Abstract: A device for removing plants or portions of plants from the plant bed includes a frame having forward and rearward ends, and first and second containment coulters attached to the frame in side-by-side alignment. The first and second containment coulters define a space between them. A rotary cutter is rotatably attached to the frame rearward of the first and second containment coulters. A portion of the rotary cutter extends into the space between the first and second containment coulters. The rotary cutter includes a plurality of teeth along a peripheral edge thereof. A shroud is attached to the frame and extends over at least a portion of the containment coulter pair and the rotary cutter. The shroud includes side walls that extend downward from the top of the shroud along at least a portion of the height of the pair of containment coulters and the rotary cutter.

Abstract: A tilling implement has a front row of shallow concave disc blades having a front right portion and a front left portion symmetrically disposed about a centerline of the implement. A rear row of shallow concave disc blades has a rear right portion and a rear left portion symmetrically disposed about the centerline of the implement. The rear right portion following behind the front right portion in a right path and the rear left portion following the front left portion in a left path when the implement is displaced through a field. The implement includes no ground engaging tool in the right path between the front right portion and the rear right portion, and no ground engaging tool in the left path between the front left portion and the rear left portion. The shallow concave disc blades have a concavity of between approximately 1.25 and 1.69 inches over an outer diameter of approximately 20 inches.

Abstract: A tilling implement has a front row of concave disc blades having a front right portion and a front left portion symmetrically disposed about a centerline of the implement. A rear row of concave disc blades has a rear right portion and a rear left portion symmetrically disposed about the centerline of the implement. The rear right portion follows behind the front right portion in a right path and the rear left portion follows the front left portion in a left path when the implement is displaced through a field. The implement includes no ground engaging tool in the right path between the front right portion and the rear right portion, and no ground engaging tool in the left path between the front left portion and the rear left portion. A ground engaging tool is disposed generally along the centerline of the implement between the right and left paths.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for soil conditioning, the apparatus comprising a frame, a rotary harrow supported by the frame for engaging the soil and a plurality of disks supported by the frame and in front of the rotary harrow along the advancing direction for rotation about disk axis and for engaging soil below the frame, each disk including a scalloped peripheral edge that forms a plurality of teeth and a space between each two adjacent teeth.

Abstract: The spike wheels of the harrow are arranged in gangs to rotate about a common axis during ground engagement. Each wheel has a plurality of spikes that project outwardly from a cylindrical hub having a pair of opposite ends. Projections at one end of the hub are matingly received within notches in the opposite end of the hub of the next adjacent wheel so that the wheels are interlocked for rotation in unison. The projections on each hub are offset angularly from the notches by a certain amount so that adjacent wheels are correspondingly rotatively offset from one another. The outermost tips of the spikes of each wheel are inturned to a certain extent so as to render each wheel generally concavo-convex, with the concave sides of the wheels leading as the machine is pulled through the field. Front gangs of the wheels are disposed in a certain oblique attitude with respect to the path of travel of the machine, while rear gangs are disposed in opposite oblique attitudes.

Abstract: A device is attached to a vehicle, such as a tractor, to deliver slurry into soil. The device has a hinged connector allows side-to-side movement between the vehicle and the main frame. There is at least one coulter attached to the main frame, a retaining wheel and slurry applicator attached to the main frame; and a closure wheel attached to the main frame. The at least one coulter preferably is a double coulter system.

Abstract: The farm implement of this invention is movable across ground along a direction of travel for tillage. The farm implement includes at least a frame and a disc/drive unit. The disc/drive unit includes first and second pluralities of discs, each having a ground-engaging outer periphery defining a plane angled acutely relative to the direction of travel. The first discs are angled to an opposite side of the direction of travel than the second discs. Positioned in front of the first discs is a ground-engaging driver rotatably coupled to the frame for rotating as the driver engages and is moved across the ground along the direction of travel. A driven flow controller is rotatably coupled and situated between the plurality of first discs and the plurality of second discs. The ground-engaging driver is operatively controlling and preferably accelerating the rotational speed of the driven flow controller.

Abstract: An improved row crop cultivator for use in minimum tillage applications is described. A plurality of ganged cultivating units are mounted on a tool bar adapted to be towed behind a tractor vehicle. Each cultivating unit comprises a frame which is supported on a pair of spaced-apart gauge wheels. Also mounted on the frame for rotation within the gap between the gauge wheels is a disk-shaped coulter blade which is configured to cut through crop residue and weed debris as the material being cut is held against the ground surface by the gauge wheels. This arrangement tends to prevent improper cutting known as "hair-pinning". Trailing directly behind the coulter blade is a middleworker comprising a narrow width shank depending from the frame and having a weld point on its lower leading edge and wing-like share blades flaring rearwardly and outwardly at a predetermined angle from the lower end of the shank.

Abstract: An agricultural tool assembly (21) disclosed is usable on a variety of implements in place of shovels, blades, tines or sweeps and on novel cultivating or crop root undercutting implements and the like. Assembly (21) includes a rotary disk (23) mounted on a lower end of a rotary spindle (25). An offset mount for the spindle includes a shank (41) adapted to be received in the vertical slot of a clamp (22) and a sleeve (45) offset from the shank for rotatably supporting the spindle. The sleeve is connected to the shank, using a bifurcated portion comprised of spaced plates (47, 48) connected to the sleeve with a lower pivot member (52) and an upper fastener (58) extending through arcuate slots (61 and 62) in the spaced plates. The disk may be tilted at a selected angle or set horizontally and for some applications may be set to release in the event the blade strikes an obstruction. A cultivator implement has front and rear disk gangs (108, 109, 114, 115) and a rear centered tool assembly (21).

Abstract: An attachment for a minimum tillage planter which is mounted forwardly of the planting shoe for removing residue from in front of such planting apparatus for the purpose of allowing consistency in the making of a trench and for the depositing of seeds therein in a consistent manner. The attachment generally includes a first center flat disc having a circular structure attached thereto for controlling the depth at which the planter rides above the ground. A pair of additional discs are mounted on each side of the depth control structure and on each side of the center flat disc. These additional discs are convex on the side adjacent to the first disc and concave on the other side thereof. The position of the additional discs are such that they do not extend into the ground as far as the first disc whereby the first disc will hold residue, such as a corn stalk, while the other discs which are higher will cut the residue off and then throw it to one side or the other.