Hesston Corporation

Howard R Lohrentz

Thomas G Schrag

Amos G Hill

Martin E Pruitt

Howard J Ratzlaff

Melvin V Gaeddert

Adin F Holdeman

Cecil L Case

Stanley R Clark

The upper and lower finger portions of the sickle guard comprises two separate components which are disconnected at their tips so that the knife sections of the sickle can project forwardly beyond at least one of the fingers during operation and thereby provide a self-cleaning action for the gap defined between the two fingers and through which the sickle reciprocates. The size of the gap can be precisely adjusted for maximum cutting efficiency through the use of an adjusting set screw adjacent the rear of each upper finger which incrementally forces the two fingers apart in a fulcruming action to the extent permitted by mounting bolts of the guard when the screw is operated.

Sickle guard having adjustable knife section hold-down structure

The header has generally transversely disposed, flat, apron-like conveyor mechanism for receiving the stalks of grain or other crop materials severed along the leading edge of the header and for gathering such materials so that they might be discharged in a continuous stream for producing a windrow. The conveyor mechanism comprises a pair of largely self-contained sections which may be latched together and shifted to one end of the header with their upper surfaces driven in a common leftward direction for left delivery and discharge, or shifted to the opposite end of the header and driven with their upper surfaces in a righthand direction for right end delivery of the materials, or they may be unlatched and separated while their upper surfaces are driven in opposite directions centrally toward one another for centered delivery of the materials. By virtue of a latch for releasably connecting the sections together and a cooperating, selectively operable latch releasing device, the necessary shifting adjustment of the sections between their various positions may be accomplished through the medium of only a single shifting assembly coupled with one of the sections. A special selectively engageable and disengageable drive line arrangement for the conveying surfaces of the conveyor sections includes components which are matingly engaged or disengaged and driven in one or the other of two opposite directions depending upon the shifted position of the sections by the shifter assembly.

Harvesting header with adjustable draper for left, right or center

The bale-forming machine has rolling mechanism that initially tumbles loose crop material forwardly between the mechanism and the ground as the machine advances along a windrow. Thereafter, the rolling material becomes confined off the ground in an elevated forming chamber as additional material is fed into the chamber and as the mechanism rolls the material into a bale. Upon reaching a predetermined size, the bale can be tied and then ejected from the chamber through the raised rear section of the machine.

Method and apparatus for making large round crop bales

Actuation of a valve is prevented under certain circumstances wherein an axially reciprocable stem connected to the valve has shoulders thereon, which shoulders are selectively engageable by shiftable blocking bars.

Valve control mechanism

A three-bale load is accumulated on the trailer as bales issue from the rear of the baler, whereupon the accumulated bales may be dumped all at the same location or singly as may be desired. Successive bales issuing from the baler arrive at a central platform from which they are alternately distributed to laterally disposed side platforms in an automated procedure. Once a side platform receives its bale, lockout mechanism prevents the transfer device from presenting the side platform with another bale until such time as the previous bale has been dumped. Once a bale has been dumped from a platform, the transfer device is automatically actuated, if indeed the next bale is ready to be transferred, for loading of the next bale onto the awaiting side platform. Special mechanism is employed to actuate a hydraulic valve of the transfer device in alternately opposite directions, notwithstanding the fact that the triggering input from a sensor that perceives the arrival of the next bale on the center platform is always in the same direction.

Bale-accumulating trailer

Two sickles, each slightly longer than half the width of the swath taken by the mower, are supported across the front of the mower for reciprocation in mutually opposite directions. Although the two sickles are located in the same vertical plane, they are situated in two different horizontal planes so as to permit overlap in the center during reciprocation. To further facilitate such overlap, the backing bar to which the knife sections of one sickle are attached is located on top of the sections, while on the other sickle, the backing bar is located along the bottom of the sections. The sections are so arranged adjacent the inner ends of the sickles that even when the sickles are at the extremes of their outward strokes away from one another, no gap is presented in the center between the two innermost sections of the two sickles, thereby promoting even cutting across the entire swath taken by the sickle assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Hesston, KS, United States of America

Howard R Lohrentz