IP Library › Granted Patent US 12660745
Granted Patent B1
US 12660745 · App. 17/973,447 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Y-drop attachment for an agricultural applicator

Inventor: Joshua Carl Wachholz (Oshkosh, WI)
A01C23/028A01C23/023A01C23/025A01C23/047A01M7/006A01M7/0082
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12660745
App. No.
17/973,447
Filed
Oct 25, 2022
Granted
Jun 23, 2026
Kind
B1
Art Unit
3671
USPC
111/127
Abstract

A Y-drop attachment for an agricultural applicator has a riser, a plate and a fertilizer delivery assembly. The riser can have a top and bottom with a hole and a slot formed therethrough. The plate can be generally triangular shaped. A slot can be formed in the front of the triangle where the two shorter sides meet. The riser can be received within the slot and fixed to the plate at the slot. A hole can be through the plate behind the slot. The fertilizer delivery assembly can have a splitter, two rigid tubes and two flexible tubes. The splitter has an inlet and two outlets, with one rigid tube being connected to each outlet. One downward oriented flexible tube can be connected to the distal end of each rigid tube.

Claims (73)

1 . A Y-drop for an applicator, said Y-drop comprising:

a riser having a riser top and a riser bottom;

a plate comprising a plate front and a plate rear, said plate having a hole allowing a tube to pass therethrough, and said plate having a slot at said plate front, said riser top being fixed to said plate within said slot; and

a fertilizer delivery assembly, said fertilizer delivery assembly being supported by said plate,

wherein:

said riser has at least one connection opening therethrough, and said riser being mounted to the applicator near said riser bottom;

said plate has a plate first side and a plate second side, said plate and said riser being fixedly joined together at an angle of between 80 and 85 degrees; and

said plate lies in a plate plane and said riser lies in a riser plane, said plate plane being generally perpendicular to said riser plane.

2 . The Y-drop of claim 1 wherein said plate has a triangular shape.

3 . The Y-drop of claim 1 wherein said hole passes through said plate at a center of said plate.

4 . The Y-drop of claim 1 wherein said fertilizer delivery assembly has a first rigid tube with a first rigid tube first end and a first rigid tube second end, said first rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said first rigid tube first end, said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a second rigid tube with a second rigid tube first end and a second rigid tube second end, said second rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said second rigid tube first end, and said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a first flexible tube depending down adjacent said plate first side at said plate rear from said first rigid tube, and a second flexible tube depending down adjacent said second plate side at said plate rear from said second rigid tube, and

wherein the first rigid tube and the second rigid tube are connected to a plate top and wherein the first rigid tube first end and the second rigid tube first end are parallel to said plate top.

5 . A Y-drop for an applicator having an applicator frame, said Y-drop comprising:

a riser, said riser having a riser top and a riser bottom, said riser having at least one connection opening therethrough;

a plate having a plate front and a plate rear, said plate front having a slot formed therein, said riser top being fixedly connected to said plate in said slot above the connection opening; and

a fertilizer delivery assembly, said fertilizer assembly being supported by said plate,

wherein:

said plate has a hole allowing a tube to pass therethrough;

said plate has a plate first side and a plate second side;

said fertilizer delivery assembly has a first flexible tube depending down adjacent said plate first side at said plate rear, and a second flexible tube depending down adjacent said second plate side at said plate rear; said fertilizer delivery assembly further having a first rigid tube with a first rigid tube first end and a first rigid tube second end, said first rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said first rigid tube first end, said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a second rigid tube with a second rigid tube first end and a second rigid tube second end, said second rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said second rigid tube first end, wherein said first flexible tube is removably connected to said first rigid tube and said second flexible tube is removably connected to said second rigid tube, and

the first rigid tube and the second rigid tube are connected to a plate top and wherein the first rigid tube first end and the second rigid tube first end are parallel to said plate top.

6 . The Y-drop of claim 5 said riser and said plate are fixedly joined together at an angle of between 80 and 85 degrees.

7 . The Y-drop of claim 5 wherein said slot is centered on said plate between a plate first side and a plate second side.

8 . The Y-drop of claim 5 wherein said plate lies in a plate plane and said riser lies in a riser plane, said plate plane being generally perpendicular to said riser plane.

9 . A Y-drop for an applicator with an applicator frame, said Y-drop comprising:

a riser, said riser having a riser top and a riser bottom;

a plate having a plate front, a plate rear, a plate first side, a plate second side, a plate top and a plate bottom, said riser top being fixedly connected to said plate at said plate front;

a fertilizer delivery assembly supported by said plate, said fertilizer delivery assembly having a first flexible tube depending down adjacent said plate first side at said plate rear, and a second flexible tube depending down adjacent said second plate side at said plate rear,

wherein:

said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a first rigid tube with a first rigid tube first end and a first rigid tube second end, said first rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said first rigid tube first end, said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a second rigid tube with a second rigid tube first end and a second rigid tube second end, said second rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said second rigid tube first end;

said first flexible tube is removably connected to said first rigid tube,

said second flexible tube is removably connected to said second rigid tube,

the first rigid tube and the second rigid tube are connected to said plate top, and

the first rigid tube first end and the second rigid tube first end are parallel to said plate top.

10 . The Y-drop of claim 9 wherein said plate has a hole allowing a tube to pass therethrough.

11 . The Y-drop of claim 9 wherein:

said riser has two connection holes, one of said two connection holes being a riser slot, said riser slot has a riser slot axis that is generally parallel to a riser vertical axis; and

said plate lies in a plate plane and said riser lies in a riser plane, said plate plane being generally perpendicular to said riser plane.

12 . The Y-drop of claim 9 wherein:

said plate front having a slot formed therein, said riser being connected to said plate in said slot; and

said riser and said plate are fixedly joined together at an angle of between 80 and 85 degrees.

13 . A Y-drop for an applicator having an applicator frame, said Y-drop comprising:

a riser having a riser top and a riser bottom, said riser being selectively connectable to the applicator frame;

a plate, said riser and said plate being fixedly joined together at an angle of between 80 and 85 degrees; and

a fertilizer delivery assembly supported by said plate,

wherein said plate lies in a plate plane and said riser lies in a riser plane, the riser plane being perpendicular to the plate plane,

wherein said riser further has two connection holes, one of said two connection holes being a riser slot with a riser slot axis that is generally parallel to a riser vertical axis, said riser being mountable to the applicator frame at said riser bottom.

14 . The Y-drop of claim 13 wherein:

said plate has a plate front, a plate rear, a plate first side and a plate second side, said plate front having a slot formed therein, said riser being connected to said plate at said plate front in said slot.

15 . The Y-drop of claim 13 wherein said plate has a triangular shape and a hole allowing a tube to pass therethrough.

16 . The Y-drop of claim 13 wherein said fertilizer delivery assembly has a first rigid tube with a first rigid tube first end and a first rigid tube second end, said first rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said first rigid tube first end, said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a second rigid tube with a second rigid tube first end and a second rigid tube second end, said second rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said second rigid tube first end, and said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a first flexible tube depending down adjacent said plate first side at said plate rear from said first rigid tube, and a second flexible tube depending down adjacent said second plate side at said plate rear from said second rigid tube,

wherein the first rigid tube and the second rigid tube are connected to said plate top and wherein the first rigid tube first end and the second rigid tube first end are parallel to said plate plane.

17 . A Y-drop for an applicator, said Y-drop comprising:

a riser;

a plate, said plate having a hole allowing a tube to pass therethrough; and

a fertilizer delivery assembly, said fertilizer assembly being supported by said plate,

wherein:

said riser has a riser top and a riser bottom, said riser has at least one connection opening therethrough, and said riser being mounted to the applicator near said riser bottom;

said plate has a plate front, a plate rear, a plate first side and a plate second side, said plate front having a slot formed therein, said riser being connected to said plate in said slot, said plate and said riser being fixedly joined together at an angle of between 80 and 85 degrees; and

said plate lies in a plate plane and said riser lies in a riser plane, said plate plane being generally perpendicular to said riser plane.

18 . A Y-drop for an applicator, said Y-drop comprising:

a riser having a riser top and a riser bottom;

a plate comprising a plate front and a plate rear, said plate having a hole allowing a tube to pass therethrough, and said plate having a slot at said plate front, said riser top being fixed to said plate within said slot; and

a fertilizer delivery assembly, said fertilizer delivery assembly being supported by said plate,

wherein said fertilizer delivery assembly has a first rigid tube with a first rigid tube first end and a first rigid tube second end, said first rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said first rigid tube first end, said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a second rigid tube with a second rigid tube first end and a second rigid tube second end, said second rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said second rigid tube first end, and said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a first flexible tube depending down adjacent said plate first side at said plate rear from said first rigid tube, and a second flexible tube depending down adjacent said second plate side at said plate rear from said second rigid tube, and

wherein the first rigid tube and the second rigid tube are connected to a plate top and wherein the first rigid tube first end and the second rigid tube first end are parallel to said plate top.

19 . A Y-drop for an applicator having an applicator frame, said Y-drop comprising:

a riser having a riser top and a riser bottom, said riser being selectively connectable to the applicator frame;

a plate, said riser and said plate being fixedly joined together at an angle of between 80 and 85 degrees; and

a fertilizer delivery assembly supported by said plate,

wherein said plate lies in a plate plane and said riser lies in a riser plane, the riser plane being perpendicular to the plate plane,

wherein said fertilizer delivery assembly has a first rigid tube with a first rigid tube first end and a first rigid tube second end, said first rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said first rigid tube first end, said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a second rigid tube with a second rigid tube first end and a second rigid tube second end, said second rigid tube second end being perpendicular to said second rigid tube first end, and said fertilizer delivery assembly further has a first flexible tube depending down adjacent said plate first side at said plate rear from said first rigid tube, and a second flexible tube depending down adjacent said second plate side at said plate rear from said second rigid tube, and

wherein the first rigid tube and the second rigid tube are connected to said plate top and wherein the first rigid tube first end and the second rigid tube first end are parallel to said plate plane.