An arrangement in a combined depth and transport wheel for a turning plough

This inveHon relates to an arrangement in a combined depth and transport wheel for a turning plough adapted as a lifting plough, and which consequently as a whole can be lifted up from the ground by means of the three-point suspension of a tractor.

In previously known arrangements in combined depth and transport wheels for turning ploughs, the arrangement is such that when the turning plough is to be adjusted for transport, it must be turned to an intermediate position, and the depth and transport wheel must be lowered manually from depth wheel position to transport position and locked.

One such known combined depth and transport wheel arrangement is disclosed in French Patent 2326847 wherein the depth control wheel is carried by an articulated aim which is folded and swung to the transport position and in the transport position the following axis lies horizontally.

French Patent 1 219 224 discloses a depth control wheel.

It is a great disadvantage to have to turn the turning plough to the intermediate position, i.e. to a position wherein the turning plough is turned midway, since the plough bodies consequently point laterally outwards from the plough frame to which they are attached, and point slopingly downwards to the ground from the tractor pulling the plough, and rearwardly towards the depth and transport wheel. Said disadvantage consists primarily in that such a downward turning cannot be done with a somewhat larger turning plough, because the lifting-height of the tractor arms is not big enough to allow a larger turning plough to go clear of the ground when turned downwards, even if the tractor arms are lifted to their top position. Turning the turning plough upwards to half-turned position is also out of the question, because the rearwardmost portion of the plough frame in that case will come too high in relation to the ground.

The invention therefore seeks to provide an arrangement in a combined depth and transport wheel for a turning plough wherein the abovementioned disadvantages are eliminated.

Accordingly, the invention provides an arrangement in a combined depth and transport wheel for a turning plough adapted as a lifting plough, and wherein the depth and transport wheel is mounted in a single or multi-legged wheel fork formed with a pivot shaft supported in a bearing sleeve, the bearing sleeve being fastened to one end of an arm the other end of which is rotatably supported about a shaft at the rear portion of the turning plough, said shaft being oriented in parallel with the rotation shaft of the depth and transport wheel and is characterised in that in the transport position the pivot shaft is upright and serves as a pivot axis for the transport wheel.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, the single figure of which diagrammatically and in side elevation shows the rearwardmost portion of a turning plough in transport position having a device according to the invention mounted thereon.

In the drawinc e reference numeral 1 denotes the frame of the .ning plough, and 2 denotes one plough body of a rearwardmost pair of plough bodies of the plough. At the rear edge of the frame 1 a wheel carrier 3 is screwed-on, to which one end of an arm 4 is rotatably attached by means of a horizontal shaft 5. To the same end of the arm 4 is welded a stop body 6 symmetrically formed with respect to the shaft 5, and to the opposite end of the arm 4 is welded a bearing sleeve 7. Within the bearing sleeve 7 is supported a pivot shaft 8 rigidly connected to a single-legged wheel fork 9 on which a combined depth and transport wheel 10 is supported. The wheel fork 9 may, of course, also be multi-legged. The pivot shaft 8 is arranged substantially midway between the rotation shaft of the depth and transport wheel 10 and the shaft 5 at the rear portion of the turning plough, the said rotation shaft and the shaft 5 being mutually parallel. The stop body 6 is, at either side of the shaft 5, formed with a nose 11 respectively 12, wherein the nose 11 is adapted to co-operate wih a stop surface 13 on the wheel carrier 3 when the combined depth and transport wheel 10 is set for transport of the turning plough. When the turning plough, by means of a tractor to which the turning plough is coupled, is lifted from the ploughing position to the transport position as shown in the drawing, the arm 4 is rotated around the shaft 5 until the nose 11 of the stop body 6 is resting against the stop surface 13 of the wheel carrier 3. The bearing sleeve 7 together with the pivot shaft 8 is then extending substantially vertically. A hole 14 in the stop body 6 is now aligned with a corresponding hole in the wheel carrier 3, and a locking bolt 15 which during ploughing keeps the pivot shaft 8 locked within the bearing sleeve 7 so that the depth and transport wheel 10 is maintained locked in the ploughing direction, is moved over to the hole 14, thereby locking the arm 4 in relation to the plough frame 1 of the turning plough, at the same time allowing the pivot shaft 8 to turn freely within the bearing sleeve 7 during transport of the turning plough.

To the wheel carrier 3 is pivotally attached two depth regulators 16 and 17, each having a longitudinally adjustable catch screw 18 respectively 19 adapted to cooperate with the nose 11 respectively 2 of the stop body 6.

When the turning plough is to be rearranged from transport position to ploughing position, the locking bolt 15 is moved from its transport position in the hole 14 of the stop body 6 and the corresponding hole in the wheel carrier 3 to its place at the bearing sleeve 7 for locking the pivot shaft 8 to the bearing sleeve 7, as shown in the drawing. By means of the tractor, the turning plough is lowered to the ploughing position, the arm 4 turning around the horizontal shaft 5 until the nose 12 of the stop body 6 automatically comes to rest against the catch screw 19 of the depth regulator 17 when the ploughing starts.

When turning the turning plough, it is at first lifted by means of the tractor so that the plough bodies 2 together with the depth and transport wheel 10 come clear of the ground. During the last part of the turning, the arm 4 and the depth regulator 16 turning upwards are turning by means of the force of gravity around their pivot axes, so that the catch screw 18 of the depth regulator 16 automatically comes to rest against the nose 11 of the stop body 6 when the ploughing starts after turning. In order to cushion the turning movement of the arm 4 and consequently of the depth and transport wheel 10 during the last part of the turning, shock absorbers (not shown in the drawing) are provided.

If one wishes to change the ploughing depth, this is effected by longitudinal adjustment of the catch screws 18, 19 in the depth regulators 16, 17.