Soil sampling device

Claim 1

A soil sampling device comprising a probe assembly including a tubular probe, a probe assembly motive means, said probe assembly being pivotally attached at a first location thereon to said probe assembly motive means for limited pivotal movement relative thereto; a guide means, said guide means including a member mounted for linear reciprocal motion in the vertical direction, a first stop means on said member adapted to limit the upward movement thereof, said tubular probe assembly being pivotally attached at a second location thereon to said member, means to bias said member into its uppermost position, a second stop means on said probe assembly adapted to limit further pivotal movement of said probe assembly when the longitudinal axis of the probe is vertical, a soil sample receiving means having an opening therein for receiving soil samples from said tubular probe, wherein movement of said probe assembly motive means in a first direction initially causes said probe assembly to pivot about said first location thereon until the longitudinal axis of said probe is vertical at which position said second stop means prevents further rotation, thereafter continued movement of said probe assembly motive means in said first direction causes said probe to move downwardly in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said probe, penetrating the soil which it is sampling, and movement of said probe assembly motive means in a direction opposite to said first direction causes the probe to be withdrawn vertically upward from the soil at which point said first stop means prevents further upward movement of said second point on said probe assembly and continued movement of said motive means in said opposite direction causes said probe assembly to pivot about said second location thereon thereby moving said probe to a horizontal position.