Deere + Company

Edwin Milton Gerber

Mark Charles DePoorter

Todd Neil Signer

Garrick William Herbst

Lawrence Paul Begyn

Russell Andrew Huesmann, Jr

Chad Allen Dow

Mark J Reimer

Roderick James Jensen

Darryl Francis Cain

Richard L Day

Bruno Dauenhauer

A discharge chute for the unloading auger of a combine is provided with a discharge opening which provides maximum discharge flow rate and maximum clearance for moving and positioning of the auger. The discharge chute has an upper surface extending downwardly at a first angle relative to a horizontal plane, and a lower surface extending downwardly in a second angle relative to a horizontal plane. The first angle of the upper surface is greater than the second angle of the lower surface. The discharge chute also includes an internally mounted dribble door pivotal between raised and lowered positions. The door prevents grain dribble when in the upper position, and allows unobstructed grain discharge when in the lowered position.

Auger discharge chute with dribble door

Rigid cover panels of the cover for grain storage tubes on combines, harvesting machine, are preferably fabricated of double-wall plastic to limit weight of the cover while providing desired strength and rigidity. The rigid cover panels can be pivoted about top edges of an underlying grain tank whereby the cover panels function as a height extension of the underlying tank, thus to increase the grain-carrying capacity of the tank. Flexible transition panels are preferably mounted to the rigid cover panels to bridge spaces between edge regions of the rigid cover panels when the rigid cover panels are raised to their upright, tank-extending orientations. A preferably single underlying actuator in the tank, in combination with mechanical linkages, can simultaneously raise all the rigid cover panels, all the flexible transition panels, and the discharge end of a clean grain elevator which discharges grain into the tank.

Grain storage tank covers

A pivot mechanism for an unloader tube of a combine, having a pair of ultra high molecular weight pivot ring bushings which slide in contact with each other, are fixed to respective upper and lower portions of the unloader tube, and transmit weight of the unloader tube from the upper portion to the lower portion.

Unloader tube pivot ring mechanism

A grain tank extension having side panels that are rotatably mounted to the grain tank to lower the extension by pivoting the side panels into the tank for storage. Corner panels are provided between adjacent side panels and are integrally formed with the stud at each end for coupling the corner panels to the side panels. Flanges extend beyond the ends of the side panels and overlap abutting ends of adjacent comer panels. The flanges each have an aperture that receives the stud from the adjacent corner panel. The stud is held therein by a retaining pin to avoid the need for hand tools to lower the extension for storage. The corner panels are molded of plastic as a single piece plastic body with the studs integrally formed therein.

Grain tank extension

A combine having a transverse threshing cylinder and concave and an axial separator. The axial separator comprises a pair of side-by-side axial separator units each having a rotor and a casing in which the rotors are housed. Each axial separator units is provided with three detachable covers having inwardly projecting spiral vanes. The covers are axially arranged and the first cover is adjacent to the transverse threshing cylinder and concave. The first cover is provided with at least five spiral vanes. The first vane has an angle of inclination to the transverse axis of approximately forty-five degrees; the second, third and fourth vanes have an angle of inclination of approximately thirty degrees; and the fifth vane has an angle of inclination of approximately twenty-five degrees. In small grains, such as rice, the second and third covers each have at least four vanes all with an angle of inclination of approximately twenty degrees. In corn, the second and third covers each have at least four vanes all with an angle of inclination of approximately ten degrees. The second and third covers are designed to be interchangeable depending on crop.

Growing community of inventors

Hooppole, IL, United States of America

Edwin Milton Gerber