The present invention, in one aspect, is an improvement in, or modification of, the seed driiling implement, described and claimed in International publication No W097/16061, and to which reference is directed.

In a seed drilling implement (which is usually towed behind a tractor via a semi-mounted coupling), the seed drills are pulled through the ground with the drill tips located below ground level, and seed is fed to the drills so as to be distributed into the ground below ground level.

Seed drills take many forms, and including so-called "wing point shares", but in essence all seed drills form planting rows or"drills"in the ground (the ground may be uncultivated ground in the case of direct drills, or already cultivated (ploughed/harrowed) gLcund in the case of other seed drilling implements). Seed distribution tubes feed the seed to the drills, and usually include distribution pipes/ tubes which deliver the seed to below ground level.

The present invention concerns an additional cultivator module which is adapted to be mounted on a frame of a soil working implement, at a mounting position forwardly of the soil working tools, so as to provide additional soil cultivating action for the implement, which is effective to carry out initial working/loosening of the ground surface, prior to operation of the following tools.

According to one aspect of t. e invention, there is provided an implement as defined in slaim 1.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided an implement as defined in claim 2.

Preferred aspects of the invention are set out in the dependent claims.

A preferred embodiment of soil working implement according to the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with referei. ce to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective side and part rear illustration of a seed drilling implement semi-mounted at the rear of a tractor, and to which the invention may be applied; Figure 2 is a detail and side view of an additional cultivator module detachably mounted on the frame of the implement shown in Figure 1, to form an embodiment of the invention ; Figure 3 is a side illustration of part of the implement shown in Figure 1, and showing a row of cultivator tines of the cultivator module in a lowered ground engaging position; Figure 4 is a detailed side v ew, simllar to Figure 3, showing one of the rows of cultivator tines adjusted to a raised inoperative position; and, Figure 5 is a perspective view showing more detail of the construction of the detachable cultivation module.

The general type of seed drilling implement to which the invention may be applied will comprise a frame, a coupling arrangement on the frame for coupling the implement to a propelling vehicle, and one or more transversely extending rows of seed drills mounted on the frame. The implement frame will also be provided with a mounting, which in the illustrated embodiment comprises a transversely extending frame beam as described below, and to which a detachably mounted cultivator module can be attached when required, to provide additional soil cultivating action for the entire implement.

Examples of seed drilling implement to which the invention may be applied include those disclosed in International publication Nos W097/16061 and W096/29852.

Referring first to Figure 1, this is a perspective side illustration of a seed drilling implement, designated generally by reference 10, mounted at the rear of a tractor 11, and having a main implement frame 12 supported at its forward end by a transversely extending row of wheels 13, and at its rear end by a transversely extending row of wheels 14. Two rows of seed drills 15 and 16 are mounted on the frame 12, and extend transversely of the general direction of forward movement, and seed is distributed to the drills 15 and 16 via distribution tubes 17 leading from a seed hopper 18.

A row of transversely extending finger tines 19 is arranged behind the rear row of wheels l4, and forwardly of the seed drills 15 and 16 there is an arrangement of cultivator tines and disc coulters, of which the coulters are shown by reference 20. Intermediate the row of disc coulters 20 and the forward row of ground wheels 13, a detachably mounted cultivator module is provided, which will be described in more detail below with reference to Figures 2 to 5.

Referring first to Figure 2, this is a detail side view of the cultivator module, and the means by which it is mounted on a mounting provided on the main frame 12, and which is formed by a transversely extending frame beam, shown by reference 21 in Figure 2. The cultivator module is designated generally by reference 22, and comp^iJes a fixing device 23 in the form of a pari of spaced U-shaped clamps 23a which are securable on the frame beam 21, and locked thereto by any suitable means. (The clamps 23a are shown in more detail in Figure 5). The module 22 also includes forwardly extending mounting brackets, of which one is shown by reference 24, and which are adapted to support at least one transversely extending row of cultivator tines. Figure 2 shows three rows of cultivator tines, and different means of mounting and adjustment of the rows of tines, by way of example only. The mounting brackets 24 are spaced apart laterally, with respect to the working direction (see also Figure 5), and each row of tines is carried by a respective elongate tine carrier, taking the form of a square or rectangular cross section carrier tube 25. Each carrier tube 25 carries a number of tines 26 along its length, and each carrier tube is adjustably mounted on the brackets 24 for movement between lowered ground-engaging positions as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and raised inoperative positions, shown in respect of ore jf the row of tines in Figure 4.

The brackets 24 have circular mounting holes 27 in which the carrier tubes 25 are mounted so as to be able to rotate about their axes for adjustment purposes. Each carrier tube 25 can rotate within the circular mounting holes 27 for adjustment purposes when required. Each carrier tube 25 is held by mounting clamps, shown by reference 28 for the first and second row of tines 26, and by reference 28a for the third and rearmost row of tines 26. The mounting clamps 28 for the first and second rows of tines 26 have relatively simple means of adjustment relative to the mounting brackets 24, comprising fixing screws (not shown) which can be taken through any one of a series of adjustment holes 29. The adjustment holes 29 allow the mounting clamps 28 to rotate through up to 90° of adjustment, by manual manipulation, so that the tines can be adjusted between different ground engaging positions, and also can be adjusted to raised inoperative positions.

The mounting clamp 28a, shown for the rear row of tines 26, is provided on one end of a crank arm 30, which can be power operated e. g. by fluid pressure actuator cylinder 31, for the purposes of adjusting the rearmost carrier tube about its longitudinal axis, for adjustment purposes. The position of the cylinder 31 is also shown schematically in Figure 5.

The fixing clamp 23, and the mounting clamps 28,28a may be designed in the way which is disclosed in more detail in publication No W095/17610, to which attention is directed.

Evidently, the arrangement of the forward mounting clamps 28 provides a simple and low cost means of mounting and adjustment, whereas the mounting clamp 28a and its power operated mechanism is a more expensive, but automated version.

The mounting clamps 28 and 28a therefore comprise U- shaped cradles, into which the carrier tubes 25 can be slidably received against rotation, and then fixedly secured therein by clamping screws 27 taken across the entrance mouth to the U- shaped cradles.

If required, individual tine carrier tubes may be individually adjustable, or arranged to be adjustable in common e. g. by a common power operated device and crank-arm interconnection between adjacent carrier tubes, if required.

A disconnectable link arm 40 is shown in Figure 5, which can be connected to each of the three rows of tines 26 for joint operation when required. Disconnecicl) of the link arm 40 from the central row of tines (at 41) will allow power adjustment of one row only (the central row). Disconnection of the link arm 40 from the rearmost row (at 42) will allow power adjustment of two rows only (the central and the foremost row).

Height adjustment means is provided, which connects the mounting brackets 24 to the fixing clamp 23, and which permit adjustment of the working height of the tips 32 of the cultivator tines 26. In the illustrated arrangement, the brackets 24 are carried by upright mounting tubes 33 which are upwardly and downwardly adjustable within mounting tubes 34 rigidly secured to fixing clamp 23. Adjustment screws 35 allow upward and downward adjustment of the height of the working tips 32 of the tines 26.

Evidently, the height adjustment means (33,34) form part of a rigid mounting assembly which couples the module frame (brackets 24 and carrier tubes 25) rigidly to the U-shaped clamps 23a via a bolted connection 24a. In turn, the clamps 23a have a rigid coupling with the main implement frame 12 via the mounting beam 21. Also, the height adjustment takes place within the module itself i. e. relative to the clamps 23a which mount the module frame on the main independent frame 12, and therefore independent of the mounting of the module 22 on the main frame 12.

The cultivator module accordir-J to the invention has been described, and shown in the drawings, applied as an add-on component to the frame of a seed drilling implement i. e. to provide additional soil cultivating capability if required. It should be understood therefore that the cultivator module according to the invention may be applied as an add-on component to the frame of othe- cypes of soil working implements e. g. a harrow having one or more rows of soil cultivator tools.