Agricultural machinery

Abstract

To provide an agricultural implement capable of reducing a load on an operator.SOLUTION: An agricultural implement 1 includes a machine body 2 connected to the rear of a tractor, a tilling body for performing a tilling work, and a ground leveling body 4 for performing a ground leveling work on the rear of the tilling body. The agricultural implement 1 further includes lifting assist means 8 for assisting lifting of the ground leveling body 4 up to the highest position by utilizing energization force of an energization body. At least a part of the lifting assist means 8 is positioned on the upper side of the ground leveling body 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agricultural machine capable of reducing the burden on an operator. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an agricultural machine as described in, for example, Patent Document 1 below is known.

[0003] This conventional agricultural machine comprises a body that is connected to a running vehicle such as a tractor, a tilling body that is rotatably mounted on the body and performs tilling work while rotating, a land leveling body that is rotatably mounted on the body in the vertical direction and performs land leveling work behind the tilling body, and a stopper device that locks the land leveling body in the raisedmost position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-218316 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the above-mentioned conventional agricultural working machines, when performing maintenance such as replacing the tines of the tilling body or cleaning the land leveling body, the worker needs to lift the relatively heavy land leveling body, and lifting this land leveling body can be time-consuming.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and has an object to provide an agricultural work machine that can reduce the burden on the operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The agricultural working machine described in claim 1 comprises a ground leveling body for performing ground leveling work, and a lifting assist means having a biasing body for lifting assistance, which utilizes the biasing force of the biasing body to assist in lifting the ground leveling body to the highest position, and at least a portion of the lifting assist means is located above the ground leveling body.

[0008] The agricultural working machine described in claim 2 comprises a ground leveling body for performing ground leveling work, a ground pressure adjusting means for adjusting the ground pressure of the ground leveling body, and a lifting assist means provided separately from the ground pressure adjusting means, having a biasing body for lifting assistance, and using the biasing force of the biasing body to assist in lifting the ground leveling body to the highest position, at least a portion of the lifting assist means being located above the ground leveling body.

[0009] The agricultural working machine described in claim 3 is equipped with a ground leveling body for performing ground leveling work, and a lifting assist means having a biasing body for assisting in lifting, and using the biasing force of the biasing body to assist in lifting the ground leveling body to the highest position, and at least during the final stage of lifting the ground leveling body, the ground leveling body rotates upward to the highest position only by the biasing force of the biasing body.

[0010] The agricultural work machine according to claim 4 is the agricultural work machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the lifting assist means assists from the initial lifting of the soil leveling body to the highest lifted position.

[0011] The agricultural work machine according to claim 5 is the agricultural work machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lifting assist means has an end portion on the machine body side rotatably attached to the machine body side.

[0012] The agricultural working machine described in claim 6 is an agricultural working machine described in any one of claims 1 to 5, which is provided with a locking means for locking the leveling body in the highest position, and the lifting assist means is switchable between an assist on state and an assist off state, and when the lifting assist means is in the assist on state, when an operator lifts the leveling body to the highest position with light manual force, the locking means automatically locks the leveling body in the highest position.

[0013] The agricultural working machine described in claim 7 comprises a ground leveling body for performing ground leveling work, and a lifting assist means having a force-assisting body for lifting assistance, which utilizes the force of the force-assisting body to assist in lifting the ground leveling body, one side of the lifting assist means being attached to the upper side of the cover portion and the other side being attached to the ground leveling body side. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, the lifting assist means assists in lifting the leveling body, thereby reducing the burden on the worker. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an agricultural machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the agricultural work machine when the soil leveling body is raised to the highest position (during maintenance). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the agricultural work machine when the assist is off. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the agricultural work machine when the assist is off. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view of the agricultural work machine when the assist is on. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a side view of the agricultural work machine when the assist is on. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a front view of the lifting assist means (assist off state) of the agricultural work machine. [Figure 9]FIG. 4 is a side view of the long body of the lifting assist means. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a side view of a rotating body of the lifting assist means. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a front view of a lifting assist means (in an assist off state) of an agricultural machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a side view of the lifting assist means (assist off state). [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a front view of the lifting assist means (assist on state). [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a front view of the long body of the lifting assist means. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a side view of the long body of the lifting assist means. [Figure 18] FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 4 is a side view of a movable body of the lifting assist means. [Figure 20] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a movable body of the lifting assist means. [Figure 21] FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 4 is a side view of a rotating body of the lifting assist means. [Diagram 23] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a rotating body of the lifting assist means. [Figure 24] FIG. 11 is a side view of an agricultural work machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention in an assist-off state. [Diagram 25] FIG. 2 is a side view of the agricultural work machine when the assist is off. [Figure 26] FIG. 2 is a side view of the agricultural work machine when the assist is on. [Figure 27] FIG. 2 is a side view of the agricultural work machine when the assist is on. [Figure 28] FIG. 2 is a front view of the lifting assist means (assist off state) of the agricultural work machine. [Figure 29] 28A is a view taken along the arrow a in FIG. 28, and FIG. 28B is a partially enlarged view thereof. [Diagram 30] 29A is a view taken along the arrow b in FIG. 29. [Diagram 31] FIG. [Diagram 32] FIG. [Diagram 33] FIG. [Diagram 34] FIG. 11 is a plan view of an agricultural machine according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0017] In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an agricultural work machine. This agricultural work machine 1 is connected to the rear of a traveling vehicle, such as a tractor (not shown), and performs tilling and leveling work (agricultural work) while moving forward (in the direction of travel) on a farm field as the tractor travels.

[0018] The agricultural work machine 1 comprises a body 2 which is detachably connected to a three-point link section (agricultural work machine lifting section) at the rear of the tractor, a tillage body (rotary) 3 which is rotatably mounted on the body 2 and performs tilling work while rotating in a predetermined direction, and a plate-shaped land leveling body (leveling plate) 4 which is rotatably mounted on the body 2 around a left-right axis (rotation fulcrum) 5 and performs land leveling work behind the tillage body 3.

[0019] The agricultural work machine 1 also includes a lifting assist means 8 that assists an operator in manually lifting (rotating upward) the land leveling body 4 during maintenance of the tilling body 3, the land leveling body 4, etc. The lifting assist means 8 is, for example, a single piece and is provided between the machine body 2 and the land leveling body 4 at a position on one side of the agricultural work machine 1, that is, the left side.

[0020] Furthermore, the agricultural work machine 1 is provided with a ground pressure adjustment means 9 that adjusts the ground pressure of the soil leveling body 4 against the field surface so as to correspond to the field conditions. The ground pressure adjustment means 9 is, for example, a single piece, and is provided between the machine body 2 and the soil leveling body 4 at a position on the other side, that is, the right side, of the agricultural work machine 1.

[0021] The machine body 2 has a three-point connection part (traveling vehicle connection part) 11 that is detachably connected to a three-point link part at the rear of the tractor. The three-point connection part 11 is composed of one top mast 12, a top pin 13 attached to the top mast 12, two lower arms 14 (a pair on the left and right), and lower pins 15 attached to each of the lower arms 14.

[0022] The machine body 2 also has a transmission case 17 which is a shaft holder that rotatably holds the input shaft 16, and inner ends of frame pipes 18 are attached to both the left and right sides of the transmission case 17. The input shaft 16 is connected to a PTO shaft of a tractor via a joint (not shown).

[0023] A chain case section 19, which is a box-shaped tillage unit support section, is attached to the outer end of the left frame pipe section 18. A bracket section 20, which is a plate-shaped tillage unit support section, is attached to the outer end of the right frame pipe section 18. The tillage unit 3 is rotatably supported by the chain case section 19 and bracket section 20, which are spaced apart and opposed to each other. A side cover plate 10 is provided on the chain case section 19 and bracket section 20 so as to protrude rearward.

[0024] Furthermore, the machine body 2 has a tilling cover part 21 in the form of an upwardly convex curved plate that covers the upper part of the tilling body 3. The soil leveling body 4 is attached to the rear end part of the tilling cover part 21 via multiple, for example three, hinges 22 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction about a left-right axis 5. A gauge wheel 30 is provided on the front side of the machine body 2 for vertical position adjustment.

[0025] The tilling body 3 has a left-right tilling shaft 23 rotatably installed between the lower part of the chain case part 19 and the lower part of the bracket part 20. In other words, the left end, which is one axial end of the tilling shaft 23, is rotatably supported by the lower part of the chain case part 19, and the right end, which is the other axial end of the tilling shaft 23, is rotatably supported by the lower part of the bracket part 20.

[0026] The tilling shaft 23 rotates in a predetermined direction upon receiving power from a power transmission means (not shown) that transmits the power from the input shaft 16 side to the tilling body 3. The power transmission means is composed of a gear in the transmission case portion 17, a shaft in the frame pipe portion 18, and a chain in the chain case portion 19, etc.

[0027] Cultivation tines 24 that perform tilling work while rotating in a predetermined direction integrally with the tillage shaft 23 are detachably attached to multiple locations spaced apart in the axial direction of the tillage shaft 23. A cutting edge 25 is formed on the front side of each tillage tine 24 in the rotational direction.

[0028] The leveling body 4 has a generally rectangular leveling body plate 26 that is elongated in the left-right direction and is attached to the rear end of the tilling cover part 21 so that the rear end side can be raised and lowered around the front end side shaft 5. Leveling side plates 27 are fixed to both left and right ends of the leveling body plate 26.

[0029] Further, a pair of left and right protruding plates 28 that face each other at a distance are provided on the left side of the rear surface (the surface opposite the side facing the tilling body 3) of the ground leveling main plate 26. Similarly, a pair of left and right protruding plates 29 that face each other at a distance are provided on the right side of the rear surface of the ground leveling main plate 26.

[0030] The lifting assist means 8 assists in lifting the ground leveling body 4, i.e., in the upward rotation of the ground leveling body 4 relative to the machine body 2, by urging the ground leveling body 4 upward, for example, by utilizing the force of a compression spring 31, which is an expandable coil-shaped urging body.

[0031] The lifting assist means 8 can be selectively switched between an assist-on state (operating state) in which the compression spring 31 urges the ground leveling body 4 upward, and an assist-off state (non-operating state) in which the compression spring 31 does not urge the ground leveling body 4 upward. That is, for example, the lifting assist means 8 is put into the assist-off state by attaching the detachable pin 32, which is a detachable member, and is put into the assist-on state by removing the detachable pin 32.

[0032] Here, the lifting assist means 8 has a long body (rod) 36 that is longitudinal in the front-rear direction and has a hole 35 in the longitudinal middle, into which the detachable pin 32 is attached. The long body 36 is provided on the machine body 2 so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction about a left-right axis 37. In other words, a mounting part 33 protrudes from the frame pipe part 18 on the left side of the machine body 2, and the front end part of the long body 36 is attached to the mounting part 33 so as to be rotatable via the axis 37.

[0033] The long body 36 is an elongated cylindrical shape (including a substantially cylindrical shape) having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction. An axis hole 38 is formed at the front end of the long body 36, and an axis 37 is inserted into the axis hole 38 and the hole of the mounting part 33, so that the long body 36 can rotate with respect to the machine body 2 around the inserted axis 37. A pin hole 39 is formed at the rear end of the long body 36, and a spring receiving pin (R pin) 40, which is a spring receiving member, is detachably attached to the pin hole 39. Furthermore, a hole 35, which is a pin hole, is formed at the front-rear center, which is the intermediate part of the long body 36 in the front-rear direction, and a detachable pin (R pin) 32 is attached and detached (inserted and removed) from the hole 35.

[0034] Moreover, the lifting assist means 8 has a cylindrical rotating body (tumbler) 41 having an insertion hole portion 42. The rotating body 41 is provided on the upper portion of the protruding plate 28 of the ground leveling body 4 so as to be capable of rotating.

[0035] The rotating body 41 is composed of a cylindrical tubular portion 43 in which an insertion hole portion 42 is formed, and left-right round shaft-shaped portions 44 protruding outward on both sides of the cylindrical portion 43, and each of the shaft-shaped portions 44 is rotatably attached to the mounting hole portion 28a of the protruding plate 28.

[0036] Furthermore, the lifting assist means 8 has a cylindrical moving body (spring case) 46 that is inserted into the insertion hole 42 of the rotating body 41, is movable (e.g., slidable) relative to the elongated body 36, and covers the compression spring 31. The moving body 46 is disposed on the outer circumferential side of the elongated body 36 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction along the outer circumferential surface of the elongated body 36.

[0037] The movable body 46 has a cylindrical main body tube portion 47 that is longitudinal in the front-rear direction and has a length shorter than that of the elongated body 36. A circular ring-shaped spring receiving portion 48 is fixed to the inner periphery side of the front end portion of the main body tube portion 47. A circular ring-shaped flange portion 49 that is a rotating body abutment portion that pushes up the rotating body 41 based on the biasing force of the compression spring 31 when in the assist-on state is fixed to the outer periphery side of the main body tube portion 47 near the rear end portion.

[0038] The rotating body 41 is disposed on the outer periphery of the main body cylinder 47 of the moving body 46 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction along the outer periphery of the main body cylinder 47. In other words, the rotating body 41 slides in the front-rear direction along the outer periphery of the main body cylinder 47 of the moving body 46 in response to the up-down rotation of the ground leveling body 4 in the assist-off state.

[0039] In addition, a compression spring 31, which is an elastically deformable elastic body for assisting lifting and biasing the movable body 46 forward, is disposed in a compressed state between the inner periphery of the main body tube portion 47 of the movable body 46 and the outer periphery of the elongated body 36. The compression spring 31 has a front end portion 31a in contact with the spring bearing portion 48 of the movable body 46 and a rear end portion 31b in contact with the spring bearing pin 40 (see FIG. 8).

[0040] The ground pressure adjustment means 9 has a connecting rod 55 having a plurality of holes 52 into which the pins (not shown) of the spring end 51 are attached and detached, and one stopper pin hole (not shown) into which the stopper pin 54 of the stopper device 53 is attached and detached.

[0041] The connecting rod 55 is provided on the machine body 2 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction around a left-right axis 56. In other words, a mounting part 33 is protrudingly provided on the frame pipe part 18 on the right side of the machine body 2, and the front end part of the connecting rod 55 is attached to this mounting part 33 so as to be rotatable via the axis 56.

[0042] A first coil spring 58 and a second coil spring 59 for adjusting ground pressure are disposed on the outer periphery of the connecting rod 55. Furthermore, the connecting rod 55 is inserted into a cylindrical rod receiving body (tumbler) 60 that is rotatably attached to the upper part of the protruding plate 29 of the ground leveling body 4.

[0043] Then, as shown in Figure 3, for example during maintenance, when the leveling body 4 is lifted to the highest position (maintenance position) by rotating it upward around the axis 5, the stopper pin 54 of the stopper device 53 is automatically inserted into the stopper pin hole portion of the connecting rod 55, and as a result, the leveling body 4 is positioned and fixed in the highest position.

[0044] In this way, the ground leveling body 4 is automatically locked in the highest position by the locking means, the stopper device 53. When lowering the ground leveling body 4, the lever of the stopper device 53 is operated to insert and remove the stopper pin 54 from the stopper pin hole.

[0045] Next, the operation of the agricultural machine 1 will be described.

[0046] When performing agricultural work such as tilling and leveling using the agricultural work machine 1 connected to a tractor, the worker sets the lifting assist means 8 to the assist-off state by attaching the detachable pin 32 to the hole 35 of the elongated body 36.

[0047] When an operator gets on the tractor and moves the agricultural work machine 1 in the direction of travel by driving the tractor, the tilling body 3 performs tilling work, and behind it, the soil leveling body 4 performs soil leveling work.

[0048] At this time, the front end of the movable body 46 abuts against the detachable pin 32, which restricts the forward movement of the movable body 46 relative to the elongated body 36 (i.e., restricts the extension of the compression spring 31), so that the rotating body 41 slides in the forward and backward directions relative to the movable body 46 in response to the up and down rotation of the leveling body 4 (see Figure 5).

[0049] In other words, the rotating body 41 slides forward and backward along the outer circumferential surface of the moving body 46, whereby the ground leveling body 4 rotates vertically about the shaft 5 relative to the machine body 2.

[0050] On the other hand, when performing maintenance such as replacing the tiller tines 24 or cleaning the soil leveling body 4, the worker sets the lifting assist means 8 to the assist on state by removing the detachable pin 32 from the hole 35 of the elongated body 36.

[0051] This allows the movable body 46 to move forward relative to the long body 36 (i.e., allows the compression spring 31 to extend), and the movable body 46, together with the rotating body 41 abutting the flange portion 49, moves forward relative to the long body 36 based on the biasing force of the compression spring 31, and as a result, the leveling body 4 rotates upward based on the biasing force of the compression spring 31 (see Figure 7).

[0052] Then, when the worker lifts the ground leveling body 4 to the highest position with light manual force, the ground leveling body 4 is automatically locked in the highest position by the stopper device 53 (see FIG. 3).

[0053] In the example shown in the figure, the leveling body 4 does not rotate upward to the highest position due to the biasing force (elastic restoring force) of the compression spring 31 alone, so the worker must manually lift it slightly to the highest position. However, at this time, the compression spring 31 is not at its free length (maximum length) and biases the leveling body 4 upward, so the worker can lift the leveling body 4 to the highest position with light manual force.

[0054] Furthermore, with such an agricultural work machine 1, when the lifting assist means 8 is switched to the assist on state during maintenance, etc., the lifting assist means 8 in this assist on state assists in lifting the land leveling body 4, so that the worker can easily lift the land leveling body 4 to the highest position, thereby reducing the burden on the worker.

[0055] Furthermore, not only is the configuration of the lifting assist means 8 simple, but the lifting assist means 8 can be easily switched to an assist-off state simply by attaching the detachable pin 32, and the lifting assist means 8 can be easily switched to an assist-on state simply by removing the detachable pin 32. In other words, the lifting assist means 8 can be easily switched on and off simply by inserting and removing the detachable pin 32 (one action).

[0056] Furthermore, when the lifting assist means 8 is in the assist-off state, the movement of the movable body 46 relative to the long body 36 is restricted by the detachable pin 32, and the rotating body 41 moves relative to this restricted movable body 46 in accordance with the movement of the ground leveling body 4, so that the lifting assist means 8 does not adversely affect the ground leveling work performed by the ground leveling body 4.

[0057] In addition, when the lifting assist means 8 is in the assist on state, movement of the movable body 46 relative to the long body 36 is permitted, and the movable body 46 moves together with the rotating body 41 relative to the long body 36 based on the biasing force of the compression spring 31, so that the biasing force of the compression spring 31 can be utilized to appropriately assist in lifting the leveling body 4.

[0058] Furthermore, the compression spring 31, which is the biasing body, is stored within a cylindrical movable body 46 when the lifting assist means 8 is in the assist-off state, and the entire compression spring 31 (almost the entirety) is covered by the movable body 46, thereby preventing mud and the like from adhering to the compression spring 31 during work.

[0059] In addition, the lifting assist means 8 of the agricultural work machine 1 may assist in lifting the ground leveling body 4 by urging the ground leveling body 4 upward using the force of a gas spring 61, which is an expandable and contractible force body, as in the second embodiment shown in Figures 13 to 23.

[0060] The lifting assist means 8 can be selectively switched between an assist-on state (operating state) in which the gas spring 61 urges the ground leveling body 4 upward, and an assist-off state (non-operating state) in which the gas spring 61 does not urge the ground leveling body 4 upward. That is, for example, the lifting assist means 8 goes into the assist-off state by attaching a detachable pin 62, which is a detachable member, and goes into the assist-on state by removing the detachable pin 62.

[0061] The lifting assist means 8 also has a long body 66 that is longitudinal in the front-rear direction and has a hole 65 in the longitudinal middle, through which the detachable pin 62 is attached. Like the long body 36, the long body 66 is provided on the machine body 2 so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction about a left-right axis 37. In other words, a mounting portion 33 protrudes from the frame pipe portion 18 on the left side of the machine body 2, and the front end portion of the long body 66 is attached to the mounting portion 33 so as to be rotatable via the axis 37.

[0062] The elongated body 66 is composed of a pair of plate-like members 63 facing each other at a distance, multiple, for example two, collar members 64 at the front and rear ends, and bolts 69 and nuts 70 which are fasteners that secure the two plate-like members 63 together via the collar members 64.

[0063] An axis hole 68 is formed at the front end of the long body 66, and the axis 37 is inserted into this axis hole 68 and a hole in the mounting part 33, so that the long body 66 can rotate with respect to the body 2 about the inserted axis 37. In addition, a hole 65 which is a pin hole is formed in the front-to-rear center part, which is the intermediate part in the front-to-rear direction of the long body 66, and the detachable pin 62 is attached and detached (inserted and removed) into this hole 65.

[0064] The lifting assist means 8 also has a cylindrical rotating body (tumbler) 71 having an insertion hole 72. Similar to the rotating body 41, the rotating body 71 is rotatably provided on the upper part of the protruding plate 28 of the ground leveling body 4. The rotating body 71 is composed of a rectangular cylindrical tubular portion 73 having an insertion hole 72 formed therein, and left and right round shaft-like portions 74 protruding outward on both sides of the cylindrical portion 73, and each of the shaft-like portions 74 is rotatably attached to the attachment hole portion 28a of the protruding plate 28.

[0065] Furthermore, the lifting assist means 8 has a moving body 76 that is inserted into the insertion hole 72 of the rotating body 71 and is movable (e.g., slidable) relative to the elongated body 66. Similar to the moving body 46, the moving body 76 is disposed outside the elongated body 66 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction along the outer surface of the elongated body 66.

[0066] The movable body 76 has main body plate portions 77 that are longitudinal in the front-rear direction and have a length shorter than the elongated body 66, and are spaced apart from each other and opposed to each other. The front ends of both main body plate portions 77 are connected and fixed to each other by a connecting plate portion 78 that is a pin abutment portion that abuts against the attachment / detachment pin 62, and an attachment hole portion 79 is formed in the center of this connecting plate portion 78. In addition, a protruding plate portion 80 that is a plate-shaped rotating body abutment portion that pushes up the rotating body 71 based on the biasing force of the gas spring 61 when in the assist-on state is protruded from the rear ends of both main body plate portions 77.

[0067] The rotating body 71 is disposed outside the main body plate portion 77 of the moving body 76 so as to be slidable along the outer surface of the main body plate portion 77. In other words, the rotating body 71 slides in the front-rear direction along the outer surface of the main body plate portion 77 of the moving body 76 in response to the up-down rotation of the ground leveling body 4 in the assist-off state.

[0068] In this assist-off state, the gas spring 61 is housed in a cylindrical portion 81 consisting of both main body plate portions 77 of the movable body 76 and both plate-like members 63 of the long body 66, and the entire gas spring 61 (almost the entire gas spring 61) is covered by the cylindrical portion 81. In other words, the gas spring 61 is covered by the long body 66 and the movable body 76 when the lifting assist means 8 is in the assist-off state (see FIGS. 13 and 14).

[0069] A gas spring 61 for assisting lifting, which biases the movable body 76 forward, is disposed in a compressed state between both plate-like members 63 of the long body 66. This gas spring 61 is composed of a main body 82 filled with high-pressure gas such as nitrogen gas, and a rod 83 which moves in and out of the main body 82. The base end of the main body 82 is attached to the collar member 64 on the rear end side of the long body 66, and the tip of the rod 83 is attached to the attachment hole 79 of the connecting plate 78 of the movable body 76 via an attachment pin 84. The other configurations of the agricultural work machine 1 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0070] When performing tilling and leveling work using the agricultural work machine 1 of this second embodiment, the worker sets the lifting assist means 8 to the assist off state by attaching the detachable pin 62 to the hole portion 65 of the elongated body 66.

[0071] Thereafter, the worker gets on the tractor and moves the agricultural work machine 1 in the direction of travel by driving the tractor, whereby the tilling body 3 performs tilling work, and behind it the soil leveling body 4 performs soil leveling work.

[0072] At this time, the front end of the connecting plate portion 78 of the moving body 76 abuts against the detachable pin 62, which restricts the forward movement of the moving body 76 relative to the elongated body 66 (i.e. restricts the extension of the gas spring 61), so the rotating body 71 slides in the front-rear direction relative to the moving body 76 in response to the up-down rotation of the ground leveling body 4 (see FIG. 13). In other words, the rotating body 71 slides in the front-rear direction along the outer circumferential surface of the square-tube shaped cylindrical portion 81, causing the ground leveling body 4 to rotate in the up-down direction about the axis 5 relative to the machine body 2.

[0073] On the other hand, when performing maintenance such as replacing the tiller tines 24 or cleaning the soil leveling body 4, the worker sets the lifting assist means 8 to the assist on state by removing the detachable pin 62 from the hole 65 of the elongated body 66.

[0074] This allows the movable body 76 to move forward relative to the long body 66 (i.e., the gas spring 61 is allowed to stretch), and the movable body 76, together with the rotating body 71 abutting the protruding plate portion 80, moves forward relative to the long body 66 based on the biasing force of the gas spring 61, and as a result, the leveling body 4 rotates upward based on the biasing force of the gas spring 61 (see Figure 15).

[0075] When the worker lifts the ground leveling body 4 to the highest position with light manual force, the stopper device 53 automatically locks the ground leveling body 4 in the highest position. Note that even in this example, the ground leveling body 4 does not rotate upward to the highest position only by the biasing force of the gas spring 61, so the worker needs to manually lift it up a little to the highest position, but at this time, the gas spring 61 is not at its free length (maximum length) and biases the ground leveling body 4 upward, so the worker can lift the ground leveling body 4 to the highest position with light manual force.

[0076] In this way, the agricultural work machine 1 according to the second embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

[0077] In addition, the lifting assist means 8 of the agricultural work machine 1 may assist in lifting the ground leveling body 4 by urging the ground leveling body 4 upward using the force of a gas spring 91, which is an expandable and contractible force body, as in the third embodiment shown in Figures 24 to 33.

[0078] This lifting assist means 8 can be selectively switched between an assist on state in which the gas spring 91 urges the leveling body 4 upward and an assist off state in which the gas spring 91 does not urge the leveling body 4 upward by operating (for example, rotating to change position) the operating member, the operating lever 90.

[0079] That is, for example, the lifting assist means 8 is put into an assist-off state (locked state) when the operating lever 90 is rotated in one direction (e.g., downward), and is put into an assist-on state (unlocked state) when the operating lever 90 is rotated in the other direction opposite to the one direction (e.g., upward).

[0080] Here, the lifting assist means 8 has a long body (inner pipe) 93 formed in a long and narrow cylindrical shape and elongated in the front-rear direction.

[0081] The long body 93 is provided on the body 2 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction around a left-right axis 37. In other words, a mounting part 33 is protrudingly provided on the frame pipe part 18 on the left side of the body 2, and the front end part of the long body 93 is attached to this mounting part 33 so as to be rotatable via the axis 37.

[0082] The long body 93 is, for example, made of only one round pipe, and has an axle hole 94 formed at the front end of the long body 93, and the axle 37 is inserted into the axle hole 94 and the hole of the mounting part 33, so that the long body 93 can rotate in the vertical direction relative to the machine body 2 about the inserted axle 37. A long guide hole 95 is formed in the middle of the long body 93 in the front-rear direction, extending along the longitudinal direction of the long body 93. A pin hole 96 is formed in the rear end of the long body 93.

[0083] A gas spring 91 is housed within the elongated body 93, so that the gas spring 91 is always entirely covered and protected by the elongated body 93. The gas spring 91 is made up of a main body 98 filled with high-pressure gas such as nitrogen gas, and a rod 99 which moves in and out of the main body 98.

[0084] A pin hole 100 is formed at the base end of the main body 98 of the gas spring 91, and the main body 98 of the gas spring 91 is attached to the elongated body 93 by a mounting pin 101 and a stop pin 102 inserted into this pin hole 100 and the pin hole 96 of the elongated body 93.

[0085] The lifting assist means 8 also has a short cylindrical (e.g., octagonal cylindrical) rotating body (tumbler) 106 having an insertion hole 105. The rotating body 106 is rotatably provided on the upward protruding portion at the upper portion of the protruding plate 28 of the leveling body 4.

[0086] The rotating body 106 is composed of an octagonal cylindrical portion 107 with an insertion hole 105 formed therein, and left-right round shaft-like portions 108 protruding outward on both the left and right sides of the cylindrical portion 107, and each of the shaft-like portions 108 is rotatably attached to the mounting hole portion 28a of the protruding plate 28. The rotating body 106 is rotatable about the left-right shaft-like portions 108 relative to the leveling body 4.

[0087] Furthermore, the lifting assist means 8 has a movable body (outer pipe) 111 that is inserted into the insertion hole portion 105 of the rotating body 106 and is movable (e.g., slidable) relative to the elongated body 93. This movable body 111 is disposed on the outside (outer peripheral side) of the elongated body 93 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction (the longitudinal direction of the elongated body) along the outer peripheral surface of the elongated body 93.

[0088] The moving body 111 has a cylindrical tubular portion 112 that is longitudinal in the front-rear direction and has the rotating body 106 slidably disposed on the outer periphery thereof, and a pin hole 113 is formed at the front end of the tubular portion 112. The rod portion 99 of the gas spring 91 is attached to the moving body 111 by an attachment pin 115 and a retaining pin 116 that are inserted into the pin hole 113, the pin hole 114 of the rod portion 99, and the guide elongated hole portion 95 of the elongated body 93. Therefore, the moving body 111 slides along the outer periphery of the elongated body 93 in response to the expansion and contraction of the gas spring 91 that biases the moving body 111 upward (see FIG. 31). At this time, the attachment pin 115 is guided by the guide elongated hole portion 95 of the elongated body 93.

[0089] A flange 118 is fixedly provided in a protruding manner on the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the cylindrical portion 112 as a circular annular rotating body abutment portion that pushes up the rotating body 106 based on the biasing force of the gas spring 91 when the lifting assist means 8 is in the assist-on state. Furthermore, a restricting plate mounting portion 120 and a lever mounting portion 121 are fixedly provided on the rear end side of the cylindrical portion 112. The restricting plate mounting portion 120 is composed of an approximately L-shaped L-shaped plate 123 having a screw hole portion 122 formed therein. The lever mounting portion 121 is composed of a pair of opposing plates 124 that face each other at a distance.

[0090] A lever restricting plate 125, which is a restricting part that restricts excessive rotation of the operating lever 90 by contacting the operating lever 90, is attached to the restricting plate attachment part 120 of the movable body 111 with an attachment screw 126. The lever restricting plate 125 is formed with an attachment hole part 127 and a restricting long hole part 128.

[0091] Further, a substantially L-shaped operating lever 90 which is held and manually operated by an operator is attached to a lever attachment portion 121 of the movable body 111 so as to be rotatable between an OFF position (lower position) and an ON position (upper position).

[0092] That is, the operating lever 90 is inserted into the mounting hole 124a of the opposing plate 124 of the lever mounting portion 121, a retaining ring 130 for preventing the inserted operating lever 90 from coming off is attached to the inserted operating lever 90, and the operating lever 90 is inserted into the elongated restricting hole portion 128 of the lever restricting plate 125. In this way, the operating lever 90 is capable of rotating between the OFF position and the ON position around the center line X in the front-rear direction (including the approximate front-rear direction) with respect to the movable body 111 (see FIG. 30).

[0093] This operating lever 90 has a lever body 131 made of a round bar bent into an L-shape, and a screw hole 132 is formed in the middle of this lever body 131. A male-threaded pin 133 is screwed into the screw hole 132, and a cylindrical resin collar 134 is attached to this pin.

[0094] Meanwhile, a leaf spring 136, which is an elastically deformable plate-shaped elastic member that positions the operating lever 90 at either the OFF position or the ON position, is detachably attached to the lever restricting plate 125 by an attachment means 137. The attachment means 137 is composed of, for example, a bolt 138, a nut 139, and a spacer 140, and a gap 135 exists between the lever restricting plate 125 and the leaf spring 136.

[0095] The leaf spring 136 has, for example, a rectangular flat plate shape before elastic deformation, and one end of the leaf spring 136 is formed with a mounting hole 136a through which a bolt 138 is inserted. Also, a contact portion 134a, which is a part of the outer circumferential surface of a collar 134 of the operating lever 90, is in contact with a surface of the leaf spring 136 located opposite to the lever restricting plate 125 side.

[0096] For this reason, when the operating lever 90 is rotated, the collar 134 moves along a virtual arc centered on the center line X, and at this time, the contact portion 134a of the collar 134 smoothly slides along the leaf spring 136 while pressing against the leaf spring 136 and elastically bending and deforming the leaf spring 136.

[0097] When the operating lever 90 is positioned at the OFF or ON position, the leaf spring 136 returns to its original flat shape due to its elastic restoring force, and the operating lever 90 is positioned and held in the desired position (either the OFF or ON position) by this returned leaf spring 136.

[0098] 30, when the operating lever 90 is in the OFF position, an abutment portion 90a, which is a part of the operating lever 90, faces and abuts against a rear end surface 93a of the elongated body 93, thereby restricting the movement of the movable body 111 relative to the elongated body 93. However, when the operating lever 90 is rotated upward from the OFF position to the ON position, the abutment portion 90a of the operating lever 90 moves away from the rear end surface 93a of the elongated body 93, and the restriction on the movement of the movable body 111 by the operating lever 90 is released.

[0099] Other configurations of the agricultural work machine 1 according to the third embodiment shown in Figs. 24 to 33 are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0100] When performing tilling and leveling work using the agricultural work machine 1 of this third embodiment, the worker operates the operating lever 90 to place it in the off position, thereby setting the lifting assist means 8 to the assist off state.

[0101] Thereafter, the worker gets on the tractor and moves the agricultural work machine 1 in the direction of travel by driving the tractor, whereby the tilling body 3 performs tilling work, and behind it the soil leveling body 4 performs soil leveling work.

[0102] At this time, the contact portion 90a of the operating lever 90 contacts the rear end surface 93a of the long body 93, and thus the operating lever 90 restricts the forward movement of the moving body 111 relative to the long body 93 (i.e. restricts the extension of the gas spring 91), so that the rotating body 106 slides in the front-rear direction relative to the moving body 111 in response to the vertical rotation of the ground leveling body 4 (see FIG. 25). In other words, the rotating body 106 slides in the front-rear direction along the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 112 of the moving body 111, and thus the ground leveling body 4 rotates in the up-down direction about the axis 5 relative to the machine body 2.

[0103] On the other hand, when performing maintenance such as replacing the tiller tines 24 or cleaning the leveling body 4, the worker operates the operating lever 90 to position it in the on position, thereby moving the abutment portion 90a away from the rear end surface 93a of the elongated body 93 and setting the lifting assist means 8 to the assist on state.

[0104] This allows the movable body 111 to move forward relative to the long body 93 (i.e., the gas spring 91 is allowed to stretch), and the movable body 111, together with the rotating body 106 abutting against the flange portion 118, moves forward relative to the long body 93 based on the biasing force of the gas spring 91, and as a result, the leveling body 4 rotates upward based on the biasing force of the gas spring 91 (see Figure 27).

[0105] When the worker lifts the ground leveling body 4 to the highest position with light manual force, the stopper device 53 automatically locks the ground leveling body 4 in the highest position. Note that even in this example, the ground leveling body 4 does not rotate upward to the highest position only by the biasing force of the gas spring 91, so the worker needs to manually lift it up to the highest position a little, but at this time, the gas spring 91 is not at its free length (maximum length) and biases the ground leveling body 4 upward, so the worker can lift the ground leveling body 4 to the highest position with light manual force.

[0106] In this way, the agricultural work machine 1 according to the third embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first and second embodiments.

[0107] In other words, for example, when the lifting assist means 8 is switched to the assist on state by operating the operating lever 90 during maintenance, the lifting assist means 8 in this assist on state assists in lifting the ground leveling body 4, so that the worker can easily lift the ground leveling body 4 to the highest position, thereby reducing the burden on the worker.

[0108] Furthermore, the lifting assist means 8 can be easily switched on and off by a single action of the operating lever 90, that is, for example, by only rotating the operating lever 90.

[0109] Furthermore, when the lifting assist means 8 is in the assist off state with the operating lever 90 in the off position, the movement of the movable body 111 relative to the long body 93 is restricted by the operating lever 90, and the rotating body 106 moves in accordance with the movement of the ground leveling body 4 relative to the movable body 111 whose movement is restricted, so that the lifting assist means 8 does not adversely affect the ground leveling work performed by the ground leveling body 4.

[0110] In addition, when the lifting assist means 8 is in the assist on state with the operating lever 90 positioned in the on position, movement of the movable body 111 relative to the long body 93 is permitted, and the movable body 111, whose movement is permitted, moves together with the rotating body 106 relative to the long body 93 based on the biasing force of the gas spring 91, so that the biasing force of the gas spring 91 can be utilized to appropriately assist in lifting the leveling body 4.

[0111] Furthermore, the gas spring 91, which is the biasing body, is stored and arranged within the elongated body 93 and is always entirely covered by the elongated body 93, which prevents mud and the like from adhering to the gas spring 91 during work and also prevents damage from foreign objects and the like.

[0112] Furthermore, since the lifting assist means 8 has the leaf spring 136 that positions the operating lever 90, the operating lever 90 can be appropriately positioned and held at either the OFF position or the ON position, and inadvertent rotation of the operating lever 90 can be prevented.

[0113] In addition, the operating lever (operating member) 90 is not limited to being rotatably mounted on the movable body 111 so that its abutment portion 90a moves toward and away from the rear end surface 93a of the elongated body 93, but may be, for example, one that is movable relative to the movable body or one that is detachable from the movable body.

[0114] Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration including one lifting assist means 8 and one ground contact pressure adjusting means 9 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the number of such means may be any number.

[0115] For example, as shown in Fig. 34, a configuration may be provided with two (a plurality) of lifting assist means 8 and ground contact pressure adjusting means 9. Also, for example, a configuration may be provided with one lifting assist means 8 and two ground contact pressure adjusting means 9 on the left and right.

[0116] Furthermore, the position at which the lifting assist means 8 is disposed may be arbitrary. For example, the lifting assist means 8 may be disposed at a position on the central side of the agricultural work machine 1 in the left-right direction.

[0117] Furthermore, for example, the leveling body 4 may be rotated upward to the highest raised position only by the biasing force of the biasing body (compression spring 31 or gas springs 61, 91, etc.) of the lifting assist means 8.

[0118] Furthermore, the agricultural work machine 1 is not limited to a single piece, but may be, for example, a folding agricultural work machine divided into three parts, or it may be, for example, a harrow equipped with a leveling body consisting of a first leveling plate (leveling plate) and a second leveling plate (rake), etc.

[0119] Although several embodiments of the present invention and their modified examples have been described, it is also possible to combine the above-described embodiments and modified examples as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 1 Agricultural machinery 3 Cultivating body 4 Ground leveling body 8 Lifting assistance means 31 Compression spring as a biasing body 32,62 Detachable pin as a detachable member 35,65 hole 36,66,93 Long body 41,71,106 Rotating body 42,72,105 Insertion hole 46,76,111 Mobile 61,91 Gas spring as a biasing body 90 Operating lever as an operating member 136 Leaf springs as elastic members

Claims

1. A machine body coupled to a traveling vehicle; A ground leveling body is provided on the aircraft body and performs ground leveling work; A lifting assist means has a gas spring as a biasing body for assisting in lifting, and uses the biasing force of the gas spring to assist in lifting the ground leveling body from the initial lifting position to the highest lifting position, At least a portion of the lifting assist means is located above the ground leveling body, and an end portion of the lifting assist means on the machine body side is rotatably attached to the machine body side at a fixed position. Agricultural machinery characterized by:

2. The gas spring, which is a biasing body for assisting lifting, is disposed between the two plate-like members facing each other at a distance.

2. The agricultural machine according to claim 1.

3. A locking means is provided for locking the leveling body in the highest position, The lifting assist means is switchable between an assist-on state and an assist-off state, When the lifting assist means is in an assist-on state, if an operator lifts the ground grading body to the highest position with a light manual force, the ground grading body is automatically locked at the highest position by the locking means.

3. The agricultural machine according to claim 1 or 2.

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