Abstract: A tillage point for an agricultural implement includes a body extending in a lengthwise direction between a tip end and a retention end and in a vertical direction between an upper body surface and a lower body surface, where the body defines a retention slot between the upper and lower body surfaces. Additionally, the tillage point has a fin extending outwardly from the upper body surface in the vertical direction. The fin defines a height in the vertical direction between a base end of the fin positioned adjacent to the upper body surface of the body and a top end of the fin positioned opposite the base end. The fin further defines a lateral width between opposed lateral sides of the fin, where the lateral width of the fin tapers along at least a portion of the vertical height of the fin.

Abstract: A tillage device includes a soil disruptor configured to couple to an agricultural implement. The soil disruptor is sized and shaped to create a soil disruption in a target soil profile beneath a soil surface without tilling the soil surface when the soil disruptor is moved through the target soil profile by the agricultural implement.

Abstract: A subsoil tool for ameliorating soil compaction having a shank attached to a toolbar of a tractor, wings on forward wing links pivotally engaged to the shank, and following wings on a wing rod pivotally engaged with the forward wing link. The forward wing links are positioned near the bottom of the shank in front of the rear of the shank. The wing rod is positioned behind the shank. A drive box having a hydraulic cylinder is engaged to the toolbar and pivotally engaged with the wing rod. In use, a portion of the subsoil tool may be inserted below a surface of the soil, the height of the subsoil tool may be adjusted, the subsoil tool may be rotated, and the hydraulic cylinder may be cycled to move the forward wings and following wings.

Abstract: A shark fin wear bar includes a fin edge configured to till the soil. The fin edge is positioned to face in the same direction as the ripper point. The shark fin wear bar also includes a first part configured to abut the rear of the ripper point such that debris from tilling cannot get lodged between the two components.

Abstract: A subsoil ripper for subsoil tillage, where a spur is operatively connected to the shank of the subsoil ripper; for example, operatively connected to the posterior of the shank of the subsoil ripper.

Abstract: An apparatus 30 has an elongate body 32 and spaced booms extending downstream from the body 32 for operation on a field having a plurality of rows having mounds 4 to 12 and furrows 14 to 22. Blades 34 and 36 for moving about 50 mm of material 24 and a thin layer of soil inwardly from the mounds 4 to 10 are fixed to respective shank supports 38 and 40 which are joined to the body 32. Blades 42 and 44 for moving the soil outwardly from respective mounds 4,6,8 and 10 are also fixed to the supports 38 and 40. The blades 42 and 44 are positioned about 50 mm lower than the blades 34 and 36. The apparatus 30 has two sets of blades 34 and 36 and two sets of blades 42 and 44 positioned next to each other. Fixed to short booms are listers 46 for moving the material 24 in furrows 16 and 20 onto mounds 4 to 10. Fixed to long booms are listers 48 for reforming the mounds 4 to 10 by moving soil over the material on the mounds 4 to 10 and shaping the mounds at the same time.

Abstract: An aircraft having a reduced-load wing structure is provided with a controllable canard stabilizer (5G, 5D) at the front end of the aircraft and a controller that controls the canard stabilizer. The controller generates a turn command corresponding to an increase in the lift of the canard stabilizer when, simultaneously, the turn command applied by the pilot to the elevational control surfaces (6G, 6D) exceeds a threshold and the measurement of the vertical acceleration of the aircraft exceeds a threshold.

Abstract: A wear shin for a shank of a tillage tool such as a ripper includes a profile having a narrow leading edge with forwardly concave sides extending rearwardly and outwardly from the leading edge to sides generally aligned with the sides of the shank. Upper and lower ears extend on opposite sides of the upper and lower portions of the shank, and fasteners extend through the ears and shank to releasably secure the shin to the leading edge of the shank. The shin has a narrow profile with width approximately equal to the width of the shank other than at the connecting ears. The narrow leading edge of the shin provides good soil shearing characteristics so the implement slices through the soil, while the forwardly concave sides provide an increasing rate of soil deflection in the rearward direction for better wear, better soil and trash deflection characteristics, and reduced draft requirements.

Abstract: An adjustable ridger for a cultivator includes an elongated ridger frame adapted to mount to the sweep member of the cultivator. The frame has a top bracket with an elongated slot extending therethrough. The slot has a width and a longitudinal axis. A plurality of setting holes in the top bracket are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the slot, each setting hole having a diameter greater than the width of the slot. A bottom bracket is spaced apart from the top bracket on the frame and has a guide hole therein. An elongated pull pin, having a stepped outer diameter with first and second diameter portions, is insertable through the slot in the top bracket and into the guide hole in the bottom bracket to act as a hinge pin. The second diameter portion is larger than the first diameter portion and yet smaller than the diameter of the setting holes. At least one wing pivotally mounts on the pull pin between the top and bottom brackets.

Abstract: An agricultural implement that includes a plurality of ground penetrating units for shattering the hard pan in a relatively wide pattern as the implement is drawn across the field while causing minimum disturbance to the top surface of the ground. Each ground penetrating unit includes a depending shank with a three piece plow point assembly releasably and symmetrically connected to a forward projecting lower end of the shank. The plow point assembly includes a shoe with first and second vanes attached to the shank rearwardly of a rear surface of the shoe and diverging outwardly from opposite sides of the shank. The shoe and vanes of each plow point assembly are separately and releasably attached to the shank such that any one component of the plow point assembly can be repaired or replaced independent of the other components.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a physical design for an ocean floor trenching tool. The tool consists of a replaceable forward-extending plowguard and detachable hardened plow tips. Surfaces forming the tool's mouth around the plowguard cause the tool to penetrate the ocean bed under normal operation. The surfaces are also effective to "spoil" or break up the compacted bed for easier tool advancement. If an unplowable obstacle is encountered, the plowguard prow rides up and over it, clearing the plow tips away from potential damage. Once past the obstacle, the tool again planes down to operating depth. The tool is useful as a plowability assessment device. With addition of a cable-burying rear chute, the tool can also bury repeatered or repeaterless cable.

Abstract: A conservation tillage unit includes a coulter and a plow having a shank, a point and a pair of wings mounted slightly forwardly of the shank. The unit fractures the soil at ground speeds up to seven miles per hour without throwing the surface soil and residue to the side and while leaving a reduced furrow behind the shank.

Abstract: An agricultural plow implement includes a number of upright supports, with each support supporting a shallow tillage V-shaped sweep blade. A mounting plate is attached to the rear of each upright support and a specially adapted ripper shank, with an attached deep penetrating ripper blade, is attachable to each plate via a pair of bolts which extend through respective mounting bores in the plate. One of the bolts in each pair is a pivot bolt which provides a pivot point about which the ripper shank can swing. The other bolt is a shear pin which is designed to shear off should the ripper blade encounter an obstruction which might otherwise bend or break the ripper blade and/or the ripper shank. The ripper shank is adjustable vertically relative to the sweep blade and the ripper shank can also be pivoted 180 degrees between operative and non-operative positions when it is desired to do a sweep operation without soil ripping.

Abstract: An attachment assembly for securing ripper teeth to an earth excavation device which comprises a substantially "J"-shaped ripper shank defining a lower forwardly projecting tapered end portion for carrying the tooth, an upper end portion for attachment to the excavation device and a front end wall defining a forwardly projecting elongated securement rib. An elongated wear cap extends over the lower portion of the front end wall of the shank and defines a tapered front digging surface, a lower tapered end portion which merges into the forwardly projecting tapered end portions of the shank and with said portion extends into a cavity in the base of the ripper tooth. The rear surface of the wear cap defines an open channel therein adapted to receive the securement rib on the front end wall of the shank upon the wear cap being transversely slided thereover.

Abstract: A soil aeration machine with a straight main frame being attached to a tractor via a three-point hitch. The main frame carries standards to which deep tillage knives are attached. A coulter is mounted directly in front of each knife to cut through the residue left on the surface, thus preventing build-up of residue on the knife. The knives have wings arranged so that when the knives penetrate deep into the soil, the wings slice through and lift the soil, creating macropores in the soil. As this lifting action occurs, no soil is displaced or turned, thus leaving all residue undisturbed on the surface.

Abstract: A ground ripping attachment for pivotal connection to the drawbar of a winch, and liftable by cable on a towing vehicle to clear the ground, or releasable so as to be free of the tractor save for its drawbar connection. The attachment has a main frame which at its forward portion is pivotally connected to the drawbar, and has ground ripping means rearwardly of such pivotal connection. The ground ripping means is carried by one or more subframes which are pivotally mounted on the main frame for pivotal movement about horizontal axes. An accumulator urges the subframes to remain in their operative positions. The main frame has a stop for each subframe against which the subframe is caused to engage by the accumulator so that the individual subframes can individually automatically trip upon engaging immovable objects. Means are provided for fore and aft adjusting movement of the stop to vary the angle of attack of each ground ripping means.

Abstract: An improved plow point such as used on a chisel plow has a forward tooth for breaking the soil. Wings extend outwardly and rearwardly of the tooth portion of the tool at a shallow angle. That is, the leading edges of the wings slope downwardly and slightly rearwardly from the tooth. After the tooth breaks the soil, the wings raise, twist and turn the broken deep soil. This lifting action provides aeration of the soil. The wings also bring up some deep soil and leave large chunks of soil that become mellow due to the freezing and thawing cycles during the winter. The outboard rear edge of each wing may be turned slightly downward which enhances the twisting motion of the soil. All of this is done without creating a plow sole.

Abstract: A narrow-base terracing plow comprising a tractor-borne transverse frame supporting a pair of transversely spaced rearwardly and outwardly extending gangs of inwardly directed disc harrows, each gang being pivotally mounted on a mounting bracket for vertical swinging movement relative thereto and the mounting bracket being mounted on said frame for swinging movement about a vertical axis, each gang having a rigid link pivotally connected thereto and to the frame and having a hydraulic cylinder extending between its mounting bracket and the medial portions of the gang by means of which the outer end portion of the gang can be forced downwardly into the soil to a greater extent than its innermore portions, thereby causing the soil through which it passes to be moved laterally toward the centerline until a terrace is formed between the gangs and peaks thereat.

Abstract: The system includes a pull-type frame with a forward line of disc blades widely spaced to part the trash, mix it with soil and displace most of the mixture laterally on top of previously undisturbed soil, thereby creating strips of ground which are alternately cleared and windrowed. At least a second line of disc blades, also widely spaced, is placed to the rear of the first line; and these blades are offset laterally from, and located in the windrows formed by, the discs of the first row, to part and return at least some of the previously cleared trash and previously undisturbed soil back onto the cleared strips while still leaving strips of undisturbed soil with an accumulation of cleared trash on top. Cooperating with the discs are novel plow points located in the undisturbed strips having accumulated layers of cleared trash.

Abstract: There is disclosed a farm implement having a frame connectible to a tractor by means of a three-point hitch to permit it to be moved forwardly over the ground level, a first set of chisels supported on the frame in laterally spaced-apart relation, a second set of chisels supported on the frame rearwardly of the first set and laterally intermediate laterally adjacent chisels of the first set, and a lister mounted on each chisel of the second set with its lower edge above the lower edge of the chisel of the second set. In use of the implement, the first set of chisels form longitudinally extending trenches in the ground, and the listers mounted on the chisels of the second set turn the soil toward the trenches in order to build beds thereover.

Abstract: A cultivator has a frame normally carried on the back of a tractor and pulled in a predetermined direction along the ground. A plurality of tines extend downwardly from this cultivator and penetrate the ground. Each tine is pivotal about a respective axis perpendicular to the direction of travel and parallel to the ground and is biased into a normal central position by means of a respective hydraulic actuator. The cylinders of all of the hydraulic actuators are connected together in a closed network so that if one tine is forced backwardly the other tines will be urged correspondingly forwardly and vice versa. In addition each such tine, which also may be mounted on a parallelogrammatic linkage, may carry a V-shaped backwardly extending blade increasing the mixing and aeration effect of the cultivator.

Abstract: An improved subsoil plow assembly to be attached to an implement frame employs a soil-splitting leading edge of arcuate cuspate shape, breaking the earth but inhibiting the mixing of the subsoil with the topsoil. That portion below the cuspal apex tends to split away and sidewardly while the portions above the apex are directed upwardly. The plow is preferably comprised of laminate construction providing strength and particular suitability for forming a channel therein directing passage of gaseous or liquid fertilizer into the soil. An alternate embodiment includes a pocket on the leading edge accepting removable and replaceable cuspal inserts useful in differing soil conditions.

Abstract: Reforestation tillage mechanism comprising at least one pivotable suspension frame; at least one blade holder shank having a free upper end and being freely pivotable with an intermediate portion thereof in a plane, the main axis of the shank being substantially normal to the axis about which the frame can pivot; at least one, substantially straight cutter blade removably and adjustably mounted to a lower portion of the shank, to be partly lowered into the soil, defining an angle of about 120.degree. to 155.degree., downwardly inclined with respect to the direction of haulage of the tiller but opposite thereto; at least one pair of substantially parallel tiller blades exchangeably mounted on the shank, behind the cutter blade with respect to the direction of haulage, sloping with respect thereto, and defining an angle of about 10.degree. to 40.degree.

Abstract: A soil-cultivating implement has soil-working members mounted for rotation about corresponding upwardly extending axes. A soil-working tool, preferably one or more tines, is connected to a support of the soil-working member by at least one quick release fastener. The tool or tine can be a torsioned spring steel strip or a rod that has a spring coil. Each tine can have one or more operative soil-contacting ends that are spaced apart from one another. When the operative ends are located one above the other, the soil-working member can work deep in the soil. The fastener can be a pin that extends horizontal and at right angles to the axis of rotation of the soil-working member so that the operative ends can pivot to some extend about the fastener. The ends of each tool or tine can extend in different directions from one another and tines in pairs can be mounted on the same support.

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 root and stalk shredder having a frame, a pair of longitudinally extending, parallel, power driven lifting rollers rotatably mounted on the frame and extending longitudinally parallel to a path of travel of the shredder, guide means mounted on the frame forward of the rollers in the direction of movement of the shredder for guiding stalks between the rollers, a blade assembly mounted on the frame over the rollers and operatively associated with the rollers for cutting roots and stalks lifted by the rollers, and a plow assembly mounted on the frame and provided with a fin assembly for facilitating use of the shredder to re-shape a bed being cleared. A bed re-shaping assembly is mounted at the rear end of the shredder frame for covering over shredded crop residue deflected down into the bed by a deflector shield also arranged at the rear of the shredder frame.

Abstract: A soil conditioner for use in combination with a cultivating implement drawn behind a tractor to break up the soil and leave a prepared seedbed in a single operation. The conditioner is mounted to a framework extending rearwardly behind the cultivator. It comprises a set of reels each mounted to the framework for free rotation about a transverse axis. Two sets of axial blade members are provided about each reel. The blades are equiangularly spaced about the axis and are arranged so that each blade of one set is angularly spaced midway between adjacent blades of the other set. The first set of blades include ground-engaging edges spaced a first radius from the axis. The corresponding edges of the remaining set of blades are spaced a second radius from the axis that is less than the first radius.