending within the shaft 7 is a smaller tilling member in the form of a plough disc 6. Supported by the member 11 is a plough point 10 extending forwardly of the leading edge of the tilling members and extending rearwardly from the point 10 beneath the tilling members is a landslide 9. The pivot support 8, instead of being supported solely from above, can be supported both from above and below with the lower connection extending from near the rear end of the landslide 9.

During use of the plough shown in Figure 1, it will be drawn forward over the soil in the direction of the arrow. The point 10 penetrates the soil so as to assist later penetration by the leading edge of the primary tilling element disc 5. The disc 5 is inclined to the direction of forward movement and is caused to rotate by the action of being dragged through and over the ground so as to cause lifting and turning of the soil as diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 12. While, normally, the disc 5 will be arranged with its plane substantially upright relative to the ground, in some cases, the operator may wish to have it rearwardly tilted, relative to the direction of movement, with the amount of tiling, in an extreme case, possibly being as much as 25 to 30". The benefit of the present invention comes from the provision of the secondary tilling element 6 which is received within the concave primary tilling member and is also caused to rotate by reaction to forward movement of the plough. Soil which has initially been started to turn by the action of the primary disc 5 is further turned by the action of the secondary tilling member 6 with the combination effect of the two discs assisting in providing better coverage of the top soil by soil brought up from beneath, during use of the plough. As illustrated in Figure 1, the plough is arranged for right-hand ploughing, that is turning the furrow to the right as the plough is drawn forwardly through the ground. Where left-hand ploughing is required, the angle of inclination of the beam 1 to the direction of movement will be reversed and the tilling apparatus 4 will be rotated about the pivot 8 so as to be suitably disposed after that movement of the beam 1 to provide left-hand ploughing.

Figure 2 diagrammatically illustrates the arrangement of two discs as tilling members as shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a similar view but shows the use of an inversion wheel instead of the secondary tilling member, while Figure 4 shows the use of a flat skimmer which may be rotatable but which may alternatively be non-rotatable so as to maintain its position as shown in Figure 4. This is particularly important where it is decided to use as a skimmer a specially shaped member instead of a simple disc.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are similar to Figures 2, 3 and 4 but in each case using an inversion wheel 16 as the primary tilling member with, in Figure 5, there being used as secondary tilling member an inversion wheel 14, in Figure 6 a plough disc 6 and in Figure 7 a skimmer 18.

Figures 8 to 13 are top diagrammatic views of the apparatus shown in Figures 2 to 7 with Figure 8 having two discs 5 and 6, Figure 9 having a disc 5 and inversion wheel 14, Figure 10 having a disc 5 and a skimmer 18, Figure 11 having inversion wheels 16 and 14, Figure 12 having an inversion wheel 16 and disc 6 and Figure 13 having an inversion wheel 16 and a skimmer 18.

As will be appreciated from Figure 1, the plough comprises tilling apparatus each having primary and secondary tilling members arranged in a generally upstanding attitude with respect to the ground. The staggered formation permits progressive ploughing of a series of parallel furrows.

The preferred embodiment of the equipment comprises a large primary tilling member 5 or 16 provided with a stationary or rotationary axle protruding from its axis on its concave side. From this axle is supported the secondary tilling member comprising a disc 6, an inversion wheel 14 or a skimmer 18. All the discs and soil inversion wheels rotate and are land-driven whilst being held in a near vertical attitude with respect to the ground. The smaller tilling member 6 or 14 is angled to towards to the front of the larger tilling member 5 or 16 and preferably is supported at a different height.

As the plough frame is pulled behind a tractor or the like, the large tilling element engages the ground, rotating and penetrating to the required depth. At this depth the small tilling member is positioned so as to rotate and cut a sliver of soil, plus the stubble and straw off the surface of the ground, manoeuvreing it into the open furrow formed by the preceding tilling apparatus. The clean soil from the underside of the sliver is then rolled over by the larger tilling member, covering the sliver of soil, stubble and straw whilst rotating. Generally, the large tilling element is rotatable by the reaction of being drawn across and through the ground with, necessarily, assuming that it is not additionally mechanically driven, the angle of inclination of the tilling element to the direction of travel being not so steep that rotation will be inhibited. The secondary tilling member, because it is more steeply inclined to the direction of movement of the first tilling member, can well be in a situation that it would be, in essence, stalled as compared with the direction of movement over the ground, such that a disc at that angle to the ground would not be rotated. However, the secondary tilling member is engaged by soil which has already been moved by the primary tilling member and thus the drive to the secondary tilling member is by the action of movement of the secondary tilling member relative to the soil which is already being moved by the primary tilling member and this will be adequate to rotate the secondary tilling member. However, as indicated previously, it is also possible to drive the secondary tilling member mechanically, for example simply by providing a mechanical connection from the primary tilling member.

As compared with a conventional plough, it has been found that this structure provides, in a simple and relatively inexpensive arrangement, an aid to ground preparation having the advantages of providing more efficient shattering of the soil and better total stubble and straw coverage by the soil with good plough working speed and a predictable ploughing action.