Combine cover crop planter

Abstract

A planting system for a combine in embodiments of the present invention may have one or more of the following elements: (a) a soil opening system having one or more soil openers operably connected to one or more mounting arms operably attached to the combine, (b) a seed handling system having one or more seed dispensers with one or more seed tubes operably connected to the one or more seed dispensers and a seed reservoir adapted for housing cover crop seed, and (c) a control system having one or more actuators operably connected to one or more controllers, wherein at least one of the sets of soil openers and sets of seed dispensers is operably attached to a header of the combine.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An agricultural combine for simultaneously harvesting a cash crop and planting a cover crop, comprising:
 an operator's cab housing a set of combine controls for controlling one or more combine operations and a set of seed planting controls for controlling one or more seed planting operations, a motor, and a combine frame having a wheel supported rear axle and wheel supported front axle driven by the motor;   a cash crop harvesting system having a header removably attachable to the combine frame and controlled from the cab by one or more of the set of combine controls for harvesting a cash crop;   one or more header actuators for actuating the header to a harvesting position wherein the header is positioned proximate the soil and a non-harvesting position wherein the header is positioned away from the soil using the one or more of the set of combine controls;   a soil opening system attached beneath the header, the soil opening system having a plurality of soil openers in the form of one or more discs for opening soil to receive seed for planting, wherein the plurality of soil openers having a planting position concurrent with the harvesting position of the header and a non-planting position concurrent with the non-harvesting position of the header; and   a seed handling system disposed at the plurality of soil openers, the seed handling system having seed delivery tubes attached for receiving seed from a seed reservoir housing cover crop seed and one or more seed dispensers operably connected in communication with the seed delivery tubes for delivering the cover crop seed to soil openings formed by the soil opening system, wherein the seed handling system is controlled using one or more of the set of seed planting controls;   wherein the seed handling system and the soil opening system plant cover crop seed when the header of the cash crop harvesting system is in the harvesting position;   wherein the seed handling system and the soil opening system do not plant cover crop seed when the header of the cash crop harvesting system is in the non-harvesting position.   
     
     
         2 . The agricultural combine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a pivot assembly operably attached to the plurality of soil openers and the header, wherein the pivot assembly adjusts a position of the plurality of soil openers relative to the soil in response to applied forces resulting from movement of the header and agricultural combine.   
     
     
         3 . The agricultural combine of  claim 1 , wherein the header comprises a corn head for harvesting a cash crop comprising corn and the harvesting position comprising the header disposed above a surface of the ground to accommodate the soil opening system. 
     
     
         4 . The agricultural combine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a controller operably connected to one or more soil opener controls and one or more soil opener actuators of the soil opening system, and operably connected to the set of combine controls and the one or more header actuators.   
     
     
         5 . The agricultural combine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a control panel within the operator's cab, the control panel having the set of combine controls comprising a header actuator control for operating the header between the harvesting position and the non-harvesting position, and one or more soil opener controls comprising a soil opener actuator control for operating the plurality of soil openers between the planting position and the non-planting position dependent on the set of combine controls.   
     
     
         6 . The agricultural combine of  claim 1 , wherein a soil opening system actuator control is dependent on a header actuator control of the one or more header actuators. 
     
     
         7 . An agricultural combine for simultaneously harvesting a cash crop and planting a cover crop, comprising:
 an operator's cab housing a set of combine controls for controlling one or more combine operations and a set of seed planting controls for controlling one or more seed planting operations, a motor, and a combine frame having a wheel supported rear axle and wheel supported front axle driven by the motor;   a cash crop harvesting system having a header removably attachable to the combine frame and controlled from the cab by one or more of the set of combine controls for harvesting a cash crop;   one or more header actuators for actuating the header to a harvesting position wherein the header is positioned proximate the soil and a non-harvesting position wherein the header is positioned away from the soil using the one or more of the set of combine controls;   a soil opening system attached beneath the header, the soil opening system having a plurality of soil openers in the form of one or more discs for opening soil to receive seed for planting, wherein the plurality of soil openers having a planting position concurrent with the harvesting position of the header and a non-planting position concurrent with the non-harvesting position of the header; and   a seed handling system disposed at the plurality of soil openers, the seed handling system having seed delivery tubes attached for receiving seed from a seed reservoir housing cover crop seed and one or more seed dispensers operably connected in communication with the seed delivery tubes for delivering the cover crop seed to soil openings formed by the soil opening system, wherein the seed handling system is controlled using one or more of the set of seed planting controls;   a control panel within the operator's cab, the control panel having the set of combine controls comprising a header actuator control for operating the header between the harvesting position and the non-harvesting position, and one or more soil opener controls comprising a soil opener actuator control for operating the plurality of soil openers between the planting position and the non-planting position dependent on the set of combine controls;   wherein the seed handling system and the soil opening system plant cover crop seed when the header of the cash crop harvesting system is in the harvesting position;   wherein the seed handling system and the soil opening system do not plant cover crop seed when the header of the cash crop harvesting system is in the non-harvesting position.   
     
     
         8 . The agricultural combine of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a pivot assembly operably attached to the plurality of soil openers and the header, wherein the pivot assembly adjusts a position of the plurality of soil openers relative to the soil in response to applied forces resulting from movement of the header and agricultural combine.   
     
     
         9 . The agricultural combine of  claim 7 , wherein the header comprises a corn head for harvesting a cash crop comprising corn and the harvesting position comprising the header disposed above a surface of the ground to accommodate the soil opening system. 
     
     
         10 . The agricultural combine of  claim 7 , wherein the soil opener actuator control is dependent on one or more native combine controls comprising a control signal originating from an operator of the controller. 
     
     
         11 . The agricultural combine of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 one or more native combine controls comprising at least a thresher operation, wherein the soil opening system actuator control is based on native operations of the combine.   
     
     
         12 . The agricultural combine of  claim 7 , wherein a soil opening system actuator control is dependent on a header actuator control of the one or more header actuators. 
     
     
         13 . An agricultural combine for simultaneously harvesting a cash crop and planting a cover crop, comprising:
 an operator's cab housing a set of combine controls for controlling one or more combine operations and a set of seed planting controls for controlling one or more seed planting operations, a motor, and a combine frame having a wheel supported rear axle and wheel supported front axle driven by the motor;   a cash crop harvesting system having a header removably attachable to the combine frame and controlled from the cab by one or more of the set of combine controls for harvesting a cash crop;   one or more header actuators for actuating the header to a harvesting position wherein the header is positioned proximate the soil and a non-harvesting position wherein the header is positioned away from the soil using the one or more of the set of combine controls;   a soil opening system attached to the header, the soil opening system having a plurality of soil openers in the form of one or more discs for opening soil to receive seed for planting, wherein the plurality of soil openers having a planting position concurrent with the harvesting position of the header and a non-planting position concurrent with the non-harvesting position of the header; and   a seed handling system disposed at the plurality of soil openers, the seed handling system having seed delivery tubes attached for receiving seed from a seed reservoir housing cover crop seed and one or more seed dispensers operably connected in communication with the seed delivery tubes for delivering the cover crop seed to soil openings formed by the soil opening system, wherein the seed handling system is controlled using one or more of the set of seed planting controls;   a controller operably connected to one or more soil opener controls and one or more soil opener actuators of the soil opening system, and operably connected to the set of combine controls and the one or more header actuators;   wherein the seed handling system and the soil opening system plant cover crop seed when the header of the cash crop harvesting system is in the harvesting position.   
     
     
         14 . The agricultural combine of  claim 13 , wherein the controller is operably connected to one or more seed handling system controls and the one or more seed dispensers for planting cover crop seed dependent on the one or more header actuators. 
     
     
         15 . The agricultural combine of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a control panel within the operator's cab, the control panel having the set of combine controls comprising a header actuator control for operating the header between the harvesting position and the non-harvesting position using the one or more header actuators, and the one or more soil opener controls comprising a soil opener actuator control for operating the plurality of soil openers between the planting position and the non-planting position dependent on the set of combine controls.   
     
     
         16 . The agricultural combine of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a pivot assembly operably attached to the plurality of soil openers and the header, wherein the pivot assembly adjusts a position of the plurality of soil openers relative to the soil in response to applied forces resulting from movement of the header and agricultural combine.   
     
     
         17 . The agricultural combine of  claim 13 , wherein the header comprises a corn head for harvesting a cash crop comprising corn and the harvesting position comprising the header disposed above a surface of the ground to accommodate the soil opening system. 
     
     
         18 . The agricultural combine of  claim 13 , wherein a soil opening system actuator control is dependent on a header actuator control of the one or more header actuators. 
     
     
         19 . The agricultural combine of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 one or more native combine controls comprising at least a thresher operation, wherein the soil opening system actuator control is based on native operations of the combine.   
     
     
         20 . The agricultural combine of  claim 13 , wherein the header comprises a bean head for harvesting a cash crop comprising beans and the harvesting position comprising the header and soil opening system being disposed immediately adjacent a surface of the ground.