[1]2 @ 7 5 8 , 5 3 0 Un,i,ted States Patent,Office P e t e n t e d A u g . 1 4 , 1 9 5 6 Tigure 3 is a cross section throp - tractor s oyying @@the@- frame -atone_lside and - illustratiiig @the-wee Oing element - with the - parts -inthe - position as sh6wn 'm Fi 'l. 9 '-Figi@r@ .4 -is -a. siniilar section showing 'a -part of the 2,758,530 .5 @weeding -element - adjusted, to a position for transportation .ROW@, CROP WEEDER AND CULTIVATOR @wherein -thebase of -the elemeni,is,horizont4ily p6sitioned. @Figure 5. is a plan view of -the., devi e, vvitli ihe r@taii@' g ,O -He N. Dak. ,,sceolo I.,.Gerbraglit, @ I I @ @ p elements in the as illustrated in 4. - . - @o@itions Application January 3,,1952,!Serigl -No., 264,,706 F-4giir-e,,,6 @is @@ det@il @on an enlarge@@ scile,,showing 10 ction - thrbugh - -@4e mountin g el - e ements of the gger ..4.Claims. (Cl. 97- 46.49) !b lades-and,brackets. @@Figure '7 is a @plan view illustrating the blade,holding ratchet and also showing the parts on an pplarged @qaf6. Figure @8 is a siniilar @;@iew ill strating the ratchet'in the This invention relates to farm implem4ents, -and in par15 p osition in which a tooth@lhereof@is ap@roaching the,lock@tictilar: to:a:rotatable@ unithaving radially disposed -- blades @ing pin@which,-holds,the ratchet an@@ . weedi@g 'bi@@es sta@aiigiilarl-y positioned thereon in whicht he@,lvertical-axis Of ti onary. @unit is @ tilted @whereby a -blade @,at one side of the, unit Fi re-9@is:a@diagrammaticview howingaplan.view .Ihe lgu digger,,with one,of . ih@ blades'a @is parallel to@the ground over@which@the-unitis@traveli@g -qf the blades of _p@and@in,,which a solenoid;actuated ,ratchet;is@providedfor 20 p roaching a plant and,N@ith a spring Ring@@'foi actu@ti @ ,preventin,g rotation of the unit-until:a@blade@of @the @uliit th e rele@asing pi(;4ns of the 4igger in engagement with .,comes.in contact with an obstruction, such as a-plant (r -the'like. @@'Figqre 10 is a similar view showing a dev@'ce passing .T@he purpose of -this invention is @to provide: a !weeding a, :@l-ant !wherein -the. plant -is positi d in 6 "6- o nle a n area ,,devic e in @which: blades project between @plants in @a i row 25 t ween two of the blad6s. .@aad are @released as a bla:de approaches'-a @plant -so that @Referriilg now,to@the drawings. ivherein -like referenco '@denote correspondin I g parts the improved culti-w,eeds may@be spraped from the ,soil@ between the@plants characters 'thoutdamagingtheplants. weeder . crf tfiis 1 'in,@eiition includes a plurality ..wi vator and V,arious @types of weeding @devices @ and cultivators have of radially dis oWd @lades@10,,carried;by arins - ll,:rotat'Pl. -,br,.en @used@:for -working around and:wee@ding,plants @in a 30 ably mo'unted: by a pin-,12 in a@hub@,13 of a brack-et 1-4 and, such as rows @of corn, sugar: cane, berries and; shiall the hub 'vo@ally inqunted, by a pin -I'S in a- hub 16, on is p@ -,although it @is @possible to@reach weeds compara!the eqd -f -tmes,and an arm - 1,7 and the position thereof is cont@ively clos@- to the plants it is @difficult.-to reach -.weeds @in r olled,by@a nut-18 threaded.on the endof thepin I - S. the rows between the plants. With this thought in mind T -he 'liub '13 is also provided with A lug,19 Nvhich is this invention contemplates a rotating - culiivator with 35 c opnectqd @o a,hand lever,20 with a rod 21 v@hereb 't e automatically -Ac@tilated keleas g, m r in @ @Aps e ver w th a latch-22 the eof en ,Iiereb y blad6s u.nit'is el.evated,by @heI @.gag -4reheld in @praping positions as the device tr@Lvjpls,from in - nptcl@es-13,ifi a segin - @24,rnounted on a-bar 25 of 9 ent -Qlle pl4nt to.Another and wherein@ e-blades are leased @'ir r@26. ,th .,, yp - a cto -@o by-:pass,the plants as the device travels over,a row,of A n eye 27 at the upper end pf,the, rod 21 is secured in - pi4nts. 40 @tn eye,28 o @the -16V6r @@o and a yoke,-29 on the -lower The,object of this invention is,,therqfore,,to provide e nd.of the rod @21 @is pivot Ily con4!ected to the, li@g-19 pf means for mounting a rotatii@g cultivator -wherp@.y. r.@d@qlly th e hub 13 with a pin 30. -Ai@posed:blades are supported 'm meshing relation with T he end of the hub 16 is formed wi teet 31 and t h " h p l a n t s o f a - r o w s o t h a t t h e @ b l a d e s w o r k i n b j e t w e q u t h e c o i i 6 s p o n d i n g t e e t h - , - 3 2 a r e p r o v i d e d i n a f a c e o f a . w a s h e r p l a n t s w i t h @ t h e - p l a n t s p a s s i n g ' i n t o a r e a s b e t w e e n - t h e 3 3 m @ f i e r 6 b y @ v i t ' h t h e w a s h e r s e c u r e d t o t h e p i n @ 1 5 . w i t h - a 45 @key-j4 th6 ang@lar position of @the bladeunits is ad ustable Another object@of.thp-inven -is@,to..vrovide automatic ib @ loosening @nd tiihtpning the nut 18. @@ip means for holding blades of a iqtating - qgltivator 'T he arnis 1- , I 6f the,bfades 10 are secured between a @whereby the': blades -are -automatically released as @t@y, apfl ange, 35 and a ratchet,,36 with@bol s,,37,and the ilangg --proacii an-obstruction. 3 5 is @e@cured, to; the.hqb of @he ratchet:with a key--33. ; The A further fobject- of - the invention:is,,to providea,weeder 50 lo wer end of the pih 12 is provided with a wa.@ller -39 and having radially disposed angularly positioned rotating th e washer is held in position by a cotter pin 40. blades in which the blades mesh with plants in a row for T he teeth of the ratchet wheel 36 are positioned to cleaning areas between the plants without damaging the e ngage an end 41 of an arm 42 of a bell crank 43, and plants, which is of a comparatively simple and economical th e end 41 is connected to the core 44 of a soleno-id 45 construction. 5 5 by a link 46. With these and other objects and advantages in view T he bell crank 43 is pivotally mounted on a lug 47 of the invention embodies a hub having radially disposed th e bracket 14 by a pin 48 and, as illustrated in Figure 8 angularly positioned blades extended therefrom, a bracket th e bell crank is resiliently held in the position wherein for pivotally mounting the hub on the frame of a tractor th e pin 41 is in the path of the teeth of the ratchet 36 by and a solenoid actuated ratchet whereby the blades are 60 a spring 49, one end of which is secured to the b@all crank held in operative position until released by the solenoid. a nd the other to a lug 50 which extends from a section 51 Other features and advantages of the invention will of the bracket 14 and on which the solenoid 45 is ca I rried. appear from the following description taken in connection T he pin 41, which is positioned in the path of the teeth with the drawings, wherein: of the ratchet wheel 36, is withdrawn by the solenoid 45 Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a tractor having 6,5 a s the solenoid is energized whereby with the unit travelthe improved weeder mounted on the frame thereof and in g in the direction of the arrows in Figures 9 and 10 the showing the weeder with a blade on one side in an operau nit is released as a blade 10 approaches a plant as inditive position. Figure 2 is a plan view with the tractor omitted and c ated by the numeral 52 wherein a spring finger 53, which showing the rotating blades with the trip device in com70 e ngages. the plant and which is pivotally mounted in a bination therewith and also showing the conventional contact lock 54, is actuated by the plant to engage a concultivator plows preceding and following the device. ta ct 55 which con@pletes a circuit to the solenoid 45
[2]3 through wires 56 and 57, the Nire 57 being extended to a source of current supply and the circuit being completed through the contacts 54 and 55 and the wire 58 extended from the contact 54. By this means the blade 10 is releasedlas it approaches the plant 52 as shown in Figure 9 whereby one blade moves away from the path of the plant and another blade enters the path or row, as illustrated in Figure 10. As the spring finger 53 passes over a plan it snaps forwardly, thereby breaking the circulit to the solenoid and the spring 49 snaps the pin 41 back into the, position, as illustrated in Figure 8, where it engages. the next tooth of the ratchet wheel. The following blade is, therefor, retained in operative position, as shown in tigure 10 whereby the soil ,is cultivated or A,eeds scraped therefrom in the area between the plants. The arm 17 is pixotally attached to a side beam 59 of the tractor with a pivotal connection 60, and a spring finger 53 and contacts 54 and 55 are carried by the beam 59, as illustrated in Figure 3. The ciitting blades or plates 10 are L-shaped in cross section ,ind these blades may be secured to the ends 61 of the arnis 11 with rivets 62, as shown, or by other suitable means. The weeding device or cultivator of this invention may, therefor, be suspended in an elevated position, as illustrated iTi Figure 4, for transportation and when it is desired to use the device the element is rotated about the pin 15 and sectired in a position whereby a blade on the .low side is substantially parallel to the ground or positioned at a slight angle, as may be desired. @ With the blade in position the elevation of the device is adjusted by the hand lever 20, whereby the latch 22 is moved from one notch to another. The arms 17, contacts 54 and 55 and the lever 20 may be mou,.ited on a tractor frame orf a suitable design, the band lever 20 being pivotally mounted in a bearing 63 with a pin 64 or the parts may be attached to a cultivator frame or to an implement or device of a suitable design. The weeder may be used independently or it may be iised in combination with shovels as indicated by the numerals 65 and 66 or other devices. It will be understood that m(>difications,may be,made in.the design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. What is
