SEED FIRMING DEVICE FOR IMPROVING SEED TO SOIL CONTACT IN A PLANTER FURROW WITH FEATURE DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE BUILDUP OF SOIL ON THE OUTER SURFACES BY DISCHARGING PRESSURIZED FLUID
A system for controlling the depth of at least one closing wheel in anagricultural row unitfor planting seeds in a furrow. The row unit includes a firming device thatpasses the seeds intothe soil at the bottom of the furrow, and at least one closing wheel that ispressed into a side of thefurrow to close the furrow over the seeds. A control system senses the depthof the closing wheelsin the furrow relative to the depth of the firming device, and adjusts thedownward pressure on theclosing wheel, based on changes in the sensed depth of the closing wheel, tocompensate forchanges in the hardness of the soil. The up and down movement of the firmingdevice can beadjusted independently of the movement of the closing wheel. The firmingdevice can includemultiple holes through which pressurized air is forced to dislodge any dirt ormud that accumulateson the soil-engaging parts of the firming device, and can be made according toan additivemanufacturing process that allows narrow channels to be formed internal to thefirming device.
