Kuhn North America, Inc.

Dennis Williams

Damion Babler

William Bassett

Shane Williams

Thomas J Hoffman

Dana E Redman

Bill Bassett

Reid L Christ

Timothy G Osterhaus

Systems, apparatus, and methods for use with mergers for processing a material on a ground surface includes detecting, via one or more sensors, an object of interest associated with the material when a merger is forming a windrow on the ground surface. The method also includes a step for facilitating removal of the object of interest from the material in response to the detection.

Systems, apparatus, and related methods for use with mergers

A merger, for picking up and distributing materials from a ground surface, includes a frame that provides support to the merger, a pick-up head affixed to the frame that lifts the materials from the ground surface, a height adjustor affixed to the frame that maintains a minimum clearance between the ground surface and the pick-up head, and a conveyor affixed to the frame that receives the materials from the pick-up head. The conveyor includes a first belt and a second belt that independently distributes the materials on the ground surface from at least one of a first side of the frame and a second side of the frame.

Merger and merger assembly with first and second belts

A merger apparatus including a pick-up header; a conveyor with a conveyor belt; a skid shoe disposed below the pick-up header and the conveyor; and an operative connection between the pick-up header and the skid shoe that enables the merger apparatus to articulate independently of an external frame underneath the conveyor, such that loose material transported by the conveyor belt that lags beneath the return side may fall to the ground keeping the return side of the conveyor belt free from obstructions.

Merger and pick-up header for a merger having an adjustable skid shoe

Merger

A pick-up head may be provided with an anti-wrapping device to prevent materials from wrapping around the pick-up head. The pick-up head may include a plurality of tine bars for carrying a plurality of pick-up teeth. The tine bars may be rotatably supported by a drive shaft and the drive shaft may be secured to end plates of the pick-up head. The anti-wrapping device may be attached to an end of the tine bars to fill in gaps between the tine bars and to create a surface rotatable with the tine bars that is less susceptible to wrapping.

Growing community of inventors

Brodhead, WI, United States of America

Dennis Williams