Spacing adjustment mechanism of the depth gauge wheels assembly, planting row unit and agricultural implement

Eduardo Copetti, Piracicaba (BR); Regis Carlos Pereira da Silva, Dobrada (BR)

USPTO: us-12628726 · published 2026-05-19 · patents · A01C 7/201· A01B 61/04· A01B 63/004

Spacing adjustment mechanism of the depth gauge wheels assembly, planting row unit and agricultural implement

Eduardo Copetti, Piracicaba (BR) , Regis Carlos Pereira da Silva, Dobrada (BR) This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-20 11:01 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification patents A01C 7/201A01B 61/04A01B 63/004

keywords spacing adjustmentdepth gauge wheelplanting row unitagricultural implementthreaded spindlepressure ring lockpivot assembly

0 comments

The pith

A rod-mounted threaded spindle locked by a pressure ring and washer lets operators adjust gauge-wheel spacing on planting units without longitudinal play.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The patent describes a spacing adjustment mechanism for depth gauge wheels on agricultural planters. A rod attached to the pivot assembly carries a spindle whose external threads engage a bearing on the wheel support arm. Rotation of the spindle changes the wheel position along the rod while a pressure ring and washer prevent axial movement yet allow free rotation. This arrangement aims to keep the chosen spacing stable under field loads. If the locking holds, operators gain a simple, tool-free way to set planting depth consistently across rows.

Core claim

The mechanism consists of a rod fixed to the pivot assembly, a spindle with threaded external face that mates with the threaded bearing of the gauge-wheel support arm, and a pressure ring plus washer pair that together block longitudinal displacement of the spindle along the rod while permitting rotation, thereby providing repeatable spacing adjustment for the depth gauge wheels.

What carries the argument

Threaded spindle on a fixed rod, locked axially by cooperating pressure ring and washer while free to rotate and drive the gauge-wheel bearing.

If this is right

Gauge-wheel depth can be changed from the side of the row unit without removing pins or using wrenches.
All row units on one implement can be set to identical spacing using the same rotational reference on each spindle.
The same rod-and-spindle layout can be applied to other adjustable components that require both linear positioning and rotational freedom under load.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

If the locking proves durable, planters could adopt this adjustment on existing frames with minimal redesign.
A visible index mark on the spindle would let operators record and reproduce exact settings between seasons.
The design may reduce the number of separate depth stops or shims currently used on gauge-wheel arms.

Load-bearing premise

The pressure ring and washer will keep the spindle from sliding under continuous vibration, soil forces, and temperature changes without thread wear or loss of clamp force.

What would settle it

Repeated field operation of the assembly for one planting season followed by measurement showing measurable change in set spacing or visible thread damage that alters adjustment.

read the original abstract

1 . A spacing adjustment mechanism of a depth gauge wheel assembly of a planting row unit of an agricultural implement, comprising: a rod fixed on one side to a pivot assembly of the planting row unit, and on which a spindle is mounted, the spindle is provided with a threaded external face that interacts with a threaded inner face of a bearing of a support arm of a gauge wheel; a pressure ring; and a washer, wherein the washer and the pressure ring are configured to cooperate to lock a longitudinal displacement of the spindle along the rod while enabling the spindle to rotate on the rod.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Desk Editor's Note private letter to a colleague

Routine threaded adjuster with a pressure-ring lock for planter depth wheels; the description is clear but supplies zero load, wear, or field data to back the locking claim.

read the letter

The patent lays out a simple axial-adjustment setup for gauge-wheel depth on row-crop planters: a rod fixed to the pivot, a threaded spindle that turns inside a bearing on the wheel arm, and a pressure ring plus washer that are meant to stop the spindle from sliding along the rod while still letting it rotate. That specific stack of parts is presented as the invention. In practice it is a modest mechanical refinement of an adjustment concept that has been used in farm equipment and other machinery for decades. The text is straightforward and the figures presumably show how the washer and ring are supposed to create the lock, so a reader can understand the intended kinematics without difficulty. What is missing is any supporting calculation or test. There are no thread-pitch specs, no preload values, no material choices, and no mention of how the assembly behaves under the repeated shock, vibration, and soil forces that a depth wheel actually sees. Without that information the central functional claim remains unverified. The document is therefore best treated as a mechanical disclosure rather than a validated improvement. It might interest implement designers who are already working on similar row units and want to see one more variant, but it does not contain enough evidence to justify academic refereeing or to change how most engineers would approach the same problem. I would not bring it to a reading group or cite it in research work.

Referee Report

1 major / 0 minor

Summary. The manuscript describes a spacing adjustment mechanism for the depth gauge wheel assembly of a planting row unit in an agricultural implement. The mechanism comprises a rod fixed to a pivot assembly, a spindle with a threaded external face that engages a threaded inner face of a bearing on the gauge wheel support arm, and a cooperating pressure ring and washer assembly that prevents longitudinal displacement of the spindle along the rod while permitting its rotation.

Significance. If the described locking arrangement functions reliably, the mechanism would provide a compact, tool-free means of adjusting and securing planting depth on row units, which could improve consistency of seed placement across varying soil conditions and reduce downtime for manual adjustments on implements.

major comments (1)

Abstract (and corresponding claim language): the functional description states that the pressure ring and washer 'lock a longitudinal displacement of the spindle along the rod while enabling the spindle to rotate,' yet no preload specification, thread geometry, material properties, or frictional analysis is supplied to demonstrate that this axial lock will be maintained under cyclic vibration, soil reaction loads, or thermal expansion typical of field use.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

1 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the constructive comment on the functional description of the locking arrangement. Below we respond point by point. Because the document is a patent specification whose purpose is to define the novel mechanical structure, we have not added engineering analysis that would normally appear in a design paper.

read point-by-point responses

Referee: Abstract (and corresponding claim language): the functional description states that the pressure ring and washer 'lock a longitudinal displacement of the spindle along the rod while enabling the spindle to rotate,' yet no preload specification, thread geometry, material properties, or frictional analysis is supplied to demonstrate that this axial lock will be maintained under cyclic vibration, soil reaction loads, or thermal expansion typical of field use.

Authors: We agree that the patent text contains no quantitative preload, thread geometry, material, or frictional data. Patent claims and abstracts are required only to describe the novel structural arrangement with sufficient clarity for a person skilled in the art to reproduce the mechanism; they do not include the detailed engineering validation that would appear in a technical design paper. The locking function is achieved by the geometric cooperation of the pressure ring, washer, and threaded spindle on the rod, which is fully enabled by the drawings and description. Field performance under vibration and load is a matter for prototype testing and is outside the statutory requirements of the patent document. revision: no

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No derivation or computation present; purely mechanical description

full rationale

The document is a patent claiming a physical spacing-adjustment mechanism for agricultural equipment. It contains no equations, fitted parameters, predictions, or first-principles derivations that could be circular. The central claim is a direct structural description of rods, spindles, threads, pressure rings, and washers; every functional statement is an assertion about the hardware itself rather than a result derived from prior inputs within the text. Consequently the circularity score is zero.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

The central claim rests on the unstated premise that standard machining tolerances and common fastener materials will suffice to keep the locking elements functional over the service life of a planter.

axioms (1)

domain assumption Threaded engagement plus frictional clamping from pressure ring and washer will resist axial loads from soil and vibration without creep.
Implicit in the locking description; no supporting analysis supplied.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5657 in / 1068 out tokens · 27698 ms · 2026-05-20T11:01:42.517108+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

Lean theorems connected to this paper

Citations machine-checked in the Pith Canon. Every link opens the source theorem in the public Lean library.

IndisputableMonolith.Cost.JcostCore Jcost_nonneg unclear

?

unclear
Relation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.

The mechanism's core function (axial lock while permitting rotation) depends on sustained frictional preload from the washer/pressure ring.

What do these tags mean?

matches: The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
supports: The theorem supports part of the paper's argument, but the paper may add assumptions or extra steps.
extends: The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
uses: The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
contradicts: The paper's claim conflicts with a theorem or certificate in the canon.
unclear: Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.