Method And Apparatus For Extending The Service Life Of An Agricultural Planter

What is this patent about?

’187 is related to the field of agricultural machinery, specifically agricultural planters and their connection to tractors. These planters use pivoting arms to maintain ground contact over uneven terrain. The constant flexing of these arms leads to wear and tear at the pivot points, resulting in play and eventual failure, which necessitates costly repairs and downtime.

The underlying idea behind ’187 is to introduce a sacrificial wear component into the pivoting arm assembly of an agricultural planter. This component, a bushing, is designed to absorb the wear and tear from the pivoting action, protecting the more expensive and difficult-to-replace parts of the planter. By concentrating the wear on this replaceable bushing, the overall lifespan of the planter is extended.

The claims of ’187 focus on a pivoting support system comprising a pivoting support arm with an orifice, a metallic collar inserted into this orifice, a bushing extending through the collar, a connecting member through the bushing, and a terminal fastener. The claims also cover a method of refurbishing the pivoting support system by inserting the collar and bushing, and a system for extending the service life of an agricultural planter using the collar, bushing, connecting member, and terminal fastener.

In practice, the invention involves inserting a hardened collar into the pivot point of the planter's arm. A softer bushing is then placed inside this collar, and a bolt or threaded member passes through the bushing to connect the arm to the tractor. The collar provides a durable interface, while the bushing acts as the primary wear surface. As the arm pivots, the bushing wears down instead of the arm itself, and the bushing can be easily replaced.

This design differentiates itself from prior approaches by strategically incorporating a replaceable wear element . Instead of relying on the direct contact of the pivoting arm and tractor connection, which leads to rapid wear of the arm, the invention interposes a bushing that is specifically designed to be replaced. This significantly reduces the maintenance costs and downtime associated with repairing or replacing the entire pivoting arm assembly.