Macdon Industries Ltd

Bruce Robert Shearer

James Thomas Dunn

Russell George Lyons

Graham Michael Leverick

Kyle Edward Boch

Francois R Talbot

Graham M Leverick

Russell G Lyons

Neil Gordon Barnett

Daniel G Cormier

Eric Grenier

Lance Willer

Jann Peter Garbald

Andrew Bell

Jeffrey David Leachman

Rheal Remillard

Russel George Lyons

A reel of a harvester including a cutter bar includes a plurality of reel bats which are pivotal so as to vary the angle of the fingers about the bat axis as the reel rotates. The reel is used with a cutter bar which can change in height at one or more positions along its length to accommodate changes in ground height and contour. In order to maintain the fingers of the reel as close as possible to the cutter bar for best crop control, there is provided a sensor at each of one or more positions along the cutter bar responsive to the cutter bar height and an actuator which changes the diameter of the reel bats at the respective position.

Crop harvesting header with variable diameter reel

A harvesting vehicle includes a header having a cutter bar, a crop transport draper and a reel mounted above the cutter bar to sweep the crop to the draper. The operation of the header is autonomously monitored and controlled to reduce operator loads or to run autonomously by detecting: reel wrapping; differential rates of flow of crop on the header at different locations; where the crop to be cut is at least partly lodged so that stems of the crop are not vertical; the presence of a crop streak of uncut or poorly cut crop behind the cutter bar and/or a band of disturbed soil behind the cutter bar. The detector is arranged to control ground speed, header height, reel height and operation.

Autonomous control of a crop harvesting header for detecting reel wrapping

A header for a crop harvester includes side drapers having a front edge adjacent the cutter bar and carrying crop to a discharge end roller at a center feed draper. A support arrangement carries the rear end of the discharge end roller to define an operating position in which an axis of the discharge end roller is at an angle to an axis of the outer end roller of the side draper with the rear end of the discharge end roller at a height below a height of the rear end of the outer end roller. This provides a main portion of the belt that lies in a common plane defined by an intermediate guide member and the outer end roller and a smaller portion of the draper belt between the guide member and the rear end of the discharge end roller which is twisted downwardly from the common plane.

Header for a crop harvesting machine having a twisted side draper

A crop harvesting header includes a reel for controlling movement of the crop in the area over the cutter bar to the transport draper carried on two reel mounting arms for upward and downward movement and for moving the reel forwardly and rearwardly along the respective reel mounting arm. The reel has a plurality of reel bats with reel fingers projecting generally radially outwardly from the reel axis where the reel bats are pivotal to vary the angle of the finger driven by a cam track member. An adjustment component defined by a follower in a guide track along one of the arms is responsive to movement of the reel along the arm which causes the cam track member to be angularly advanced and retarded about the reel axis to different adjustment angles in dependence upon the position of the reel along the mounting arms.

Crop harvesting header with cam adjustment component responsive to reel movement

A crop harvesting header having a frame mounted on a propulsion vehicle has a cutter bar carrying a sickle knife and a draper transport. The draper is guided at its front edge by a longitudinally extending rail mounted on the frame for movement therewith. The cutter bar is mounted on the frame at spaced positions by spring blades attached to a fixed beam at the rear which allow up and down flexing movement of the cutter bar relative to the draper engagement member. At the center discharge the cutter bar is carried on shorter blades which are carried on a beam in front of the front draper roller. The small amount of flexing of the cutter bar combines with a balanced three piece header frame to provide effective ground following.

Draper header with flexible crop cutting knife

A sickle cutting system is mounted on a header for forward travel over ground having a standing crop thereon and includes a cutter bar with a plurality of knife guards and two sickle bars driven at a phase angle difference where the drive system has a phase difference control component operable to drive the first and second sickle bars at a first phase angle difference typically at or around 180 degrees difference to minimize vibration when no cutting action is occurring and at a second phase angle difference which can be at or around 90 degrees to minimize variations in loading applied to the drive system when the cutting action is taking place.

Dual sickle knife drive with variable phase angle

A header is supported by a pair of hydraulic float cylinders, where a float pressure to the cylinders is directly controlled by an electronic control supplying a variable control signal to a PPRR valve arrangement to maintain the float pressure at a predetermined value. At the set pressure a predetermined lifting force is provided to the header. A position sensor is used to generate an indication of movement and/or acceleration and/or velocity. The electronic control is arranged, in response to changes in the sensor signal, to temporarily change the control signal to vary the lifting force and thus change the dynamic response of the hydraulic float cylinder. A lift force greater than that required to lift the header can be provided by a lift cylinder and can be opposed in a controlled manner to apply a controlled downforce by the back of the same cylinder or by a separate component.

Crop machine with an electronically controlled hydraulic cylinder flotation system

Crop is carried into a feed opening of a harvester by two side drapers, two rear back sheets defining an opening between inner edges, a central feed draper and a roller with end flight portions and a central finger portion located above the feed draper. In this geometry, a bottom tangent to the flight portions has a position which is at a height below the rear edge of the side drapers. The roller axis of the feed roller is behind the rear edge of the side drapers and behind a common plane containing the back sheets. The inner guide roller of each of the first and second side drapers is located inwardly of the inner edge of the first back sheet and inwardly of an outer end of the end flight portion. A forward most tangent to the flight portions projects forward of or proud of the common back sheet plane.

Draper header for a crop harvesting machine

In a crop harvesting machine there is provided a pair of hydraulic float cylinders or springs for a header such as a rotary mower relative to a self-propelled vehicle, where a float spring force is controlled to provide a predetermined lifting force is provided to the header. The spring force is varied in response to detection of ground speed to decrease the lifting force at higher ground speeds. A position sensor is used to generate an indication of movement and/or acceleration. The electronic control is arranged, in response to changes in the sensor signal, to temporarily change the control signal to vary the lifting force and thus change the dynamic response of the hydraulic float cylinder. In order to reduce static friction so that the system can react quickly, an arrangement is provided for causing relative reciprocating movement in an alternating wave pattern between the piston and cylinder.

Crop harvesting machine with variable header float

Header with flexible crop cutting knife cooperating with a fixed draper engagement member

In a crop harvesting header with a center section and two wings where each wing is pivotal relative to the center section about a pivot axis extending in a generally forward direction which includes a balance system to maintain a balanced ground force distribution across the width of the header there is provided an automatic adjustment system for maintaining proper balance. The system includes a sensor which repeatedly, over a time period during which the header is operating, detects data relating to the positions, distance from the ground or weight applied to the ground of each wing frame portion, a processor arranged in response to the sensed data to calculate a value representative of the positions and an adjustment mechanism for effecting an adjustment of the balance system in response to the value.

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Winnipeg, Canada

Bruce Robert Shearer