Press Wheel For An Agricultural Sowing Machine

Abstract

The invention relates to a press wheel (1) comprising an outer, circular tyre element (3), for an agricultural sowing machine (2), wherein ribs (6) enclosed by an elastic filler material (7) ensure improved radial and lateral guidance and suspension for said press wheel.

Claims

1. A press wheel (1) for an agricultural sowing machine (2), comprising an outer, circular tire (3) and inner hub (4) for receiving a roller bearing (5), wherein the diameter of the tire (3) is a multiple of its width, wherein at least one rib element (6) extends between tire (3) and hub (4) for the guidance and stabilization of the tire (3), characterized in that the rib element (6) is enclosed by a filling body (7), which is produced from an elastic or resilient material and forms the connection between tire (3) and hub (4), wherein the filling body (7) establishes a positive or material connection in the area between hub (4) and rib element (6) and/or between rib element (6) and tire (3).

2. A press wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the tire (3) also comprises an elastic material and has at least one, preferably circumferential hollow chamber.

3. A press wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the material of the tire (3) has a different elasticity than the material of the filling body (7).

4. A press wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the rib element (6) is connected either to the tire (3) or to the hub (4) in a positive or material manner and consisting of the same material.

5. A press wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the rib element (6) and/or the filling body (7) has several break-outs (8) distributed across its circumferential surface area, which constitute a positive connection between rib element (6) and filling body (7).

6. A press wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the rib element (6) between the tire (3) and/or the hub (4) is enclosed by the filling body (7) in a primary shaping method.

7. A press wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the filling body (7) has a continuous and/or smooth shaping of its lateral flanks.

8. A press wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that a furrow opener (9) and an outlet (10) for delivery of seeds are connected immediately upstream of the press wheel (1).

9. A method for the production of a press wheel according to claim 1.

Description

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a structure of an agricultural sowing machine in a perspective view obliquely from behind,

[0015] FIG. 2 shows a side view as well as a sectional image of the press wheel and

[0016] FIG. 3 shows a perspective depiction of the press wheel while exempting the filling material in order to gain a better understanding.

FIGURE DESCRIPTION

[0017] FIG. 1 shows the basic structure of an agricultural sowing machine 2, here an agricultural single grain sowing machine. A frame 15 is used for attachment to a vehicle, which moves the sowing machine 2 over the soil. Alongside one another two of several sowing units 16, 16 are depicted, which in each case run in advance of a profiled support roller for shaping a double seed groove. In the area of the support roller fertilizer coulters (not depicted) for applying fertilizer can be arranged between the two seed grooves as well as further broaching tools. In alignment with the respective seed grooves a furrow opener 9 designed as a double disc coulter follows, which cuts or forms a seed furrow designed as a V-, U- or W-cross section for placing seed grains in the seed groves pre-compacted by the support roller. Between in each case two furrow openers 9 of a sowing unit 16 a further, height-adjustable depth guide roller 20 is integrated for depth guidance of two adjacent, vertically movable suspended furrow openers 9. Above the respective sowing unit 16, 16 a dosing unit 18 is arranged for the alternating delivery of individual seed grains into a right and a left line 17. The right line is hidden by the depth guide roller 20, the left line 17 is, however, clearly visible by omitting a disc of the double disc counter/furrow opener 9. The outlet opening 10 of the line 17 opens into the furrow wrought by the furrow opener 9 immediately in front of the press wheel 1, which catches the seed grains emerging from the outlet opening 10 and presses them into the bottom of the furrow. The press wheel 1 is rotatably mounted via an axis 13 and with a pivotable lever 14 is height adjustable relative to the sowing unit 16 and can be subjected to a further pressing force by an energy storage means. Further rollers or tools follow for closing the furrows and covering the seed with soil material.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows the actual assembly of the press wheel 1. The axis of coordinates describes the position of the axis 13, about which the hub 5 freely rotates by means of a bearing 5. The bearing 5 is held in position within the hub 4 by two hub halves 11, 12, which are fixed with fastening means such as, for example, depicted screws, nuts or rivets. A circumferential hollow chamber profile, which is adjusted in its form to a furrow cross section or its lateral flanks and which limits the outer diameter of the press wheel 1, constitutes the tire or the tire element 4. The tire 4 is made from an elastomer such as rubber or polyurethane, advantageously in an elasticity or hardness of 50-60 degrees Shore. The hollow chamber can be designed unpressurized (semi-pneumatic) or pressure-tight or filled with a preferably soft filling foam. The tire 4 or its cross section can also be designed as a solid profile, for example, from stainless steel, a plastic such as polyamide, but also one of the aforementioned elastomers. In the case of a solid profile the profile height is preferably smaller than the width of the tire profile cross section or of the press wheel.

[0019] Both the hollow profile or the solid profile of the tire 4 can be provided on its outer running surface with a tire profile with grooves and/or elevations to support the ground drive of the press wheel in the furrow or for improving the seed grain capture or self-cleaning properties. The inner diameter limiting the profile of the tire 3 continues in a rib element 6 which circulates concentrically with respect to the axis 13 and which extends inside the press wheel 1. The rib element 6 is preferably made together with the tire 3 and from the same material. For this purpose, a rib division is provided via an upright tire- or tool separation plane into two rib halves continuing from the tire flanks, which are flat relative to one another and limit the tire hollow chamber inwards. Uniformly about the axis 13 the rib element 6 is arranged interrupted by break-outs or breakthroughs 8, such as boreholes, elongated holes, oval or kidney-shaped forms, preferably tapered concentrically inwards. By the width and height of the rib elements 6 as well as by the number and design of the break-outs, a wide variety of lateral and radial guidance and suspension properties of thepress wheel can be generated in interaction with the elastic filling body 7, which fills the remaining residual contour of the press wheel between tire 3 and hub 4. In the case of a rather narrow width of the rib element 6 the filling body is to be selected with a greater Shore hardness than that of the tire material, preferably between 60 and 80 degrees Shore. If the rib elements are provided in a rather bulky manner with smaller or fewer recesses, the shore hardness of the filling material must be selected lower than that of the tire material, approximately between 20 and 50 degrees Shore. In contrast to a pure elastomeric filler, which could be cast between tire and hub, a positive locking between tire, hub and/or rib element is achieved through the breakthroughs in the rib element, which effectively and easily prevents a premature detachment of the aforementioned components or their body from one another. The respective hub halves 11, 12 are provided in the outer area with circumferential grooves, which fix the correspondingly formed filling body material or rib element partially extending thereto laterally and concentrically about the axis 13. For a better understanding in FIG. 3 the tire 3 is depicted with a shaped, circumferential rib 6 and its breakthroughs 8, 8, 8 arranged regularly on concentric circles, which breakthroughs would otherwise be hidden by the filling material. The tire 3 with rib 6 is inserted with or without hub, depending on one-piece or multiple piece design, in a sealing manner into an injection-, casting, pressing- or foaming tool simulating the outer contour of the filling body 7 and is completed by the cross-linking or vulcanizing filling material filling up and enclosing the recesses 8, 8, 8 and the rib.

[0020] Three pages with drawings follow.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0021]

TABLE-US-00001 1 press wheel 2 agricultural sowing machine 3 tire, tire element 4 hub 5 bearing, roller- or ball bearing 6 rib element 7 filling material 8 break-out, breakthrough 9 furrow opener 10 outlet, outlet opening 11 hub half 12 hub half 13 axis 14 lever 15 frame 16 sowing unit 17 line 18 dosing unit 19 support roller 20 depth guide roller