Abstract: A farm machine includes a towing vehicle carrying at its front a pair of laterally extending and foldable arms supported by caster wheels and extending laterally away from the towing vehicle. Each of the longitudinally extending foldable arms carry a series of planting assemblies that include a cutting assembly for chopping crop residue, a trench forming assembly for forming seed trenches, a seed sowing assembly for sowing seed in the trench, and a packer assembly for tamping down the seeded trench. A steerable towed vehicle carries seed and fertilizer and is towed by the towing vehicle. A laterally extending arm supports additional planting assemblies that extend substantially the width of the towing vehicle.

Abstract: Machines that plant crop seed generally compact the seed rows with their tires. The solution to this problem is to cut or mold notches into the tire lugs in the area that would pass directly above the planted seeds and adjacent to the planted seeds. Tires could also be molded with the notches in place during the tire manufacturing process. If lateral beaming strength is needed in the tire, ribs can be formed on the inside of the tire either intermittent or continuous across the width of the tire. Notching also could be done selectively on tires after molding.

Abstract: A seedbed preparation and planting machine includes a cutting assembly including powered forward cutting blades for chopping crop residue. A cutting disc assembly follows the cutting assembly effective for forming a seedbed trench at a seed planting depth. A seed assembly follows the cutting disc assembly including a seed hopper and a seed tube located to drop seed into the seedbed trench. A packer assembly tamps down seed in the seedbed trench for covering seed therein.

Abstract: A universal crop head assembly is carried at the front of and by a harvester. The new crop head assembly includes a frame assembly, an intermediate multi-crop reel assembly carried by the frame assembly and having selectively extendable and retractable fingers for small grain harvesting. A lower cutter bar assembly is carried by the frame assembly and for cutting grain stalks. An upper forward cutter bar assembly is carried by the frame assembly and supports an upper cutter bar for cutting corn stalks about an upper end, an adjustable air knife assembly for blowing against severed corn stalks upper ends; and a lower draper belt assembly carried by the frame assembly and for moving grain cut by the lower cutter bar assembly.

Abstract: Disclosed is an assembly for mitigating soil compacted by wheels or belts of a vehicle moving over soil and carried by the vehicle. The assembly operates with a series of blades affixed to a rotatable shaft and displaying an elliptical pattern. A hood confines about the top half of the blades and spans about the width of the assembly. A motor rotates the rotatable shaft. A mounting assembly mounts the assembly to the vehicle behind and in alignment with the vehicle wheels or belts. A cylinder assembly reversibly moves the assembly from a home position downwardly into compacted soil for its mitigation.

Abstract: Disclosed is a grain harvesting articulated combine of a forward PPU, a rear grain cart, and an articulation joint that connects the forward PPU with the rear grain cart. The rear grain cart includes an ascending lift auger assembly that receives clean grain from the forward PPU and transports it upwardly for dumping into the rear grain cart. A generally horizontal drag auger assembly moves clean grain to a lower a lift auger assembly. A clean grain off-loading auger assembly is connected to the lower lift auger assembly by a slew bearing. The clean grain off-loading auger is retractable about its upper end and its upper end assembly is terminated with a spout adapted to direct clean grain generally downwardly. The clean grain off-loading auger assembly is rotatable from a grain off-loading position to a home position.

Abstract: Disclosed is an assembly for mitigating soil compacted by wheels or belts of a vehicle moving over soil and carried by the vehicle. The assembly operates with a series of blades affixed to a rotatable shaft and displaying an elliptical pattern. A hood confines about the top half of the blades and spans about the width of the assembly. A motor rotates the rotatable shaft. A mounting assembly mounts the assembly to the vehicle behind and in alignment with the vehicle wheels or belts. A cylinder assembly reversibly moves the assembly from a home position downwardly into compacted soil for its mitigation.

Abstract: A grain harvesting articulated combine includes of a crop processing power unit (PPU), a rear grain cart, and an articulation joint that connects the PPU with the rear grain cart. The articulation joint includes a transverse drawbar attached to the PPU about its rear, which has an aperture facing the rear grain cart and is located underneath the PPU forwardly of the rear of the powered PPU. An arcuate beam is attached to the rear of the powered PPU. A grain auger assembly runs from the PPU to the rear grain cart. The grain auger assembly has a forward end and a rear end and is formed from an outer tube and an inner tube rotatingly carried within the outer tube. A pin runs through the transverse drawbar aperture and a bracket aperture. A pair of articulation cylinders is affixed to the transverse drawbar and to the outer tube.

Abstract: Disclosed is a grain harvesting articulated combine of a forward PPU, a rear grain cart, and an articulation joint that connects the forward PPU with the rear grain cart. The rear grain cart includes an ascending lift auger assembly that receives clean grain from the forward PPU and transports it upwardly for dumping into the rear grain cart. A generally horizontal drag auger assembly moves clean grain to a lower a lift auger assembly. A clean grain off-loading auger assembly is connected to the lower lift auger assembly by a slew bearing. The clean grain off-loading auger is retractable about its upper end and its upper end assembly is terminated with a spout adapted to direct clean grain generally downwardly. The clean grain off-loading auger assembly is rotatable from a grain off-loading position to a home position.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved articulated combine of a forward grainhead carried by a forward bogey devoid of grain storage and operated by an operator and a rear grain storage bogey capable of crabbing. Proximity sensors are affixed to the side of the grainhead and on the side of the rear end of the rear bogey. Cameras are affixed to the front of the forward bogey looking to the side of the forward bogey, to the front of the rear bogey looking rearwardly into the rear bogey grain storage, to the rear of the rear bogey, and on the grain arm discharge end. Readout from the sensors are fed to memory for each type of grain off-loading vehicle for later use by the operator in placing the combine in the optimum unloading position. Video also is fed to a display confronting the combine operator.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved articulated combine of a forward grainhead carried by a forward bogey devoid of grain storage and operated by an operator and a rear grain storage bogey capable of crabbing. Proximity sensors are affixed to the side of the grainhead and on the side of the rear end of the rear bogey. Cameras are affixed to the front of the forward bogey looking to the side of the forward bogey, to the front of the rear bogey looking rearwardly into the rear bogey grain storage, to the rear of the rear bogey, and on the grain arm discharge end. Readout from the sensors are fed to memory for each type of grain off-loading vehicle for later use by the operator in placing the combine in the optimum unloading position. Video also is fed to a display confronting the combine operator.

Abstract: Disclosed is an elongate arbor for mounting a wheel or wheel/tire combination onto an axle of a vehicle. One of the axle hub or the wheel bears threaded studs and the other bears tapped holes. The elongate arbor is terminated at one end with elongate fork tubes and at the opposite end with a flange having a plurality of apertures, says 3 apertures. The wheel to be mounted has tapped holes created to match the arbor flange apertures for mounting the wheel onto the arbor with threaded studs. Forks from, for example, a forklift, can be inserted into the elongate forklift tubes to lift and maneuver the arbor/wheel combination to align the wheel mounts with the axle mounts and threaded studs inserted for securement. The large wheel now can be mounted to axle hub of the vehicle.

Abstract: Disclosed is an elongate arbor for mounting a wheel or wheel/tire combination onto an axle of a vehicle. One of the axle hub or the wheel bears threaded studs and the other bears tapped holes. The elongate arbor is terminated at one end with elongate fork tubes and at the opposite end with a flange having a plurality of apertures, says 3 apertures. The wheel to be mounted has tapped holes created to match the arbor flange apertures for mounting the wheel onto the arbor with threaded studs. Forks from, for example, a forklift, can be inserted into the elongate forklift tubes to lift and maneuver the arbor/wheel combination to align the wheel mounts with the axle mounts and threaded studs inserted for securement. The large wheel now can be mounted to axle hub of the vehicle.

Abstract: Disclosed is an elongate arbor for mounting a wheel or wheel/tire combination onto an axle of a vehicle. One of the axle hub or the wheel bears threaded studs and the other bears tapped holes. The elongate arbor is terminated at one end with elongate fork tubes and at the opposite end with a flange having a plurality of apertures, says 3 apertures. The wheel to be mounted has tapped holes created to match the arbor flange apertures for mounting the wheel onto the arbor with threaded studs. Forks from, for example, a forklift, can be inserted into the elongate forklift tubes to lift and maneuver the arbor/wheel combination to align the wheel mounts with the axle mounts and threaded studs inserted for securement. The large wheel now can be mounted to axle hub of the vehicle.

Abstract: One embodiment is a combine having an operator's cab, an engine, a grain harvesting assembly, a grain transfer assembly, a grain bin for receiving grain from the forward section grain transfer assembly, and a transverse crop residue baler disposed at the rear of said combine and moving integrally with said combine. The transverse crop residue baler also can be towed by the combine and is connected to the combine by two widely spaced-apart joints that permit only movement in the pitch axis. The combine can be devoid of an on-board grain bin and comprise a forward unit; the transverse crop residue baler disposed at the rear of and carried by the forward unit; and the combine includes a rearward unit jointedly attached to the forward unit and having, steerable and powered wheel assembly, an on-board grain bin, and a grain off-loading assembly.

Abstract: An articulated harvester is composed of a forward bogey having an operator's cab, an engine, a grain harvesting assembly, a grain transfer assembly, but being devoid of an on-board grain bin. A rearward bogey is attached by a joint to the forward bogey and has a powered wheel assembly, an on-board grain bin for receiving grain from the forward bogey grain transfer assembly, and a grain off-loading assembly. The grain separating and cleaning assembly including a grain cleaning fan are located in front of the forward bogey axle and offset from the forward bogey centerline. The forward bogey transmission may be located ahead of or behind the forward bogey axle and offset opposite of the grain fan.

Abstract: An articulated harvester is composed of a forward bogey having an operator's cab, an engine, a grain harvesting assembly, a grain transfer assembly, but being devoid of an on-board grain bin. A rearward bogey is attached by a joint to the forward bogey and has a powered wheel assembly, an on-board grain bin for receiving grain from the forward bogey grain transfer assembly, and a grain off-loading assembly. The forward bogey wheel assembly is powered by a first drive system. The rearward bogey wheel assembly is powered by a second drive system. Each of the first and second powered drive systems includes coordinated transmission and drive motors.

Abstract: An articulated harvester is composed of a forward bogey having an operator's cab, an engine, a grain harvesting assembly, a grain transfer assembly, but being devoid of an on-board grain bin. A rearward bogey is attached by a joint to the forward bogey and has a powered wheel assembly, an on-board grain bin for receiving grain from the forward bogey grain transfer assembly, and a grain off-loading assembly. The improvement includes the rearward bogey having a powered wheel assembly of a powered stiff axle wheel assembly pivotable for steering the articulated harvester when the joint has articulated by a defined number of degrees. The joint may be connected to the rearward bogey powered stiff axle wheel assembly by a beam that has a second joint disposed ahead of the stiff axle and actuatable to crab the articulated harvester for grain unloading.

Abstract: A combine has a transverse crop residue baler disposed at the rear of the combine that moves integrally with the combine. The transverse crop residue baler can be towed by the combine and connected to the combine by two widely spaced-apart joints that permit only movement in the pitch axis. The transverse crop residue baler also can be disposed at the rear of and carried by the forward unit of an articulated combine.

Abstract: A powered towing vehicle having steering wheels and a wheeled trailer is connected to the vehicle for its towing. The wheels of the trailer are connected to a source of power for generating forward and rearward movement of the trailer. These wheels also are connected to a source of power for turning such wheels in order to steer the trailer. These wheels further are connected to a sensor to sense the position of the trailer wheels as they are being steered. The steering wheels of the towing vehicle also are connected to a sensor to sense the position of the vehicle wheels as they are being steered. The trailer steering wheel sensor is displayed to an operator of the vehicle so that the vehicle operator knows the relative position of each of the steering wheels. The trailer steering power source is connected to the vehicle so that an operator of the vehicle can remotely steer the wheels of the trailer.