US 11,711,996 B2
High speed agricultural seeder
Clint W. Sheppard, Yorkton (CA); Bhaskar Paliwal, Saskatoon (CA); Mark R. Benko, Willowbrook (CA); and Edwin Antony, Calder (CA)
Assigned to Morris Industries Ltd., Saskatoon (CA)
Filed by Morris Industries Ltd., Saskatoon (CA)
Filed on Apr. 23, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/856,119.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/838,777, filed on Apr. 25, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0337219 A1, Oct. 29, 2020
Int. Cl. A01C 5/06 (2006.01); A01C 7/20 (2006.01); A01C 7/08 (2006.01)
CPC A01C 5/068 (2013.01) [A01C 5/062 (2013.01); A01C 7/08 (2013.01); A01C 7/205 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A row unit for a high-speed agricultural seeder, said row unit configured to dispense matter into soil while traveling in a forward direction across the ground, said row unit comprising:
a leading system including an opener and a dispenser;
a trailing system at least substantially disposed aft of the leading system,
said trailing system including a leveler and a packer;
a primary force generator configured to a generate a primary force; and
a packer force adjustment system configured to generate a packer adjustment force,
said opener configured to create a trench in the ground by displacing the soil,
said dispenser configured to thereafter dispense the matter into the trench,
said leveler configured to direct displaced soil back into the trench to cover the matter,
said packer configured to thereafter traverse and compact soil within in the trench,
said primary force being distributed through the leading system and the trailing system, such that an opener force portion of the primary force is transferred to the opener and a trailing force portion of the primary force is transferred the trailing system,
said trailing force portion including a leveler force portion that is transferred to the leveler and a packer force portion that is transferred to the packer,
said packer adjustment force being adjustable independently of the leveler force portion, such that a combined packer force equal to a sum of the packer force portion and the packer adjustment force is adjustable independent of the leveler force portion,
said dispenser presenting an aftmost dispenser margin,
said leveler comprising a wheel including a cleaning portion that extends forward of the aftmost dispenser margin to overlap the dispenser,
said leveler force portion facilitating transmission of a positive rotational drive force from the soil to the wheel,
said wheel being forcefully rotatable by said positive rotational drive force such that the cleaning portion actively and forcefully cleans the dispenser.