A mini-hopper for an agricultural row unit that has a fill tube supplying material to a hopper. A backflow preventer is disposed in the fill tube or in a line to the inlet to prevent flow of material from the mini-hopper through the fill tube when the mini-hopper is in a transport position.

A flow splitter includes a body having a generally cylindrical main passage therethrough oriented along a longitudinal axis of the body. The main passage connects an inlet at the upstream end to exactly three split passages adjacent the downstream end, each split passage connected to a corresponding outlet. A first and second of the three split passages are oriented along axes that intersect one another at a first acute angle in a common plane with the longitudinal axis. A third of the three split passages intersects the common plane at a second acute angle. An agricultural implement includes a frame, a toolbar carried by the frame and supporting a plurality of row units, a hopper carried by the frame, a primary flow line connecting the hopper to a flow splitter, and three secondary flow lines connecting the flow splitter to three of the row units.

A seed filling system is mounted to a trailing implement that is towed by an agricultural the machine. The seed filling system has a reduced-volume receptacle for receiving seed and a metering assembly that causes the distribution of the seed through a manifold to respective storage containers of plural row units before the seed is dispensed to soil.

An agricultural distribution device for spreading granular material to be distributed such as seed, fertilizer or the like is disclosed. The distribution device has a frame with at least one storage container for material to be distributed mounted thereon and a tool bar having a toolbar center section and toolbar wings pivotally mounted on opposite ends thereof and a plurality of row units mounted on the tool bar center section and each of the toolbar wings. The toolbar wings are pivotable between working and transport positions. In the working position the toolbar wings extend generally in longitudinal alignment with the center section. In the transport position the toolbar wings are pivoted about a pivoting angle of more than 90° and up to 180° with at least a portion of each toolbar wing or any row units attached thereto supported above the at least one storage container.

A method of controlling spread pattern of a particulate material broadcasted by a spinner spreader involves permitting particulate material to flow through a plurality of sluices situated in a particulate material path between a bin and a rotatable disc of a spinner spreader. Each sluice receives a portion of the particulate material and delivers the portion of particulate material to a radial and/or angular position on the rotatable disc. The radial and/or angular position on the rotatable disc to which the portion of particulate material from at least one of sluices is delivered is adjusted by longitudinally translating the at least one independently moveable sluice independent of all other sluices of the plurality of sluices to change position of the at least one independently moveable sluice relative to the rotating disc thereby changing the spread pattern of the particulate material broadcasted by the rotatable disc.

A mini-hopper for an agricultural row unit that has a fill tube supplying material to a hopper. A backflow preventer is disposed in the fill tube or in a line to the inlet to prevent flow of material from the mini-hopper through the fill tube when the mini-hopper is in a transport position.

A purging system for a multiple variety seed meter of a multi-variety planter. The purging system includes seed return valves that may be arranged for receiving seed that was removed from the seed meter. The seed return valves return the removed seed into corresponding appropriate seed storage compartments to allow a new seed variety to be delivered to the seed meter while reducing seed variety mixing in the seed meter. A pipe with a purge passage may extend from the seed meter to a purging hose that delivers the removed seed to the seed return valve(s). Each seed return valve may be a vacuum-actuated piston airlock valve assembly with a valve plunger that reciprocates to define seed collecting and releasing states of the valve.

A seed planter assembly for planting seeds in rows throughout a field includes at least one tank for storing the seeds and a seed hose in communication with the at least one tank for delivering the seeds to the field. The seed planter assembly also includes a support frame for supporting the at least one tank and the seed hose, and a linkage assembly (e.g., including a four-bar linkage) coupled with the support frame and the at least one tank. The linkage assembly is configured for lifting the at least one tank from a first orientation proximate to a support surface to a second orientation spaced farther apart from the support surface. The seed planter assembly can also include an actuator (e.g., a hydraulic actuator) connected between the support frame and the linkage assembly for moving the at least one tank between the first orientation and the second orientation.

In accordance with one or more embodiments herein, an agricultural machine (100) comprising sensors is provided. The agricultural machine (100) comprises a number of sensor programming devices (110), each comprising a unique set of sensor programming instructions, and is arranged to comprise one single corresponding sensor device (120) for each of the sensor programming devices (110). Each sensor programming device (110) is mounted in a programming position (115) adjacent a sensor position (125) for the corresponding sensor device (120), and each sensor device (120) is arranged to be mounted in the sensor position (125) and automatically receive the sensor programming instructions from the corresponding sensor programming device (110). This ensures that if a sensor device (120) is moved from one sensor position (125) to another sensor position (125), it automatically receives a different set of programming instructions.

A closure assembly includes a tank opening flange that surrounds a tank opening of a supply tank and a tank lid that covers the tank opening. The tank lid is operable between open and closed positions. A compression seal is attached to an underside of the tank lid and is disposed between the tank opening flange and the tank lid when the tank lid is in the closed position. A pair of guides are attached to opposite sides of the tank opening flange wherein each of the pair of guides defines a track opening to receive a plurality of sliding mechanisms attached to the tank lid. The track opening guides the sliding mechanisms and the tank lid around the tank opening flange such that the compression seal does not engage the tank opening flange when the tank lid is operated between the closed and open positions.