PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve problems that a planting work using a rice planting machine is carried out by capturing seedlings by a rotative planting claw from a seedling mat intermittently transported downward in a predetermined amount on a seedling stand laterally and reciprocally moving by a lateral feed mechanism, however a speed change operation is not carried out by direct operation of a speed change shaft in the lateral feed mechanism but carried out by indirect operation through several link mechanisms linked to the speed change shaft, thus the structure of the whole speed change operation unit is complicated and it is not easily assembled and maintained. SOLUTION: The rice planting machine is equipped with the lateral feed mechanism for laterally and reciprocally moving a seedling stand 16 above a planting unit 15 and a lateral feed speed change mechanism 125 for changing the speed of a lateral feed shaft 47 for driving the lateral feed mechanism. One end of a shift shaft 95 connected to be interlocked with a speed change member 63 installed to the lateral feed speed change mechanism 125 is brought to protrude from a lateral feed speed change case 46 and a directly operable speed change operation unit 94 is installed at the protruded part 95a. COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO
