Abstract: A structural orientation and protective apparatus is disclosed that is particularly useful in a tillage assembly for sod seeding purposes. The apparatus includes a pair of skids each of which is adjacent to a cutter wheel mounted on the tillage assembly for cutting a furrow in ground to be seeded, each skid including a ground engaging portion to determine the maximum depth of furrow cut by the cutter wheel. Each skid is mounted for pivotal motion about a horizontal axis at the forward end, with the forward end being inclined upwardly from the ground engaging portion. A vertical mounting plate on each skid has a bracket mounted therebetween at the rear portion to receive a vertical adjustment rod, one portion of which is connected to the frame of the apparatus for controlling the selected depth of furrow to be cut. A seed tube boot is fastened to the rear portion of the skid so that regardless of the selected depth of furrow cut, the tube remains in the same position relative to the ground.

Abstract: A dual packer unit is disclosed that is particularly useful for sod seeding purposes. The apparatus includes an H-shaped mounting bracket consisting of an arcuate leg connected at opposite ends to a pivot arm and a wheel mounting arm. The pivot arm is integrally formed with one end of the arcuate leg at the central portion of the pivot arm, and the wheel mounting arm is integrally formed with the other end of the arcuate leg at the central portion of the wheel mounting arm so that the ends of the pivot arm may be pivotally mounted between a pair of seed tubes, and packer wheels may be mounted for free rotation at the ends of the wheel mounting arms. When so mounted, each packer wheel is received in a furrow immediately following and in line with the seed tube. The packer wheels are gravity biased downwardly toward a cut furrow, and the unit therefore provides sufficient flexibility to follow the contour of the ground and to follow the cut furrow regardless of the depth selected.

Abstract: An improved cutting and drive structure is disclosed that is particularly useful in conjunction with tilling apparatus for sod seeding purposes. The structure includes a tillage blade or cutter wheel mounted for rotation by a drive structure that includes a rotatable drive shaft. The cutter wheel has a thin disc-like body portion and a periphery with a plurality of teeth thereon, with different teeth being offset in opposite directions from the plane of the body portion. The offset teeth which in a preferred embodiment have hard-facing on the cutting surface, have a specific configuration to allow the cutting wheel to produce a furrow in ground contacted by the wheel, with the furrow being wider than the body portion of the wheel due to the offset teeth, and this results in reduced soil compaction at the bottom of the furrow, as well as loose dirt therein to provide cover for seed deposited in the furrow.

Abstract: A depth control and protective apparatus is disclosed as particularly useful in a tillage assembly for sod seeding purposes. The apparatus includes a pair of skids mounted upon a pivoted arm, which arm has also mounted thereon a pair of cutter wheels for cutting a furrow in ground to be seeded, each skid including a ground engaging portion to determine the maximum depth of furrow cut by the cutter wheel. Each skid is mounted for essentially vertical movement with respect to the associated arm and cutter wheel mounted thereon to thereby determine and control the depth of furrow cut by the associated cutter wheel. A substantially circular plate has an oval aperture in the central portion through which the axle and drive for the cutter wheel extends, and an inwardly directed cylindrical flange extends to the periphery of the circular plate to protect the axle and to provide for movement of the skid relative to the cutter wheel and axle.