Planter

Claim 2

A seed planter having a mobile frame, a furrow opener supported on the frame and having its lower portion adapted to open a ground furrow as the frame advances, a hopper having at least one opening in the bottom thereof supported on the frame above the furrow opener; a pair of rotary seed selecting structures supported to rotate about horizontal axes on the frame and in spaced apart relation below the hopper and above the lower portion of the furrow opener and having seed delivery means for delivering seed to a furrow opened by the opener, a seed delivery chute for each of said seed selecting structures with each chute opening into its seed selecting structure and having an inlet at the bottom of the hopper; drive means on the frame for selectively driving one of said seed selecting structures to the exclusion of the other; means interposed between the chute inlets and said hopper bottom and manually settable to selectively restrict flow of seed from the aforesaid hopper opening through one inlet of a seed delivery chuTe while permitting flow of seed from the hopper through the inlet of the other seed delivery chute; and a furrow closing device supported on the frame behind said seed delivery means.

Claim 3

A seed planter having a mobile frame, a furrow opener mounted on the frame and having its lower portion adapted to open a ground furrow as the frame advances, a hopper having at least one opening in the bottom thereof supported on the frame above the furrow opener; a first seed selecting mechanism having a rotary member rotatable about a horizontal axis and with a plurality of spring-biased radial fingers, each adapted to close upon a seed and slide it on a fixed vertical surface to a discharge outlet; a second seed selecting mechanism including a rotary member rotatable about a horizontal axis and adapted to feed seed through an outlet in a generally continuous stream; means supporting the first and second seed selecting mechanisms on the frame in spaced apart relation below the hopper and above the lower portion of the furrow opener; seed delivery means for delivering seed from the respective outlets of the seed selecting mechanisms to a furrow opened by the opener; seed chutes extending from the hopper to the seed selecting mechanisms and having seed inlets for each of said seed selecting mechanisms at the bottom of the hopper; means interposed between the chute inlets and said hopper bottom manually settable to selectively prevent flow of seed from the aforesaid hopper opening through the inlet of one of the chutes while permitting flow of seed from the hopper through the inlet of the other chute; and a furrow closing device supported on the frame behind said seed delivery means.

Claim 4

A seed planter having a mobile frame, a furrow opener mounted on the frame and having its lower portion adapted to open a ground furrow as the frame advances, a hopper having at least one opening in the bottom thereof supported on the frame above the furrow opener; a first seed selecting mechanism having a rotary member rotatable about a horizontal axis and with a plurality of spring-biased radial fingers, each adapted to close upon a seed and slide it on a fixed vertical surface to a discharge outlet; a second seed selecting mechanism including a rotary member rotatable about a horizontal axis and adapted to feed seed through an outlet in a generally continuous stream; means supporting the first and second seed selecting mechanisms on the frame in spaced apart relation below the hopper and above the lower portion of the furrow opener; seed delivery means for delivering seed from the respective outlets of the seed selecting mechanisms to a furrow opened by the opener; seed chutes extending from the hopper to the seed selecting mechanisms and having seed inlets for each of said seed selecting mechanisms at the bottom of the hopper; means interposed between the chute inlets and said hopper bottom manually settable to selectively prevent flow of seed from the aforesaid hopper opening through the inlet of one of the chutes while permitting flow of seed from the hopper through the inlet of the other chute; and a furrow closing device supported on the frame behind said seed delivery means.

Claim 5

The seed planter defined in claim 2 further characterized by drive means for driving the rotary members of the first and second seed selecting mechanisms, said drive means being manually adaptable to drive one rotary member to the exclusion of the other.

Claim 6

A seed planter having a mobile frame, a furrow opener having its lower portion adapted to open a ground furrow as the frame advances, a hopper supported on the frame above the furrow opener; a pair of rotary seed selecting structures operable independently of one another and supported to rotate on horizontal axes on the frame in fore-and-aft spaced apart relation below the hopper and above the lower portion of the furrow opener, seed delivery means on the frame for delivering seed from the respective seed selecting structures to a furrow opened by the opener, seed chutes extending between the bottom of the hopper and seed selecting structures with each having an inlet at the bottom of the hopper, means interposed between the inlets and hopper bottom manually settable to selectively prevent flow of seed from the hopper through the inlet of one of the chutes while permitting flow of seed from the hopper through the inlet of the other of the chutes; drive means at least part of which is mounted on the frame for driving the seed selectors; and a furrow closing device supported on the frame behind said seed delivery means.

Claim 7

A seed planter having a mobile frame, a furrow opener having its lower portion adapted to open a ground furrow as the frame advances, a hopper supported on the frame above the furrow opener; a pair of rotary seed selecting structures operable independently of one another and supported to rotate on horizontal axes on the frame in fore-and-aft spaced apart relation below the hopper and above the lower portion of the furrow opener, seed delivery means on the frame for delivering seed from the respective seed selecting structures to a furrow opened by the opener, seed chutes extending between the bottom of the hopper and seed selecting structures with each having an inlet at the bottom of the hopper, means interposed between the inlets and hopper bottom manually settable to selectively prevent flow of seed from the hopper through the inlet of one of the chutes while permitting flow of seed from the hopper through the inlet of the other of the chutes; drive means at least part of which is mounted on the frame for driving the seed selectors; and a furrow closing device supported on the frame behind said seed delivery means.