Abstract: Ground preparation appliance having a driven working shaft arrangement. Working shaft arrangement. A ground preparation appliance having a driven working shaft arrangement, which is rotatably mounted in a preparation housing that is open towards the ground, is known. According to the invention, the preparation housing has at least two housing envelope portions, which are mounted so as to be displaceable relative to one another in the circumferential direction. Application for rear tillers on trail caterpillars for the purpose of snow surface preparation.

Abstract: Row crop cultivator rolling shields mounted on an arm pivotally connected to a support extended rearwardly from a tool bar prevents soil moved by earth working tools from covering and damaging row crops. Each shield has a dish shaped body having a number of arcuate segments. Each segment has angularly disposed parts providing the body with a circumferential wave-like structure. A roller bearing secured to the central porion of the body mounts the shield on an axle mounted on the arm.

Abstract: A large diameter, short toothed rolling shield fabricated by vacuum forming talc filled polyethylene sheet having a smooth surface and sufficient flexibility to resist soil build-up in damp conditions. Preferably the diameter of the shield is substantially greater than twenty inches and on the order of twenty four inches and includes teeth uniformly spaced around the periphery, each tooth having a length less than approximately ten percent of the shield radius. A circular rib near the center of the shield and radial reinforcing ribs extending from the circular rib on the convex side of the shield to the base of alternating teeth provide stiffness and strength. The concave tool side of the shield is devoid of protrusions to reduce churning of thrown soil.

Abstract: Seed bed preparation apparatus for the no-till preparation of longitudinal strips of soil for the planting of seeds in longitudinal rows including plurality of laterally spaced apart gang assemblies which are individually mounted on a draft vehicle such as a tractor or the like. Each gang assembly includes a main frame, adapted to the coupled to the draft vehicle, swingably mounting a chassis which follows the contour of the land via rotatable depth wheels which mount a forward, surface soil cutting disk for cutting a slot in the surface soil. A vertical tillage blade is received in the slot cut by the cutting wheel and includes an under surface soil lifting tillage point for lifting and partially breaking up strip of soil as the apparatus forwardly moves. A pair of rotatable soil crumbling disks are mounted on the chassis, parallel to the tillage blade, on opposite side of the blade for containing and further crumbling the portion of the lifted strip of soil between the disks and the blade.

Abstract: The present invention is a mounting device for individually mounting rotary hoes on the shanks of row crop cultivators. The tractor pulls shanks through the fields to cultivate the soil with rotary hoes connected to the shanks by a mounting device. The mounting device includes a portion which clamps to the shanks and a portion which is pivotally connected to the clamping portion and extends to a rotatably mounted rotary hoe. The hoe may float over irregular surfaces of the ground to penetrate and dig up the soil. The rotary hoes may be biased by a spring to maintain a relatively constant ground depth, and they may include stops to limit their forward movement, backward movement, or both.

Abstract: An attachment for use with an agricultural implement to protect a row of emergent plants growing in a field. The device includes a shield which protects the plants from accumulations of soil, trash, and other debris. The shield is mounted between one or more claws of the implement, on one hand, and the row of plants to be protected on the other hand. Means, such as a motor, are provided to drive the shield in a plane generally parallel to the row of plants. As the shield is positively rotated, a periphery of the shield passes closely proximate the surface of the ground in which the row of plants is located. Such driving of the shield is in a direction in which the shield would rotate if it were allowed to freewheel and were made to rotate as a result of its engagement with the ground.

Abstract: A row crop cultivator having rolling shields adjacent each of the cultivator shovels to protect the crop from soil thrown by the shovels. The cultivator typically has three or more shovels per furrow, the shovels being spaced laterally and longitudinally from one another. Shields are provided on each side of the centrally located shovels, and, for each off-center shovel, a shield is provided between that shovel and the closest adjacent row of crop. Some of the shields, particularly for the centrally located shovels, may be located closer to the center of the furrow than adjacent shields, allowing close spacing of both shovels and shields to provide the required crop protection. The cultivator allows increased cultivating speed, even for narrow row precision cultivation and even in mellow soils, and also eliminates the clogging problem suffered by conventional tunnel shields in fields having significant trash or crop residue.

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: A disc cultivator shield which cooperates with standard disc cultivators to protect young corn plants during disc cultivating is provided. The preferred embodiment is adaptable to various disc cultivators and serves to guide the corn plants in between the discs of the disc cultivator and prevents the discs from rolling over the leaves of the corn plant and partially burying the plant. The disc cultivator shield is specifically designed for windy days when corn plants tend to be blown over, and it is removable to allow standard disc cultivating on calm days if desired.

Abstract: A shield assembly includes a transverse arm pivotally connected at one end to a bracket assembly fixed to a row crop cultivator rig. A shield tow strap extends rearwardly from the opposite end of the arm. The arm rocks between a horizontal position, wherein the tow strap supports the shield adjacent the row, and vertical position wherein the entire shield assembly extends over the rig completely out of interfering relationship with the row.

Abstract: A duplicate shield mechanism or unit is employed for each rearmost sweep of a cultivator. The unit in each instance includes two laterally adjustable disks mounted for rotation at the trailing end of a longitudinally adjustable two-piece drawbar or arm. The forward end of each drawbar or arm is pivotally attached to a selected portion of the rear shank having the sweep with which the unit is to co-act. Both disks of each unit travel between the rows of plants rather than over the row.

Abstract: Forwardly disposed furrow openers and rearwardly disposed furrow openers are conventionally offset to one side of the path traversed by the forwardly disposed furrow openers. To prevent partial backfilling of the furrows formed by the front openers when the grain drill on which the openers are mounted is pulled at relatively high speeds, a device including a pair of downwardly converging wheels is provided, the wheels being rotatably mounted on the angled end portions of an axle or shaft. The straight central portion of the shaft is firmly clamped in a sleeve at the rear end of an arm which has its forward end clamped to the rear end of a strut pivotally attached to the grain drill. The central straight portion of the shaft can be rotated so as to obtain the best operation of the wheels. In this way, soil that would be plowed into the furrows formed by the forwardly disposed furrow opener is resisted by the circular wheels.

Abstract: A tractor implement carrying apparatus for use with a farm tractor and for supporting farm implements which can be a rolling shield, high speed sliding shield, disc, or other similar farm implements. An adjustable bushing support member is attached to the lower end of a mounting member to support a pin permitting transverse adjustment of a drawbar pivotally supported on the pin. An implement attaching bracket having opposing transversely adjustable and downwardly extending arms attaches to a longitudinal slot in the drawbar which provides for lateral adjustment of the implement attaching bracket. Opposing tool adjustment brackets are suitably affixed to the lower ends of the opposing transversely adjustable downwardly extending arms for attachment of farm implements.

Abstract: A cutting tool for an excavating machine is described which comprises a support arm having an inner end adapted to be movably mounted on the machine and an outer end, a shovel member having a substantially flat working face and carried by the support arm at its outer end, and a plurality of cutting teeth arranged to contact the material to be excavated in advance of the said shovel member and fixed rigidly thereto, the arrangement being such that the said working face is substantially perpendicular to its direction of motion as it contacts the material to be excavated. Assemblies of such cutting tools are also described, which are particularly smooth and efficient in operation.

Abstract: A cultivator having a rigid frame adapted to be connected to a tractor, at least one pair of laterally spaced-apart plow elements for breaking up the surface of the ground independently connected to the frame by a pair of linkages, and a pair of laterally spaced-apart rolling disk shield assemblies suspended from the lost motion linkages. The disk shield assemblies are comprised of first and second supporting arms rigidly connected respectively to the lost motion linkages and which extend outwardly away from the plow elements, a lever rotatably connected to and depending from each of the supporting arms, and a disk shield rotatably mounted on each of the levers and positioned generally between and adjacent the plow elements.