Agco Corporation

Brendon C Nafziger

Martin E Pruitt

Daniel J Soldan

Douglas Ray Treffer

Shane A Bollinger

Mark M Glade

Stanley R Clark

Dane Austin Mosel

Martin E Pruit

Douglas R Treffer

Dwight E Nickel

Nicholas Henry Williams

Daniel Dreyer

James W Schroeder

Dustin Jost

Friedrich Robert Honeyman

Mark Glade

Daniel Soldan

Shane Bollinger

A dual path agricultural machine including a control system having a number of input sensors, status sensors, and output sensors, and a controller configured to operate the dual path machine in a stability control mode and a selective rear-steer engagement and actuation mode. In the stability control mode, the controller adjusts an actual drive output of the dual path machine according to data received from the input sensors and feedback received from the output sensors so as to reduce a difference between the actual drive output and a desired drive output. In selective rear-steer engagement and actuation mode, the controller engages rear-steer mechanisms with caster wheels of the dual path machine and actuates the caster wheels via the rear-steer mechanisms if a criterion is satisfied. The controller disengages the rear-steer mechanisms from the caster wheels or does not actuate the caster wheels if the criterion is not satisfied.

Control system for dual path machine

In one embodiment, a swathboard control system, comprising: a header comprising fore and aft a cutting assembly and a conditioning system; a forming shield assembly; a swathboard located between the conditioning system and the forming shield assembly, the swathboard pivotably adjustable about a transverse axis; a position sensor configured to sense a position of the swathboard; and a computing system operably coupled to the position sensor, the computing system configured to provide an indication of the position of the swathboard based on feedback from the position sensor.

Automatic control of windrower swathboard

A harvesting header has a set of centrally disposed conditioner rolls comprising conditioning structure to condition crop and a rotary cutter bed. The rotary cutter bed has a plurality of rotary cutters extending across the path of travel of the header to define a cutting plane, each cutter being rotatable about an upright axis, the conditioner rolls being behind the cutter bed to condition crop cut by the rotary cutter bed. The header has a crop-directing header windguard configured to direct the crop down towards the conditioning rolls after the plurality of cutters have severed the crop, the header windguard extending in a rearwardly direction from a position forward of the cutter bed to a position proximate the conditioner rolls, and the header windguard extending transversely at least a width of the rotary cutter bed.

Rotary header windguard

In one embodiment, a system, comprising: one or more pairs of oppositely rotatable, laterally extending rolls, wherein for each pair, at least one of the rolls is moveable relative to the other of the rolls; a hydraulic circuit, comprising: a tensioner circuit comprising: for each pair of rolls, one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders arranged in parallel, each configured to resist movement of the at least one of the rolls at a respective end of the at least one of the rolls; an accumulator arranged in parallel to the hydraulic cylinders; and plural control valves; and a computing system configured to cause the one or more pairs of hydraulic cylinders to adjust the resistance to movement of the at least one of the rolls of the respective pair of rolls by sending signals to one or more of the plural control valves.

Computer controlled hydraulic conditioner roll tensioning adjustment

A windrower includes a header having a crop cutting and a crop conditioning mechanism for conditioning crop material severed from the field and for discharging the conditioned material in a rearwardly directed stream as the windrower moves across the field. The windrower has a crop merger attachment with a conveyor configured to receive crop material from the crop conditioning mechanism and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower when in an operation position or to direct the crop material to the ground beneath the windrower when in a nonoperational position.

Windrow merger attachment

A control system and method for adjusting a rotational speed of a header on an agricultural vehicle based on ground speed of the agricultural vehicle. The header may include a plurality of cutters rotatably actuated with a header actuator. The control system may have a processor that compares a ground speed of the agricultural vehicle with a threshold ground speed. If the ground speed of the agricultural vehicle is below the threshold ground speed, the processor may command the header actuator to rotate the cutters at a constant predetermined rotational speed. If the ground speed of the agricultural vehicle is above the threshold ground speed, the processor may command the header actuator to increase rotational speed of the cutters in proportion to the ground speed of the agricultural vehicle.

Control system for controlling header speed of an agricultural vehicle

A windrower has a crop merger attachment with a conveyor configured to receive crop material from a crop conditioning mechanism and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower, the crop merger attachment being mounted for adjusting movement between a lowered and a raised position. The windrower has a swathboard mounted for adjusting movement between a fully raised position in which the crop material passes beneath the swathboard for engagement with the merger attachment and a lowered position in which the crop material down to the ground under the merger attachment under the windrower. A control system automatically adjusts movement of the swathboard when movement of the merger attachment is detected.

Swathboard control with windrow merger attachment

A windrower has a first dual-path steering mode, causing a left drive wheel and a right drive wheel to concurrently rotate, wherein the rotation of the left drive wheel is in a direction opposite that of the rotation of the right drive wheel and the position of tailwheel casters are not controlled but are permitted unconstrained rotation. The windrower also has a second tailwheel steering mode non-overlapping in operation with the dual-path steering mode, causing the left drive wheel and the right drive wheel to rotate concurrently in only a same direction and the tailwheel casters are steered based in part on tailwheel caster steer position information received from a sensor.

Self-propelled agricultural machine with dual driving modes

A windrower has a hydrostatic header drive system with a header drive pump and one or more header drive motors. The windrower also has a chassis with wheels coupled thereto, an engine, and a ground drive system coupled to the wheels and the engine. A control system has plural sensors having first, second, and third sensors, wherein the first sensor monitors engine load, the second sensor monitors hydrostatic header drive pressure, and the third sensor monitors ground speed. The control system has one or more controllers configured to receive input from the plural sensors, compare the input with respective target values for engine load, header drive pressure, and ground speed throughout a range of ground speeds defined based on an operator configured maximum ground speed, and automatically adjust the ground speed based on the comparison.

Automatic load control for self-propelled windrower

A method for determining when a cooling system for a work vehicle is restricted with debris. A first temperature difference between an inlet and an outlet of a heat exchanger is determined when the airflow though said heat exchanger is substantially unrestricted. When a subsequent temperature difference is less than the first temperature difference by a predetermined amount, the direction of the airflow is reversed to remove debris from the heat exchanger.

Method for determining when cooling system is restricted

In one embodiment, a header control method for an agricultural machine, the method comprising receiving, through a graphical user interface, operator input corresponding to a first set point and a second set point for flotation pressures corresponding to independently controllable first and second header portions, respectively; and automatically causing first and second sets of hydraulic valves to increase or decrease pressure to the first or second header portions to meet or at least approximate the first and second set points, the first and second sets each comprising opposing-action hydraulic valves, the causing responsive to sensed pressure at respective first and second accumulators associated with respective first and second float cylinders.

Header flotation system with computer control for a self-propelled windrower

A windrower with a harvesting header with a crop cutting assembly for severing crop from the ground windrower has a header pitch sensor for measuring a fore/aft pitch angle and a hydraulic system. The hydraulic system moves the header between an operating height and a raised position, and also controls a fore/aft pitch angle. An electronics control module provides an output to activate solenoid valves in the hydraulic system to move the header between the operating height and the raised position and to select a desired pitch angle. When the header moves from the operating height to the raised position, the electronics control module operates the header hydraulic system to move the header to the zero-tilt condition, and upon lowering the header back the operating height, the electronics control module automatically returns the header to the selected pitch angle it was in at the start of the cycle.

Automatic roll-back and return-to-position for header tilt on an agricultural machine

A working vehicle has a castor wheel assembly selectively providing steering assist. A pivoting caster spindle coupled with a caster wheel and an engagement plate connected to the caster spindle in a fixed manner such that the engagement plate pivots with the caster spindle. A pivoting steering arm is rotatably connected to the caster spindle and a steering cylinder is connected to an outward end of the steering arm with a tie rod configured to pivot the steering arm. A keyed connecting mechanism selectively couples the steering arm with the engagement plate. In an engaged position, the keyed connecting mechanism couples the steering arm with the engagement plate such that the steering cylinder pivots the caster spindle and caster wheel. In a disengaged position, the steering arm is uncoupled with the engagement plate such that the caster spindle and caster wheel are free to pivot independent of the steering cylinder.

Steerable rear axle system for dual-path steered windrower tractor

A crop harvesting header has a cutter bed to cut crop material as the harvester advances through a field. The cutter bed includes a plurality of rotatable cutters having knives extending from opposing ends of the cutters. Each cutter is ninety degrees out of phase with respect to its adjacent cutters such that the circular paths of travel of the knives of adjacent cutters overlap one another, and adjacent cutters rotate in opposite directions. Each cutter has a generally elliptical knife carrier, and a pair of knives at opposites ends of the carrier, wherein a portion of each knife extends beyond the end of the carrier to expose a cutting surface to sever the standing crop. The cutter also includes an attachment device connecting each knife to the knife carrier, and a fixed stop restricting rotational movement of the knife with respect to the carrier about the attachment device.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, KS, United States of America

Brendon C Nafziger