AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT

Abstract

Agricultural equipment for the removal of suckers that shoot from vine, plant or tree trunks. The equipment comprising an elongate, vertically oriented shaft (21) which has a plurality of cord connection points (26) spaced along its length. The cord connection points (26) are operable to releasably connect a flexible cord (27) to the shaft (21) for the purpose of adjusting the height of cords (27) connected to the shaft (21) to suit the height or length of the trunk being treated. A plurality of cords (27) are connected to the shaft (21) to at least some of the cord connection points (26), and a driving arrangement (25) is provided for driving the shaft (21) to rotate about its longitudinal axis.

Claims

1. Agricultural equipment for the removal of suckers that shoot from vine, plant or tree trunks, the equipment comprising: I. an elongate, vertically oriented shaft which has a plurality of cord connection points spaced along its length, the cord connection points each being operable to releasably connect a flexible cord to the shaft for the purpose of adjusting the height of cords connected to the shaft to suit the height or length of the trunk being treated by the equipment for removal of suckers, II. a plurality of cords connected to the shaft to at least some of the cord connection points, and III. a driving arrangement for driving the shaft to rotate about its longitudinal axis.

2. Agricultural equipment according to claim 1, the cord connection points of the shaft comprise openings with each opening being open at a side wall of the shaft, so that an end of a cord can be inserted into the opening and secured within the opening.

3. Agricultural equipment according to claim 2, opening extending fully through the shaft so that it opens through two different surfaces of the shaft.

4. Agricultural equipment according to claim 3, the opening being straight or linear so that it opens through diametrically opposite surfaces of the shaft.

5. Agricultural equipment according to claim 3, the cords that are connected to the shaft extending through the opening to extend on either side of the shaft.

6. Agricultural equipment according to claim 5, the cords that are connected to the shaft being secured within the opening at an approximate mid-point of the cord, so that substantially equal portions or sections of the cord extend on either side of the shaft.

7. Agricultural equipment according to claim 6, the cords that are connected to the shaft being secured within the opening by a screw that threads into an opening in the shaft that intersects with the opening through which the cord extends and which engages the cord and clamps it within the opening.

8. Agricultural equipment according to claim 7, the opening in which the screw threads into extends at about 90° to the opening through which the cord extends.

9. Agricultural equipment according to claim 2, the openings of the shaft through which cords extend having a diameter such that the cords are a relatively loose fit within them, so that the cords are easily fed into and removed from the openings once the securing arrangement used to secure the cords within the openings is removed or released.

10. Agricultural equipment according to claim 2, the openings of the shaft through which cords extend being oriented at different angles to each other so that the cords of different openings extend from the shaft in different directions.

11. Agricultural equipment according to claim 10, successive openings along the shaft being oriented at 45°, 60° or 90° offset to an immediately adjacent opening.

12-13. (canceled)

14. Agricultural equipment according to claim 1, the equipment comprising I. a pair of elongate, vertically oriented shafts which have a plurality of cord connection points spaced along their length, the pair of shafts being spaced apart for positioning on either side of a row of vine, plant or tree trunks, II. a plurality of cords connected to each of the shafts to at least some of the cord connection points, and III. a driving arrangement for driving each of the shafts to rotate about their longitudinal axis.

15. Agricultural equipment according to claim 14, the pair of shafts being offset in the direction of travel of the equipment along a row of vine, plant or tree trunks.

16. (canceled)

17. Agricultural equipment according to claim 14, the pair of shafts being mounted to a frame comprising a pair of vertical members each of which mounts a shaft for rotation, the vertical members being connected to an upper bridge member.

18. Agricultural equipment according to claim 17, and an outer one of the vertical members being shiftable outwardly or inwardly relative to the other of the vertical members to increase or decrease the distance or spacing between the vertical members and thus the vertical shafts.

19. Agricultural equipment according to claim 16, the shafts being mounted to the vertical members by arms that extend from the vertical members, each vertical member having a pair of vertically spaced apart arms that connect to respective upper and lower ends of the vertical shafts.

20. (canceled)

21. Agricultural equipment according to claim 19, the lower end of each shaft extending below the lower arm so that the lower arm can, in use, be spaced from the ground.

22. A method of removing suckers from the trunks of vines, plants or trees, the method including using equipment according to claim 1, the method comprising: I. measuring the general or average height or length of the trunks being treated for removal of suckers, II. adjusting the height of cords connected to the shaft to suit the measured general or average height or length, III. driving the shaft to rotate about its longitudinal axis and bringing the cords connected to the shaft into contact with the trunks being treated.

23. A method of removing suckers from the trunks of vines, plants or trees, the method including using equipment according to claim 14, the method comprising: I. measuring the general or average height or length of the trunks being treated for removal of suckers, II. adjusting the height of cords connected to the shafts to suit the measured general or average height or length, III. driving the shafts to rotate about their longitudinal axis and bringing the cords connected to the shafts into contact with the trunks being treated on either side of the trunks.

24. A method of removing suckers from the trunks of vines, plants or trees, the method including using equipment comprising: I. an elongate, vertically oriented shaft which has a plurality of cord connection points spaced along its length, the cord connection points each being operable to releasably connect a flexible cord to the shaft for the purpose of adjusting the height of cords connected to the shaft to suit the height or length of the trunk being treated by the equipment for removal of suckers, II. a plurality of cords connected to the shaft to at least some of the cord connection points, and III. a driving arrangement for driving the shaft to rotate about its longitudinal axis. the method further including: IV. measuring the general or average height or length of the trunks being treated for removal of suckers, V. adjusting the height of cords connected to the shaft to suit the measured general or average height or length, VI. driving the shaft to rotate about its longitudinal axis and bringing the cords connected to the shaft into contact with the trunks being treated.

25. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0060] In order that the invention may be more fully understood, some embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures in which:

[0061] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of agricultural equipment for removing suckers from the stems or trunks of grape vines. according to one embodiment of the invention

[0062] FIG. 2 is a front view of the equipment of FIG. 1.

[0063] FIG. 3 is a view of a section of a shaft of the agricultural equipment of FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0064] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a pivoting arm arrangement according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0065] FIG. 5 is an end view of the pivoting arm arrangement of FIG. 4.

[0066] FIG. 6 is a side view of the pivoting arm arrangement of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective and front views of vine sucker removal equipment according to one embodiment of the invention. In these figures, a tractor 10 is shown that has an attachment facility 11 attached to the front end of the tractor and to which a frame 12 is attached. The attachment facility 11 includes a stub axle 13 to which is attached a rotatable plate 14, which in turn attaches to a vertical member of the frame 12 that will be referred to herein as an upright 15 of the frame 12. The upright 15 connects to a bridge or cross member 16 of the frame 12 to which a further vertical member or upright 17 of the frame 12 is attached. A hydraulic strut 18 attaches to the cross member 16 and to an upper sliding connector 19 in order to be able to shift the upright 17 relative to the upright 15, i.e. either towards or away from the upright 15, so that the spacing between the respective uprights 15 and 17 can be adjusted. This adjustment is advantageous to enable the operator to customise the spacing of the uprights 15 and 17 to suit the particular vines, plants or trees being treated and advantageously, adjustment can be made easily by hydraulic control of the strut 18, either at the start of the row of vines, plants or trees being treated, or during treatment of the row.

[0068] Each of the uprights 15 and 17 includes a pair of horizontal arms 20 that extend perpendicular to their respective uprights to support respective shafts 21 and 22. The arms 20 support the shafts 21 and 22 in a substantially vertical orientation as illustrated.

[0069] The arms 20 each include a bearing at the ends remote from their connection with the respective uprights 15 and 17, so that the respective shafts 21 and 22 can be rotated within the bearings. The upper end of each of the shafts 21 and 22 is coupled to a hydraulic motor 25 for driving the shafts 21 and 22 to rotate about their longitudinal axis. The hydraulic motors 25 are connected to the tractor hydraulics or a hydraulic power pack.

[0070] It is to be noted that the bottom ends of the shafts 21 and 22 extend to a position below the bottom horizontal arms 20 of each of the uprights 15 and 17. The reason for this is to space the bottom horizontal arms 20 away from the ground during operation of the equipment so the frame 12 does not foul against the ground, but to ensure that the very bottom of a vine trunk can still be engaged by cords that extend from the shafts 21 and 22. It is not as problematic for the ends of the shafts 21 and 22 to engage the ground as that engagement is largely point engagement as compared to the full length of the arms 20.

[0071] Each of the shafts 21 and 22 include a plurality of releasably connected flexible cords, which, as shown, are spaced along a portion or section of the length or height of the shafts 21 and 22. FIG. 3 illustrates a section of the shaft 21 (although the shafts 21 and 22 are identical) and from this, it can be seen that the shafts 21 and 22 include a series of spaced apart openings 26, each of which is available for receipt of a cord 27. In FIG. 3, a single cord 27 is illustrated, but as can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, approximately 18 cords are attached to each of the shafts 21 and 22, commencing from the bottom end of those shafts.

[0072] The cord 27 is a relatively loose fit within the opening 26 with which it is associated. This allows the cord 27 to be easily inserted into the opening 26 and removed from that opening. The openings 26 extend fully through the shaft 21 so that the openings 26 open through diametrically opposed sides of the shaft. The entry to each side of the opening is chamfered or countersunk to facilitate easy insertion of the cord 27 into the opening 26.

[0073] Successive openings are offset from each other by 60°. This means that the cords which are inserted into openings 26 directly above and below the cord 27 illustrated in FIG. 3, will extend from the shaft at 60° to the cord 27. This angular offset arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0074] The cord 27 is secured within the opening 26 by a grub screw 30 or a bolt or the like. The grub screw 30 screws into a threaded opening which is oriented at 90° to the opening 26 with which it is associated. Further threaded grub screw openings 31 are seen in FIG. 3. Each grub screw opening 31 intersects with an associated opening 26, so that a grub screw 30 which is threaded into an opening 31 can be threaded to a depth into that opening to a position at which the leading end of the grub screw 30 engages the cord 27. By that engagement, the grub screw 30 clamps the cord 27 in place within the opening 26. FIG. 3 illustrates a hand driven driver 32 that can be used to thread the grub screw 30 into or out of the opening 31. Of course an electric driver could alternatively be used.

[0075] Also seen in FIG. 3 is that the shaft 21 is a solid shaft and includes a lengthwise keyway 38 for mating with the driving arrangement for driving the shaft to rotate. In the illustrated arrangement, the driving arrangement includes the hydraulic motors 25. The mating connection of the shaft 21 with a hydraulic motor 25 can be such as to support the shaft 21 in the position shown so that the bearings 34 and 35 are only required to support the shaft 21 for rotation.

[0076] Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen from these figures that the shafts 21 and 22 each include openings 26 for the full length of the shaft between the bottom ends 33 and the upper bearings 34. However, the cords 27 are only included up to about a half way point between the lower bearings 35 and the upper bearings 34. This illustrates that cords 27 can be connected to the shaft to the height required to suit the height of the particular vine trunks being treated. Where the vine trunks are shorter, upper cords 27 can be removed from the shafts 21 and 22. Conversely, where the vine trunks are longer of higher, cords 27 can be added to the shafts 21 and 22. Where there are no suckers to be removed at the very bottom of the vine trunks, the cords 27 at the bottom of the shafts 21 and 22 can be removed. Where the equipment is used for weeding purposes, only cords below the bottom bearing 35 need to be attached.

[0077] The addition and removal of cords is very easy, and involves simply unthreading the grub screw 30 to a position in which the cord 27 can either be inserted into the opening 26 or removed from that opening and if a cord 27 is being inserted in the opening 26, once it is properly positioned in that opening, most likely with an approximately equal length on either side of the opening 26, the grub screw 30 can be retightened against the cord 27 to lock, secure or clamp it in position within the opening 26.

[0078] The present invention is therefore characterised by the ability to add or remove cords to/from a rotatable shaft in order to increase or decrease the height of the cords that will treat trunks, such as vine trunks. The ability to easily add or remove cords in the manner described above is not a functional characteristic of other vine sucker removal equipment of which the applicant is aware. While that prior art equipment provides for replacement of damaged or worn cords, the intention in that equipment is that the same length or breadth of cord is maintained at all times regardless of the height of the vine trunks being treated. This means that in some equipment, the more than two passes along a row of vines is required to treat the entire height of the vine trunks.

[0079] It will be evident from the figures of the simple nature of the equipment of the invention. While FIG. 2 shows that the frame 12 can be tilted or angularly rotated by hydraulic strut 36 rotating the plate 14 about the stub axle 13, the hydraulic strut 37 can shift the entire frame 12 laterally either outwardly or inwardly. Moreover, as explained before, the hydraulic strut 18 (FIG. 1) can shift the upright 17 relative to the upright 15 to adjust the spacing between the uprights 15 and 17. Otherwise, the arrangement disclosed in the figures is very simple and utilises the existing hydraulics of the tractor 10 to drive the hydraulic motors 25 and the various hydraulic struts.

[0080] It will be further evident particularly from FIG. 1, that the arms 20 that extend from the upright 15, extend in the direction of travel of the tractor 10 along a row of vines, whereas the arms 20 that extend from the upright 17 extend perpendicular to the direction of travel. This allows the shaft 21 to be offset in the direction of travel relative to the shaft 22. This allows the shafts 21 and 22 to be positioned closer to each other in terms of spacing perpendicular to the direction of travel. This reduces the overall width of the frame 12 and so allows more room for the tractor 10 and the frame 12 to travel between rows of vines.

[0081] The arms 20 could alternatively extend in the same direction either in the direction of travel of the tractor 10 along a row of vines, or perpendicular to the direction of travel. Moreover, as described above, only a single shaft 21 could be provided so that the cross member 16 and the upright 17 can be removed.

[0082] In a further alternative, the arrangement of the figures can be modified so that instead of the cross member 16 bridging over the top of a vine so that the cords of the shafts 21 and 22 engage opposite sides of the vine trunk, the respective shafts 21 and 22 can be spaced apart to opposite sides of the tractor 10 so that the cords of the shafts 21 and 22 engage different trunks of adjacent rows of vines.

[0083] In still further alternatives, the arms 20 can be hinged at the section circled H in FIG. 2, so that the arms 20 can be positioned other than in the direction of travel of the tractor 10, or perpendicular to the direction of travel. Both pairs of arms 20 of both of the upright members 15 and 17 can be hinged, or just one of the pairs of arms can be hinged. The hinged arrangement can take any suitable form.

[0084] FIGS. 4 to 6 show plan, front and side views of a pivoting arm arrangement according to one embodiment of the invention. These figures show the upright 17 and in FIG. 4, two arms 20 are shown in angularly spaced potions. It will be appreciated that in practice only one are is provided (as shown in the earlier figures), but two arms 20 are shown in FIG. 4 to illustrate the different angular positions of the arm 20 that can be achieved in this aspect of the present invention.

[0085] Welded to the upright 17 is a plate 40. Bolted to the plate 40 is another plate 41. Welded to the plate 41 are two spaced apart, parallel plates 42. The arm 20 is positioned between the plates 41 and 42 and is secured by pins 43 and 44. Pin 43 is a permanent pivot pin that is secured in place with a nut 45 and about which the arm 20 can pivot or rotate. Pin 44 is a locking pin which is also secured by a nut 46. Removal of the nut 46 allows the pin 44 to be withdrawn and for the arm 20 to be rotated about the pin 43 to anyone of the five positions shown in FIG. 4. Reinstalment of the pin 44 and application of the nut 46 locks the arm 20 in the selected angular orientation. By this arrangement, the angular orientation of the arm 20 can be adjusted.

[0086] It will be clear that the arrangement shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is just one example arrangement that allows angular adjustment of the arm 20 so that various other arrangements are within the scope of the present invention.

[0087] Where any or all of the terms “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprised” or “comprising” are used in this specification (including the claims) they are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components, but not precluding the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps or components.

[0088] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications which fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.