GB2141611A - Soil cultivating implements - Google Patents

Abstract

A soil cultivating implement comprises power-rotatable soil working members 3 and a ground roller 10 and a soil accumulating or capturing member 23. In order to prevent the member 23 moving downwardly when large volumes of soil are displaced by the tines 5, said member 23 is carried by arms 22 which are connected to plates 16 carried by the frame portion 1 by two pivotable polygonal linkages 24 which can, as illustrated, be in the form of parallelogram linkages. The leading pivot pins 17 of linkages 24 are in advance of a plane containing the axes of rotation a of the soil working members 3. This allows the member 23 readily to move upwards without significantly tilting and thus losing its uniform soil distributing and further soil crumbling effects. Weight-relieving springs 29 interconnect the linkages 24 and brackets 27 carried by the frame portion 1. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Soil cultivating implements This invention relates to soil cultivating implements or machines of the kind which comprise a frame portion movable over the ground, a plurality of soil working members supported by the frame portion in a row that extends substantially horizontally perpendicular, or at least transverse, to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement or machine with each such member powerrotatable about a substantially vertical, or at least upwardly extending, axis, a ground roller located to the rear of the soil working members relative to said direction of operative travel so as to be upwardly and downwardly adjustable in bodily level with respect to said frame portion and soil working members, and a soil accumulating or capturing member which extends at, or close to, ground level, when the implement or machine is in use, throughout substantially the entire working width of the latter at a location close to the paths of rotation of the soil working members and between those members and said ground roller. An implement or machine of this kind is particularly but not exclusively, suitable for the formation of seedbeds. The term "implement(s) or machine(s)" will be shortened to "implement(s)" alone throughout the remainder of this document for the sake of brevity.

Implements of the known kind set forth above displace soil rearwardly from the rotary soil working members towards the soil accumulating or capturing member which tends uniformly to distribute the soil and/or to crumble it still further so that a well crumbled soil layer of substantially uniform thickness throughout its width is encountered by the immediately following ground roller. However, when the rotary members displace large quantities of soil rearwardly, there is a tendency for the accumulating or capturing member to move downwardly which adversely affects the structure of the seedbed being produced whilst also requiring an increased power output by the tractor or other vehicle that both moves and operates the implement.

An object of the invention is to provide a construction with which a good seedbed can be produced under substantially all operating conditions, the problem discussed above being overcome or at least very greatly reduced.

According to the invention, there is provided a soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth, wherein the soil accumulating or capturing member is of elongate configuration and is pivotable upwardly and downwardly about at least one axis which is located in advance of a plane containing the axes of rotation of said row of soil working members relative to said intended direction of operative travel. With this construction, the accumulating or capturing member can move upwardly, when required, without tilting to an extent that will interfere significantly with its uniform distribution and further crumbling effects.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a soil cultivating implement in accordance with the invention constructed and arranged primarily for the preparation of seedbeds, the implement being shown connected to the rear of an agricultural tractor, Figure 2 is a section, to an enlarged scale, taken on the line ll-ll in Figure 1, Figure 3 substantially corresponds to Figure 2 but illustrates a second embodiment, Figure 4 substantially corresponds to Figures 2 and 3 but illustrates a third embodiment, Figure 5 substantially corresponds to Figures 2, 3 and 4 but illustrates a fourth embodiment, Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation illustrating a fifth embodiment of an elongate soil accumulating or capturing member in accordance with the invention, Figure 7 is a front elevation of part of the length of a sixth embodiment of a soil accumulating or capturing member in accordance with the invention, the effect of this member being variable, Figure 8 is a plan view of part of the length of a seventh embodiment of an elongate soil accumulating or capturing member in accordance with the invention which member is again adjustable as regard its soil crumbling and distributing effects, Figure 9 is a section taken on the line IX-IX in Figure 8, Figure 10 is a front elevation of part of the length of an eighth embodiment of an elongate soil accumulating or capturing member in accordance with the invention, this embodiment again being of variable effect, and Figure 11 is a side elevation as seen in the direction indicated by an arrow XI in Figure 10.

Referring to the accompanying drawings and firstly to Figures 1 and 2 thereof, the soil cultivating implement that is illustrated is in the form of a rotary harrow that is constructed and arranged primarily for the preparation of seedbeds in which seeds will germinate and, after appropriate thinning of the seedlings, if required, will grow onwards to produce mature plants. The implement comprises a hollow, elongate, box-section, frame portion 1 whose longitudinal axis extends substantially horizontally transverse and usually, as illustrated, substantially horizontally perpendicular, to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement that is indicated in several Figures of the drawings by an arrow A.A plurality, of which there are twelve in the example that is being described, of substantially vertical, or at least upwardly extending, shafts 2 are rotatably journalled by bearings in upper and lower walls of the hollow frame portion 1 so as to lie in a single row that is parallel to the transverse length of the frame portion 1 with each shaft 2 parallel to all of the others and with the longitudinal axes a (Figure 2) of said shafts 2 spaced apart from one another at regular intervals each of which intervals advantageously, but not essentially, has a magnitude of substantially 25 cms. A lower portion of each shaft 2 projects downwardly from beneath the bottom of the hollow frame portion 1 and there has a corresponding rotary soil working member 3 firmly but releasably secured to it.

The shafts 2 constitute parts of the rotary soil working members 3 and each such member 3 comprises a substantially horizontally disposed support or carrier 4 defining two arms that project in radially opposite directions away from a central hub of the support or carrier 4 concerned which hub has internal splines that are engaged with matching external splines on the portion of the corresponding shaft 2 that projects downwardly from beneath the bottom of the hollow frame portion 1. The outer ends of the two arms of each carrier 4 are integrally or rigidly provided with corresponding substantially vertically disposed sleeve-like holders in which upper fastening portions of rigid soil working tools in the form of tines 5 are firmly but releasably secured.Each tine 5 also comprises a downwardly projecting soil working portion that, when the implement is in use, projects into the soil to be cultivated to an extent whose maximum magnitude can be pre-set in a manner which will be described below.

The opposite ends of the elongate, hollow frame portion 1 are closed by corresponding approximately, but not exactly, oblong side plates 6 that are both substantially vertically disposed in substantially parallel relationship with one another and with the direction A.

The exact shape of one of the side plates 6 is best illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings from which it will be seen that each side plate 6 projects both vertically above and rearwardly behind the remainder of the hollow frame portion 1 by a significant distance. It is, in fact, preferred that each side plate 6 should have a vertical extent which is substantially twice that of the remainder of the hollow frame portion 1. Upper leading region of the two side plates 6 carry corresponding substantially horizontally aligned pivot bolts 7, the axis which is defined by the aligned pivot bolts 7 being parallel to the transverse length of the hollow frame portion 1 and being located at a horizontal level spaced above the top of that frame portion 1.An arm 8 that extends alongside that surface of each side plate 6 which faces the centre of the implement has its leading end turnably mounted on the corresponding pivot bolt 7 and it will be seen from the drawings that the rear end of each arm 8 is located well behind the hollow frame portion 1 with respect to the direction A and principally, if not wholly, behind the rearmost curved edge of the corresponding side plate 6.The major portion of each arm 8 whose leading end is pivotally mounted on the corresponding bolt 7 and the rear portion of the same arm are in substantally parallel relationship with one another but are interconnected by an obliquely downwardly and rearwardly inclined intermediate portion as a result of which, in substantially all possible working positions of each arm 8, its rear end will be located wholly or principally at a lower horizontal level than is the leading major portion of the same arm.

The rear portion of each arm 8 has a corresponding downwardly and rearwardly inclined support plate 9 firmly but releasably secured to it by a number of spaced bolts whose positions can be seen in Figure 2 of the drawings and lower inwardly offset (see Figure 1) portions of the two support plates 9 carry substantially horizontally aligned bearings between which a soil working ground roller 10 is mounted in a freely rotatable manner. The central axis of rotation of the open-work, cage-formation ground roller 10 extends substantially horizontally parallel to a vertical plane which contains the longitudinal axes/axes of rotation a of the twelve, in this embodiment, rotary soil working members 3.

The roller 10 comprises a plurality, such as five, of substantially hexagonal support plates that are substantially vertically parallel to one another and to the direction A and a plurality of tubular elongate members 11 which interconnect the peripheries of the support plates in such a way that they are wound helically to some extent around the central axis of rotation of the roller 10. The five, in this embodiment, support plates are spaced apart from one another at regular intervals which are such that two of them lie at substantially the opposite axial ends of the roller 10, these two support plates rigidly carrying aligned central stub shafts which co-operate with the bearings carried by the plates 9 in defining the axis about which the roller 10 is freely rotatable.

Substantially the rearmost end of the leading rectilinear portion of each arm 8 carries a bracket upon which a block is pivotally mounted, the block being formed with a transverse internally screw-threaded bore through which the matchingly screw-threaded shank of an adjusting spindle 12, which is of a construction that is known per se, is rotatably entered, the spindle 1 2 having a manually operable crank handle at its upper end. The lower end of the screw-threaded shank of each adjusting spindle 1 2 is connected to a corresponding bracket projecting rearwardly from the hollow frame portion 1 in such a way as to be both rotatable, and tiltable to some extent, relative to that bracket without, however, being axially displacable with respect thereto to any significant degree.It will thus be appreciated that, upon rotating the crank handles at the upper ends of the two adjusting spindles 1 2 in appropriate directions, both arms 8 and the ground roller 10 will be turned either upwardly or downwardly relative to the frame portion 1 and soil working members 3 about the substantially horizontal axis that is afforded by the aligned pivot bolts 7. The known construction of the two adjusting spindles 1 2 is such that any chosen level of the ground roller 10 will be automatically maintained until the spindles 1 2 are again revolved.Since the implement is supported from the ground surface principally by the roller 10 which bears upon that surface, it will be appreciated that it is the level of said roller 10 relative to that of the soil working members 3 which principally dictates the maximum depth of penetration of their tines 5 into the soil which is possible whilst the implement is in use.

A screen 1 3 of substantially L-shaped cross section and elongate formation extends just in front of the soil working members 3, with respect to the direction A, at the horizontal level of the supports or carriers 4 of those members 3, the screen 1 3 extending throughout substantially the whole of the transverse width of the hollow frame portion 1. The screen 1 3 is of rigid metallic construction and serves to protect the upper parts of the soil working members 3 from being damaged by impacts with embedded stones and the like and also, by virtue of the downwardly and rearwardly, with respect to the direction A, inclination of its lower limb, to tend to deflect any loose stone or other hard object which it may encounter downwardly away from those upper parts.However, the screen 1 3 can be deflected forwardly, against the resilient opposition of springs, about a substantially horizontal axis which is located near the front of the hollow frame portion 1 so that, should a loose stone or other hard object become momentarily jammed between the upper part of at least one of the soil working members 3 and the rear of said screen 13, the screen 1 3 will yield forwardly until the stone or the like has been released so that no significant damage can be caused by such momentary jamming.

The springs immediately restore the normal position of the screen 1 3 once a jammed stone or the like has been released.

Substantially symmetrically arranged shield plates 1 5 lie immediately beyond the opposite ends of the single row of rotary soil working members 3 in substantially vertically parallel relationship with each other and with the direction A. Each shield plate 1 5 is carried by a corresponding arm 1 4 of which a portion is mounted in brackets located on top of the frame portion 1 so as to be turnable about an axis that extends substantially horizontally parallel to the direction A.Lower edges of the two shield plate 1 5 are shaped to slide forwardly over the ground surface in the direction A-and, by turning upwardly and downwardly about the axes of the pivotally mounted portions of the corresponding arms 14, can match undulations in the surface of the ground that may be met with during operative progress in the direction A. The shield plate 1 5 act primarily to co-operate with the immediately neighbouring soil working members 3 at the opposite ends of the row thereof in working the soil to substantially the same thorough extent as is produced by co-operation between immediately neighbouring pairs of soil working members 3 at locations closer to the centre of the implement.In addition, the shield plates 1 5 prevent the rapidly moving tines 5 of the soil working members 3 from flinging loose stones and other hard objects laterally of the path of travel of the implement so that the danger of injury or damage that is attributable to this cause is very greatly reduced, if not completely eliminated. When the implement is to undergo inoperative transport, the two shield plates 1 5 can be turned upwardly and inwardly about the pivotally mounted portions of the corresponding arms 14 to lie in inverted positions on top of the hollow frame portion 1.

Two substantially trapezoidal plates 1 6 are mounted vertically on top of the hollow frame portion 1 at corresponding distances inwardly from the opposite ends of the frame portion.

Preferably, as illustrated, each plate 1 6 registers with the longitudinal axis a of the third soil working member 3 counting from the corresponding end of the single row of those members 3. The two plates 1 6 are substantially vertically parallel to one another and to the direction A and each of them carries a pair of vertically spaced apart horizontal pivot pins 1 7 which pins 1 7 are both located in front, with respect to the direction A, of the aforementioned vertical plane which contains the axes of rotation a of all twelve of the soil working members 3, the distance from that plane preferably being substantially equal to one sixth of the fore and aft width of the hollow frame portion 1, measured in the direction A, excluding its side plates 6.The two pivot pins 1 7 lie vertically one above the other in spaced apart relationship with each pin 1 7 defining an axis that is substantially horizontally parallel to the transverse length of the hollow frame portion 1, each upper pin 1 7 having the leading ends of two upper arms 1 8 turnably mounted thereon and each lower pin 1 7 having the leading ends of two lower arms 1 9 turnably mounted thereon.As can be seen in Figure 1 of the drawings, the two upper arms 1 8 and the two lower arms 1 9 of each pair thereof lie at opposite sides of the corresponding trapezoidal plate 1 6. The upper and lower arms 1 8 and 1 9 extend generally rearwardly, with respect to the direction A, to locations behind the rearmost edge of the hollow frame portion 1 where they are turnably connected by further upper and lower horizontal pivot pins 20, which are substantial parallel to the pins 17, to the opposite sides of corresponding carrying arms 22.

The pivotal connections of the rear ends of the arms 1 8 and 1 9 to the carrying arms 22 are, in fact, to upper substantially vertically disposed portions 21 those arms 22, said portions 21 extending substantially vertically downwards at a location behind the hollow frame portion 1. Lower portions 31 of the two arms 22 are inclined obliquely downwardly and forwardly from the lower ends of the upper arm portions 21 at a few degrees to the vertical and their lower ends have welded, or otherwise rigidly secured, to them a soil accumulating or capturing member 23 which member 23 extends substantially horizontally parallel to the hollow frame portion 1 throughout substantially the combined working width of the twelve, in this embodiment, soil working members 3.The elongate member 23 thus also extends parallel or substantially parallel to the imaginary substantially vertical plane that contains the axes of rotation a of all twelve of the rotary soil working members 3.

It will be seen from Figure 2 of the drawings that the pivotal axes defined by each of the two groups of four pins 1 7 and 20 lie at the four corners of a corresponding polygonal linkage 24 and that each linkage 24, when arranged as shown in Figure 2, is a parallelogram linkage. The upper and lower arms 1 8 and 1 9 are shown in Figure 2 as occupying horizontal or substantially horizontal positions.

The maximum downward displacement of each linkage 24, and thus of the soil accumulating member 23 which is carried thereby, is dictated by entering stop pins 25 horizontally through chosen vertically spaced apart holes 26 in the two substantially trapezoidal plates 1 6 to lie beneath the lower edges of the pairs of lower arms 1 9 and thus prevent those arms 1 9 from turning downwardly about the corresponding pivot pins 1 7 beyond the positions of abutment of said lower edges against the pins 25. An upper rear region of each substantially trapezoidal plate 1 6 carries acorre- sponding vertically directed bracket 27 formed above the level of its centre with a row of vertically spaced apart holes 28.One end of a helical tension spring 29 is engaged in a chosen one of the holes 28 in each vertical row thereof and the opposite end of the same spring 29 is engaged in a chosen one of a row of holes 30 that extends close to the upper edge of one of the two upper arms 1 8 in each pair, said row of holes 30 thus being more or less horizontally disposed. It will be appreciated that the springs 29 constitute weight-relieving members that will govern, to a considerable extent, the pressure which the soil accumulating or capturing member 23 exerts upon the ground surface.

The opposite ends of the springs 29 can be engaged with appropriate holes 28 and 30 having regard to the maximum depth of penetration of the tines 5 into the soil for which the implement has been adjusted and having regard to the nature and condition of the soil that is to be cultivated in any particular case.

The effect of the member 23 is, of course, increased or decreased having regard to the particular holes 28 and 30 with which the opposite ends of the springs 29 are engaged.

The soil accumulating or capturing member 23 is located at the leading lower ends of the lower portions 31 of the two carrying arms 22, the obliquely downwardly and forwardly extending disposition of the these arm portions 31 being such that the member 23 is located immediately to the rear, with respect to the direction A, of the tines 5 of the rotary soil working members 3. When the arms 22 are disposed as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the integral junctions between the portions 21 and 31 of the arms 22 are located at approximately the same horizontal level as is the bottom of the hollow frame portion 1. The soil accumulating or capturing member 23 comprises an upper portion 32 and a lower portion 33 which portions are of substantially, if not exactly, equal width.

When the implement is in operation, the upper portion 32 of the member 23 is vertically or substantially vertically disposed whereas the lower portion 33 thereof extends obliquely downwardly and rearwardly with respect to the direction A from the integral junction of its upper edge with the lower edge of the portion 32. Both portions 32 and 33 are flat and extend substantially horizontally parallel to the substantially vertical plane that contains the axes of rotation a of the twelve soil working members 3, the lower portions 31 of the two carrying arms 22 being welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the rear surface of the. upper portion 32 of the member 23.

The upper pivot pins 20 by which the upper arms 18 are turnably connected to the arm portions 21 are of readily removable formation and can thus co-operate with chosen ones of vertically spaced apart holes 34 formed through the arm portions 21 and with chosen holes 35 formed through the upper arms 1 8 towards the rearmost ends thereof.

Although Figure 2 of the drawings shows only three holes 34 in each arm portion 21 and two holes 35 in each upper arm 18, it will be realised that the numbers of these holes 34 and 35 may, if desired, be increased. When the central hole 34 and the rear pair of holes 35 in each arm portion 21 and pair of upper arms 1 8 co-operate with the upper pivot pins 20 as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, each linkage 24 is a parallelogram linkage but, upon causing the upper pivot pins 20 to cooperate with alternative holes 34 and/or 35, the parallelogram relationship between each set of four pivot pins 1 7 and 20 will be lost and each linkage 24 will become a polygonal, rather than parallelogram, linkage.Particularly by causing the upper pivot pins 20 to co-operate with holes 35 in the upper arms 1 8 that are further forwardly in the direction A than are the rearmost holes 35 shown in use in Figure 2, the member 23 will deflect more rapidly during the operation of the implement since the effective length of each upper arm 1 8 will have been reduced and thus can more readily avoid damage when cultivating land containing a lot of stones or other hard objects that are on, or near to, the surface of the ground.When the linkage 24 is a polygonal, rather than parallelogram, linkage, the member 23 will be tilted to some extent as it moves upwardly and downwardly so that its disposition relative to the flow of displaced soil moving rearwardly from the rotary member 3 will change as, consequently, will its crumbling and distributing affect upon that soil. The use of alternative holes 34 in the upright portions 21 of the arms 22 also changes the angularity of each linkage 24 and will thus affect the disposition of the member 23 relative to the soil which is ejected rearwardly towards that member 23 from the rapidly rotating tines 5.

Each shaft 2 is provided, inside the hollow frame portion 1, with a corresponding straight- or spur-toothed pinion 36, the size of each of the twelve (in this embodiment) pinions 36 being such that the teeth thereof are in mesh with those of the or each immediately neighbouring pinion in the single row of twelve such pinions. One of the centre pair of shafts 2 in the single row of twelve shafts has an upward extension throught the top of the hollow frame portion 1 into a gear box 37 that is fastened on top of said frame portion 1. This upward extension is placed in driven connection with a rotary input shaft 39 of the same gear box 37 by shafts and bevel pinions that are contained inside the gear box but which are not illustrated nor will be described in detail since the construction of the gear box 37 does not form the subject of the present invention.The rotary input shaft 39, whose leading spined or otherwise keyed end projects substantially horizontally forwards in substantially the direction A from the front of the gear box 37, is connected, in the use of the implement, to a power take-off shaft at the rear of an agricultural tractor or other vehicle which both moves and operates the implement by way of a telescopic transmission shaft 40, which is of a construction that is known per se, having universal joints at its opposite ends. The rear of the gear box 37, with respect to the direction A, is provided with a change-speed gear 38 which, once again, is-neither illustrated, nor will be described, in detail since its construction is not the subject of the present invention.It suffices to say that the change-speed gear 38 has a readily removable cover beneath with the rearwardly projecting spined ends of two substantially horizontal shafts can be placed in connection with one another by way of pairs of straight- or spur-toothed pin ions of different sizes, each pair being interchangable on the shaft ends or exchangable for another cooperating pair of pinions to give different transmission ratios between the two shafts so that, in the use of the implement, the transmission ratio which is established in the change-speed gear 38 will determine the speed at which the twelve rotary soil working members 3 are revolved in response to a substantially standard speed of rotation that is applied to the leading end of the rotary input shaft 39.A central region of the front of the hollow frame portion 1 carries a coupling member or trestle 41 which is of substantially isosceles triangular configuration as seen in front or rear elevation. The coupling member or trestle 41 provides two horizontally spaced apart lower coupling points and a single upper coupling point and these coupling points are intended for connection to the three-point lifting device or hitch at the rear of the agricultural tractor or other vehicle which both moves and operates the implement. This construction is shown somewhat diagrammatically in Figure 1 of the drawings from which it will also be seen that two steeply downwardly and rearwardly divergent tie rods strengtheningly connect locations close to the apex of the coupling member or trestle 41 to widely spaced apart locations at the top and rear of the hollow frame portion 1.

In the use of the implement that has been described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, its coupling member or trestle 41 is connected to the three-point lifting device or hitch at the rear of an agricultural tractor or other operating vehicle in the manner described above and shown somewhat diagrammatically in Figure 1 of the drawings and the leading splined or otherwise keyed end of the rotary input shaft 39 of the gear box 37 is placed in driven connection with the rear power take-off shaft of the same tractor or other operating vehicle by way of the known telescopic transmission shaft 40 having universal joints at its opposite ends.The maximum depth to which the tines 5 of the soil working members 3 can penetrate into the ground is set, before work commences, by rotating the adjusting spindles 1 2 to raise or lower the bodily level of the ground roller 10 relative to that of the frame portion 1 and soil working members 3. As the implement moves operatively over the ground in the direction A, each soil working member 3 will cultivate an individual strip of land that extends in that direction, the twelve (in this embodiment) strips of land overlapping, or at least adjoining, one another so that a single broad strip of worked soil is produced that will have a width, with the preferred dimensions that have been referred to above, of substantially, although not necessarily exactly, 3 metres.

The inter-meshing relationship between the pinions 36 is such that each shaft 2, soil working member 3 and pinion 36 revolves in the opposite direction to the or each immediately neighbouring similar assembly, the directions of rotation of these assemblies being indicated by small arrows in Figure 1 of the drawings. In addition to adjusting the maximum depth of penetration of the tines 5 of the members 3 into the ground which is possible before the commencement of work, the horizontal level of the soil accumulating or capturing member 23 should be matchingly adjusted.This is accomplished principally by entering the stop pins 25 through appropriate holes 26 so that, when the tines 5 are at their maximum depth of penetration into the soil, the lower edge of the lower portion 33 of the member 23 will be in contact with the ground surface immediately behind the rotary soil working members 3, the pressure of such contact being variable by engaging the opposite ends of the springs 29 in appropriate holes 28 and 30 and the way in which the member 23 will be displaced upwardly being dependent upon the particular holes 34 and 35 that are chosen for co-operation with the upper pivot pins 20. The stop pins 25 may, when required, be employed to serve as fixing means and, if desired, the upper arms 1 8 may be extended rearwardly in such a way that the rearward extensions will serve as handles facilitating adjustments of the linkages 24.Instead of employing the stop pins 25 in conjunction with the holes 26, continuously variable adjustments may be used such as, purely for example, stops which can be moved upwardly and downwardly by the cooperation of screw-threads provided with lock nuts. Such an arrangement naturally provides an increased variability of adjustment so that any required setting can be accurately ob tained-.

The adjustment provided by the stop pins 25 and holes 26 or by a continuously variable adjustment mechanism should be set so that the lower edge of the portion 33 of the member 23 is at a little higher horizontal level that is the bottom of the ground roller 10 (see Figure 2). As the tines 5 of the rotary soil working members 3 break up the soil, the displaced soil is formed into streams which move either forwardly, or rearwardly, relative to the direction A, between neighbouring members 3 depending upon the directions of rotation of each neighbouring pair of members 3.

A study of the small arrows showing the successively opposite directions of rotation of the members 3 in Figure 1 of the drawings will immediately make it clear that, moving lengthwise along the row of members 3, the streams of soil that are produced between the members 3 are directed alternately forwardly and rearwardly relative to the direction A. The original structure of the soil is broken during the forward progress of the tines 5 in the direction A after which, as those tines 5 move rearwardly, they crumble up the displaced soil still further and substantially all of that soil is eventually, if not initially, directed rearwardly in streams which are generally fan-shaped in a rearwardly divergent manner.The coarser, heavier and harder constituents of the displaced soil are ejected further rearwardly than are the finer, lighter and softer constituents thereof so that the former constituents principally strike the upper portion 32 of the accumulating or capturing member 23. These constituents move downwardly and are further crumbled and distributed along the length of the member 23, together with the finer, lighter and softer constituents of the soil, to produce a homogeneously crumbled soil layer that is released from the lower edge of the member 23 more or less uniformly throughout the working width of that member, the elements 11 of the roller 10 also being effective generally to flatten and consolidate the worked soil and also to crush any exceptionally missed lumps or clods of soil.The consolidation effect that is produced by rotation of the roller 10 immediately to the rear of the soil working members 3 tends to leave the worked soil in a gently flattened and consolidated condition which is resistant to subsequent erosion by wind and/or water.

The ground roller 10 which has been described is an open-work, cage-formation roller which may, if desired, be replaced by a socalled packer roller, the position of the soil accumulating or capturing member 23 being adjustable in such a way that the thickness of the layer of soil that is released rearwardly from the lower edge of the accumulating or capturing member 23 remains substantially uniform as the implement makes continued progress in the direction A. The pressure by which the lower edge of the member 23 contacts the ground can be increased or decreased by appropriate re-positioning of the springs 29 and the particular way in which, when required, the member 23 will deflect upwardly can be changed by re-positioning the upper pivot pins 20 in the holes 35 and/or 34.In particular, the nearer the chosen hole 35 is to the pivot pin 1 7 at the leading end of the corresponding upper arm 18, the more rapidly will the member 23 be deflected upwardly when urged in that direction. The deflectability of the member 23 by way of the adjustable linkages 24 and the weight-relieving springs 29 contributes significantly to uniform distribution of the crumbled soil received by the member 23 from the rotating tines 5 and temporarily accumulated by that member 23, it being readily possible to adjust the linkages 24 and springs 29 to achieve optimum effectiveness of the soil accumulating or capturing member 23.It is not essential that the member 23 should have the form that can be seen best in Figure 2 of the drawings and, if desired, it may be constituted by an assembly of plates that may be significantly spaced from one another, relatively close to one another, or in adjoining relationship with one another.

Figure 3 of the drawings illustrates the first of a number of alternative embodiments in each of which parts that are similar, or identical, to those that have already been described with reference to the first embodiment are indicated by the same references as are employed in connection with that first embodiment and will not be described in detail again.

In the embodiment of Figure 3 of the drawings, the trapezoidal plates 1 6 are replaced by upright plates 42 having a compound shape which is visible in Figure 3. Each plate 42 has a considerably greater vertical extent at its front, with respect to the direction A, than at its rear and each pair of upper arms 1 8 is replaced by a corresponding single upper arm 43 that is variable in length. A leading portion of each upper arm 43 comprises a cylinder 45 whose foremost end carries a fork 47 that is turnably connected to an upper portion of the corresponding plate 42 by the upper pivot pin 1 7. A rod 44 projects from the rearwardly directed open end of the cylinder 45 and is axially displaceable in that cylinder 45 against the resilient opposition of at least one spring.

The rearmost end of the rearwardly projecting rod 44 carries a fork 46 between the limbs of which the upper end of the upper arm portion 21 is pivotally mounted by the corresponding upper pivot pin 20. Preferably, as illustrated, each fork 46 is formed with at least two pairs of the previously mentioned holes 35 so that any chosen pair of those holes 35 can receive the pivot pin 20 concerned to couple the fork 46 to the upper portion 21 of the respective arm 22. Pivotal polygonal linkages 48 are again formed in a basically similar manner to the linkages 24 and, in the setting illustrated in Figure 3, each such linkage 48 is a parallelogram linkage. A pair of lugs 49 project upwardly from the top of the cylinder 45 at the rearmost end of the latter and a horizontal pivot pin connects those lugs to the piston rod of a pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly or so-called gas spring 50.The upper end of the cylinder of the assembly or gas spring 50 is pivotally connected to a pair of lugs 51 projecting rearwardly from substantially the top of the corresponding plate 42. The assembly or gas spring 50 tends to maintain a predetermined length and opposes both increase and decrease of that length. In this embodiment, the two assemblies or gas springs 50 afford the weight-relieving means and it is noted that, although not illustrated, the positions of the pivots which connect each assembly or spring 50 to the corresponding lugs 49 and 51 could be adjustable in respectively substantially horizontal and vertical directions by enlarging the lugs and providing rows of holes, any chosen pairs of which could receive the corresponding pivots.This, it will be realised, is analogous to engaging the opposite ends of the tension springs 29 of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 with chosen holes 28 and 30.

In the embodiment of Figure 3 of the drawings, a soil accumulating or capturing member 52 is provided which again comprises the upper portion 32 that is substantially vertically disposed when the linkages 48 are parallelogram linkages having their upper arms 43 and lower arms 1 9 extending substantially horizontally parallel to the direction A as shown in Figure 3. However, in this case, the member 52 comprises a lower portion 53 which extends obliquely downwardly and rearwardly, with respect to the direction A, from its junction with the lower edge of the upper portion 32 but which has a lower edge region 53 that is bent over cylindrically rearwardly and upwardly through an angle which approaches 180" so that its extremity is at a horizontal level above that of ground level.A substantially triangular plate 54 is rigidly secured to the opposite ends of the soil accumulating or capturing member 52, each plate 54 being substantially vertically disposed in parallel relationship with the plate 54 at the opposite end of the member 52 and in parallel or substantially parallel relationship with the direction A. The leading edge of each substantially triangular plate 54, with respect to the direction A, is steeply downwardly and forwardly inclined relative to that direction A whereas its rear edge is inclined downwardly and rearwardly with respect to the direction A at an angle which is close to, if not exactly, 45 , this angle being less steep than the inclination of the leading edge of the same plate 54 to the horizonal. The lower edge of each plate 54 is horizontally or substantially horizontally disposed.At least the two lower corners of each substantially triangular plate 54 are of rounded, rather than pointed, formation.

When using the embodiment of Figure 3 of the drawings, the member 52 receives or captures, and temporarily accumulates, soil ejected rearwardly in streams from between the rotary member 3 in substantially exactly the same way as has already been described above, the coarser, heavier and harder constituents of the displaced soil being given more kinetic energy so that they move rearwardly more energetically than the finer, lighter and softer constituents as a result of which most of the former constituents strike the upper portion 32 of the member 52 which enables those constituents to be further broken up before moving downwardly to join the finer, lighter and softer constituents of the soil.The rearwardly bent over, lower edge region of the lower portion 53 of the member 52 has a relatively large area of contact with the displaced soil that escapes rearwardly from beneath it during the operation of the implement and this facilitates both the formation of a soil layer of uniform thickness throughout the working width of the implement and a reduction in the density of the formed layer which, it will be realised, is immediately subsequently engaged by the ground roller 10 that is not shown in Figure 3. When an exceptionally large quantity of displaced soil is to be dealt with, the plates 54 at the opposite ends of the member 52 prevent that soil from escaping around those ends so that the formation of ridges and other undulations in the seed bed that is being produced is avoided.In the use of the embodiment shown in Figure 3, when the pressure of the member 52 exceeds a predetermined magnitude, the rod 44 of each upper arm 43 will bye retracted into the corresponding cylinder 45 against resilient opposition so that the shape of each linkage 48 will change by reduction of the length of each upper arm 43 and with the result that upward deflection of the member 52 will take place more rapidly than when the linkages 48 are parallelogram linkages. The further the arms 44 are retracted into the cylinders 45, the greater will be the rapidity of deflection of the member 52.When a particularly rapid speed of deflection of the member 52 is required from the outset, the upper pivot pin 20 can connect the arm portion 21 to the bracket 46 by way of the pair of holes 35 that is nearer to the base of the bracket 46 than is the pair shown employed in Figure 3. Thus, under these circumstances, each linkage 48 will be a polygonal, rather than parallelogram, linkage before any retraction of the rods 44 into the cylinders 45 takes place. The assemblies or gas springs 50 constitute very effective weight-relieving means for the member 52 and require very little maintenance.

Figure 4 illustrates an embodiment which is similar in many respects to that of Figures 1 and 2 but, in the embodiment of Figure 4, the linkages 24 are arranged so that their upper and lower pairs of arms 18 and 1 9 are substantially always inclined downwardly and rearwardly, with respect to the direction A, from the corresponding pivot pins 1 7 when the implement is in operation. With this arrangement, deflection of a soil accumulating or capturing member 55 will take place more rapidly than when the linkages 24 are of parallelogram formation but oblong disposition with the upper and lower arms 1 8 and 1 9 horizontal or substantially horizontal.Once again, the additional holes 34 in the arm portions 21 and the additional holes 35 in the upper arms 1 8 are both provided to enable the linkages 24 to be initially disposed as polygonal, rather than parallelogram, linkages when so desired. In this embodiment, the member 55 comprises a tubular carrier 56 extending substantially horizontally parallel to a plane containing the axes of rotation A of the twelve soil working members 3 and thus substantially perpendicular to the direction A.

A number of triple-edged support plates 57 rigidly secure an upper downwardly and rearwardly inclined plate 58 of the member 55 to the carrier 56 in such a position that the upper edge of the plate 58 is at substantially the front of the carrier 56 with respect to the direction A, the rigid connections that are afforded by the support plates 57 preferably being welded connections. A lower and rear edge region of the upper plate 58 has secured to it, by a plurality of small bolts, an upper edge region of a flexible flap 59 that is preferably formed from an elastomeric material such as natural rubber, artificial rubber, or a synthetic plastics material. The flap 59 extends downwardly and rearwardly in effective prolongation of the upper plate 58 and, as can be seen in Figure 4 of the drawings, its lowermost edge, which will normally contact the ground, is in the form of a thickened bead.The soil accumulating or capturing member 55 has been found to be particularly suitable for use on soil having a large number of surface stones and/or other hard objects.

The downwardly and rearwardly inclined disposition of the upper plate 58 and the provision of the resilient flap 59 tend to prevent the member 55 from being damaged by stones and the like and also tend to prevent damage occurring to the rotary soil working members 3. There is a reduced tendency, when using the member 55, for that member to collect large accumulations of soil that has been crumbled by the members 3.

In the embodiment of Figure 5 of the drawings, the substantially trapezoidal plates 16 are replaced by substantially trapezoidal plates 60 of greatly reduced vertical extent.

Substantially horizontal pivot pins 61 turnably connect the leading pins of pairs of arms 62, located immediately at opposite sides of each plate 60, to those plates 60, said pivot pins 61 occupying substan.ially the same positions relative to the plane which contains the axes of rotation a of the twelve soil working members 3 as had already been described above for the pivot pins 1 7 in the preceding embodiment.

The pairs of arms 62 extend generally rearwardly along the opposite sides of the respective plates 60 and project behind the frame portion 1 to substantially the same extent as do the previously described arms 18, 1 9 and 43, the arms 52 being freely pivotable upwardly and downwardly about the corresponding pins 61. The rearmost pins of the two arms 62 of each pair have the upper end of a corresponding one of the arm portions 21 rigidly, rather than pivotally, secured between them, each pair of arms 62 being provided with weight-relieving means for a soil accumulating or capturing member 63, which weightrelieving means comprises the parts 27 and 29 that have already been described above and the rows of holes 28 and 30 by which the effect of the helical tension springs 29 can be varied.The maximum extent to which each pair of arms 62 can turn downwardly about the axis defined by the corresponding pivot pin 61 is again determined by one of the stop pins 25 which can be entered through chosen holes in the corresponding plate 60. In this embodiment, the member 63 is similar to the member 23 of the first embodiment except that the leading surface, with respect to the direction A, of the downwardly and rearwardly inclined lower portion 33 thereof has a natural rubber, synthetic rubber or elastomeric synthetic plastics strip 64 releasably, and thus renewably, secured to it in such a way that the lower edge of that strip 64 lies beneath the lower edge of the rigid portion 33 of the member 63.The elastomeric strip 64 very considerably reduces, if not completely eliminates, damage to the member 63 caused by stones and other hard objects and also tends to prevent mud and other soft earth from adhering to the lower portion 33 of the member 63 for any extended length of time.

Figure 6 illustrates a soil accumulating or capturing member 65 which comprises a tubular carrier 66 rigidly secured to the lowermost ends of the portions 31 of the arms 22 so as to extend substantially horizontally perpendicular to the direction A, a second relatively parallel carrier 66 being displacably connected to the upper carrier 66 by pairs of chain links 67, one link of each pair being rigidly secured to the upper carrier 66 and the other link of the same pair being rigidly secured to the lower carrier 66.Further pairs of chain links 67 displaceably connect a beam 68 of right-angled cross section to the lower carrier 66, one link of each such pair 67 being rigidly secured to the lower carrier 66 and the other link of the same pair being rigidly secured to the beam 68 at the junction between its relatively perpendicular and equal length (as seen in cross section-Figure 6) limbs. The assembly of parts 66, 67 and 68 which constitutes the soil accumlating or capturing member 65 is effectively flexible in construction and, under some operating conditions, is capable of further crumbling and uniformly distributing the soil worked by the members 3 in a particularly efficient manner.

When using the member 65, the soil fed rearwardly towards that member by the rotary soil working members 3 passes principally over the top of the beam 68 before being encountered by the roller 10, rather than beneath the beam 68.

Figure 7 illustrate a soil accumulating or capturing member 69 which may be supported by any of the structures that have been described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings. The member 69 comprises a tubular carrier 70 that is welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the lowermost ends of the carrying arms 22 so as to extend substantially horizontally perpendicular to the direction A.

The carrier 70 is provided, at substantially regular intervals along its length, with downwardly projecting tines 71, each illustrated tine 71 being of rigid formation and being rigidly supported although it is possible to substitute resiliently flexible tines or to support the rigid tines in a resiliently flexible manner.In the embodiment that is illustrated in Figure 7, alternate tines 71 along the length of the carrier 70 are upwardly and downwardly displaceable in position relative to the carrier, each such tine being axially displaceable in its mounting in the carrier 70 alongside a corresponding clamping bolt 71A which is employable to secure the tine in a position of maximum doward projection corresponding to that of the alternate fixed tines 71, a position in which it is substantially fully withdrawn upwardly, or any chosen position of downward projection between these two extremes.The temporary accumulating effect of the member 69 and the way in which it further crumbles the soil and uniformly releases it for treatment by the following roller 10 will, of course, be dependent to a considerable extent upon the settings that are chosen for the alternate displaceable tines 71 in the light of the nature and condition of the soil that is to be dealt with and the particular purpose for which the soil is required after cultivating treating.

Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings illustrate a further alternative soil accumulating or capturing member 72 comprising a tubular carrier 73 which, once again, is rigidly secured to the lowermost ends of the carrying arms 22 so as to extend substantially horizontally perpendicular to the direction A. However, this construction comprises a second similar tubular carrier 74 which is located a short distance behind the carrier 73, with respect to the direction A, at substantially the same horizontal level as the carrier 73. Each of the two carriers 73 and 74 is provided througout substantially the whole of its tranverse length with a row of regularly spaced apart downwardly projecting tines 75 of rigid formation.

As in the preceding embodiment, the tines 75 may be replaced by resiliently flexible tines or the rigid tines 75 may be supported in a resiliently flexible manner. Figure 8 of the drawings shows that, when viewed in the direction A, the tines 75 of the carrier 74 are located successively mid-way between the tines 75 of the carrier 73 but the carrier 74 is axially displaceable relative to the carrier 73 by the provision of pairs of upper and lower strips 76 at locations close to the opposite ends of the carriers 73 and 74, each pair of strips 76 having their leading ends turnably connected to the carrier 73 by a substantially vertical pivot and their rearmost ends similarly pivotally connected to the carrier 74.A bracket 79A projects rearwardly from the leading carrier 73 just beneath each upper strip 76 and is formed with a plurality, such as three, of holes 78A into any chosen one of which a vertical locking pin 77 entered through a single hole in the corresponding upper strip 76 can be passed to retain the two strips 76 of that pair in a corresponding angular setting about the pivotal connections of those strips to the leading carrier 73. It will be appreciated that the chosen angular position of the strips 76 dictates the axial position of the rear carrier 74 relative to that of the leading carrier 73 and thus the positions of the rear tines 75, considered in the direction A, relative to those of the leading tines 75.

Such adjustment naturally varies the temporary accumulating and crumbling effect of the member 72.

Figures 10 and 11 of the drawings show a soil accumulating or capturing member 78 whose effect is variable for the same purpose as the embodiment of Figures 8 and 9 but in a different manner. In this embodiment, an upper tubular carrier 79 and a lower tubular carrier 80 lie substantially vertically one above the other with only the lower carrier 80 rigidly secured to the lower ends of the carrying arms 22.The lower carrier 80 has the aforementioned rigid or other tines 75 secured to it at regular intervals along its length so as to project substantially vertically downwards therefrom but the upper carrier 79 has similar tines 75, of somewhat greater axial length, secured to it at locations which lie midway between the tines directly supported by the lower carrier 80, the tines 75 of the upper carrier 79 being entered downwardly through registering holes at the top and bottom of the lower carrier 80.

The opposite ends of the lower carrier 80 have corresponding upright plates 83 rigidly secured to them so as to project upwardly therefrom, each plate 83 being formed with a corresponding substantially vertically extending slot 82. The opposite ends of the upper carrier 79 are provided with axially projecting screw-threaded stub shafts 81 and each stub shaft 81 is entered through the slot 82 in the corresponding plate 83. Handled nuts 84 are mounted on the stub shafts 81 and, upon loosening the nuts 84, the upper carrier 79 and its tines 75 can be moved upwardly or downwardly along the slots 82 until a required fresh position is attained which fresh position can be maintained, as long as is required, merely by re-tightening the nuts 84.

Figure 10 shows the upper carrier 79 in broken lines in a position in which the stub shafts 81 have been moved upwardly along the slots 82 as far as is possible whereas the position shown in full lines in Figues 10 and 11 illustrated the upper carrier 79 as lying immediately above the lower carrier 80 in which latter position its tines 75 have their lowermost ends at the same horizontal level as those of said lower carrier 80. It will immediately be apparent that the temporary soil accumulating effect and the soil crumbling effect can be varied by moving the upper carrier 79 and its tines 75 upwardly or downwardly relative to the lower carrier 80 and its tines 75, the substantially uniform release of the worked soil to the following roller 10 similarly being affected by such adjustment.

Once again, the tines 75 may be replaced by resiliently flexible tines or the tines 75 may be supported in a resiliently flexible manner. It is not essential that the tines 75 of the embodiments of Figures 8 to 11 of the drawings should extend substantially vertically downwards and they may, if preferred, trail downwardly and rearwardly to some extent, with respect to the direction A, as do the soil accumulating or capturing members of many of the preceding embodiments.

In the embodiments that have been described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 and Figure 4 of the drawings, the leading lower pivot pins 1 7 may be located in slots formed in the plates 1 6 and tension springs may be stretched between the carrying arms 22, at a level beneath that of the lower linkage arms 19, and the pivotable supports or carriers (not shown in detail) of the leading screen 1 3. The effectiveness of the member 23 or 55 is still further increased by using this construction in which the lower arms 1 9 can advantageously be extended rearwardly to provide handles that will facilitate manual adjustments of the polygonal linkages 24.

Although certain features of the several soil cultivating implement embodiments that have been described and/or that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings will be set forth in the following claims as inventive features, it is emphasized that the invention is not necessarily limited to those features and that it includes within its scope each of the parts of each embodiment that has been described, and/or that is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, both individually and in various combinations.

Claims (27)

1. A soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth, wherein the soil accumulating or capturing member is of elongate configuration and is pivotable upwardly and downwardly about at least one axis which is located in advance of a plane containing the axes of rotation of said row of soil working members relative to said intended direction of operative travel.

2. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one weight-relieving member is connected to the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member.

3. An implement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the or each weight-relieving member comprises a spring interconnecting a carrying arm for said accumulating or capturing member and a part that is rigid with said frame portion.

4. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member is connected to said frame portion at two relatively spaced locations by means of corresponding pivotable polygonal linkages, the pivotal axes of said linkages extending substantially horizontally perpendicular, or at least transverse, to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement.

5. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member is pivotally connected to said frame portion by two relatively spaced arms both of which extend over part of the fore and aft width of said frame portion.

6. An implement as claimed in claim 4, wherein means is provided to enable at least one of the pivot pins or the like which physically affords one of the pivotal axes of the or each polygonal linkage to be displaced from one position to another.

7. An implement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the or each pivotable polygonal linkage comprises four pivotal axes, and wherein said means to enable the position of at least one of those axes to be changed is provided in respect of at least one of the upper axes of the or each linkage.

8. An implement as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the or each pivotal polygonal linkage comprises two vertically spaced arms which both extend generally in the intended direction of operative travel of the implement, the leading ends of said arms being pivotally connected to said frame portion and the rear ends thereof being pivotally connected to a carrying arm or corresponding carrying arm for the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member, and wherein means is provided to enable the effective length of the upper arm of the or each such linkage to be varied.

9. An implement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the position of the pivotal connection between the or each upper arm and said frame portion and/or the position of the pivotal connection between the/or each upper arm and the carrying arm or corresponding carrying arm is displaceable lengthwise of that upper arm.

10. An implement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the effective length of the upper arm of the or each linkage is variable against resilient opposition.

11. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the pivot pin or the like which physically affords the pivotal connection between the upper arm of the or each polygonal linkage and the carrying arm or corresponding carrying arm is displaceable lengthwise of that upper arm by engaging it in alternative openings that are spaced apart lengthwise of said upper arm.

1 2. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the or each pivotable polygonal linkage is so arranged that, at least during normal operation of the implement, the upper and lower arms thereof are inclined downwardly and rearwardly, with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement, from their pivotal connections to said frame portion.

1 3. An implement as claimed in claim 4 or in any one of claims 5 to 1 2 when read as appendant to claim 4, wherein at least one stop is provided to limit the downward displacement of the soil accumulating or capturing member which is possible, the position of the or each stop being variable to adjust the possible extent of downward displacement of said member.

14. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member is of plate-like formation and comprises an upper vertical or substantially vertical portion and a lower portion that is downwardly and rearwardly inclined with respect to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement.

15. An implement as claimed in claim 14, wherein said upper and lower portions are interconnected, or at least adjoin one another, substantially centrally of said member as considered in a vertical direction.

16. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member is of at least partly flexible formation.

1 7. An implement as claimed in claim 16, wherein a flexible portion of said member is disposed in a lower region thereof.

1 8. An implement as claimed in claim 1 7, wherein said flexible portion is formed from an elastomeric material.

1 9. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member comprises a plurality of flexibly interconnected carriers arranged one above the other.

20. An implement as claimed in claim 19, wherein the flexible connections between said carriers are afforded by chain links.

21. An implement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein means is provided by which the effectiveness of the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member can be varied

22. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member comprises at least one carrier supporting a row of tines in such a way that some tines along said row can be adjusted between fully effective and substantially ineffective positions.

23. An implement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the elongate soil accumulating or capturing member comprises a pair of adjacent carriers each supporting a row of tines, the tines in the two rows being located between each other when the implement is viewed in its intended direction of operative travel.

24. An implement as claimed in claim 23, wherein one of said carriers is arranged so as to be longitudinally displaceable relative to the other.

25. An implement as claimed in claim 23, wherein one of said carriers is arranged so as to be upwardly and downwardly displaceable relative to the other.

26. An implement as claimed in any of claims 22 to 25, wherein said tines are of resiliently flexible formation.

27. A soil cultivating implement of the kind set forth, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of the embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.