Gehl Company

Jaime J Shutes

Virgil B Martin

Roger L Villers

Philip F Fleming

A forage harvester adapted to be drawn by and powered from a tractor includes a feed roll mechanism for receiving and feeding crop material to a cutterhead mechanism which then supplies cut-up crop material to a blower for transfer to a forage wagon. A main drive shaft on the harvester is driven by the tractor PTO and drives the cutterhead mechanism and the blower. A drive mechanism supplies motive power from the main drive shaft to drive the feed roll mechanism and any harvester attachments in forward or reverse and includes a single normally disengaged electrically engageable electric clutch and a solenoid-operated forward/reverse transmission normally spring-biased in forward and shiftable into reverse when its solenoid is energized. Torque sensor devices are provided to mechanically disconnect the feed roll mechanism and any harvester attachment from being driven by the transmission when an overload occurs. An electrical control system for operating the electric clutch and the solenoid for the transmission includes manually operable selector switches located on the tractor to provide OFF-MANUAL-AUTOMATIC modes for clutch operation and to provide FORWARD/REVERSE modes for transmission operation when in the AUTOMATIC mode. The electric control system further includes overload responsive switches on the harvester (responsive to operation of the torque sensor devices for the feed roll mechanism and the attachment, and a speed sensing means responsive to conditions at the blower) which effect automatic clutch disengagement if overloads occur during operation in the AUTOMATIC mode.

Growing community of inventors

West Bend, WI, United States of America

Jaime J Shutes