Agco Corporation

Acco Corporation

Jeffrey Funk

Robert A Matousek

Randy Lohrentz

Martin E Pruitt

Thomas G Schrag

Edward Wesley Esau

Michael J Dresher

Bernard Dean Regier

Shane A Bollinger

Douglas Ray Treffer

James W Schroeder

A drawbar hitch mechanism has a fore-and-aft extending receiver, a gearbox assembly coupled to the receiver and a tongue assembly attached to the gearbox assembly. A first pivot mechanism couples the receiver with the gearbox assembly for side-to-side movement about a longitudinal axis of the receiver. A draft arm is configured to disperse draft loads between the tongue assembly and the receiver. A second pivot mechanism couples the gearbox assembly and the draft arm. The second pivot mechanism is oriented such that it pivots about an upright axis such that the gearbox assembly and second pivot mechanism enable pivoting movement of the tongue assembly relative the receiver.

Swivel drawbar hitch mechanism for pull-type implement

A harvesting header and feederhouse for use with a crop harvesting machine has a feederhouse interface at a distal end of the feederhouse and a header frame providing structural support for the harvesting header. The header frame has a top beam, a bottom beam, and first and second vertical main structures connecting the top and bottom beams. The feederhouse interface and the vertical main structures of the header frame are pivotably connected to enable the header frame to pivot with respect to the feederhouse interface.

Fore and aft tilt for corn header

A frame for a harvesting header has a top beam extending across substantially a full width of the harvesting header and has ends arranged adjacent respective ends of the harvesting header and a midpoint in a center area of the harvesting header. The header frame has a bottom beam substantially parallel to the top beam extending less than the full width of the harvesting header and having a midpoint in the center area of the harvesting header. Vertical main structures connect the top and bottom beams. Diagonal truss members connect the ends of the top beam and interfaces of the bottom beam and vertical main structures. The vertical main structures form a feederhouse interface at the center area of the harvesting header. The top beam and bottom beam are continuous through the center area of the harvesting header. Header drive assemblies are mounted at the ends of the bottom beam.

Frame for harvesting header with continuous section

The vertically swingable header of a farm machine utilizes a flotation mechanism having a torsion bar as the source of lifting force. The torsion bar is mounted on the header rather than the base machine and is operably coupled with the base machine through loading apparatus that includes a cam and cam follower system. An alternative embodiment utilizes a cam track fixedly mounted on the base machine.

Crop pickup with torsion bar flotation

A counterbalancing epicyclic sickle drive has a pair of oppositely rotating weights that offset the inertial forces of the sickle during its abrupt acceleration and deceleration at opposite ends of its path of travel. One of the weights rotates with the main shaft of the drive about its longitudinal axis, while the second weight is fixed to an oppositely rotating crankshaft that orbits about the axis of the main shaft in eccentric relationship thereto. The weight on the main shaft is heavier than the weight on the crankshaft so as to offset changes in inertial forces produced by the crankshaft weight during increased acceleration of its center of gravity at opposite ends of its elliptical path of travel about the axis of the main shaft.

Balanced epicyclic sickle drive

A pull-type implement has operating components that are driven by a mechanical drive line on the tongue of the implement. An upper gear box is fixed to the front end of the tongue and a lower gear box swivels relative to the upper gear box about an upright axis passing through the two gear boxes. A hitch that establishes a draft connection between the tongue and the draw bar of a towing tractor has a fore-and-aft receiver that extends beneath the lower gear box and has a lower pivotal connection with the tongue at that location. A mast fixed to and projecting upwardly from the receiver has an upper pivotal connection with the tongue at a location above the upper gear box. The receiver has a forwardly facing socket that loosely receives the draw bar to permit the draw bar to swing up and down to a limited extent about a transverse axis and rotate side-to-side to a limited extent about a fore-and-aft axis when the draw bar is retained within the socket by a locking pin. One embodiment isolates both gear boxes from all draft loads, while a second, pull-through embodiment places a limited amount of draft loading on the lower gear box.

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Hillsboro, KS, United States of America

Jeffrey Funk