Deere & Company

Iowa State University Research Foundation Inc.

Brandon C Carlson

Garry Eugene Baxter

Jeffrey Scott Wigdahl

Kent Alvin Klemme

Jeffrey C Askey

Charles Frederick Ostermeier

Jack Conan Anderson

Thomas Mark Wubben

Scott Matthew Buse

William Allen Brett

Kurt D Gustafson

Nicholas W Vanlaningham

Tyler David Schleicher

Gregory E Peterson

Sanjeev M Hallale

Nathan F Tortorella

Hector Portillo

Sankaran Subramaniam

Hema V Guthy

Donald Eugene Young

Gregory Scott McCunn

Dolly Y Wu

Jonathan J Nelson

Marvin Anthony Maiwald

Daniel Craig Jordan

Joshua Juel Fausch

Andrew E DePriest

Richard J Chowaniec, Jr

Matthew C Roney

Nathan D Clarke

Bin Shi

Austin H Phan

Mathew T Miller

William Anthony Brett

Prashant Bodade

Vernon Kent Gambleton

Yogesh Kasat

Gary E Baxter

A spindle assembly includes a spindle nut having a cylindrically shaped bore and a threaded portion that engages a threaded opening in a cotton picker bar. The spindle assembly further includes a first friction reducing element disposed in the cylindrically shaped bore, a cotton picking member. The cotton picking member includes a barbed end, an engaging end, and a cylindrically shaped shaft located between the barbed end and the engaging end. A drive member includes a receiving end that receives the engaging end of the cotton-picking member and a geared end that engages a gear on a driveshaft in the cotton picker bar. The cylindrically shaped shaft includes a surface rotatably supported within the first friction reducing element.

Cotton picker spindle with replaceable tip

Roll assemblies for cotton harvesters and associated methods are disclosed. Example roll assemblies may include a unitary component that defines a plurality of slots. Bats and brushes may be removably retained within the slots. The unitary component may include a plurality of lobes with the plurality of slots defined therebetween. A central passage may be formed in a central portion of the unitary component. A shaft having an interlocking shape may be removably received within the central passage. In some implementations, one or more lobes are removably securable to the unitary component. End caps may be received onto the shaft and positioned adjacent to ends of the unitary component to assist in retaining the bats and brushes to the unitary component.

Roll assembly for cotton harvester

A cotton harvester estimates the mass of cotton as it is harvested using sensor devices and compares the mass of each module against the estimated mass of the module as determined by the sensors so that a calibration factor may be determined and actively updated for more accurate crop yield determination. The mass flow for a specific module is accumulated and processed during harvesting using a base calibration factor and the module is weighed and compared against the expected mass using the base calibration factor to develop a candidate updated calibration factor. The base calibration factor is selectively replaced by the candidate updated calibration factor for processing a subsequent module based on machine feedback information relating to the operation of the harvester. Harvested crop data determined using the calibration factor is used to generate highly accurate yield maps.

Crop yield determining apparatus

A sensor input is detected on a cotton harvester. A performance characteristic value is identified based upon the detected sensor input. A speed control system controls cotton harvester drum speed and spindle speed, automatically, and separately from the ground speed of the cotton harvester, to improve the performance characteristic value, in a closed-loop fashion.

Cotton harvesting machine with automatically variable drum and spindle speed

A row unit for an agricultural machine includes a frame, a floor, and a subassembly discrete from the frame and the floor. The subassembly is configured to be coupled to the floor and the frame and positioned within the frame during operation of the row unit. The subassembly includes a cam-plate including a top side, a bottom side, and a cam-track defined in the bottom side. The subassembly also includes a drum; a plurality of picker-bars coupled to the drum, and a linkage assembly including a first end coupled to the picker-bar and a second end coupled to a roller positioned in the cam-track. The subassembly is assembled prior to being positioned in the frame.

Frame design for a cotton picking unit and method of use

Embodiments include a tactile guidance system and various mechanisms for orienting and mounting the tactile guidance system on motorized vehicles such as agricultural spray vehicles. For example, a rod-shaped tactile guidance detector is positioned protruding out sideways from the inner side of each of the front wheels of a self-propelled sprayer vehicle or a tractor. The guidance system is used to detect the location of objects including crops and plants and determine a path of travel.

Tactile guidance arrangement for vehicles

Embodiments of a boom system for a work vehicle has a first boom member with a plurality of first boom segments aligned lengthwise to extend along a first boom dimension and a second boom member with a plurality of second boom segments aligned lengthwise to extend in the first boom dimension and spaced from the first boom member in a second boom dimension. The boom system also has a union spanning the second boom dimension to couple the first boom member to the second boom member and having a first coupling segment joining consecutive first boom sections together and a second coupling segment joining consecutive second boom sections together.

Segmented boom system for work vehicle

An under-frame shield, particularly useful with crop sprayers and other implements which traverse fields of plants, includes one or more flexible sheet material shields connected to axle structure and to a central rigid shield by resilient connectors to facilitate suspension system movement in all directions without sacrificing ground clearance. The connection structure and sheet material shields maintain a smooth, seamless protective surface on the under side of the machine to reduce vehicle and crop damage.

Flexible under-frame shield

A vehicle is provided with an axle suspended from a main frame of the vehicle by right- and left-hand pairs of connecting rods. As viewed from the top, one of each of the right- and left-hand pairs of connecting rods crosses the other of the pair of rods, and, as viewed from the side, the right- and left-hand pairs of rods are disposed parallel to each other. This arrangement of the connecting rods results in the axle moving substantially vertically up and down during operation of vehicle over uneven terrain.

Suspended axle for sprayer

The working clearance height of a high-clearance vehicle is normally established by four main suspension spindles that are respectively received for reciprocating within upright journals provided at the opposite ends of front and rear axle assemblies of the vehicle main frame, with the bottom end each of the main spindles being received in a bore at the top of an associated wheel motor housing that serves also as a wheel hub mounting bracket. In order to increase the working clearance height of the vehicle, an optional elongate spacer assembly is mounted between the bottom of each elongate main suspension spindle and the associated wheel motor housing. Each main suspension spindle is inclined slightly outwardly relative to a vertical plane extending in the direction of travel of the vehicle and, in order for the spacing between tires at opposite sides of the vehicle to remain the same, with or without the usage of the spacer assemblies, each spacer assembly includes a coupler spindle extending parallel to, and offset inwardly from, a pivot axis of the associated main suspension spindle by a distance calculated to result in the desired tire spacing, this coupler spindle being received in the bore at the top of the associated wheel motor housing.

High-clearance vehicle suspension with spacer arrangement mountable between spindle and wheel hub mounting bracket for adjusting working clearance

An independent strut suspension utilizes upright twin spindles and a spindle cap linked to the spindles that translates vertically along the spindles as the suspension moves over uneven terrain. An upright strut shaft is mounted in a strut journal for axial and rotational movement with respect to the journal. A steering arm is connected for rotation about the strut shaft axis, and the strut shaft moves axially with respect to the steering arm as the frame moves over the uneven terrain. The upright spindles connect the steering arm and the upper mount, and a spring is supported between the upper end of the strut shaft and the upper mount and provides cushioning for the wheel support as the strut shaft moves axially in the journal.

High clearance vehicle suspension with twin spindles for transferring steering torque

Foldable boom inner wings are attached to a boom center frame through a rocker attached to a breakaway hydraulic cylinder pressurized to full stroke and connected to an accumulator. When a wing impacts an object, the impact load is transmitted through the fold cylinder and rocker into the breakaway cylinder. As the breakaway cylinder retracts to allow the wing to pivot, pressure builds in the system in three stages. First pressure builds along an accumulator pressure curve until a relief valve in the hydraulic system actives to initiate the second stage wherein oil is dumped through the relief valve. Thereafter, pressure is again allowed to build along the same accumulator curve to absorb impact hydraulically before the cylinder reaches full stroke. The staged pressure buildup prevents boom momentum from gaining and loads from increasing above the strength of the overall structure.

Boom breakaway system

Growing community of inventors

Ankeny, IA, United States of America

Brandon C Carlson