Deere + Company

Bennie Joe Vaughn

James A Miller

Edward T Kaczmarczyk

Roger J Nelson

Larry M Delfs

Bruce Kevin Fryk

Uwe H Kugler

Douglas M Durant

Richard A Schafer

Ronald Lee Jurek

Douglas W Nordquist

Sandra L Trotter

Ronal Lee Jurek

Edward Ted Kaczmarczyk

An operator enclosure for an agricultural tractor has a rollover protective structure (ROPS) in which the front side of the ROPS extends upward above the left, right and rear sides of the ROPS and terminates at a front upper cross member extending laterally between left and right front upright corner members. A roof pan is placed at the top of the ROPS that has a generally horizontal top panel at about the same height as the front upper cross member. The top panel of the roof curves downward to form left, right and rear side panels extending downward from the top panel to the height of the upper members of the ROPS along the left, right and rear sides. There is no front panel on the roof extending downward from the top panel. The windshield is extended upward into what had previously been the front panel of the roof. This improves the front upward visibility, an feature particularly useful in operating a front end loader on the tractor.

Operator enclosure for an agricultural tractor

A hinged vertical exhaust pipe is provided to allow easy adjustment of the height of the exhaust pipe. The upper and lower sections of the exhaust pipe are hinged together by a stiff joint, e.g., a spring-loaded hinged friction joint, and are positioned in line with one another with a slight gap between them. The lower section is double walled, and the inner wall extends somewhat up into the upper section. The upper section is single walled, with its wall aligned with the outer wall of the lower section. Air is drawn into the space between the inner and outer walls at the base of the lower section and also at a gap at the joint between the upper and lower sections. This air is drawn in both due to the aspiration caused by the higher speed exhaust flow through the inner exhaust pipe, and due to thermal rising of heated air. The space between the inner wall of the lower section and the wall of the upper section acts as a venturi, directing the air in a uniform fashion up into the upper section of the exhaust pipe. This cools the pipe and minimizes blow back at the joint between the upper and lower sections of the pipe.

Tip-over exhaust with venturi

A female coupler can operate in both a push-pull and a lever-actuated connect/disconnect fashion. Double lock ball controlling ramp surfaces are provided around the receiving bore of the coupler to allow the lock balls of the coupler to withdraw from the receiving bore when the receptacle is moved either into or out of the housing. The coupler can be moved into or out of the housing by pushing the male coupler into or pulling it out of the female coupler, or by use of a lever-actuated cam. A piston-type flow-check valve is provided to open the male check ball and hold it open despite transient surges. This flow-check valve is hydraulically actuated. A bleed valve for the hydraulically actuated flow-check valve is activated to release the flow-check valve when the lever is actuated or when the receptacle is pushed into the housing, thereby reducing the force needed for coupling. The lever can bleed and activate a plurality of couplers simultaneously, whereby multiple couplers can be connected or disconnected simultaneously.

Female hydraulic coupler with push-connect and lever disconnect

A two stage brake valve for communicating fluid pressure to a brake assembly. The valve has a stepped cylinder formed therein in which a high volume piston and high pressure valve are slidably located. The piston and valve define high volume and high pressure chambers respectively. A set of passageways through the piston and valve communicate fluid pressure from the high volume chamber to the high pressure chamber and from the high volume chamber to a reservoir. Relief valve elements located in the passageways regulate fluid communication between the chambers and reservoir. A motion responsive relief valve comprising a ring and groove is also disclosed which provides an orifice function and facilitates refilling of the first chamber. One embodiment includes a highly compact relief assembly valve assembly having dual poppets which act to communicate fluid pressure from the first chamber to either the second chamber or the reservoir. The compact nature of the brake valve assembly will also permit incorporation of a differential lock valve assembly in the same valve body.

Two stage brake control valve

A ball coupling includes a tractor drawbar mounted hitch ball, substantially englobed by a cap assembly which is slidable on the hitch ball. The cap assembly includes a cap having a frusto-conical surface which non-rotatably engages a frusto-conical through opening in an implement drawbar attached adapter. A lockable fastener abuts the adapter and protrudes into the smaller base of the adapter opening and threads into a threaded hole in the smaller base of the cap to draw the cap assembly into the adapter.

Ball coupling

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Falls, IA, United States of America

Bennie Joe Vaughn