Pivot Valve for Crop Spraying Equipment

1. A pivot valve for crop spraying equipment comprising: housing means formed in two relatively movable parts and having an interior fluid retaining chamber; fluid connection means in fluid communication with said interior chamber formed in said housing means and being operably connectible to a fluid supply means, so as to permit a supply of fluid to be directed from said fluid supply means into said chamber; fluid discharge means operably connected to one of said two parts of said housing means and being in selective fluid communication with said chamber, said discharge means serving as a means whereby said fluid may be selectively discharged from said chamber; valve control means positioned proximate to said chamber and serving to control a release of said fluid into said fluid discharge means in response to a selective pressurization of said fluid; and discharge direction control means for controlling a direction of discharge of said fluid from said fluid discharge means, said discharge direction control means including locking means opoerably joining said two parts of said housing means together, said locking means when in a released condition serving to permit relative movement between said two parts, whereby a selective angular orientation of said fluid discharge means can be achieved to thus control said direction of said fluid discharge, and when in a locked condition serving to prevent relative movement between said two parts to thus prevent any further change in said fluid direction, said locking means including a threaded member extending between said two parts and being operable, when tightened, to draw said two parts into a tight abutting relationship thereby to prevent said relative movement therebetween, one of said parts of the housing means including a tubular sleeve integral therewith and closely surrounding said threaded member and extending toward said fluid retaining chamber, said valve control means including a spring biased valve member having a centrally located aperture slidably received on and guided by the tubular sleeve, said valve member being positioned within an orifice in fluid communication with said fluid retaining chamber, said orifice being formed in the other of said two parts of said housing means, said valve member being retained in position within said orifice by said spring to facilitate fluid movement past the valve member only when a predetermined fluid pressure has been attained in the fluid chamber, said orifice receiving the threaded member extending between the two parts of the housing means, said valve member and spring being disposed on the tubular sleeve with the spring having one end engaging the housing means and the other end engaging the valve member for biasing the valve member axially of the tubular sleeve and threaded member, said orifice including a valve seat engaged by the valve member with the spring holding the valve member in closed relation to the valve seat until fluid pressure overcomes the spring, said valve seat and valve member being concentric with respect to the threaded member which also forms the pivotal connection between the two parts of the housing means.

2. In combination with a hollow spray boom supported from an aircraft and having a plurality of spray assemblies supported therefrom with each spray assembly including nozzle means for discharging flowable material therefrom, and means supporting the nozzle means to enable adjustment of the angular position, said supporting means forming a flow path from a pressurized source of flowable material to the nozzle means, said supporting means comprising a two-part housing with each part of the housing having an open hollow interior defined by a peripheral wall terminating in a circular edge, the circular edges on the peripheral walls being in contacting, sealing and rotatable relation, pivot means interconnecting said parts of the housing in concentric relation to the circular edges to retain the parts of the housing in assembled relation and enable rotational movement of the housing parts about an axis defined by the pivot means, a hollow extension on one part of said housing having a threaded connection with the boom for communication with a pressurized source of flowable material to supply flowable material to the hollow interior of said one part of the housing, said hollow boom and hollow extension forming part of the flow path, means on the other part of the housing communicating the hollow interior thereof with the nozzle means, and spring biased check valve means in the hollow interior of the housing parts to automatically close the flow path when pressure of the flowable material falls below a predetermined pressure and open the flow path when the pressure of the flowable material exceeds the predetermined pressure thereby providing a positive dripless cut off of the flow of the flowable material when the pressure thereof falls below said predetermined pressure, said pivot means being a pivot bolt extending through the hollow interior of said housing parts, said check valve means including a valve seat in the hollow interior of one of the housing parts in concentric relation to the pivot bolt, a tubular sleeve integral with the other of the housing parts and extending into the hollow interior of the hollow parts and in closely surrounding relation to said bolt, an annular valve member slidably mounted on said tubular sleeve for reciprocal movement toward and away from the valve seat, and a coil spring extending axially of the tubular sleeve in concentric spaced relation with the spring engaging the valve member and biasing it toward the valve seat, said valve seat being located upstream of the flow path and the valve member being located downstream thereof, said pivot bolt enabling angular adjustment of the two parts of the housing without affecting the function of the valve means.