JP7689888B2 - Riding rice transplanter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a riding rice transplanter that plants rice seedlings in paddy fields, and more specifically, to a riding rice transplanter that is equipped with a seedling planting device and a fertilizer application device that applies fertilizer to the soil.

In general, riding rice transplanters are equipped with a planting device at the rear of a traveling body that has left and right front and rear wheels, and this planting device is used to plant rice seedlings in paddy fields. In addition, such riding rice transplanters are equipped with a fertilizer applicator on the traveling body in order to reduce the amount of fertilizer used and the labor required in rice cultivation systems, and this fertilizer applicator allows fertilization work to be performed simultaneously with the planting of seedlings. Fertilizer applicators that apply a highly viscous liquid paste fertilizer to the soil and granular fertilizer that applies solid granular fertilizer to the soil are used.

When a paste or granular fertilizer applicator is installed on a riding rice transplanter in this way, these fertilizer applicators are quite heavy, so the fertilizer applicator must be appropriately positioned on the running body while considering the front-to-back and left-to-right balance of the machine after installation. Conventionally, fertilizer tanks that store fertilizer and become quite heavy are installed on the left and right sides of the front and rear of the running body, and drive devices such as pumps and delivery devices that send fertilizer to the fertilizer discharge outlet (nozzle) installed on the planting device are installed on the running body or at the bottom of the fertilizer tank (see Patent Document 1).

When replenishing fertilizer in the fertilizer tank installed on the traveling body, the worker must carry the fertilizer in a fertilizer bag or the like to the traveling body, and then lift the fertilizer bag up to the supply port of the fertilizer tank to supply the fertilizer, making this fertilizer replenishing work heavy labor. Therefore, it has been proposed to provide a fertilizer replenishing pump on the traveling body and replenishing the fertilizer tank with fertilizer via a hose by driving the fertilizer replenishing pump (see Patent Document 2).

In addition, in a fertilizer applicator that applies two types of fertilizer, side stripes and deep layers, it has been proposed to reduce the number of times fertilizer needs to be replenished by providing an auxiliary tank on the traveling body and replenishing fertilizer from this auxiliary tank to each fertilizer path as appropriate, or to reduce the number of times fertilizer needs to be replenished by providing a pump that replenishing fertilizer from the side stripe fertilizer path to the deep layer fertilizer path, or conversely, replenishing fertilizer from the deep layer fertilizer path to the side stripe fertilizer path (see Patent Document 3).

JP 2000-32822 A JP 2006-115746 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-178844

As mentioned above, if a riding rice transplanter is equipped with a fertilizer applicator, fertilizer can be effectively applied to the soil near the seedlings at the same time as planting them, thereby increasing yields while reducing the amount of fertilizer used. It also reduces the amount of labor required compared to performing fertilizer work alone. However, when planting seedlings and applying fertilizer simultaneously in this way, if the seedlings or fertilizer run out on the traveling machine side while driving, the work must be stopped each time to replenish the seedlings and fertilizer, which instead forces the worker into hard work.

Therefore, in order to reduce this labor and improve work efficiency, for example, in the case of seedling supply work, measures have been taken such as increasing the number of seedlings that can be placed on the spare seedling carrier at the front of the traveling body, or providing a sliding spare seedling carrier to make it easier to supply spare seedlings from the edge of the field. However, in terms of fertilizer supply work, improvements have been made in terms of making the fertilizer tank larger and increasing its capacity to reduce the number of times it needs to be supplied, but further reductions in labor are desired.

Riding rice transplanters are designed to be high above the ground to enable them to work in deep paddy fields, which inevitably means a high center of gravity. Also, the overall length of the running body needs to be as short as possible to reduce the number of planting laps on the headland at the end of the planting work, so consideration must be given to the running body's front-to-rear balance in particular. In other words, when leaving the paddy field after planting work is finished or crossing a ridge, if the front wheels get on the ridge and the rear balance is lost, the front wheels tend to lift up and the machine will run on the rear wheels, which causes the running body to become unstable and makes it difficult to leave the paddy field.

On the other hand, if the running body is balanced in advance using balance weights or the like, the above problem can be solved. However, in this case, for example, when the running body is traveling at a relatively high speed and an operator tries to stop it by applying the brakes suddenly, the reaction will cause the body to lean forward, causing the rear wheels to lift up, making the running body unstable and, in the worst case, it may tip over. Therefore, the balance weights installed to stabilize the position of the running body may actually act to throw the running body off balance, and a solution to this problem is also desired.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a riding rice transplanter that is equipped with a seedling planting device and a fertilizer applicator that applies fertilizer to the soil on a traveling body with front and rear wheels, and that, when fertilizing work is performed in conjunction with seedling planting work, can reduce the labor required to supply fertilizer to the fertilizer tank of the fertilizer applicator, and can also help stabilize the posture of the traveling body when the traveling body is traveling by using the fertilizer to be supplied to the fertilizer tank.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the riding rice transplanter of the present invention is a riding rice transplanter that has a seedling planting device and a fertilizer applicator that applies fertilizer to the soil on a running body with front and rear wheels, and a drive device for the fertilizer applicator and a fertilizer tank are provided at a relatively high position near the rear step provided at the rear of the running body, and a supply tank is provided at a relatively low position forward of the fertilizer tank and near the front step provided at the front of the running body, and fertilizer or water is stored in the supply tank, or the fertilizer or water stored in the supply tank can be supplied to the rear fertilizer tank by a delivery means, and further, the fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tank can be returned to the front supply tank by a transfer means .

In the riding rice transplanter of the present invention, the sending means is configured by an electric supply pump provided in the flow path connecting the supply tank and the fertilizer tank. Furthermore, in the riding rice transplanter of the present invention, the transferring means is configured by an electric supply pump or a stop valve provided in the flow path connecting the fertilizer tank and the supply tank.

According to the riding rice transplanter of the present invention, a seedling planting device and a fertilizer applicator that applies fertilizer to the soil are mounted on a traveling body with front and rear wheels, and a drive unit for the fertilizer applicator and a fertilizer tank are provided at a relatively high position near the rear step at the rear of the traveling body, and a supply tank is provided at a relatively low position forward of the fertilizer tank and near the front step at the front of the traveling body. Fertilizer or water is stored in the supply tank, or the fertilizer or water stored in the supply tank can be supplied to the rear fertilizer tank by a delivery means, so that fertilizer can be effectively applied to the soil of the paddy field at the same time as the seedlings are planted.

In this case, the drive unit for the fertilizer application device and the fertilizer tank are located at a relatively high position near the rear step at the rear of the traveling body, so the drive unit can be moved together with the fertilizer tank to a high position at the rear of the traveling body, close to the planting device, and away from the environment in which it is exposed to muddy water splashed by the wheels, as was the case in the past when the drive unit was located at a low position on the traveling body close to the rice field surface. This improves the maintainability of the drive unit, which is the fertilizer pump or fertilizer delivery device, and its power transmission device, and also improves durability with less rust and breakdowns.

In addition, a supply tank will now be installed in place of the fertilizer tank previously installed at a relatively low position near the front step at the front of the traveling body, so when supplying fertilizer to the fertilizer tank or supply tank before starting planting and fertilizing work, the fertilizer bag is lifted from the edge of the field to the front of the traveling body as before, and the fertilizer stored in the fertilizer bag is then poured into the supply tank. Also, the fertilizer poured into the supply tank can be easily supplied to the fertilizer tank by the delivery means.

Furthermore, if the amount of fertilizer stored in the fertilizer tank decreases as the planting and fertilizing work progresses, the fertilizer stored in the supply tank can be replenished to the fertilizer tank by the delivery means, with almost no interruption to the planting and fertilizing work. Therefore, in this type of fertilizer replenishment work, the worker does not need to lift and carry a heavy fertilizer bag to the fertilizer tank installed at the rear of the traveling body, so the fertilizer replenishment work can be performed easily without placing a burden on the worker, and the number of times fertilizer needs to be supplied from the edge of the field can be reduced, improving work efficiency.

On the other hand, when traveling at relatively high speeds along farm roads to move to rice paddies for rice planting, if fertilizer or water is poured into the supply tank beforehand and then the fertilizer or water is transferred to the fertilizer tank by the delivery means, the traveling machine body can be rear-balanced by the weight of the fertilizer or water. Therefore, even if the operator tries to stop the machine by applying the brakes suddenly while traveling, the forward balance of the traveling machine body can be suppressed, and the machine body can be stopped safely.

In addition, when leaving the rice paddy after planting and fertilizing work is completed, or when crossing ridges to head to the neighboring rice paddy, if fertilizer or water is poured into the supply tank beforehand, the weight of the fertilizer or water will allow the traveling body to shift to a front-balanced position. Therefore, even if the front wheels climb up onto the ridge and the traveling body tilts, the front wheels can be prevented from lifting up and causing the rear wheels to travel, so the ridge can be crossed or the rice paddy can be exited safely.

In addition, the riding rice transplanter of the present invention is configured so that the fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tank can be returned to the supply tank in front by the transfer means. Therefore, when leaving the paddy field after completing the above-mentioned planting and fertilizing work, or when crossing a ridge to head to an adjacent paddy field, if there is a significant amount of fertilizer or water remaining in the fertilizer tank, the fertilizer or water can be returned to the supply tank by the transfer means without pouring the fertilizer or water into the supply tank from the edge of the paddy field.

As a result, the weight of fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tank at the rear of the traveling body decreases, and conversely, the weight of fertilizer or water stored in the supply tank at the front of the traveling body increases, so the traveling body can be effectively shifted to front balance, allowing it to safely cross ridges and escape from rice paddies.

Furthermore, according to the riding rice transplanter of the present invention, the discharge means is configured by an electric supply pump installed in the flow path connecting the supply tank and the fertilizer tank. Therefore, it is possible to operate the supply pump from a battery power source without providing a new power transmission device or the like on the traveling body side for driving the supply pump from engine power, and it can be installed on the traveling body relatively simply and inexpensively. In addition, since this electric supply pump is a self-priming type and is used in a suction form, it can be installed in a relatively high position on the traveling body away from the environment where it is exposed to muddy water, etc., splashed by the wheels, etc.

And, according to the riding rice transplanter of the present invention, the transfer means is configured by an electric supply pump or stop valve installed in the flow path connecting the fertilizer tank and the supply tank. Therefore, an electric supply pump can be installed to serve both as the sending means and the transfer means, which is less expensive and requires less installation space than when separate pumps are installed for the sending means and the transfer means. Also, if the transfer means is configured to flow fertilizer or water down and back when the stop valve is opened, the transfer means can be configured at a much lower cost than installing a supply pump, etc.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a riding rice transplanter to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a riding rice transplanter. 13 is a rear view showing the arrangement of levers and the like provided on the panel cover. FIG. 4A and 4B are side views of the traveling machine body, in which FIG. 4A shows the rear balanced state and FIG. This is a piping diagram of the fertilizer applicator. 5A is a piping diagram of a fertilizer applicator according to a second embodiment, in which (a) shows the state of fertilizer being sent to the fertilizer tank, (b) shows the state of fertilizer being returned to the supply tank, and (c) shows the state of fertilizer being collected.

The embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the riding rice transplanter 1 has a planting device 6 as a working machine connected to the rear of a traveling body 4 having left and right front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 via a link mechanism 5 so that the planting device 6 can be freely rolled. The planting device 6 is provided so that it can be freely raised and lowered between a lowered working position and an elevated non-working position by a hydraulic cylinder 7 attached between the rear of the traveling body 4 and the rear of the link mechanism 5.

A ground leveling rotor 8 is provided between the rear wheels 3 and the planting device 6 to level the rough headland by the rotation of the traveling body 4, and this ground leveling rotor 8 is arranged to rise and fall together with the planting device 6. On the other hand, the traveling body 4 is integrally constructed by attaching a transmission case 10, left and right front axle cases 11, a rear axle case 12, etc. to a chassis frame 9 formed by fixing multiple cross members to left and right side members.

An engine frame is attached to the front of the transmission case 10, and an engine 13 is mounted on this engine frame. A torque generator that constitutes a power steering device is attached to the top surface of the transmission case 10, which is attached to the chassis frame 9 behind the engine 13. A steering shaft 14 that extends upward and a steering column 15 that contains this steering shaft 14 are erected on this torque generator. A steering handle 16 that steers the front wheels 2 is attached to the upper end of the steering shaft 14.

Meanwhile, a bracket is fixed to the middle of the steering column 15, and the main shift lever 17, sub shift lever 18, and engine control lever 19 are rotatably attached to the left and right of this bracket, with a panel cover 22 covering the base sides of these and equipped with a quick-up lever 20 and a monitor panel 21. A rear cover 24 is provided below the panel cover 22, on which a starter switch 23 and the like are attached, and a bonnet 25 is provided in front of the panel cover 22 and rear cover 24, equipped with a headlight and covering the engine 13 except for its rear and lower sides.

The chassis frame 9 is further provided with a front step 26 and a rear step 27 made of synthetic resin. Of these, the front step 26 has left and right front step portions 26a on the left and right sides of the bonnet 25, followed by a floor step portion 26b behind the rear cover 24. On the other hand, the rear step 27 rises in a stepped shape from the rear of the floor step portion 26b, and is attached to a seat frame provided at the rear of the chassis frame 9.

The rear step 27 has a driver's seat 28 at its upper center, and rear side step sections 27a are provided on the left and right of the driver's seat 28. An opening for the spacing adjustment lever is provided near the front center of the floor step section 26b, and an opening for the brake pedal 29 is provided near the front right. Reference numeral 30 denotes extension steps provided on the left and right of the floor step section 26b, and a fuel tank for the engine 13 is provided below this right extension step 30 and the right rear side step section 27a.

To briefly explain the power transmission system of the riding rice transplanter 1, the engine 13 drives the HST (hydrostatic continuously variable transmission: main transmission) attached to the transmission case 10 via a transmission belt. The power transmitted from the HST to the inside of the transmission case 10 passes through an auxiliary transmission consisting of a gear transmission provided in the transmission case 10 and a differential gear device for the front wheels 2, and drives the left and right front wheels 2 via transmission shafts provided in the left and right front axle cases 11 and kingpin case. The rear wheels 3 are then driven from the auxiliary transmission via left and right wet disk-type side clutches provided in the rear axle case 12.

A disc brake is provided on the transmission shaft that transmits power from the sub-transmission to the left and right side clutches. When the brake pedal 29 is depressed, the main transmission lever 17 returns to the neutral position, the HST goes into neutral, and the disc brake is activated to apply four-wheel brakes to the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3. Furthermore, when turning the rice transplanter 1 on the headland, if the steering wheel 16 is turned more than a specified amount, the side clutch on the turning side is disengaged, and the rear wheel 3 on that side goes into a free-spinning state.

Power is transmitted to the planting device 6 through a first inter-row transmission, a torque limiter, and a planting clutch provided in the transmission case 10, which drives a second inter-row transmission provided in the gear case. The second inter-row transmission then drives a planting input shaft provided in the drive case of the planting device 6 through a drive shaft 31. The soil leveling rotor 8 is driven by a transmission shaft provided in the rotor drive case 33, via the rotor clutch and rotor drive shaft 32, with power branched off between the disk brakes of the traveling system and the left and right side clutches.

To briefly explain the structure of the planting device 6, the planting device 6 has a planting frame that is connected to the rear of the traveling body 4 so that it can roll freely and is arranged in eight rows. The planting frame also has a seedling carrier 34 that is inclined so that it is high at the front and low at the rear and on which multiple mat seedlings are placed, a rotary planting mechanism 36 that scrapes off the seedlings one by one from the bottom end of the seedling carrier 34 with planting tines 35 and plants them on the rice field surface, and a float 37 that levels the planting area while leveling the tracks left by the travel and turning movements.

The power entering the drive case rotates the screw shaft, causing the seedling carrier 34 to slide back and forth left and right. The power entering the drive case is also transmitted to the planter case 38 that constitutes the rotary planting mechanism 36, rotating the rotary case 39. The planting claws 35 attached to the planter arm 40 attached to the rotary case 39 pick up seedlings one by one from the bottom end of the seedling carrier 34, and the picked seedlings are pushed out with a fork and planted on the surface of the rice field.

The left and right markers 41, which mark the paddy field surface for the next work run, are rotatably attached to the tip of a support rod 42, whose base is rotatably supported by the planting frame of the planting device 6. The marker drive motor 43 operates the support rod 42, which allows the markers 41 to be switched between an active position where they touch the paddy field surface to mark it, and a non-active position where they are retracted above the planting device 6. A center pole 44 is provided at the front of the chassis frame 9 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction, and trace markers 45 are provided on the left and right sides of the chassis frame 9.

The riding rice transplanter 1 also has a sliding spare seedling tray 46 that places seedling boxes containing mat seedlings on rotatable rollers and slides them from the front to the rear of the traveling body 4 to supply mat seedlings to the seedling carrier 34 of the planting device 6. The spare seedling tray 46 is foldable and installed on the top of the mounting frame 47 that is raised outward beyond the front step sections 26a installed on the left and right sides of the front of the traveling body 4.

Therefore, when seedlings are supplied from a farm road or the like, the front and rear seedling trays 46b, 46c are unfolded relative to the central seedling tray 46a, and the seedlings to be supplied are then supplied from the farm road or the like to the tip of seedling tray 46b, where they can be moved along the downward sloping transport surface close to the seedling carrier 34, making it easy to supply seedlings. Also, if seedlings are stocked on the sliding spare seedling tray 46 while planting, the stocked seedlings can be supplied to the seedling carrier 34 in the middle of the work.

The outline of the riding rice transplanter 1 has been explained above. Next, we will explain the fertilizer applicator that is installed on the traveling body 4 together with the planting device 6. As shown in Figure 5, this fertilizer applicator uses a two-stage paste fertilizer applicator 48 that applies a highly viscous liquid paste fertilizer to shallow and deep layers of soil near the planted seedlings. This paste fertilizer applicator 48 has left and right fertilizer tanks 49, 50 for storing paste fertilizer behind the driver's seat 28, and these fertilizer tanks 49, 50 are installed side by side with their longitudinal direction in the left-right direction on a fertilizer frame 51 installed at the rear of the traveling body 4.

In addition, the lower part of the fertilizer frame 51, which is located below the left and right fertilizer tanks 49, 50, is equipped with a fertilizer clutch that intermittently transmits power transmitted from the PTO shaft of the forward transmission case 10 via the transmission shaft to the fertilizer applicator 48, a gear transmission that changes the amount of fertilizer applied, and a drive unit 53 that is covered with a cover or the like and includes drive parts such as a sprocket, chain, or gear that drives the fertilizer pump 52 of the fertilizer applicator 48 from the output shaft of the gear transmission.

Therefore, the drive unit 53 is installed behind the rear side step portion 27a at a relatively high position on the rear of the running body 4, so it can be installed in a place that is away from the environment where it is exposed to muddy water splashed by the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3, etc., and is easy to maintain. The fertilizer pump 52 of the fertilizer applicator 48 uses a positive displacement screw pump to accurately discharge paste fertilizer based on the determined fertilizer amount, and these screw pumps are installed below the left and right fertilizer tanks 49, 50 together with the drive unit 53 of the fertilizer applicator 48 as three pump assemblies 54-56, four of which are assembled in a case each.

Furthermore, the paste fertilizer applicator 48 has eight nozzles 57 for shallow layers and four nozzles 58 for deep layers that inject the paste fertilizer into the soil, and the depth of these nozzles can be freely adjusted on the float 37 of the planting device 6. In addition, the outlets at the bottom of the left and right fertilizer tanks 49, 50 are connected to the suction ports of the left and right shallow layer pump assemblies 54, 56 by hoses 59, 60, and the two suction ports of the deep layer pump assembly 55 are also connected to the outlets of the left and right fertilizer tanks 49, 50 by hoses 61, 62 that branch off from the middle of these hoses 59, 60.

The four pump outlets of the left and right shallow layer pump assemblies 54, 56 are connected to the base ends of the eight shallow layer nozzles 57 by respective pipes 63, and the four pump outlets of the deep layer pump assembly 55 are connected to the base ends of the four deep layer nozzles 58 by respective pipes 64. Therefore, when fertilizing the soil in conjunction with planting seedlings, when the planting clutch is turned on by operating the quick-up lever 20 provided on the control unit, the fertilizer clutch is also turned on in conjunction, and the pump assemblies 54 to 56 are driven by the drive device 53 of the fertilizer applicator 48.

When each fertilizer pump 52 of the pump assemblies 54-56 is driven, it sucks in paste fertilizer stored in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 through the suction flow path formed by the hoses 59-62, and the paste fertilizer is pumped to the discharge flow path formed by the pipes 63, 64 and injected from the tips of the nozzles 57, 58 into the soil near the planted seedlings. In this case, the pump assemblies 54-56 are driven by power taken from the driving system whose speed is changed by the main shift lever 17, so that the paste fertilizer can be applied to the soil in proportion to the vehicle speed without excess or deficiency.

The outline of the paste fertilizer applicator 48 has been explained above. Next, we will explain the fertilizer supply device that will be newly installed in the paste fertilizer applicator 48. Left and right supply tanks 66, 67 are installed on a mounting frame 65 that is raised up to the outside beyond the front step sections 26a provided on the left and right sides of the front of the traveling body 4, with their longitudinal direction extending in the front-to-rear direction, so that they overlap below the sliding spare seedling tray 46. In addition, a supply pump 69 with an integrated electric motor is provided inside a lower cover 68 that covers the seat frame to which the driver's seat 28 is attached.

The supply pump 69 is a positive displacement pump that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions, such as a flexible impeller type self-priming pump (monoflex pump). A hose 70 connects the outlets at the bottoms of the left and right supply tanks 66, 67 to the suction port that becomes the suction side when the supply pump 69 is driven in forward rotation. A hose 71 connects the discharge port that becomes the discharge side when the supply pump 69 is driven in forward rotation to the discharge ports at the bottoms of the left and right fertilizer tanks 49, 50. A drain hose 73 with a stop valve 72 near the discharge port at its tip is branched at its base end and connected to the middle of the two hoses 70, 71.

On the other hand, the upper surfaces of the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 and the supply tanks 66, 67 mentioned above are provided with fertilizer supply ports 49a, 50a, 66a, 67a through which paste fertilizer can be supplied, and lids 49b, 50b, 66b, 67b are provided to close the supply ports 49a, 50a, 66a, 67a. Therefore, when supplying (replenishing) paste fertilizer to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 located at a relatively high position at the rear of the traveling body 4, for example, a worker standing on the front step portion 26a at the front of the traveling body 4 receives a fertilizer bag containing paste fertilizer from an assistant at the edge of the field and carries it to the rear side step portion 27a at the rear of the traveling body 4.

Then, the outlet of the fertilizer bag with the cap removed is placed in front of the fertilizer supply port 49a, 50a of the fertilizer tank 49, 50 with the lid 49b, 50b open, and the paste fertilizer in the fertilizer bag is poured out from the outlet into the fertilizer tank 49, 50. However, the work of replenishing the fertilizer to the fertilizer tank 49, 50 is difficult because the fertilizer bag is made of a flexible material such as vinyl and is difficult to carry, and the repeated transportation of the fertilizer bag containing the considerable weight of paste fertilizer is hard work for the worker.

The new method of replenishing paste fertilizer into the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 that replaces the previously described replenishing method is the same until the worker stands on the front step portion 26a at the front of the traveling body 4 and receives the fertilizer bag from the assistant, but then the worker places the outlet of the uncapped fertilizer bag facing the fertilizer supply port 66a, 67a of the replenishing tank 66, 67, which is located nearby at a relatively low position on the traveling body 4, and allows the paste fertilizer in the fertilizer bag to flow out from the outlet and into the replenishing tank 66, 67. This process is then repeated several times until the replenishing tank 66, 67 is full.

When the operation switch 74 on the panel cover 22 of the control section is tilted forward, the supply pump 69 rotates in the forward direction using battery power, and pumps (sends) the paste fertilizer stored in the supply tanks 66, 67 to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50. This also fills the fertilizer tanks 49, 50, causing the remaining amount level gauges on the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 to sound a full tank warning, or when the full tank indication on the fertilizer remaining amount monitors of the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 on the monitor panel 21 is confirmed, the operation of the operation switch 74 is stopped to stop the pumping of fertilizer to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50.

Furthermore, when the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 are filled to capacity by the above operations, the supply tanks 66, 67 become empty, and the operator continues the supply of paste fertilizer to the supply tanks 66, 67. Therefore, if the amount of fertilizer remaining in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 becomes low during subsequent planting and fertilizing work, the operator can simply operate the operation switch 74 in the same way to supply the fertilizer stored in the supply tanks 66, 67 to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50, so that the planting and fertilizing work can be continued efficiently with almost no interruption, and the number of times that fertilizer needs to be supplied from the edge of the field can be reduced.

The supply pump 69 used here is a self-priming pump, so even if it is installed inside the lower cover 68 that covers the seat frame, which is higher than the supply tanks 66, 67, it can easily suck up the paste fertilizer and send it to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50, which are located at an even higher position. Therefore, the electric supply pump 69 can be installed at a relatively high position on the traveling body 4, away from the environment where it is exposed to muddy water splashed by the wheels, etc., and the occurrence of breakdowns in the auxiliary pump 69 itself can be reduced.

In addition, because the supply pump 69 is a flexible impeller type pump, even when the supply pump 69 is stopped, fertilizer does not flow down from the fertilizer tanks 49 and 50, which are located at higher positions, to the supply tanks 66 and 67, which are located at lower positions. For example, there is no need to provide a backflow prevention means such as a check valve in the discharge flow path of the supply pump 69, so the system can be installed at low cost.

Furthermore, when completing planting and fertilization work and recovering the fertilizer remaining in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 and the supply tanks 66, 67, the outlet at the end of the drain hose 73 can be placed in an empty fertilizer bag or bucket and the stop valve 72 can be opened to allow the fertilizer to flow out and be recovered all at once. When cleaning the fertilizer application device, water from an irrigation channel or the like can be poured into the supply tanks 66, 67 using a bucket or the like, and then the supply pump 69 can be operated in the same way to easily supply cleaning water to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50, which can then be used to clean the inside of the tanks.

The new method of replenishing fertilizer has been explained above, but next we will explain how to stabilize the traveling posture of the traveling body 4 using this replenishing device. First, when driving the riding rice transplanter 1 to move to a paddy field where rice planting will be performed, and changing the speed to road speed using the sub-shift lever 18 to travel at relatively high speed along the farm road, paste fertilizer or water is poured into the replenishing tanks 66, 67 in advance, and then the replenishing pump 69 is operated in the same way as when replenishing fertilizer to the normal fertilizer tanks 49, 50, to transfer the paste fertilizer or water to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50.

When paste fertilizer or water is stored in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 in this way, the weight of the fertilizer or water can cause the traveling body 4 to change to rear balance (see FIG. 4(a)). Therefore, even if an operator tries to stop the machine by stepping on the brake pedal 29 while traveling and suddenly braking, the behavior of the traveling body 4 leaning forward and lifting up the rear wheels 3, which would occur if the traveling body 4 was in front balance, can be suppressed, and the riding rice transplanter 1 can be stopped safely.

When leaving the paddy field after completing planting and fertilizing work, or when crossing ridges to head to the neighboring paddy field, paste fertilizer or water is poured into the supply tanks 66, 67 in advance (see Figure 4 (b)). By storing paste fertilizer or water in the supply tanks 66, 67 in this way, the weight of this fertilizer or water can change the running body 4 to a front balance. Therefore, even if the front wheels 2 climb up onto a ridge or the like and the running body 4 tilts, it is possible to prevent the front wheels 2 from lifting up and causing the running body 4 to move on the rear wheels (see Figure 4), so the ridge can be crossed or the paddy field can be exited safely.

In this case, if paste fertilizer or water remains in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50, it is advantageous to transfer this fertilizer or water to the supply tanks 66, 67 beforehand in order to change the running body 4 to a front balance. Therefore, in this case, the operation switch 74 on the panel cover 22 of the control unit is tilted backward, the supply pump 69 is driven in reverse by battery power, and the paste fertilizer or water remaining in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 is returned to the supply tanks 66, 67. Also, if there is not enough paste fertilizer or water in the supply tanks 66, 67 even after the return, the operator can add more himself later.

Furthermore, when traveling on a slope at the entrance or exit of a rice paddy and the road surface is rough, if there is a risk that the traveling body 4 will tilt toward the valley side and overturn, it is easier to prevent overturning by shifting the center of gravity of the traveling body 4 toward the mountain side. Therefore, in the fertilizer supply device, stop valves 75-78 are provided midway through the hoses 71a, 70a that connect the left and right fertilizer tanks 49, 50 to the left and right supply tanks 66, 67, respectively.

Normally, all of these stop valves 75 to 78 are left open to equalize the amount of remaining fertilizer in the left and right tanks 49, 50, 66, 67, and to eliminate any imbalance in the left and right balance of the traveling body 4. However, for example, if the traveling body 4 tilts to the right, the risk of tipping over can be reduced by moving the center of gravity to the opposite left side. In this case, the amount of fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tank 49 and supply tank 66 on the left side can be made greater than the amount of fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tank 50 and supply tank 67 on the right side.

Therefore, before entering the slope, for example, the supply pump 69 is operated to transfer the paste fertilizer or water stored in the left and right supply tanks 66, 67 to the left and right fertilizer tanks 49, 50. Next, the stop valve 75 on the left fertilizer tank 49 side and the stop valve 78 on the right supply tank 67 side are closed. Then, by driving the supply pump 69 in reverse rotation to transfer the paste fertilizer or water stored in the right fertilizer tank 50 to the left supply tank 66, the center of gravity of the traveling body 4 can be shifted to the left, and the risk of rollover can be reduced by entering the slope and traveling thereafter.

So far, we have described an embodiment of the fertilizer supply device in which the supply pump 69 is driven in a forward direction as a sending means for supplying fertilizer or water stored in the supply tanks 66, 67 to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50, and the supply pump 69 is driven in a reverse direction as a transport means for returning the fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 to the supply tanks 66, 67. Next, we will describe a second embodiment in which these sending means and transport means are changed.

In other words, the supply pump 79 used as the delivery means for supplying fertilizer or water stored in the supply tanks 66, 67 to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 in the piping system diagram shown in Figure 6 uses a self-priming pump similar to the supply pump 69 shown in the first embodiment, but it does not have to be a pump that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions or a positive displacement pump, and an inexpensive electric non-positive displacement pump with a relatively large liquid delivery volume is preferable. In addition, the other end of the hose 80 connected to the discharge port of the supply pump 79 is connected to the upper space of the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 so that there is no problem even if the supply pump 79 cannot prevent backflow of the fluid by itself when its operation is stopped.

On the other hand, as a transfer means for returning the fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 to the supply tanks 66, 67, a hose 81 is provided that connects an outlet at the bottom of the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 to an outlet at the bottom or top of the supply tanks 66, 67, and a stop valve 82 is provided in the return flow path for the fertilizer or water formed by this hose 81. Therefore, when the supply pump 79 is operated using the operation switch 74 as in the first embodiment, the fertilizer or water stored in the supply tanks 66, 67 can be pumped to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 through the supply flow path formed by the hose 80 (see FIG. 6(a)).

When the fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 is to be returned to the supply tanks 66, 67, the stop valve 82, whose operating tool faces the floor step portion 26b or the like, is operated to open the return flow path, and the fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 can be caused to flow down and return to the supply tanks 66, 67 (see FIG. 6(b)). If the stop valve 82 is replaced with an electromagnetic valve, the operation of the supply pump 79 and the opening and closing of the stop valve 82 can be electrically and remotely controlled by the operating switch 74.

The above describes the fertilizer supply device of the second embodiment, but the supply pumps 69, 79 described above may be mechanically driven by the power of the engine 13 instead of being electrically driven by an electric motor. In that case, the supply pump 69 of the first embodiment would be provided with a speed change device that allows it to switch between forward and reverse rotation. Also, when controlling the left and right balance of the traveling body 4 described above in the fertilizer supply device, each of the stop valves 75 to 78 may be changed to an electromagnetic valve, and the procedure for shifting the center of gravity left and right may be programmed to be performed automatically based on commands from an operating switch.

Furthermore, the supply of fertilizer to the fertilizer tanks 49, 50 may be automatically controlled by operating the supply pumps 69, 79 when the remaining amount of fertilizer in the fertilizer tanks becomes low as indicated by a level gauge, or the movement of fertilizer or water to stabilize the posture of the traveling body 4 in terms of front-to-rear or left-to-right balance may be automatically controlled using an inclination sensor that detects the pitching or rolling of the traveling body 4 or a pickup sensor that detects the vehicle speed.

In the embodiment, a fertilizer applicator using a paste fertilizer applicator has been described, but in a granular fertilizer applicator that applies granular fertilizer stored in a fertilizer tank to the soil using a dispensing device provided below the fertilizer tank, it is of course conceivable that the granular fertilizer can be supplied from a supply tank provided at the front of the traveling body to a fertilizer tank provided at the rear of the traveling body using a similar means, and the present invention should not be interpreted as necessarily being limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.

1 Ride-on rice transplanter 4 Traveling machine body 6 Planting device 26a Front step section (front step)
27a Rear side step part (rear step)
48 Paste fertilizer applicator (fertilizer applicator)
49 Left fertilizer tank 50 Right fertilizer tank 53 Drive device 66 Left supply tank 67 Right supply tank 69 Fertilizer application pump (sending means, transfer means)

Claims (3)

A riding rice transplanter having a seedling planting device and a fertilizer applicator that applies fertilizer to the soil on a running body having front and rear wheels, a drive unit for the fertilizer applicator and a fertilizer tank are provided at a relatively high position near a rear step provided at the rear of the running body, and a supply tank is provided at a relatively low position forward of the fertilizer tank and near a front step provided at the front of the running body, and the riding rice transplanter is configured so that fertilizer or water is stored in the supply tank, or the fertilizer or water stored in the supply tank can be supplied to the rear fertilizer tank by a delivery means , and further, the fertilizer or water stored in the fertilizer tank can be returned to the front supply tank by a transfer means . 2. The riding rice transplanter according to claim 1 , wherein the delivery means is an electric supply pump provided in a flow path connecting the supply tank and the fertilizer tank. 3. The riding rice transplanter according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the transfer means is constituted by an electric supply pump or a stop valve provided in a flow path connecting the fertilizer tank and the supply tank.

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