Abstract: A press wheel includes a hub which rotates about an axis. A rim extends generally radially from the axis. The rim has a center plane defined as a plane perpendicular to the axis and generally bisecting the rim and defining the center of the wheel. The press wheel includes a plurality of tread portions extending away from the center plane. The plurality of tread portions have voids between adjacent tread portions on the same side of the rim, which in response to the wheel rotating, operably places consecutive adjacent tread portions proximal to the ground. The rim and tread portions are configured to contact the ground.

Abstract: A finger-hoe tool for a soil-tilling device, which has at least one finger, and a method for mechanical control of weeds in row crops make possible an input of loose materials into the row or a discharge of loose materials from the row, because the at least one finger has at least one device for collection and/or removal of the loose materials (e.g. earth, sand, stones), whereby not only the weakly rooted weeds but also more strongly rooted weeds can be controlled.

Abstract: In orchards or fields of grape vines, weeding in inter-plant spaces may be performed with a mechanical weeder. The weeder may include a frame configured to be propelled by a motorized vehicle. A rotatable weeder unit may be pivotally connected to a pivot arm attached to the frame and a spring may be connected to hold the rotatable weeder unit in a nominal pivotal position relative to the frame responsively to a force exerted by the spring. When encountering a producing plant, the weeder unit may deflect away from the plant thereby precluding damage to the plant.

Abstract: Apparatus for trimming grass around sprinkler heads or tending a small garden area includes a tubular member having a plurality of serrations formed on one end for cutting grass around such sprinkler heads. A housing member partially disposed for reciprocal movement within the tubular member. A plate disposed for closing one end of housing member and having an outer periphery engageable with an inner surface of such tubular member for guiding during reciprocal movement. A second guide disposed around outer periphery of such housing member intermediate each end thereof. Another elongated rod like member engages an end of such first elongated rod like member. A caged biasing means is disposed over the second rod like member for absorbing shock during use of apparatus and a mechanism for manipulating the apparatus while trimming such grass around such sprinkler head or tending such small garden area.

Abstract: An elongate cultivating tool adapted to be supported at each end so as to be able in use to rotate about a longitudinal axis. The cultivating tool comprises an elongate cylindrical support which may be a helical coil spring, a plurality of cultivating elements on a peripheral cylindrical surface of the cylindrical support, each cultivating element linking up with four other like cultivating elements on the peripheral cylindrical surface and one and preferably two tines extending from each cultivating element. There may be two banks of cultivating elements on the tool to give a greater number of tines on the tool. The axle to support the cylindrical support for rotation may be telescopic to provide tension to maintain the position of the cultivating elements. The cultivating elements are formed from metal rod and in one form comprise a U-shaped body with each leg of the U-shaped body including a bend out of the plane of the body with each portion beyond the bend comprising a tine.

Abstract: An agricultural tool assembly includes a rotary disk mounted on a lower end of a rotary spindle. A mount for the spindle includes a shank adapted to be received in the vertical slot of a clamp and a sleeve for rotatably supporting the spindle. The sleeve is connected to the shank by spaced side plates connected to the sleeve with a lower pivot member and an upper fastener extending through arcuate slots in the spaced plates. A cultivator implement has front and rear disk gangs and a rear centered tool assembly. An onion undercutting implement has a front tool bar with front tool assemblies clamped thereto and a rear tool bar with rear tool assemblies clamped thereto.A tool assembly for material distribution has a spindle with a through hole, a swivel fitting at the inlet and a flared section at the outlet. Crop cutting and windrowing apparatus has pairs of tool assemblies tilted in and down toward the crop row and forwardly and down.

Abstract: A trash farming implement is provided with a plurality of tillage assemblies on an implement, each tillage assembly having a tillage disc arranged to rotate about an axis which is inclined slightly from the vertical both in end elevation and in side elevation so that it slopes upwardly and forwardly in the direction of travel, and also a soil replacing disc which has an axis of rotation which is nearly horizontal but slopes upwardly towards the tillage disc to which it is adjacent, the disc being so located that a furrow cut by the tillage disc will be filled by replacement of the lifted soil to its original position.

Abstract: For cutting the roots of weeds in agricultural fields, rolling knives in the form of flat, circular plates with sharp, peripheral edges are journaled to struts connected to a tool bar drafted in a direction of draft. The knives rotate about knife axes that are normal to knife planes containing their sharp edge. All knife axes are about 45.degree. from vertical. For bedded fields, the rolling knives are preferably connected to the tool bar in knife sets of two for each soil bed, with the knives of each set engaging opposite sides of each bed. As the rolling knives roll within the soil, their sharp edges sever the roots of weeds. In an alternate embodiment, a vertical stabilizer plate is rolled opposite each rolling knife to stabilize the soil therebetween. In another embodiment, each strut includes a hinge that has a hinge axis substantially within the knife plane. The knives swing about the hinge axes and trail in the direction of draft following the path of least resistance through the soil.

Abstract: A cultivating implement has rows of tined soil working members that are freely rotatable about upwardly extending shafts. Each soil working member has tines positioned around the shaft which defines its axis of rotation. At the lower end of the shaft, a channelled feed member is attached and the shaft is hollow. Material from a container is dispensed from the container through the shaft and the feed member via a port to the ground being worked by the tines. The feed member is elongated and extends down, generally parallel to the tines of the corresponding soil working member which are mounted on circular plate supports. A further soil working member, preferably a supporting roller, is mounted behind the rows of soil working members.

Abstract: An implement preferably has elongated, stationary beams that extend horizontally transverse to the normal direction of travel. Staggered soil cultivating rotors are fastened to the beams at spaced apart locations and are ground driven to work closely adjacent strips of soil or a single broad path. Each rotor is freely rotatable about an upwardly extending shaft and has downwardly extending soil working members, such as tines, with lower active portions. Each active portion can have a lower outwardly directed part that, during rotation, describes a circle having a radius about equal to or less than the length of the active portion. The outwardly directed tine part increases ground contact and improves rotation. The rotors can be mounted in pairs; the rotors of each pair being angled from the vertical so that they rotate in opposite directions from one another.

Abstract: A cultivator implement has a row of freely rotatable soil working members connected to a transverse frame beam by brackets. The members each have a stub shaft secured to an inclined web of a corresponding bracket so that the axis of rotation of each member is inclined to the vertical. Pairs of downwardly extending tines on support plates contact the ground and rotate the members. Between adjacent rotatable members, a cultivator tine is deflectably secured to the beam via an integral spring coil assembly. The cultivator tine is located non-centrally between rotary members and each tine is curved so that its lower tip extends forwardly. A soil working roller is positioned to the rear of the rotary members and is vertically adjustable on arms connected to the ends of the beam.

Abstract: A cultivator implement has two rows of freely rotatable, tined soil-working members connected to leading and rear transverse frame beams by respective brackets or plates. Each rotatable member is mounted for rotation on a corresponding stub shaft that defines its axis of rotation, which is inclined to the vertical. Pairs of downwardly extending tines that are secured in respective holders around the axis of rotation, contact the ground and rotate each member. A first row of rotatable members have axes inclined to one side of the vertical and a second row of rotatable members have axes inclined to the opposite side of the vertical. A fixed cultivator tine is deflectably secured to the beams via an integral spring coil assembly. The cultivator tines are positioned non centrally between adjacent rotary members and each tine is curved so that its lower tip extends forwardly.

Abstract: A soil cultivating machine or rotary harrow has a row of tined soil working members that are driven about upwardly extending shafts. Further soil working or cultivating members between the driven members are mounted for free rotation about axes also located in the same row which extends transverse to the direction of travel. The further members have tines or blades that are supported on respective arms that extend forwardly and are journalled on vertical shafts at the front of a frame portion. The arm of a pair of blades or a pair of freely rotatable tined members is pivotable to and fro between limit stops to avoid obstacles in or on the ground. The tined members are freely rotatable about upwardly extending axes and the bladed members are freely rotatable about horizontal axes to assist in shedding weeds and other debris.

Abstract: A tine mounting for a rotary harrow has an elongated support and a holder at each outer support end. Each holder has a configured vertical bore that tightly receives the fastening portion of a tine and a central bore that receives a rotary shaft. The mounting is preferably made of a single piece of forged or cast material with the forward side of each holder having an integral screen and a majority of the mass of the material. The support can have an inclined portion that projects from each side of the central bore. The vertical bores can taper upwardly and be multi-sided to conform to a tine fastening portion.

Abstract: A tine on a rotary harrow has an upper fastening portion and a lower soil working portion which portions meet at a junction. The fastening portion is tapered to be tightly held in a holder without turning and has an upper threaded end that receives a nut and a lower, multi-sided region that merges into a similar region at the top of the soil working portion. The junction has an enlarged cross-section that preferably is hexagonal and towards the lower tip of the soil working portion, the cross-section changes into a generally rectangular cross-section region. When placed in a holder, the junction is located at the lower end of the holder and the longitudinal axes of the two portions are angled to one another. Also, a rib is located at the leading side of the soil working portion and grooves are formed in the leading flat sides thereof. Grooves of lesser magnitude are formed in the trailing sides of the soil working portion relative to the direction of intended rotation.

Abstract: A soil cultivating machine has a frame beam with a forward supporting member and a rear supporting member. The frame beam and the supporting members are all elongated and extend transverse to the direction of travel. The opposite lateral ends of one supporting member are linked to the corresponding ends of the other member by curved coupling members and both supporting members are movable about substantially vertical axes in directions transverse to the normal direction of travel of the machine. Tined cultivating members are mounted on each of the supporting and coupling members for free rotation about upwardly extending axes.

Abstract: A cultivator or harrow has a row of soil working members and each of these members is a rotatable support on a shaft that is driven to rotate about an upwardly extending axis. Each support is comprised by two similar diametrically opposed portions and each portion has a lower tine and an upper tool that differs in shape and form from the lower tine. The upper tool can be a pair of different tines or a tine-like extension of the support portion that functions as a rigid tine. The lower more resilient tine works the sub-soil and the upper tool works the topsoil. The lower tines of the two portions can be a single element of spring steel that is retained by quick release pins in lower support recesses and the fastening portions of the lower tines can bear on the heads of further pins that retain upper tines in their corresponding recesses so that one release means retains all of the tools on each support portion.

Abstract: A tine for use on rotary soil working members that are rotated about upwardly extending axes has a upper fastening portion joined to a lower soil working portion. Each of the portions has a longitudinal axis and one axis is preferably inclined to the other so that the soil working portion can be held in a trailing or a leading position. The soil working portion has a oval cross section region that merges into a polygonal cross section region towards the lower tip of the tine. The fastening portion has means for fastening the tine to support holders of a soil working member.

Abstract: A rotary harrow or cultivator tine has an upper fastening portion that is tightly received in a holder. The fastening portion is integral with a lower soil working portion that terminates in a tip and the two portions are angled with respect to one another. The soil working portion has a generally round cross section for a part of its length that is tapered outwardly to form a leading rib with respect to the intended direction of rotation of the tine. In the lower region adjacent the tip, the cross section of the soil working portion becomes less round and can merge into a polygonal cross section region having grooves and flat sides.

Abstract: A tine mounting and tine both comprise a rotatable soil working member for a harrow designed to resist damage from stones and other debris on or in the soil. The mounting has an upper shaft that defines an axis of rotation and a holder with a bore that extends at an angle to intersect that axis. The fastening portion of a tine extends through the bore and has a threaded end that receives a retaining nut protected by a screening recess in the mounting. The tine has a lower soil working portion that joins the fastening portion adjacent the bottom of the holder and the junction is thickened with a polygonal cross section having recesses in its sides. The soil working portion has an upper part that extends in the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the fastening portion and the upper part is connected to a lower part by an integral bend. The lower part extends substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the soil working member.