The invention relates generally to coulter assemblies and, more particularly, to a system for applying down pressure in a coulter assembly.
In agricultural settings, disc openers are typically mounted to an implement, which is towed behind a work vehicle, such as a tractor. Disc openers are generally configured to form a trench in soil, and to deliver seeds, fertilizer, or other products into the trench. Specifically, certain disc openers include a disc, such as a coulter, that cuts into the soil as the disc opener moves along the terrain. A penetration depth of the disc is generally regulated by a gauge wheel, which is typically positioned adjacent to the disc, and rotates across the soil surface. The disc is positioned below the gauge wheel such that the disc penetrates the soil. A vertical offset distance between the disc and the gauge wheel determines the penetration depth (e.g., seed depth, furrow depth) of the disc.
Such disc openers often include down pressure assemblies for urging the discs of the disc openers into the soil. In certain configurations, the down pressure assemblies enable the disc openers to follow the contours of the terrain. Such down pressure assemblies may use a spring that compresses or decompresses as the disc opener moves across the contours of the terrain. To establish a desired down force for the expected soil conditions, an appropriate spring may be selected. For example, a soft spring may be mounted to the down pressure assembly to establish a desired trench within soft soil, and to enable the disc to follow the contours of the soft soil terrain. Conversely, a hard spring may be mounted to the down pressure assembly to establish a desired trench within hard soil, and to enable the disc to follow the contours of the hard soil terrain. Unfortunately, the soft spring may not provide sufficient force to establish the desired trench in the hard soil, and the hard spring may not enable the disc to follow the contours of the soft soil. Consequently, an operator may replace each spring within an implement based on soil conditions. Due to the number of disc openers within an implement, the process of replacing each spring may be inconvenient, and may significantly increase the duration of seeding, planting and/or fertilizing operations.