ONION PLANTING APPARATUS Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: agricultural engineering. SUBSTANCE: planting apparatus has rotary drum and pins provided with cells on their apexes and staggered in spaced relation on drum surface, with space between pins being sufficient for adequate feeding of onions. Cells have spring-loaded bottom. Pin cells in hopper-feeder are separated by partition walls mounted in drum rotation direction above drum surface. Guiding chute bases are provided with slots of width corresponding to size of onion marker and of length extending from upper edge of base to mid portion of guiding chute base. Guides are positioned in lower part of slot end at an acute angle to guiding chute slot axis. Orienting device formed as auger unit with flexible spiral coils is arranged at onion outlet end of hopper-feeder. Auger unit has row of narrowing augers, each having flexible spiral left-hand and right-hand coils. Narrowing auger coil converging points are arranged in symmetry with respect to plane of rotation of pins with cells on their apexes. Axis of auger of orienting device is in parallel with axis of rotary drum and is offset forward relative to it. Flexible spiral coils are in contact with pins. Spring-loaded plates are positioned along rotary drum between rows of pins with cells on their apexes and define with cells cellular cylindrical surface. EFFECT: increased efficiency by uniform distribution of onion over feeding area, improved onion orientation and reduced injuring of onions during planting. 5 cl, 4 dwg