Vibratory earth engaging shank

Claim 1

A vibratory earth engaging shank carried in an upright position by a prime mover with a lower portion of the shank extending below the ground surface for forming a narrow kerf therein for the subsequent deposit of an electrical conduit, said shank having fluid carrying passageways extending therealong with one of said passageways adapted to receive a pressurized fluid flow from a source carried by the prime mover, an annular wall formed within and adjacent the lower end of the shank, said passageways terminating in tangential openings in said wall in communication with a space defined by the wall, a roller of a lesser width than that of the shank disposed for orbital rolling engagement about said annular wall in response to a pressurized fluid flow being discharged through one of said tangential openings to impart vibratory motion to the lower end of the shank along vectors coplanar with the shanks major axis advantageously remote from the attachment point of the shank to the prime mover thereby lessening the transfer of vibratory motion to the latter during a kerf forming operation, inset areas also formed within said ground engaging portion of the shank adjacent the wall defining portion of the shank, closure plates removably mounted with said inset areas having their outer surfaces substantially coplanar with the shank sidewalls with said plates permitting access to said roller for servicing or replacement of same with a roller imparting different vibratory characteristics to the shank.