Pivotal disc gang section

Claim 2

A disc implement including an upper gang tube, stationary upwardly projecting abutment plate means projecting upwardly from and extending along said upper gang tube, a pair of upstanding mounting plates projecting above and below said upper gang tube, pivot means pivotally supporting said mounting plates relative to said gang tube and abutment plate means for oscillation about an axis stationary relative to and extending along said upper gang tube, the upper ends of said mounting plates being disposed forward of said abutment plate means and rearwardly abuttingly engageable therewith to define limits of rearward swinging of said mounting plates, a lower gang tube supported from the lower ends of said mounting plates and generally paralleling said upper gang tube, depending bearing supports carried by said lower gang tube and journalling a support shaft from the lower ends thereof with said support shaft generally paralleling said lower gang tube, a plurality of disc blades supported from and spaced along said support shaft, horizontal rearwardly projecting tension link means pivotally anchored to said mounting plates at their forward ends and extending rearwardly through the plane of said abutment plate means, said tension link means including rear end abutment means supported therefrom, and coiled compression spring means disposed about said tension link means between said abutment means and said abutment plate means.

Claim 3

A disc implement for conditioning the soil comprising: a plurality of rotatable, circular disc blades, substantially uniformally spaced along a common axis, biasing means to retain each of said blades in a lowered normal working position and means to pivot said plurality of disc blades as a unit to an upward position during contact of one or more of said blades with an abnormal obstruction, said biasing means comprising a coil spring, each of said plurality of disc blades being connected to a horizontally positioned lower gang tube, said lower gang tube being interconnected with said pivot means, a horizontally disposed upper gang tube positioned above said lower gang tube, said upper gang tube being connected with said lower gang tube by means of a mounting block, said pivot means including a pivot pin passing through said mounting block, said mounting block being biased by said helical spring, said helical spring being positioned above said upper gang tube, said mounting block comprising a pair of horizontally spaced vertical mounting plates extending from said lower gang tube to a height above said upper gang tube, said pivot pin extending through each of said mounting plates, said implement further including a horizontally disposed tension link pivotally attached to said mounting block, said helical spring encircling said tension link, and spring abutment means attached to said upper gang tube and contacting one end of said spring, spring retaining means attached to said tension link and urged against the other end of said spring, said spring holding said mounting plates against the surface of said spring abutment means opposite the surface contacting said spring so as to retain said plurality of rotating discs in the lowered normal working position.

Claim 4

A disc implement for conditioning the soil comprising: a plurality of rotatable, circular disc blades, substantially uniformally spaced along a common axis, biasing means to retain each of said blades in a lowered normal working position and means to pivot said plurality of disc blades as a unit to an upward position during contact of one or more of said blades with an abnormal obstruction, said biasing means comprising a coil spring, each of said plurality of disc blades being connected to a horizontally positioned lower gang tube, said lower gang tube being interconnected with said pivot means, a horizontally disposed upper gang tube positioned above said lower gang tube, said upper gang tube being connected with said lower gang tube by means of a mounting block, said pivot means including a pivot pin passing through said mounting block, said mounting block being biased by said helical spring, said helical spring being positioned above said upper gang tube, said mounting block comprising a pair of horizontally spaced vertical mounting plates extending from said lower gang tube to a height above said upper gang tube, said pivot pin extending through each of said mounting plates, said implement further including a horizontally disposed tension link pivotally attached to said mounting block, said helical spring encircling said tension link, and spring abutment means attached to said upper gang tube and contacting one end of said spring, spring retaining means attached to said tension link and urged against the other end of said spring, said spring holding said mounting plates against the surface of said spring abutment means opposite the surface contacting said spring so as to retain said plurality of rotating discs in the lowered normal working position.

Claim 5

A disc implement for conditioning the soil comprising: a plurality of rotatable, circular disc blades, substantially uniformally spaced along a common axis, biasing means to retain each of said blades in a lowered normal working position and means to pivot said plurality of disc blades as a unit to an upward position during contact of one or more of said blades with an abnormal obstruction, each of said disc blades being connected to a laterally disposed lower gang tube, said biasing means including a plurality of biasing means laterally spaced and associated with said tube, said pivot means including a plurality of laterally spaced pivot means associated with said tube, a laterally disposed upper gang tube, each of said pivot means comprising a vertically positioned mounting means, said mounting means comprising a pair of laterally spaced vertical plates extending from the surface of said lower gang tube to a position above said upper gang tube, each of said pivot means includes a pivot pin extending through said mounting plates, said pivot pin being encased within a pivot pin support block attached to said upper gang tube, said biasing means being associated with said support block, said pivot pin being positioned between said lower gang tube and said biasing means, said biasing means being pivotally mounted to said support block, said mounting plates being positioned forward of said upper gang tube and said biasing means is a coil spring extending rearwardly of said mounting plates, said implement including a spring abutment plate interdisposed between one end of said spring and said mounting plates, whereby said spring abutment plate acts as a stop for said mounting plates when said rotating discs are biased into the normal working position.

Claim 6

A disc implement for conditioning the soil comprising: a plurality of rotatable, circular disc blades, substantially uniformally spaced along a common axis, biasing means to retain each of said blades in a lowered normal working position and means to pivot said plurality of disc blades as a unit to an upward position during contact of one or more of said blades with an abnormal obstruction, each of said disc blades being connected to a laterally disposed lower gang tube, said biasing means including a plurality of biasing means laterally spaced and associated with said tube, said pivot means including a plurality of laterally spaced pivot means associated with said tube, a laterally disposed upper gang tube, each of said pivot means comprising a vertically positioned mounting means, said mounting means comprising a pair of laterally spaced vertical plates extending from the surface of said lower gang tube to a position above said upper gang tube, each of said pivot means includes a pivot pin extending through said mounting plates, said pivot pin being encased within a pivot pin support block attached to said upper gang tube, said biasing means being associated with said support block, said pivot pin being positioned between said lower gang tube and said biasing means, said biasing means being pivotally mounted to said support block, said mounting plates being positioned forward of said upper gang tube and said biasing means is a coil spring extending rearwardly of said mounting plates, said implement including a spring abutment plate interdisposed between one end of said spring and said mounting plates, whereby said spring abutment plate acts as a stop for said mounting plates when said rotating discs are biased into the normal working position.

Claim 7

The implement of claim 3, wherein said biasing means comprises a plurality of laterally spaced biasing means and said pivot pin comprises a plurality of laterally spaced pivot pins.

Claim 8

The implement of claim 3 including axle means associated with each of said discs to allow rotation of said discs, and means to connect the axle means associated with each of said discs to said lower gang tube.

Claim 9

The implement of claim 5, wherein said plurality of rotating disc blades are supported on a single axle, said axle being supported for rotation by a plurality of bearings, said means to connect said axle to said lower gang tube comprising a plurality of bearing standards containing said bearings, said bearing standards being secured to said lower gang tube by means of U-bolts.

Claim 10

The implement of claim 3, wherein said plurality of disc blades are aligned at a positive angle from a perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of movement of said implement.