Twin-Row Planter With Tandem Driven Seed Meters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016192580-A1
Application number	US-201514589508-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 5, 2015
Priority date	Jan 5, 2015
Publication date	Jul 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a twin-row planter with tandem driven seed meters at a pair of row units at each row segment of a twin-row planter. A tandem drive system drives the seed meters in a tandem manner, which may include a single transmission assembly simultaneously rotating a pair of seed discs in the pair of seed meters at each row segment. An indexing system allows for quickly changing an amount of relative rotational or angular indexing of seed disks inside of the pair of seed meters at the pair of row units of each row segment to adjust longitudinal spacing between delivery locations of seeds from the seed disks at planted row segments of a planted twin-row. Adjustments can be made at disk hubs, between shaft segments linking the seed disks, or with multiple sets of mounting holds on the seed disks.

First claim

1 . A twin-row planter with tandem driven seed meters, the twin row planter comprising:
a chassis towable behind a tractor through an agricultural field for planting seeds onto the field during a planting session; multiple row segments supported by the chassis, each of the multiple row segments including,
a first seed meter supported at the row segment for singulating seeds for individual delivery onto the field in a first planted row segment with the delivered seeds of the first planted row segment longitudinally aligned and spaced apart from each other;
a second seed meter supported at the row segment for singulating seeds for individual delivery onto the field in a second planted row segment with the delivered seeds of the second planted row segment longitudinally aligned and spaced apart from each other and longitudinally staggered with respect to the first planted row segment; and
a tandem drive system with a transmission assembly delivering power to both the first and second seed meters for singulating and delivering seeds on the first and second planted row segments, respectively.

2 . The twin-row planter of claim 1 , wherein the transmission assembly includes a shaft assembly with a first shaft segment and second shaft segment engaging and rotating in unison with the first shaft segment and wherein the first shaft segment delivers power to the first seed meter and the second shaft segment delivers power to the second seed meter.

3 . The twin-row planter of claim 2 , wherein the first seed meter further comprises a first seed disk rotated by the first shaft segment of the shaft assembly inside the first meter to convey individual seeds through the first seed meter for individual delivery onto the field in the first planted row segment and wherein the second seed meter further comprises a second seed disk rotated by the second shaft segment of the shaft assembly inside the second meter to convey individual seeds through the second seed meter for individual delivery onto the field in the second planted row segment.

4 . The twin-row planter of claim 3 , further comprising an indexing system arranged with respect to the shaft assembly to selectively adjust an angular index position of the seed disks of the first and second seed meters with respect to each other.

5 . The twin-row planter of claim 4 , wherein the indexing system comprises an indexing disk hub system having a disk hub configured for adjusting an angular index position of the disk hub with respect to the shaft assembly to correspondingly adjust the angular index position of the seed disks of the first and second seed meters with respect to each other.

6 . The twin-row planter of claim 5 , wherein the indexing disk hub system includes a shaft hub mounted to and rotating in unison with the shaft assembly, and a disk hub adjustably mounted to the shaft assembly for rotation in unison with the shaft hub, wherein the disk hub is movable from a first angular position with respect to the shaft hub to a second angular position with respect to the shaft hub for adjusting relative positions of seed pockets in the first and second seed disks with respect to each other while rotating in unison with each other during the planting session to change spacing characteristics of the seeds in the first planted row segment relative to the seeds in the second planted row segment.

7 . The twin-row planter of claim 6 , wherein the disk hub engages a first end surface of the shaft hub and the indexing system further comprises a clamping ring engaging a second end surface of the shaft hub, and wherein the clamping ring and disk hub are configured to loosen and tighten for selectively unclamping and clamping the shaft hub therebetween to respectively unlock the indexing disk hub system permitting adjustment of the angular index position of the disk hub with respect to the shaft assembly and lock the indexing disk hub system for locking the disk hub and the shaft assembly into rotational unison with each other.

8 . The twin-row planter of claim 7 , wherein the shaft hub includes slots extending through the thickness of the shaft hub and defining perimeters extending longitudinally across portions of the first and second end surfaces of the shaft hub and wherein fasteners extend through the slots of the shaft hub interconnecting the disk carrier and the clamping ring with the fasteners movable along the lengths of the slots for adjusting of the angular index position of the disk hub with respect to the shaft assembly.

9 . The twin-row planter of claim 4 , wherein the indexing system comprises an indexing shaft hub system having a first shaft hub connected to the first shaft segment of the shaft assembly and a second shaft hub connected to the second shaft segment of the shaft assembly and wherein the indexing shaft hub system is configured for adjusting an angular index position of the first and second shaft hubs with respect to each other to correspondingly adjust the angular index position of the seed disks of the first and second seed meters with respect to each other.

10 . The twin-row planter of claim 9 , wherein the indexing shaft hub system further comprises a coupler assembly selectively locking the first and second shaft hubs into rotational unison with each other for correspondingly locking the first and second shaft segments of the shaft assembly into rotational unison with each other.

11 . The twin-row planter of claim 10 , wherein the coupler assembly of the indexing shaft hub system includes a pin and multiple bores in the first and second shaft hubs, each of the multiple bores configured to receive the pin for establishing a respective predetermined angular index position of the first and second shaft hubs with respect to each other and a corresponding predetermined angular index position of the seed disks of the first and second seed meters with respect to each other.

12 . The twin-row planter of claim 10 , wherein one of the first and second shaft hubs is axially movable with respect to the other one of the first and second shaft hubs for adjusting an angular index position of the first and second shaft hubs with respect to each other by withdrawing the pin from a first one of the multiple bores and inserting the pin into a second one of the multiple bores.

13 . The twin-row planter of claim 4 , wherein the indexing system comprises a multiple-index position seed disk system including a shaft hub mounted to and rotating in unison with the shaft assembly, wherein the shaft hub includes a hub body and lugs extending from the hub body, and wherein at least one of the first and second seed disks includes a first set of mounting holes and a second set of mounting holes configured to receive the lugs of the shaft hub to arrange the at least one of the first and second seed disks in a first angular index position and a second angular index position, respectively.

14 . The twin-row planter of claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second seed disks have a first set of mounting holes with each of the mounting holes of the first set of mounting holes having a first perimeter shape and a second set of mounting holes with each of the mounting holes of the second set of mounting holes having a second perimeter shape, the multiple-index position seed disk system further comprising,
a first shaft hub mounted to the first shaft segment of the shaft assembly, the first shaft hub includes a hub body and lugs extending from the hub body with the lugs of the first shaft hub each having a first perimeter shape configured to receive the mounting holes of the first set of mounting holes to mount the respectiv

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Wendte Keith W
• Adams Brian T

Classifications

• A01C19/02 Primary

  by a motor · CPC title

• A01C7/16 Primary

  Seeders with other distributing devices, e.g. brushes, discs, screws or slides · CPC title

• A01C7/046

  with perforated seeding discs · CPC title