A planting system includes a seed flow controller coupled to a hopper and a spreader. The seed flow controller, hopper, and spreader are transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle to spread the seeds over a geography. The seed flow controller includes several rollers having apposed outer surfaces. The rollers also include fins that extend about respective roller axes such that the fins cross at discrete contact points as the rollers rotate. The interfacing rollers break up clumps of seed material stored in the hopper and controllably convey the seed material from the hopper to the spreader. The spreader has a spinning spreader plate that flings the seed material laterally outward to spread the seed material over the ground.

A motor creep control system includes at least one motor and a manifold fluidically coupled to the at least one motor and configured to control flow of a fluid through the at least one motor. The manifold includes an input port, an output port, at least one fluid control valve to control the at least one motor, and a motor creep control valve. A first state of the motor creep control directs the fluid from the input port, through the at least one fluid control and motor, and to the at least one output port. Meanwhile, a second state of the motor creep control in conjunction with the at least one fluid control valve being deactivated directs the fluid from the input port that leaks past the deactivated at least one fluid control valve to the at least one output port, while bypassing the at least one motor.

An agricultural implement for distributing fertilizer to a plurality of rows includes a fertilizer container, a plurality of fertilizer metering units, and a plurality of motors. The fertilizer containers are used for storing the fertilizer prior to the fertilizer being distributed to the soil. The plurality of fertilizer metering units each include a housing and a metering device positioned in the housing. The housing has an inlet configured to receive fertilizer from the fertilizer container and an outlet. The plurality of motors are each drivingly coupled to and configured to rotate at least one metering device to distribute fertilizer to a row of the plurality of rows.

The present disclosure is directed to an agitating system having a sub-hopper configured to receive particulate material, an agitator disposed within the sub-hopper and configured to promote movement of the particulate material through the sub-hopper, and a deflector configured to block a portion of the particulate material from exerting a force onto the agitator as the particulate material flows through the sub-hopper. The deflector is positioned such that the agitator extends beyond a first distal edge and a second distal edge of the deflector along a lateral axis.

An air manifold system for supplying an agricultural product to a plurality of metering devices comprises a product hopper having a product flow cavity, the product cavity separated from a first plenum by an air agitator sandwiched between the first plenum and the product flow cavity. The hopper comprises a plurality of nozzles extending through a wall of the hopper. A venturi assembly is in fluid communication with at least one nozzle. A first forced air stream flows through the first plenum and the air agitator into the product flow cavity to agitate and entrain agricultural product in the first air stream, and the first air stream carries the entrained agricultural product into the nozzles. A second forced air stream flows through the venturi assembly to accelerate the first air stream and the entrained product towards and through the supply hoses connected to the nozzles.

A system and method for regulating dispensation of seeds, fertilizer or other items. The system comprises a hopper, at least first and second movable metering plates, and an agitator assembly. Movement of the first and second movable metering plates in first and second directions, respectively, that are opposite one another increases a size of a plurality of output holes defined by interleaved portions of the metering plates, whereas movement of the first and second movable metering plates in the second and first directions, respectively, decreases the size of the output holes. An adjustable control handle can be moved to simultaneously move the first and second movable metering plates to adjust the size of the output holes. Each agitator remains in alignment with a center of a respective output hole regardless of a decrease or increase in the size of the output holes, resulting in more efficient dispensation.

A spreader having a hopper for particulate material with discharge openings over two separate different areas along the hopper bottom, a pair of wheels upon separate drive shafts mounted for rotation to a lower frame which supports the hopper, and a rear frame extending from the hopper to provide a pair of handles. Two rotatable shafts with agitator elements are mounted over each of the different hopper areas. Each of the agitator shafts are coupled for rotation by different ones of the drive shafts. Two gates with openings are disposed below the hopper each along different ones of the areas dividing the hopper bottom. Each gate is movable to close and open the openings of the hopper in the area associated with the gate. A pair of controllers are provided each coupled to a different one of the two gates to independently move the gates between open and close positions.

The controller that receives at least one sensor signal indicative of a measured profile of a particulate material within a storage tank of an agricultural system. The controller also determines whether a variation between the measured profile and a target profile is greater than a threshold value. The controller outputs a first output signal to a user interface indicative of instructions to inform an operator of a profile variation, outputs a second output signal to an agitator indicative of activation of the agitator, or a combination thereof, in response to determining that the variation between the measured profile and the target profile is greater than the threshold value.

A meter assembly for an agricultural machine includes a meter, a conduit, and a bypass. The meter includes a roller to move commodity to the conduit. The bypass is coupled to the conduit and the meter to facilitate air flow therebetween free of interference from the roller or the commodity.

A particulate material sensing and agitation control system of an agricultural system having a drive system configured to operate an agitating system, and a controller having a memory and a processor. The controller is configured to receive at least one sensor signal indicative of a profile of a particulate material within the agricultural system, and output a control signal to instruct the drive system to operate the agitating system in a selected operating mode of a plurality of operating modes based on the profile of the particulate material. The agitating system is configured to interact with the particulate material in each operating mode of the plurality of operating modes, and the plurality of operating modes includes an agitation mode and a leveling mode.