Abstract: A cultivating machine has soil working members journalled in a hollow frame portion. Each member includes a harrow with supports and downwardly extending strips attached to the supports. The lower strip ends each mount a curved blade that is pointed in the direction of member rotation. Drive to the members is a power take off via a speed reduction gear assembly in a box supported on the frame portion. The assembly can include different sized pinions or a sun-planet gear arrangement. Each member has a respective pinion that is housed in the frame portion and in one arrangement, the gear and shaft of each member are journalled with a bearing housing which are bolted as a unit for easy and fast replacement. Neighboring member pinions have intermediate pinions interposed and journalled within the frame portion. The frame is supported on ground wheels at the sides and in front of the frame portion.

Abstract: An overload coupling includes two members that are interconnected by at least one shear pin for rotation about a common axis. The pin is normally urged in a direction parallel to the axis through an aperture of the second member into an opening of the first member, the interface between the two members forming a cutting structure. Upon being fractured, the severed portion drops out of the opening and a spring mechanism that bears on the remainder of the pin, urges same into the opening to re-establish interconnection between the two members. The size of the opening and/or pressure of the spring are preferably selected to allow reconnect only when the relative rotation between the two members drops so that reconnect while automatic, is deliberate. The spring can be part of an assembly that is configured to exert the desired pressure on the pin to ensure such reconnect. A plurality of pins can be mounted in one or more holders releasably attached to the coupling.

Abstract: A shear pin coupling comprises two coupling parts which are normally interconnected by a shear pin. Upon overload, the shear pin fractures and the parts can rotated relative to one another. After fracture, the shear pin is advanced to re-interconnect the coupling parts by a spring-loaded plunger. The shear pin and the plunger are shaped to prevent displacement of the shear pin in a direction other than its lengthwise direction. The end of the pin may, for example, be conical for this purpose.

Abstract: An agricultural tractor with a hitching or lifting device which carries a farm implement. A control mechanism is provided on the tractor for adjusting automatically the height of the hitching device to enable the implement to follow irregularities in the underlying ground. The control mechanism includes a sensing member which, in one embodiment (FIG. 1), comprises two wheels which may pivot together about a common axis, such pivoting causing adjustment of the hitching device. In another embodiment, independently pivotable wheels or a further ground engaging member such as a skid may be located ahead of or behind the ground engaging wheels of a tractor which, by connection to the control mechanisms cause the hitching device to adjust to the height of the underlying ground.

Abstract: A cultivating machine has groups of soil working tines that are mounted on an elongated support that is driven to rotate about a horizontal axis. The tines are mounted in spaced apart groups and guide members converge at the rear of the groups to form ridges of worked soil. Each group includes tine units that are formed by opposing bracket portions clamped to the support. Strikers can be mounted on the support between groups of tines and the strikers are pivotable about respective horizontal axes spaced from the support's axis of rotation. The strikers are positioned to excise crop leaves or emerged growth on the ridges. Hoods and a grating ensure that the top layer of worked soil is free of debris. Screening plates having obliquely upwardly and inwardly inclined inner edges are located at the lower, front, outer corners of the hood to prevent the rearwardly adjacent time groups from displacing soil too far laterally.

Abstract: A soil working machine has spaced apart groups of soil working tines mounted along the length of an elongated carrier that is driven to rotate through the soil in the normal direction of travel and about a horizontal transverse axis. A hood partially surrounds the groups and is positioned adjacent the front segment of the paths of the tines as they move worked soil upwardly. Portions of the hood, preferably adjacent the groups, are flexible i.e. canvas, rubber or resilient steel strips, and vibrate to shed worked soil. Intervening hood portions are rigid. Side plates adjoin the side edges of the hood and the plates can have apertures covered by flexible portions located at those areas exposed to sticky soil and these flexible portions can be arcuate in configuration.

Abstract: A harrow has an elongated frame beam supporting a row of rotatable soil-working members mounted side-by-side on upwardly extending shafts. The frame beam and row of soil-working members extend transverse to the direction of travel of the harrow. At each lateral end of the row, a screening plate is positioned and pivoted to the frame beam. Each screening plate extends in a substantially vertical plane in the general direction of travel. Also, each plate has a lower support portion that rides over the ground and side edges that are inclined upwardly. The screening plates are supported on arms that can be pivoted to relocate the plates 180 degrees so they can rest in inverted positions on top of the frame beam during transport. A roller is pivoted to the frame and positioned to the rear of the soil working members and the screening plates are located between the roller and the members, when seen from the side.

Abstract: A mowing machine has an elongated beam that supports side-by-side rotors with pivoted cutters positioned to cut overlapping paths in front of the beam. The rotor units include an upper rotatably hub with pivoted blades and lower bodies which house corresponding driving shafts. The units are releaseably fastened to the beam and in one embodiment, spaced apart supporting elements are fastened to the front side of the beam and a unit is fitted and bolted between elements. In another embodiment, the body of each unit is hollow so that the beam can be passed through units and the latter abutted to one another and secured in place with a single bolt. The driving shaft of each unit is interconnected to adjacent driving shafts by sleeve connectors that form an elongated drive shaft that is parallel and in front of the beam.

Abstract: An implement has a hollow frame portion and tool means on shafts journalled for rotation on the frame portion. The upper ends of the shafts are held in bearings in housings located in the top wall of the frame portion and pinion gears are housed within the frame portion below the housings. The bearing housings are each formed by two separable portions that hold a bearing between them. The upper housing portion has a deformable relatively thin cover that visibly deforms if the bearing breaks and the separable portions contain any broken parts. A further, lower bearing can be held by the bottom wall of the frame portion. Fastening means such as bolts on a surrounding ring secure the housings in place.

Abstract: A soil working member is journalled in the bottom of an elongated implement frame portion and driven to rotate about an upwardly extending axis. The member includes a horizontal support, that normally is rotated adjacent the frame portion bottom, and tines depend from the support. Each tine extends through the support to a fastening, such as a nut, adjacent an upwardly extending screen. The space between the screen and the fastening is occupied by a protective element, such as a cap or a rib, that prevents stones or other hard debris, from lodging in the space and damaging the bottom of the frame portion and/or support. Cooperating strips can be secured to the frame portion bottom to cooperate with the elements.

Abstract: An overload coupling has two relatively rotatable parts that are joined for corotation about a common axis by at least one frangible pin. The parts have recesses with cutting edges that sever the pins and springs that urge alternative pins on remainders of the severed pins through the recesses to automatically re-establish frangible connection. An assembly of pins can be spring loaded with the aid of a draw pin that releases the pins when in place and mounted on the coupling.

Abstract: A cultivating implement has a row of rotors that are driven to rotate about upwardly extending axes and an elongated roller with pins that project obliquely rearwardly, considering the normal direction of rotation of the roller. The roller is mounted on arms that are pivoted to the frame on pivots. On the rear ends of the arms, a carrier is pivoted and elongated scraper elements are mounted along the length of the carrier. The elements can be mounted in groups or single and extend forwardly and downwardly so that their forward end parts bear on the roller's surface between the pins. Gaps in the elements or between same allow the pins to pass during rotation of the roller. The carrier is interconnected with the arms by springs that bias the end parts into contact with the roller's surface.

Abstract: A cultivating machine has a row of soil working members rotatable about upwardly extending axes and each member includes a carrier from which tools detachably depend. The lower tool ends have blades that are adjustable and detachable from the remainder of the tools. The blades are normally faced in the direction of rotation of the respective soil working member. The widest portions of the tools are substantially tangential to an imaginary circle centered on their axis of rotation.

Abstract: An overload coupling for two members, one rotating the other about a common axis, includes one or more frangible pin-like elements. Upon overload, the pin fractures and relative rotation between the members takes place. A spring or springs automatically urges one of the elements, mounted on one of the members, into engagement with an abutment on the other member to re-establish a rigid connection. The pin or pins can be in holders that extend radially or parallel to the common axis and each pin can be weakened in several areas and re-used. Also, a number of pins can be housed in a cassette that is connected to one coupling member by a release connection. Upon overload, in one embodiment, the spring or springs are mounted to urge the pin or pins only upon a reduction in the rotational speed of the coupling, when centrifugal force is overcome.

Abstract: A spreader for broadcasting fertilizer, seed or the like which is mounted on the rear of a tractor and has a hydraulic control for covering and uncovering a plurality of ports by closure members for feeding material from a hopper which includes such ports to an underlying rotatable spreading member. The actuating mechanism includes a hydraulic cylinder and plunger and a parallel tension spring whereby the cylinder, when supplied with hydraulic fluid under pressure, causes the plunger to extend outwardly to close the ports in a lower portion of the hopper which is cylindrical through a mechanical linkage coupling therewith. The spring tends to force the closure members to open the ports. The linkage coupling to the closure members includes a coupling arm which also functions to indicate relative to an arcuate leg of a supporting member with numbers thereon the amount that the ports are opened by the closure members.

Abstract: A harrow has an elongated frame beam supporting a row of rotatable soil-working members mounted side-by-side on upwardly extending shafts. The frame beam and row of soil-working members extend transverse to the direction of travel of the harrow. At each lateral end of the row, a screening plate is positioned and pivoted to the frame beam. Each screening plate extends in a substantially vertical plane in the general direction of travel. Also, each plate has a lower support portion that rides over the ground and side edges that are inclined upwardly. The screening plates are supported on arms that can be pivoted to relocate the plates 180 degrees so they can rest in inverted positions on top of the frame beam during transport.

Abstract: A cultivator-material dispensing combination includes a soil-working member that rotates about a horizontal axis forwardly, relative to the direction of travel, to displace soil over the top of that member to a screening at the rear thereof. A seed dispensing hopper has conduits that are supported on a hood that overlies the member and extends to the rear thereof. Material is metered from the hopper through outlets at the conduits' lower rear sides. Drive to the hopper is via a one-way transmission that is driven by a rear roller only when the combination moves forwardly. A further roller can be positioned to the rear of the first mentioned roller and a fertilizer hopper feed also driven to dispense material to the worked soil.

Abstract: A cultivating machine has tines mounted on an elongated horizontal support that is driven to move the tines forwardly through the soil towards the normal direction of travel. The tines are in groups along the length of the support and each group has a number of pairs of opposing units. Each unit includes bracket portions having two rims and a tine is fastened to each rim. Opposing portions are bolted together to form a whole bracket that mounts four tines around the support. Each tine is a strip-shaped member that is hook-like in configuration with an inner straight portion and an outer soil working portion having a pointed tip. The inner portion has a series of holes along its length which can be releasably fastened to a respective rim in any one of a plurality of positions that change the working length of the tine. A front hood partially surrounds the tines and support and a rod grating is positioned at the rear of the tines. A rear hood is connected to the machine and located behind the grating.

Abstract: A haymaking machine has two side-by-side rake wheels that are driven to rotate about upwardly extending axes and move crop between the wheels. Converging guide walls of horizontal rods are positioned in front of the rake wheels and some of the rods extend rearwardly to intersect the working paths of the wheels. Preferably the walls are located above the wheels. Each wheel has arms pivoted to a central portion and groups of tines are pivoted to the outer ends of the arms to turn about horizontal axes. Each group of tines is mounted on a carrier by coils that surround a tube so that the coils can be turned relative to the tube about a vertical axis and set in swath or tedding positions. Swath guides can be positioned at the rear of the rake wheels.

Abstract: A cultivating implement with a coupling mechanism for attachment to the rear of a prime mover has a row of rotatable tined supports mounted on upwardly extending shafts. The implement has an elongated frame to house the drive elements for the row of supports which extend transverse to the direction of travel. A ground roller is pivoted to the frame to trail the tined supports and interconnected with the frame through arms that have adjusting means. The adjusting device can vary the distance between the frame and the ground roller so that, in effect, the working depths of the tines are regulated. The implement is supported solely by the roller, coupling mechanism and the tines. A seed drill with coulters is connected to the implement so that seeds can be directly sown in the soil worked by the tines. The tines are configured to intensely work the soil and the roller is positioned to support much of the weight of the implement and crumble the soil.