Riding-type seedling transplanter

Abstract

In the case of a ride-on rice transplanter equipped with automatic driving control, if an operator operates the control device while the machine is in automatic driving mode, the machine will automatically stop for safety reasons. Even with manually operated ride-on rice transplanters, sudden starts, sudden stops, or tilting of the machine may occur during operation. In such situations, a seated operator needs a handrail to support themselves. Therefore, this invention provides a ride-on seedling transplanter equipped with a handrail that allows a seated operator to support themselves without interfering with their work or living space. [Solution] In a ride-on seedling transplanter, a rear guard 44B is provided behind the seat 31, connecting left and right guards 44L and 44R provided at the outer ends of steps 36 provided on the left and right sides of the seat 31, and a seedling planting unit 4 is mounted on the vehicle body 2, the handrail 43, whose base is rotatably attached to the rear guard 44B, is provided so as to be switchable between an operational state where it is positioned to the side of the seat 31 and a stored state where it is stored behind the seat 31.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a riding-type seedling transplanter equipped with a seedling planting section on a traveling vehicle body.

Background Art

[0002] There is a riding-type rice transplanter equipped with a handrail used when an operator gets on and off the control section or an arch-shaped support frame that functions as a fence to prevent the operator from falling from the control section (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of a riding-type rice transplanter equipped with automatic travel control, when an operator operates an operating tool during automatic travel, in order to ensure safety, manual operation is detected and the machine body automatically stops. Also, even in a riding-type rice transplanter that travels manually, sudden acceleration, sudden stop, or tilting of the machine body may occur during travel. When such sudden stop or tilting of the machine body occurs, an operator sitting on the seat needs a handrail to support the body in order to cope with it.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a riding-type seedling transplanter provided with a handrail for an operator sitting on a seat to support the body so as not to interfere with the work or living space.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is a ride-on seedling transplanter in which a seedling planting unit 4 is mounted on a vehicle body 2, the vehicle body 2 having a rear guard 44B that connects left and right guards 44L and 44R provided at the outer ends of steps 36 provided on the left and right sides of the seat 31, and the handrail 43, whose base is rotatably attached to the rear guard 44B, is provided in a state that can be switched between an operational state where it is located to the side of the seat 31 and a stored state where it is stored behind the seat 31.

[0007] According to the invention described in claim 1, a handrail 43, whose base is rotatably mounted on the rear guard 44B, is provided in a state that can be switched between an operational state where it is positioned to the side of the seat 31 and a stored state where it is stored behind the seat 31. When the handrail 43 is in the operational state where it is positioned to the side of the seat 31, a worker seated on the seat 31 can support their body, and when the handrail 43 is stored behind the seat 31, various tasks can be easily performed without interfering with the living space around the seat 31.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is a ride-on seedling transplanter according to claim 1, wherein a handrail mounting stay 45 is provided on the rear guard 44B to support a mounting portion 49 of a handrail 43, the mounting portion 49 is provided so as to be rotatable around a pivot support pin 47a relative to the handrail mounting stay 45, and positioning portions 46a, 46b, and 48a are provided to determine the position of the handrail 43 in an operational state and a retracted state.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is a ride-on seedling transplanter according to claim 2, wherein a biasing mechanism 55 is provided between the mounting part 49 and the handrail mounting stay 45, which automatically rotates the handrail 43 from the operational state to the retracted state when the positioning parts 46a, 46b, 48a are released from the positioning state.

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is a riding-type seedling transplanter according to claim 3, further comprising a biasing mechanism 56 that biases the positioning parts 46a, 46b, and 48a into a positioning state.

[0011] The invention described in claim 5 is a ride-on seedling transplanter according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the positioning parts 46a, 46b, and 48a are an engaging piece 48a provided on the mounting part 49 and notches 46a and 46b provided on the handrail mounting stay 45.

[0012] The invention described in claim 6 is a ride-on seedling transplanter according to claim 5, wherein the pivot point 50 for rotating the handrail 43 is provided outside the notches 46a and 46b, such that the engaging piece 48a provided on the mounting portion 49 engages with the notches 46a and 46b provided on the handrail mounting stay 45. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a riding-type rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the rear guard and the handrail in operation. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the rear guard and the handrail in its retracted position. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the function of the handrail mounting section. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the function of the handrail mounting section. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of the handrail mounting bracket. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of the rotating support pin and mounting part. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view illustrating the function of the oil gauge. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view illustrating the function of another example of the oil gauge section. [Figure 10] This is a side view illustrating the function of the oil gauge section, showing another example. [Figure 11] This is a front view illustrating the operation of the pre-seedling loading device. [Figure 12] This is a perspective view illustrating the operation of the pre-seedling loading device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0015] <Overall Configuration> FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a riding type rice transplanter equipped with a fertilizer applicator, which is a typical example of the riding type seedling transplanter of the present invention. In this riding type rice transplanter 1 with a fertilizer applicator, a seedling planting unit 4 is mounted so as to be able to move up and down via a lift link device 3 on the rear side of a traveling vehicle body 2, a main body portion of a fertilizer applicator 5 is provided on the upper rear portion of the traveling vehicle body 2, and preliminary seedling loading devices 6 are provided on both the left and right sides of the front portion of the traveling vehicle body 2. Hereinafter, the left and right directions are referred to as left and right respectively toward the forward direction of the riding type seedling transplanter, and the forward and backward directions are referred to as front and rear respectively.

[0016] <Traveling Vehicle Body 2> As shown in FIG. 1, the traveling vehicle body 2 is a four-wheel drive vehicle equipped with a pair of left and right front wheels 10, 10 which are driving wheels and a pair of left and right rear wheels 11, 11. A transmission case is arranged at the front portion of the machine body, front wheel final cases are provided on the left and right sides of the transmission case, and the left and right front wheels 10, 10 are respectively attached to left and right front wheel axles protruding outward from respective front wheel support portions capable of changing the steering direction of the left and right front wheel final cases.

[0017] Further, the front end portion of the main frame is fixed to the back surface portion of the transmission case, and rear wheel gear cases 18, 18 are supported so as to be able to roll around a rear wheel rolling shaft provided horizontally in the front and rear direction at the left and right center portion of the rear end of the main frame. The rear wheels 11, 11 are attached to rear wheel axles protruding outward from the rear wheel gear cases 18, 18.

[0018] The engine 20 is mounted on the main frame, and the rotational power of the engine 20 is transmitted to the transmission case via a belt transmission device and an HST.

[0019] The rotational power transmitted to the transmission case is shifted by the transmission inside the case, and then separated into driving power and externally extracted power. Part of the driving power is transmitted to the front wheel final case to drive the front wheels 10, 10, and the remainder is transmitted to the rear wheel gear cases 18, 18 to drive the rear wheels 11, 11. The externally extracted power is transmitted to the planting clutch case located at the rear of the vehicle body 2, and from there is transmitted to the seedling planting unit 4 by the planting transmission shaft 22.

[0020] The top of the engine 20 is covered by an engine cover 30, on which a seat 31 is installed. In front of the seat 31 is a front cover 32 which houses various operating mechanisms, and above it is a steering wheel 34 for steering the front wheels 10, 10.

[0021] The lower left and right ends of the engine cover 30 and front cover 32 are horizontal floor steps 35. Part of the floor steps 35 are latticed so that mud from the shoes of workers walking on the steps 35 falls onto the field. The rear of the floor steps 35 is a rear step 36 which also serves as a rear wheel fender.

[0022] The lifting link device 3 has a parallel link configuration and includes one upper link 40 and a pair of left and right lower links 41, 41. The base ends of these links 40, 41, 41 are rotatably attached to a rear-view gate-shaped link base frame erected at the rear end of the main frame, and vertical links are connected to their ends. A connecting shaft, which is rotatably supported by the seedling planting section 4, is inserted and connected to the lower end of the vertical link, and the seedling planting section 4 is connected so as to be able to roll around the connecting shaft. A lifting hydraulic cylinder is provided between the link base frame and the vertical link, and by extending and retracting this cylinder hydraulically, the lifting link device 3 rotates up and down, and the seedling planting section 4 moves up and down while maintaining a nearly constant position.

[0023] In particular, a retractable handrail 43 is provided on the right side of seat 31, which can be gripped by the worker (operator) seated in seat 31 to support their body.

[0024] Here, we will explain the handrail 43 in detail based on Figures 2 to 7.

[0025] A U-shaped rear guard 44 is provided at the rear end and left and right ends of the rear step 36 at the rear of the vehicle body 2.

[0026] The rear guard 44 consists of left and right guards 44L and 44R that are mounted on the left and right ends of the rear step 36, whose bases are fixed to the support frame of the rear step 36 which is fixed to the main frame, and a rear guard 44B that extends in the left-right direction of the machine and connects the upper ends of the left and right guards 44L and 44R.

[0027] The retractable handrail 43 has its base rotatably and fixably mounted on the rear guard 44B behind the right side of the seat 31.

[0028] The upper mounting piece 45a of the handrail mounting stay 45 is fixed to the rear guard 44B with a bolt 42.

[0029] The handrail mounting stay 45 has a handrail rotation support portion 45c welded and fixed to the lower part of a support piece 45b that extends downward from the upper mounting piece 45a.

[0030] The handrail rotation support section 45c is formed by inserting a cylinder 47 through the center of a disc 46 having two notches 46a and 46b and welding it in place, and then inserting a rotation support pin 47a through the cylinder 47 and fixing the lower part with a bolt 42.

[0031] The handrail body 48, which has a rod-shaped tip, is mounted at its base in a through hole 49a of the mounting part 49 so as to be able to rotate up and down by a pivot pin 50 that serves as a pivot point, and is provided with an engaging piece 48a that engages with the notches 46a and 46b of the disc 46 of the handrail rotation support part 45c.

[0032] In this embodiment, the notches 46a and 46b provided in the disc 46 of the handrail mounting stay 45 and the engaging piece 48a provided on the base of the handrail body 48 that engages with the notches 46a and 46b constitute the positioning part.

[0033] The pivot pin 50, which rotatably supports the base of the handrail body 48, is located outside the notches 46a and 46b of the disc 46 of the handrail pivot support part 45c.

[0034] The mounting portion 49 is provided so as to be rotatable around the pivot support pin 47a, with a short cylindrical ring body 49b welded to the U-shaped tip and enclosed around the pivot support pin 47a.

[0035] Therefore, the handrail body 48 is rotatable around the pivot support pin 47a, and when the engaging piece 48a is engaged with the notch 46a of the disc 46 of the handrail pivot support part 45c, it extends straight forward from the rear guard 44B and is positioned to the right of the seat 31, allowing a worker (operator) seated in the seat 31 to grasp it and support their body.

[0036] Furthermore, when the handrail body 48 is rotated around the pivot support pin 47a and the engaging piece 48a engages with the notch 46b of the disc 46 of the handrail pivot support part 45c, it is retracted to the right of the machine parallel to the rear guard 44B. Combined with the fact that the base of the handrail body 48 is rotatably attached to the rear guard 44B behind the seat 31, it does not obstruct the living space around the seat 31 and does not interfere with tasks such as supplying fertilizer to the fertilizer application device 5 on the rear step 36, supplying seedlings to the seedling planting section 4, or performing maintenance work on various parts, allowing various tasks to be easily performed.

[0037] Furthermore, a torque spring 55, which serves as a biasing mechanism, is enclosed on the upper part of the rotation support pin 47a inside the U-shaped mounting portion 49. The upper end of the torque spring 55 engages with the upper mounting piece 45a and the lower end engages with the mounting portion 49, thereby biasing the handrail body portion 48 to rotate from the working position to the stored position.

[0038] Furthermore, a tension spring 56, which serves as a biasing mechanism, is housed inside the U-shaped mounting portion 49. The upper end of the tension spring 56 engages with the mounting portion 49 and the lower end engages with the engaging piece 48a, thereby biasing the handrail body portion 48 in a downward direction (in the direction in which the engaging piece 48a engages with the notches 46a and 46b of the disc 46).

[0039] Therefore, when the handrail body 48 is in an operating state where the engaging piece 48a engages with the notch 46a of the disc 46 of the handrail rotation support part 45c and extends straight forward from the rear guard 44B to the right side of the seat 31, moving the handrail body 48 upward against the biasing force of the tension spring 56 to disengage the engaging piece 48a from the notch 46a of the disc 46 causes it to automatically rotate to the stored position due to the biasing force of the torque spring 55, and then move downward due to the biasing force of the tension spring 56, causing the engaging piece 48a to engage with the notch 46b of the disc 46 and be fixed in the stored position.

[0040] Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the oil gauge 60 portion of the engine 20.

[0041] In other words, the oil gauge 60 is used by an operator to measure the amount of oil in the engine 20 by holding its gripping portion 60a and inserting it through its upper opening 61a into the oil level guide 61 that extends upward from the oil reservoir of the engine 20. Normally, however, the oil gauge 60 is inserted into the oil level guide 61 and its rubber seal 60b closes the upper opening 61a.

[0042] However, when the engine 20 was running, the long oil gauge 60 vibrated significantly within the oil level guide 61, causing the rubber seal 60a to wear down (deform) and resulting in oil leakage.

[0043] Therefore, by crushing and deforming the middle section of the oil level guide 61 to form a narrow section 61b, the large fluctuation of the oil gauge 60 is suppressed, preventing wear (deformation) of the rubber seal 60a and thus preventing oil leakage.

[0044] In the example above, a single narrow section 61b is shown, but two (or more) narrow sections 61b may be formed in the middle of the oil level guide 61.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, one or more rubber balls 62 may be provided in the middle of the oil gauge 60 to suppress large fluctuations in the oil gauge 60, thereby preventing wear (deformation) of the rubber seal 60a and preventing oil leakage.

[0046] Furthermore, the rubber ball 62 is provided with an air vent hole 62a facing the direction of the oil level guide 61 to prevent the oil level from dropping when the oil gauge 60 is inserted into the oil level guide 61.

[0047] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the oil level guide 61 is provided with an extension 61b that extends further into the oil reservoir of the engine 20 than conventional models, and the oil gauge 60 is provided with a rubber ball 62 that contacts the extension 61b when inserted into the oil level guide 61. This ensures that the oil gauge 60 protruding from the tip of the oil level guide 61 is at a predetermined angle, thereby securing clearance with the crankshaft.

[0048] Furthermore, by providing a rubber ball 62 at the tip of the oil gauge 60, when inserting the oil gauge 60 into the oil level guide 61, the rubber ball 62 at the tip scrapes off any oil adhering to the inside of the oil level guide 61, eliminating oil adhesion to the oil gauge 60 when it is withdrawn, improving visibility and enabling accurate measurement of the correct oil level.

[0049] <Seedling planting section 4> As shown in Figure 1, the seedling planting unit 4 has an 8-row configuration and includes a transmission case that also serves as a frame, a seedling platform 70 that carries mat seedlings and moves back and forth to supply one seedling at a time to the seedling outlet of each row, and a seedling transport belt that transports the seedlings downward to supply all the seedlings in a horizontal row to the seedling outlet, and a seedling planting device 71 that plants the seedlings supplied to the seedling outlet into the field.

[0050] The lower part of the seedling planting section 4 is equipped with a center float 72 in the middle and side floats 73, 73 on either side. When the machine is moved with these floats 72, 73, 73 in contact with the mud surface of the field, the floats 72, 73, 73 glide along while leveling the mud surface, and seedlings are planted in the leveled areas by the seedling planting device 71.

[0051] Each float 72, 73, 73 is rotatably mounted so that its front end moves up and down in accordance with the unevenness of the topsoil surface of the field. During planting, the vertical movement of the front of the center float 72 is detected by an angle of attack control sensor (not shown), and the hydraulic valve that controls the lifting hydraulic cylinder is switched according to the detection result to raise and lower the seedling planting unit 4, thereby maintaining a constant planting depth for the seedlings.

[0052] The seedling planting section 4 is equipped with a soil leveling rotor 74, which is an example of a soil leveling device.

[0053] <Fertilizer 5> As shown in Figure 1, the fertilizer applicator 5 dispenses a fixed amount of granular fertilizer stored in the fertilizer hopper 80 at a time through a dispensing unit, guides the fertilizer through a fertilizer hose to fertilizer guides attached to the left and right sides of each float 72, 73, 73, and drops it into a fertilizer area formed near the side of the seedling planting row by a furrowing unit provided in front of the fertilizer guide.

[0054] Air generated by the blower 81, which is driven by an electric motor for the blower, is blown into the fertilizer hose via a long air chamber running horizontally, and the fertilizer inside the hose is forcibly transported to the fertilizer guide by air pressure.

[0055] <Reserve seedling loading device 6> As shown in Figures 1, 11, and 12, the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle body 2 are provided with left and right spare seedling holders 6, 6 for holding replenishment seedlings supported by a support frame 85.

[0056] The left and right spare seedling loading devices 6,6 each consist of an upper first spare seedling platform 87a, a middle second spare seedling platform 87b, a lower third spare seedling platform 87c, and a bottom fourth spare seedling platform 87d fixed to a support frame 85, all configured in three stages vertically by a movable link member 86.

[0057] The following describes the operating configuration of the upper first spare seedling platform 87a, the middle second spare seedling platform 87b, and the lower third spare seedling platform 87c, which are configured in three stages vertically by the movable link member 86.

[0058] The movable link member 86 is connected in its central part to a drive shaft 88a which is rotated by an electric motor 88 provided at the upper end of the support frame 85. The second spare seedling tray 87b is pivotally supported on the movable link member 86 slightly above the drive shaft 88a, the first spare seedling tray 87a is pivotally supported at the upper end of the movable link member 86, and the third spare seedling tray 87c is pivotally supported at the lower end of the movable link member 86.

[0059] Then, by rotating the movable link member 86 with the drive shaft 88a which is rotated by the electric motor 88, it is possible to switch between a stacked state in which the first spare seedling tray 87a, second spare seedling tray 87b, and third spare seedling tray 87c are arranged in three layers vertically (the state in Figure 1), and a planar state in which the first spare seedling tray 87a and second spare seedling tray 87b rotate forward and the third spare seedling tray 87c rotates backward, so that the first, second, and third spare seedling trays 87a, 87b, and 87c are arranged on the same plane (the states in Figures 11 and 12).

[0060] Furthermore, the switching of the first, second, and third spare seedling trays 87a, 87b, and 87c, which consist of three upper and lower tiers, into a single flat surface can be done with the seedling trays N still in place.

[0061] Furthermore, when switching to a planar configuration in which the first, second, and third spare seedling trays 87a, 87b, and 87c are arranged on the same plane as a whole, an empty tray tray 90 is provided on the outside of the third spare seedling tray 87c, which is located at the rearmost position (closest to the seedling planting section 4), on which four seedling trays N can be stacked and placed.

[0062] The empty box support 90 is constructed of rods and has an L-shaped frame when viewed from the front. Its base is supported by a pivot shaft in the front-rear direction on a support 91 located on the lower outer side of the base F which constitutes the frame of the third spare seedling support 87c, and it can be switched between a seedling box storage operation state (a) where it is deployed on the lower outer side of the third spare seedling support 87c and a storage state (b) where it is stored on the upper outer side of the third spare seedling support 87c.

[0063] Furthermore, the third spare seedling stand 87c is provided with a moving mechanism 92 that rotates and moves the empty seedling trays N placed on the third spare seedling stand 87c onto the empty tray stand 90, which is in the seedling tray storage operation state (a).

[0064] The moving mechanism 92 consists of a flat mounting member 93 on which the seedling tray N is placed, and an operating mechanism 95 that switches the mounting member 93 between a seedling tray placement state parallel to the seedling tray placement surface of the third spare seedling tray 87c and a seedling tray discharge state inclined toward the empty tray 90, with the mounting member 93 standing upright from the seedling tray placement surface of the third spare seedling tray 87c.

[0065] The mounting member 93 is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft in the front-rear direction at the outer end of the base F that constitutes the frame of the third spare seedling tray 87c, which is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft at the lower end of the movable link member 86, and can be switched between a seedling tray mounting state and a seedling tray discharge state by an operating tool provided on the front side of the machine via an operating wire 95a of an operating mechanism 95 connected to the arm 93a.

[0066] Therefore, when the operating device located on the front side of the machine is operated, the operating wire 95a is pulled, causing the mounting member 93 to rotate from the seedling tray mounting state in which the seedling tray N is mounted around the pivot axis to a seedling tray discharge state in which the inside is tilted toward the empty tray mounting platform 90 which is located upwards, and the seedling tray N slides down onto the empty tray mounting platform 90 and moves.

[0067] Here, we will explain how to use the empty box stand 90 during rice planting.

[0068] The operating switch of the electric motor 88 is operated to switch the left and right spare seedling loading devices 6,6 to a planar state in which the first, second, and third spare seedling loading platforms 87a, 87b, and 87c are arranged on the same plane. At that time, the empty box loading platform 90 is switched to the seedling box storage operation state (a) in which it is unfolded to the lower outside of the third spare seedling loading platform 87c.

[0069] The operator seated in the seat 31 of the riding-type rice transplanter 1 steers the machine to bring the front of the riding-type rice transplanter 1 to the ridge or road.

[0070] A worker on the ridge or road places the seedling trays N containing the seedlings, which are placed on the ridge or road, onto the first spare seedling tray 87a located in front and on the same plane, then pushes the machine backward to move it, sliding it to the third spare seedling tray 87c located at the rear.

[0071] The operator on board the machine uses a seedling retrieval plate to remove seedlings with mat-like soil attached from seedling trays N that have been slid to the third spare seedling tray 87c and supplies them to the seedling tray 70 of the seedling planting unit 4. At the same time, the empty seedling trays N placed on the third spare seedling tray 87c are moved to the empty tray tray 90.

[0072] However, it is inefficient, considering the overall work efficiency, for an operator on board the aircraft to move the empty seedling trays N, which are placed on the third spare seedling tray 87c, to the empty tray tray 90.

[0073] Therefore, a worker on the ridge or road operates the control device located at the front of the machine to pull the control wire 95a, rotating the mounting member 93 of the third spare seedling tray 87c around its pivot axis from the seedling tray mounting state in which the seedling tray N is placed to a seedling tray discharge state inclined toward the empty tray mounting platform 90 with the inside facing upwards, and moving the empty seedling tray N by sliding onto the empty tray mounting platform 90. When the operation of the control device is stopped, the mounting member 93 returns from the seedling tray discharge state to the seedling tray mounting state by its own weight.

[0074] Then, the worker on the ridge or road places the seedling trays N containing the seedlings, which are placed on the ridge or road, onto the first spare seedling tray 87a located in front and on the same plane, pushes it towards the rear of the machine, and slides it to the third spare seedling tray 87c located at the rear.

[0075] Then, the operator on board the machine uses a seedling rescue plate to remove the seedlings with the mat-like soil attached from the seedling tray N that has slid to the third reserve seedling tray 87c and supplies them to the seedling tray 70 of the seedling planting unit 4. The operator on the ridge or road operates a control device located at the front of the machine to change the mounting member 93 of the third reserve seedling tray 87c from the seedling tray mounting state to the seedling tray discharge state, causing the empty seedling tray N to slide down onto the empty tray mounting platform 90.

[0076] In this way, a worker on the ridge or road operates a control device located at the front of the machine to rotate the mounting member 93 of the third spare seedling tray 87c around its pivot axis from the seedling tray mounting state in which the seedling tray N is placed to a seedling tray discharge state inclined toward the empty tray mounting base 90 with the inside facing upwards, and moves the empty seedling tray N by sliding it onto the empty tray mounting base 90. This improves the balance of seedling supply work between the worker on the machine and the workers on the ridge or road, and improves overall work efficiency.

[0077] Then, when four empty seedling trays N accumulate on the empty tray loading platform 90, the worker on board the machine takes the four empty seedling trays N from the empty tray loading platform 90, carries them to the front of the machine, and hands them to a worker on the ridge or road, or places them on the ridge or road himself. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0078] 2. Running vehicle 4 Seedling planting department 31 seats 36 Steps (rear steps) 43 Handrail 44B Rear Guard 44L, 44R Left and Right Guards 45 Handrail mounting bracket 48a Positioning part (engaging piece) 46a, 46b Positioning section (notch) 47a Rotating support pin 49 Mounting part 50 pivot point (rotating pin) 55. Biasing mechanism (torque spring) 56. Biasing mechanism (tension spring)

Claims

1. A ride-on seedling transplanter is provided in which a seedling planting unit (4) is attached to a vehicle body (2) that is located behind a seat (31), and a rear guard (44B) is provided behind a seat (31) that connects left and right guards (44L, 44R) provided at the outer ends of steps (36) provided on the left and right sides of a seat (31), characterized in that a handrail (43) with a rotatable base is provided on the rear guard (44B) and can be switched between an operational state where it is located to the side of the seat (31) and a stored state where it is stored behind the seat (31).

2. The ride-on seedling transplanter according to claim 1, characterized in that a handrail mounting stay (45) is provided on the rear guard (44B) to support the mounting portion (49) of the handrail (43), the mounting portion (49) is provided so as to be rotatable around a pivot support pin (47a) relative to the handrail mounting stay (45), and positioning portions (46a, 46b, 48a) are provided to determine the position of the handrail (43) in an operational state and a retracted state.

3. The riding-type seedling transplanter according to claim 2, characterized in that a biasing mechanism (55) is provided between the mounting part (49) and the handrail mounting stay (45) that automatically rotates the handrail (43) from the operational state to the retracted state when the positioning parts (46a, 46b, 48a) are released from the state in which they are fixed in place.

4. The riding-type seedling transplanter according to claim 3, characterized in that it is provided with a biasing mechanism (56) that biases the positioning parts (46a, 46b, 48a) to a positioning state.

5. The riding-type seedling transplanter according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the positioning parts (46a, 46b, 48a) are an engaging piece (48a) provided on the mounting part (49) and notches (46a, 46b) provided on the handrail mounting stay (45).

6. The ride-on seedling transplanter according to claim 5, characterized in that a pivot point (50) for rotating the handrail (43) is provided outside the notches (46a, 46b) so that an engaging piece (48a) provided on the mounting part (49) engages with notches (46a, 46b) provided on the handrail mounting stay (45).

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