Cnh America LLC

New Holland North America, Inc.

Sperry Corporation

Ford New Holland, Inc.

Other

Sperry Rand Corporation

Kenneth W McLean

Steven J Campbell

Robert L Rice

Donald L Osborne

Philip J Ehrhart

Douglas R Otto

David Michael DeChristopher

David M Dechristopher

Charles H Hoffman

Stanley J Makofka

Richard Paul Strosser

Robert L Fackler

Barry E Lehman

Emmett G Webster

John K Hale

Franja F Voler

Cecil R Sudbrack

Constantine J Kermes

M Luke Nolt

David A Hess

Dennis L Coates

Stephen V Paulin

Richard E Jennnings

Roy E Baldwin

William T Fry

A floating swathgate for a cutting and conditioning header for a frame-supported tractor in which the angular attitude of the swathgate relative to an airborne stream of crop material being ejected from conditioner apparatus is varied as the header moves vertically with respect to the tractor to optimally direct the crop material toward a rearwardly disposed crop merger conveyor. As the header moves vertically, changes in the angular attitude of the swathgate direct the airborne crop material to generally the same location on the merger conveyor to minimize crop losses that typically occur with a fixed swathgate when the crop trajectory varies directly with the header vertical movement.

Floating swathgate

A windrow merger lift mechanism having on a pair of rotational axes, skewed with respect to each other, to manipulate a merger apparatus between working and non-working positions. When the merger apparatus is in a first, or working position, the lift mechanism positions it to receive crop material from the conditioner rolls with minimal losses. When the merger apparatus is in a second, or non-working position, the lift mechanism positions the merger apparatus to allow crop material to be discharged from the header/conditioner with the same efficiency as a windrower having no installed merger attachment. The skewed axes of the merger lift mechanism optimize the merger position in both the working and non-working positions by moving the merger apparatus in four distinct, but related degrees of motion as the merger apparatus is moved between the positions.

Windrow merger lift mechanism

A side deflector for a windrow merger apparatus having flexibly connected first and second portions connected by a plurality of extension springs. The first portion of the side deflector is pivotally connected to the merger apparatus in a manner enabling pivotal movement between operating and non-operating positions. The second portion of the side deflector is connected by the plurality of springs thereby enabling relative movement between the first and second portions and preventing damage to the deflector when the deflector encounters obstacles while maintaining the first and second portions in proper alignment under normal operating conditions.

Flexibly mounted side deflector

A cab mounting and suspension system for an agricultural windrower that uses pivoting elastomeric mounts on the front corners of the cab and coil-over shock absorbers on the rear corners. A stabilizing bar is mounted on elastomeric isolators and located between the cab and the windrower frame across the back of the cab. The bar extends the full width of the cab to reduce the amount of movement of the cab from side to side as the rear pivots up and down through the range of the coil-over shocks.

Windrower cab mounting and suspension system

A suspension system for the rear axle of a self-propelled agricultural windrower. The axle is split into two components, each having an air spring to absorb shocks. The two air springs are interconnected by a tube to equalize the internal pressure. A pair of pins can be inserted through the respective axle components and a structural member of the tractor to fix the components relative to the unit structure, thereby incapacitating the suspension and permitting effective steering of the tractor in the absence of a header.

Windrower rear axle suspension system

An adjustable hydrostatic control system that adjusts in length to locate mutual neutral locations while transmitting the necessary torque through mating sliding spines.

Adjustable hydrostatic control system

A hydraulic lift/flotation system for the header of a crop harvesting machine wherein each side of the header is supported by a single cylinder, which performs both the flotation and lift functions. For even lifting and flotation of an unbalanced header, each cylinder has its own control valve, pump, and accumulator. The operator sets the desired flotation force by actuating rocker switches; one switch position allows hydraulic oil to enter an accumulator to reduce header contact force with the ground. The other position allows oil to exit the accumulator to increase header contact force with the ground. To evenly float an unbalanced header, separate switches adjust each side independently. Once the flotation forces are set, the control valves will return to this preset flotation condition whenever float mode is selected, regardless of subsequent header lift and lower operations.

Independent hydraulic header lift and flotation system

A neutral start interlock for a hydrostatic drive system that uses potentiometers to electronically monitor at least the position of the hydrostatic displacement control such that the engine will not start unless such control is in the neutral position.

Neutral start interlock

Self-propelled windrower

A hydraulic lift/flotation system for the header of a crop harvesting machine wherein each side of the header is supported by a single cylinder, which performs both the flotation and lift functions. To accommodate unbalanced headers (center of gravity not centered between the lift arms), hydraulic oil is sent to the return side of the lift cylinder on the lighter side of the header, thus resulting in even raising, lowering and float.

Header lift system with hydraulic counterweight

A disc cutterbar having a two-piece mounting hub, one piece rotatably driven and the other supporting a knife for severing standing crop material, with spring-mounted ball and detent devices holding the two pieces members together and forming a shear device therebetween is disclosed. A specially threaded retaining bolt is associated with the knife-supporting piece whereby, upon failure of the shear device, the knife-supporting piece is rotated out of the cutting plane and away from the operational cutterheads.

Disc cutterbar shear protection

A curved implement tongue improves the turning characteristics of the implement, such as a mower-conditioner. The tongue is bent in the horizontal plane and incorporates a generally vertical box section at the end of the tongue. The tongue supports a driveline transmitting rotational power from a prime mover to the operative components of the mower-conditioner.

Curved draft tongue for mower conditioners

The invention relates to an improvement to the header of an agricultural self-propelled windrower. The invention has a conditioner assembly and mower assembly that can be separated and removed. Hook and pin combination and a conditioner mounting bolt attach the conditioner assembly. A free link and bell crank allow the flotation springs to remain attached with the header is removed. A header top link can be attached to a bracket on either the conditioner or mower assemblies to assist in moving the header. There is a header lift manifold that moves a restricted flow control valve by a switch-actuated solenoid. When the solenoid is activated, the valve moves and forces hydraulic fluid through an orifice. This allows the header limited movement.

A curved implement tongue improves the turning characteristics of the implement, such as a mower-conditioner. The tongue is bent in the horizontal plane and incorporates a generally vertical box section at the end of the tongue. The tongue supports a driveline transmitting rotational power from a prime mover to the operative components of the mower-conditioner. The driveline incorporates a clutch assembly mounted on the input shaft of a bevel gearbox. The forward end of the input shaft is formed with a conical surface that mates with a corresponding conical hub bore formed within the clutch assembly. The end of the input shaft is formed as a truncated cone to provide a gap between the end of the shaft and the bottom of the bore and assure a proper seating of the two members.

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New Holland, PA, United States of America

Kenneth W McLean