Six and eight row cultivator and planter frame

Claim 1

A frame assembly for cultivating and planting equipment, comprising: a central, horizontal and elongated frame unit; a central forwardly extending hinge plate mounted on said frame, and an outer forwardly and downwardly extending hinge plate mounted on said frame spaced from opposite sides of said central plate so as to define a three-point hitch for the assembly; an outer, horizontal and elongated frame unit at opposite ends of said central frame unit; a rigid plate mounted at one end thereof on a spacer to the inner end of each said outer unit at the top thereof and extending over a portion of the top of said central unit, the end opposite said one end of each said rigid plate being spaced from the respective ends of said central unit and being pivotally connected to said central unit thereat; ground engaging wheel means at the outer end only of each said outer frame unit; means for independently raising each of said outer frame unit vertically upwardly about their respective pivotal connections, said raising means comprising a first bar hingedly connected at one end thereof to said central frame unit, a second bar unit pivotally connected at one end thereof to the opposite end of said first bar and being hingedly connected at its opposite end respectively to said rigid plates, hydraulic actuators mounted on said central frame unit and being connected to each said first bar for moving same about its one end and thereby moving said outer frame unit about their repective pivotal connections; each of said frame units comprising a rectangular, enclosed box frame having spaced, interconnected horizontal and vertical walls, and outwardly extending flanges secured to the bottom ones of said horizontal walls for supporting the cultivating and planting equipment on said frame units, plugged fluid filler openings on each said frame unit for filling them with fluid to thereby weight-down said frame units, and plugged fluid drain openings on each said frame unit for draining the fluid therefrom; said frame units capable of being together mounted to the rearward end of a draft vehicle solely by means of said hinge plates which also serve to fully support said frame units when said outer frame units are in an upwardly raised position, and whereby said outer frame units are capable of moving both upwardly and downwardly about their respective pivotal connections as their respective ground-engaging wheel means follows the contour of the ground during travel of the assembly.