Soil cultivation machine

Abstract

soil-working machine (1) comprising a main frame (2), ground support elements (3) for the main frame (2), soil-working tools coupled to the main frame (2), a drawbar (5) for coupling the main frame (2) connected at its rear end (6) to the main frame (2) and equipped at its opposite front end (7) with a coupling element (8), said drawbar (5) being inclined from a low point formed by the front end (7) of the drawbar (5) to a high point formed by the rear end (6) of said drawbar (5) to form with said main frame (2) an angle open towards the ground. The machine (1) comprises at least one additional auxiliary tool-carrying frame (9) supported by the drawbar (5). This auxiliary frame (9), equipped with one or more tillage tools, is mounted to slide along the drawbar (5) in the direction of moving the hitch (8) closer to or further away from it. See Fig. 4 for abbreviations.

Description

Title of the invention: Soil tillage machine

[0001] The present invention relates to a soil-working machine.

[0002] It relates in particular to a soil-working machine comprising a so-called main chassis, at least one ground support element of the main chassis, soil-working tools coupled to the main chassis, a drawbar of the main chassis connected at one of the so-called rear ends to the main chassis and equipped at its so-called opposite front end with a coupling element, said drawbar being, in the state positioned on the ground of the or at least one of the ground support elements, inclined from a low point formed by the front end of the drawbar towards a high point formed by the rear end of said drawbar to form with said main chassis an angle open towards the ground.

[0003] Tillage machinery must increasingly perform a large number of tillage operations in a single pass without increasing the machine's length, which is currently limited by regulations to allow for road transport. These machines must also be adaptable to different crop types. Therefore, solutions are being sought to meet these objectives.

[0004] One object of the invention is to provide a machine whose design allows the machine's length to be limited without compromising its versatility.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a soil-working machine comprising a main frame, at least one ground support element of the main frame, soil-working tools coupled to the main frame, a drawbar of the main frame connected at one of its ends, called the rear end, to the main frame and equipped at its opposite end, called the front end, with a coupling element, said drawbar being, in the position on the ground, inclined from a low point formed by the front end of the drawbar to a high point formed by the rear end of said drawbar to form with said main frame an angle open towards the ground, characterized in that the machine comprises at least one additional tool-carrying frame, called the auxiliary frame, carried by the drawbar, this auxiliary frame being equipped with one or more soil-working tools,being mounted to slide along the drawbar in the direction of moving the coupling device closer to or further away from it.

[0006] The presence of a sliding auxiliary frame on the drawbar offers a number of advantages. In particular, it allows the working depth to be easily varied without increasing the overall length of the tillage machine, and allows the auxiliary frame to be positioned as close as possible to the main frame at the end of the field so that, during headland turns, the tractor vehicle does not hit the auxiliary frame.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the invention, the machine includes, for the sliding movement drive of the or at least one of the auxiliary frames, at least one actuator.

[0008] Preferably, the actuator is a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder. Thus, the operator can, from the tractor vehicle, ensure a sliding movement of the auxiliary chassis according to the nature of the actuator.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, said actuator extends between the auxiliary chassis and the main chassis to which the drawbar is connected.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary frame, or at least one of the frames, comprises a through sleeve configured to at least partially surround the drawbar and a tool-carrying beam associated with said sleeve, the sleeve having a longitudinal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the beam. This results in a simple design.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the tool-carrying beam is divided into at least two sections extending on either side of the sheath.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, the beam sections, or at least two of them, are coupled to the sleeve by a pivoting joint about an axis extending along the front / rear direction of the machine, allowing movement of said sections between a high position, referred to as the transport position, in which said sections extend parallel to each other, and a low position, referred to as the working position, in which said sections are aligned. This arrangement allows for easy road transport of said tillage machine.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the or at least one of the soil-working tools of the or at least one of the auxiliary frames comprises a soil-working blade.

[0014] Such a tool allows for soil preparation by cracking or lifting the soil, prior to soil work using tools fitted to the main chassis.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the soil-working tools carried by the main chassis are arranged to form at least one row of tools extending transversely to the front / rear direction of the machine, at least part of the soil-working tools of the or at least one of the rows of tools being discs.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, the or at least one of the ground support members of the main chassis is a wheel or a roller.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the invention, the ground support members of the main chassis are at least two in number and include a roller disposed at the front of the main chassis and at least one wheel or roller disposed at the rear of the main chassis. Brief description of the drawings

[0018] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0019] [Fig-1] represents a perspective view of a soil-working machine conforming to the invention in a position away from the auxiliary chassis of the coupling device;

[0020] [Fig.2] represents a side view of a soil-working machine conforming to the invention in a position away from the auxiliary chassis of the coupling device;

[0021] [Fig.3] represents a side view of a soil-working machine conforming to the invention in a position away from the auxiliary chassis of the coupling device;

[0022] [Fig.4] represents a side view of a soil-working machine conforming to the invention in an intermediate position of the auxiliary chassis between its position close to the coupling element and its position away from the coupling element;

[0023] [Fig.5] represents a side view of a soil-working machine conforming to the invention in a position close to the auxiliary chassis of the coupling device;

[0024] [Fig.6] represents an elevational perspective view of a soil-working machine in accordance with the invention, in working configuration;

[0025] [Fig.7] represents a perspective view of a soil-working machine conforming to the invention, in transport configuration;

[0026] [Fig.8] represents a top view of a soil-working machine conforming to the invention.

[0027] As illustrated in [Fig. 1], the soil-working machine 1, the object of the invention, comprises a main frame 2 with a front part and a rear part. This main frame 2 can have a large number of shapes.

[0028] It generally comprises, extending from the front part towards the rear part of the main frame 2, at least one beam. In the example shown, this longitudinal beam is bordered by transverse beams, each extending over half the working width of the ground.

[0029] Each cross beam is, in the example shown, pivotally articulated to the longitudinal beam for pivotal movement of each cross beam between a transport configuration in which it extends vertically, as illustrated in [Fig.7], and a working configuration in which it extends horizontally as illustrated in [Fig.1].

[0030] This pivoting joint may not be present. In this case, the transverse beam is rigidly fixed to the longitudinal beam.

[0031] Ideally, each transverse beam arranged on one side of the longitudinal beam is aligned with a transverse beam arranged on the other side of the longitudinal beam in working configuration.

[0032] The main chassis 2 further comprises at least one ground support element 3 of the main chassis 2. Generally, several ground support elements 3 are provided. Preferably, at least one ground support element 3 is located at the front of the main chassis 2 and at least one ground support element 3 is located at the rear of the main chassis 2. This or these ground support elements 3 can be configured to generate permanent or temporary ground support.

[0033] These ground support elements 3 can be selectively ground supported, as illustrated by the transition from [Fig.2] to [Fig.3]. These ground support elements 3 can be in the form of wheels, rollers, or other types.

[0034] In the example illustrated in the figures, the main chassis 2 is a rolling chassis at its rear. This main chassis 2 is in fact equipped with two wheels which form the first ground contact elements. These parallel wheels are connected to each other by a shaft extending transversely to the longitudinal beam of the main chassis 2, this shaft being coupled to the longitudinal beam at the rear end of the longitudinal beam.

[0035] Additional ground support elements, in the form of rollers, are arranged, one at the front of the main chassis 2, the other at the rear of the main chassis 2. Additional rollers can be arranged on either side of the wheels as can be seen in [Fig.8].

[0036] These ground support elements 3, in the form of rollers, have a function of depth control element, that is to say they allow adjustment of the working depth of the soil working tools 4 equipping the main frame 2 and which will be described below.

[0037] The ground support elements 3 are here retractable to allow the tillage machine 1 to switch from a working configuration in which the wheels are raised off the ground ([Fig. 2]) and the main frame 2 rests on the ground via the rollers to a configuration in which the wheels are in contact with the ground and the main frame 2 rests on the ground via said wheels. This configuration may correspond to a headland configuration in which the wheels are in contact with the ground and the rollers are raised off the ground, as illustrated in [Fig. 3], for example, or a configuration allowing road transport. In the road transport configuration, the crossbeams of the main frame are pivotally moved to occupy a vertical position.

[0038] In road transport configuration, the transverse beams of the main chassis 2, when pivotally coupled to the main beam, are raised. Whereas, in headland configuration, they remain horizontal and the main chassis 2 rests on its wheels.

[0039] In summary, in the configuration in which the main chassis 2 is supported on its wheels, the transverse beams of the main chassis 2 can be raised or No, according to the configuration of the main chassis 2 and the intended purpose. Alternatively, and not shown, the transport configuration may correspond to a configuration where the crossbeams are horizontal and the main chassis 2 rests on its wheels. This transport configuration exists when the crossbeams are stationary and not pivotally coupled to the main chassis 2.

[0040] The lifting of the ground support elements 3 can be carried out using actuators, such as cylinders, in a manner known per se.

[0041] The soil-working tools 4 coupled to the main frame 2 are arranged to form at least one row of tools extending transversely to the front / rear direction of the soil-working machine 1.

[0042] At least part of the 4 soil-working tools of the or at least one of the rows of tools are discs.

[0043] In the example shown in the figures, the main chassis 2 is equipped, from the front to the rear of the main chassis 2, with three successive rows of non-driven discs. These discs are concave discs with reversed concavity from one row to the next.

[0044] The soil-working tools 4 of the main frame 2 can be carried by beams which are coupled to the cross beams of the frame or which are directly formed by the cross beams of the main frame 2.

[0045] In the presence of pivoting crossbeams, as described above, each row of tools forms vertical parallel half-rows of tools in the transport configuration of the soil-working machine 1, as illustrated in [Fig.7].

[0046] The main chassis 2 is equipped at its front end with a drawbar 5. This drawbar 5 is in the form of an elongated body with one of its front ends equipped with a coupling device 8, such as a tow ball. The opposite, rear end 6 of the drawbar 5 is coupled to the main chassis 2 and extends out from the front of the main chassis 2 in a conventional manner.

[0047] This coupling drawbar 5 is inclined from a low point formed by the front end 7 of the drawbar 5 to a high point formed by the rear end 6 of the drawbar 5 to form, with said main chassis 2, an angle open towards the ground in the state positioned in contact with the ground of the or at least one of the ground support elements 3 of the main chassis 2.

[0048] In particular, this coupling drawbar 5 forms, with the longitudinal beam of the main chassis 2, an angle between 12° and 60°, as illustrated in [Fig.5].

[0049] The soil-working machine 1 further includes at least one additional tool-carrying frame, called an auxiliary frame, and shown in 9 in the figures.

[0050] This auxiliary chassis 9 is supported by the drawbar 5. In particular, this auxiliary chassis 9, equipped with one or more soil-working tools 10, is mounted movably at sliding along the coupling drawbar 5 in the direction of bringing the coupling element 8 closer together or further apart.

[0051] The soil-working machine 1 includes, for the sliding movement drive of the auxiliary frame 9, at least one actuator 11. This actuator 11 extends between the auxiliary frame 9 and the main frame 2, to which the drawbar 5 is connected.

[0052] In the example shown, particularly in [Fig. 5], this actuator 11 is a cylinder. The close position of the auxiliary frame 9 of the coupling member 8 is shown in [Fig. 5]. The distant position of the auxiliary frame 9 of the coupling member 8 is shown in [Fig. 3].

[0053] Fig. 4 represents an intermediate position in which the auxiliary chassis 9 is halfway between the close and distant position of the coupling member.

[0054] In its simplest version, the auxiliary chassis 9 includes, for example, a through sleeve 12 configured to at least partially surround the drawbar 5 and a tool-carrying beam 13 associated with said sleeve 12.

[0055] The sleeve 12 has a longitudinal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the beam 13. The tool-carrying beam 13 can be divided into two sections 131, 132 extending on either side of the sleeve 12. One or at least two of the sections 131, 132 of the beam 13 are coupled to the sleeve 12 by a pivoting link 14 about an axis extending in the front / rear direction of the machine 1 for a movement of said sections 131, 132 between a high position called road transport, in which said sections 131, 132 extend parallel to each other and a low position called working in which said sections 131, 132 are aligned.

[0056] These arrangements make it possible to limit the width of the tillage machine 1 in its transport configuration. This tool-carrying beam 13 can also be made as a single section. This tool-carrying beam 13 extends along the tillage working width, and the tillage tools extend below the beam and are coupled to it.

[0057] In the example shown, the soil working tools equipping the tool-carrying beam 13 associated with the sleeve 12 are soil loosening blades known per se.

[0058] Again, one or at least two of the sections 131, 132 of the beam 13 are coupled to the sleeve 12 by a pivoting joint 14 about an axis extending in the front / rear direction of the machine 1 for moving said sections 131, 132 between a high position, called the transport position, in which said sections 131, 132 extend parallel to each other, and a low position, called the working position. which the said sections 131, 132 are aligned. This arrangement makes it possible to limit the width of the soil-working machine 1 in transport configuration.

[0059] In working configuration, the ability to slide the auxiliary chassis 9 along the drawbar 5 allows the working depth of the soil working tool(s) 10 equipping said auxiliary chassis 9 to be varied, as shown in figures 4 and 5.

[0060] Thus, the closer the auxiliary frame 9 is to the hitching element 8, the greater the working depth. Adjusting the working depth is particularly easy.

[0061] The sliding movement also makes it possible, when the tillage machine 1 is at the end of the field, to facilitate maneuvers with the tractor vehicle. Indeed, in this case, it is sufficient to switch to the ground contact configuration of the chassis wheels and then bring the auxiliary chassis back to a position away from the hitch to prevent the latter from coming into contact with the tractor vehicle's wheels during the headland turn.

[0062] It is noted that these configuration changes can be made without modifying the overall length of the soil-working machine 1.

Claims

Demands

1. A soil-working machine (1) comprising a main frame (2), at least one ground support element (3) for the main frame (2), soil-working tools (4) coupled to the main frame (2), a drawbar (5) for attaching the main frame (2) connected at one of its rear ends (6) to the main frame (2) and equipped at its opposite front end (7) with a coupling element (8), said drawbar (5), when positioned on the ground, being inclined from a low point formed by the front end (7) of the drawbar (5) to a high point formed by the rear end (6) of said drawbar (5) to form an angle with said main frame (2) open towards the ground, characterized in that the machine (1) comprises at least one additional tool-carrying frame, called an auxiliary frame (9), carried by the drawbar (5), this auxiliary frame (9), equipped with one or more soil-working tools (10),being mounted to slide along the drawbar (5) in the direction of moving the coupling element (8) closer together or further apart.

2. Soil-working machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises, for the sliding displacement drive of the or at least one of the auxiliary frames (9), at least one actuator (11).

3. Soil-working machine (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said actuator (11) extends between the auxiliary frame (9) and the main frame (2) to which the drawbar (5) is connected.

4. Soil-working machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the or at least one of the auxiliary frames (9) comprises a through sleeve (12) configured to at least partially surround the drawbar (5) and a tool-carrying beam (13) associated with said sleeve (12), the sleeve (12) having a longitudinal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the beam (13).

5. Soil-working machine (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the tool-carrying beam (13) is divided into at least two sections (131, 132) extending on either side of the sleeve (12).

6. Soil-working machine (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the, or at least two of the, sections (131, 132) of the beam (13) are coupled to the sleeve (12) by a pivoting joint (14) about an axis extending in the front / rear direction of the machine (1) for moving said sections (131, 132) between a high position called transport position in which said sections (131, 132) extend parallel to each other and a low position called working position in which said sections (131, 132) are aligned.

7. Soil-working machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the or at least one of the soil-working tools (10) of the or at least one of the auxiliary frames (9) comprises a soil-working blade.

8. Soil-working machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the soil-working tools (4) carried by the main frame (2) are arranged to form at least one row of tools extending transversely to the front / rear direction of the machine (1), at least a part of the soil-working tools (4) of the or at least one of the rows of tools being discs.

9. Soil-working machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the or at least one of the ground-supporting members (3) of the main frame (2) is a wheel or a roller.

10. Soil-working machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the ground support elements (3) of the main frame (2) are at least two in number and include a roller arranged at the front of the main frame (2) and at least one wheel or roller arranged at the rear of the main frame (2).

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