Abstract: An inter-row crop cultivator for use particularly in severe residue conditions such as in minimum tillage conservation applications is disclosed. A leading gauge wheel providing support and soil surface tracking is immediately trailed by two laterally displaced discs which cut away from the row. Aft of the two cutaway discs and directly to the rear of the gauge wheel is a stabilizing and cutting coulter which prevents side to side sway while cutting and reducing residue ahead of a sweep shank which directly trails the cutting coulter. By severing and dividing the residue, the cutting coulter permits the residue to flow over the sweep and around the shank. The shank is adapted to receive an anhydrous ammonia applicator and knife assembly which may be easily and securely mounted to the shank. A plurality of such inter-row crop cultivators may be mounted on a tool bar.

Abstract: A guide and gauge wheel assembly for a tool bar row crop planter has an arm mounted on the tool bar and pair of wheels rotatably mounted on non-linear axles. The axles are selectively mounted on lateral sleeves and upwardly and outwardly inclined sleeves secured to the arm to position the wheels in a toe-out and camber position, or a side-by-side parallel position.

Abstract: A rotary hoe has a tool bar mounted on a tractor and a plurality of individually pivoted arms carrying hoe wheels. Springs bias the arms in a downward direction to force the hoe wheels into the soil. A rotatable torsion tube supports the springs. An adjustable lock apparatus secured to the torsion tube is used to rotate the tube to adjust the biasing force of the springs.

Abstract: An inter-row crop cultivator for use particularly in severe residue conditions such as in minimum tillage conservation applications is disclosed. A leading gauge wheel providing support and soil surface tracking is immediately trailed by two laterally displaced discs which cut away from the row. Aft of the two cutaway discs and directly to the rear of the gauge wheel is a stabilizing and cutting coulter which prevents side to side sway while cutting and reducing residue ahead of a sweep shank which directly trails the cutting coulter. By severing and dividing the residue, the cutting coulter permits the residue to flow over the sweep and around the shank. The shank is adapted to receive an anhydrous ammonia applicator and knife assembly which may be easily and securely mounted to the shank. A plurality of such inter-row crop cultivators may be mounted on a tool bar.

Abstract: A yielding mount assembly connecting a movable arm to a support. The arm is adapted to be attached to a number of structures including an earthworking tool, a rotary hoe wheel, a belt tightener roller, and a wheel supporting a vehicle. The mount assembly has a first member clamped onto the support with a U-bolt. A second member is pivoted on the first member and connected to the arm. A split ring spring mounted on the first and second members holds the arm in a first position. The arm is movable from the first position to a second position against the biasing force of the split ring spring. Expansion of the split ring spring in response to pivotal movement of the arm decreases the spring torque arm so that the biasing force applied to the arm is maintained substantially constant during movement of the arm.

Abstract: An earthworking tool having a biased trip assembly for yieldably holding the tool in a ground working position, allowing the tool to move over an obstacle, and return the tool to its earthworking position. The trip assembly has a stationary hinge member mounted to a support and a movable hinge member pivoted to the stationary member. A split sleeve spring surrounding the stationary and movable hinge members biases the members and earthworking tool to a ground working position. A modified trip assembly has a pair of split ring springs surrounding a stationary hinge member and movable hinge member to bias the movable member and earthworking tool attached thereto to a ground working position. An arm connected to the movable member rotatably supports a rotary hoe wheel.

Abstract: A harrow mounted on an earthworking tool works the soil adjacent the tool. The harrow has a clamp assembly mounted on the body of a spring earthworking tool. A pair of coil springs are mounted on the clamp assembly. Each coil spring is connected to a downwardly directed earthworking tine.

Abstract: The planter includes a number of forward tillage units each followed by an aligned planting unit. Both units are independently mounted by four-bar linkages to the planter frame. Each tillage unit includes a leading banded coulter followed by a pair of rolling row cleaning discs which are, in turn, followed by a fluted coulter. The system may be used in any of the following planting modes: (1) no-till planting, in which the fluted coulter only is used to prepare a narrow band of soil for planting with no trash removal; (2) ridge planting or till-planting, in which the row cleaning discs clear a deeper wide band before the fluted coulter while leaving bands between the row crops untilled; (3) minimum tillage planting, in which the row cleaning discs may be used to clear a shallow band of surface trash before the fluted coulter; and (4) conventional planting, in which the tillage units are raised and not used.

Abstract: A buried cable laying apparatus to lay a cable in an open trench in the ground in a relaxed or tension-free state. The apparatus progressively forms a trench and then buries detensioning line and a cable in the trench. The detensioning line is in tension and the cable is in a relaxed state. The detensioning line and the cable are both unreeled from drums moving at the same rotational speed. The drum of the detensioning line is of a smaller diameter than the drum of the cable whereby the detensioning line drum will feed more cable than is required but slip relative to the cable until the cable gets tight.

Abstract: An implement having an elongated tool extendable into the subsoil to break up the hardpan and open the subsoil for moisture and tap roots of plants. The tool has orbital motion generated with power driven eccentric structures coupled to the tool. Power is applied to the eccentric structure with a gear box driven with a hydraulic motor. Flywheels are connected to the eccentric structures and the gear box drive shafts. Links connected to the tool and a frame carry a rolling coulter disc operable to cut a slit in the soil ahead of the tool. A hinge assembly having elastic members mounts the frame on a carriage. In one form, the carriage is pivotally mounted on a draft beam of a moldboard plow and biased to an earthworking position by a hydraulic cylinder. In a second form, the carriage is a plate which forms a part of a hitch assembly for connecting the implement to a three-point hitch of a draft tractor.

Abstract: A crawler tractor is connected to a cable, pipe and line laying machine with a hitch assembly. The hitch assembly has a transverse drawbar secured to forwardly directed side members. The side members being pivotally mounted to the side frames of the tractor are raised and lowered with a pair of double acting hydraulic cylinders. The machine has a frame attached to the drawbar. An annular resilient and flexible member pivotally mounts a body on the frame. An attitude control cylinder connected to the frame and body adjusts the angular position of the body and a plow standard connected to the body. Plow standard is connected to the body with link and connecting members. On forward movement of the tractor, the plow standard is moved through the soil to form a slit trench for the cable, pipe or line. The connecting members are mounted on a crank shaft rotated by a hydraulic motor to provide the standard with an orbital movement.

Abstract: A waste compactor having a casing with an opening in the front wall thereof with a wheeled cart movable into the casing and holding a container to receive waste material with means for locking the cart to the casing, a loading chute carried by the cart and compacting structure in the casing including a fluid operated movable disc having a downwardly concave contour to have compacting forces acting radially inwardly toward the centerline of the compacting force and exerting a predetermined maximum pressure for a sufficient period of time to impart a "set" to the waste material in the container carried by the cart.

Abstract: A laminated structure includes a wafer member with a membrane attached thereto, the membrane being formed of substantially hydrogen-free boron nitride having a nominal composition B.sub.3 N. The structure may be a component in a mechanical device for effecting a mechanical function, or the membrane may form a masking layer on the wafer. The structure includes a body formed of at least two wafer members laminated together with a cavity formed therebetween, with the boron nitride membrane extending into the cavity so as to provide the structural component such as a support for a heating element or a membrane in a gas valve. In another aspect borom is selectively diffused from the boron nitride into a <100> surface of a silicon wafer. The surface is then exposed to EDP etchant to which the diffusion layer is resistant, thereby forming a channel the wafer member with smooth walls for fluid flow.