Abstract: Picking unit drive structure for transversely adjustable row units of a cotton harvester. A hydraulic drive system with an engine driven pump supplies fluid under pressure through flexible conduits to individual hydraulic motors located on the row units and drivingly connected to the unit harvesting structures. Flow to the motor is regulated by a flow-control valve and an electronic valve controller to synchronize picker drum speed with harvester ground speed. The hydraulic drive eliminates external drive shafts and significantly enhances transverse adjustment of the row units.

Abstract: An improved cutter wheel that is particularly useful with tilling apparatus for sod seeding purposes. The cutter wheel is mounted for rotation by a drive structure that includes a drive shaft. The cutter wheel includes a central disk portion with an outer periphery defining a plurality of equally spaced slots, each for receiving a tip-holding insert. A bullet-shaped tungsten carbide tip is soldered or brazed to the tip-holder and the holder is welded to the disk. The disk periphery is shaped to allow cutting clearance for the tip, to protect the tip from breaking off, and to provide rear support for the tip-holder. The angle at which the tip is connected to the holder is chosen so that the brazed or soldered joint is loaded primarily in compression as the wheel cuts through the soil.

Abstract: A folding spray boom assembly includes an outer boom pivotally connected by hinge structure to an inner boom which is carried by support structure on an agricultural sprayer. An upper support rod is connected to the support structure and to the outer boom at a position offset from the pivotal axis of the hinge to arm, in effect, an over center device utilizing the tension in the support rod to maintain the spray boom assembly in its respective folded or unfolded positions without a latch or retaining pin. Relocating the support rod on the outer boom relieves stresses on the hinge when the boom assembly is in the unfolded position.