Ford New Holland, Inc.

Cnh America LLC

New Holland North America, Inc.

Other

Larry D Hall

John R McClure

John Henry Posselius

Christopher Alan Foster

Gary Lyman Bich

Robert A Wagstaff

Douglas S Fitzkee

William Dale Hotaling

Stephen C Schlotterbeck

Singh Chandrashekhar

A mechanism for connecting outboard gathering wheels to a moveable crop pick-up assembly on a round baler that incorporates a multi-element linkage to enable the rate of vertical movement of the gathering wheels to be different than the rate of vertical movement of the pick-up assembly. As the pick-up assembly is moved vertically by an actuator, the linkage interconnecting the gathering wheels and the pick-up causes the gathering wheels to also move vertically, but at a rate that is different, usually less, than the rate of vertical movement of the pickup. The linkage enables the pick-up to be raised sufficiently for transport without causing the gathering wheels to impinge upon the baler frame as occurs when both are raised at the same rate. Use of tension members in the linkage allows the gathering wheels to up float during operation without damaging the linkage.

Baler gathering wheel height adjustment

A cutting system for a forage harvester including a pair of planar counterrotating blades, each blade of the pair of blades configured to rotate about a substantially parallel axis. A portion of the pair of blades at least partially overlap each other, but are spaced from each other in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axes. A pair of planar counterrotating gripping members with each gripping member of the pair of gripping members configured to rotate about a corresponding rotational axis of one blade of the pair of blades. The pair of gripping members are aligned with each other in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axes. The pair of blades rotate at a different rotational speed than the pair of gripping members.

Cutter system for a header of a forage harvester

A cutting system for a forage harvester includes a source of rotational movement for each of the pair of substantially planar counterrotating blades and for a pair of substantially planar counterrotating gripping members. Each blade of the pair of blades is configured to rotate about a substantially parallel axis. Each gripping member of the pair of gripping members is configured to rotate about a corresponding rotational axis of one blade of the pair of blades. The source of rotational movement is separated from each blade of the pair of blades by an inner shaft. The source of rotational movement is separated from each gripping member of the pair of gripping members by a tube surrounding the shaft. The tube includes a gripping portion secured to a periphery of the tube between the source of rotational movement and the pair of gripping members.

A hitch assembly for coupling a first agricultural implement, such as a forage wagon, to a second agricultural implement, such as a self propelled or pull type forage harvester. The hitch assembly includes a substantially vertical hitch pin affixed to the first agricultural implement, and a drawbar affixed to and extending rearwardly from the second agricultural implement. A hitch plate, affixed to the drawbar, has a rearwardly facing notch adapted to accommodate the pin under conditions where the first agricultural implement is positioned adjacent the drawbar. A latch plate pivotally mounted on the hitch plate, reciprocates between open and closed positions, for holding the pin in the notch under conditions where the pin is accommodated by the notch and the latch plate is in the closed position. The latch plate is held in the closed position by a latch reciprocal between extended and retracted conditions. When the hitch pin is urged out of the notch, the latch plate applies a varying force against the latch at levels of force proportionate to the force applied by the pin. An actuator, coupled to the latch, is adapted to move the latch from its extended position to the retracted position when the force against it is below a predetermined threshold. Additionally, a supplemental spring assembly moves the latch from the extended position to the retracted position under conditions where the force against the latch moves through such threshold.

Hitch for agricultural implement

A pull type forage harvester including a header, a cylindrical cutter head having rotating knives operatively associated with a shearbar, feed rolls for receiving crop material from the header and conveying it to the cutterhead, and a blower remotely located on the forage harvester relative to the cutterhead. The blower includes a spout for expelling cut crop material to a collecting receptacle. A transverse conveyor consisting of an auger mounted in a trough receives chopped crop material from the cutterhead and conveys it to the blower. Mounted adjacent the cutterhead is a crop processor for crushing chopped crop material received from the cutterhead. The processor comprises a pair of crushing rolls aligned with the cutterhead axis and above the transverse conveyor.

Crop processor apparatus for pull-type forage harvester

A forage harvester row crop attachment including a main frame adapted to be attached to a field traversing forage harvester having a crop inlet. An auger, mounted on the main frame generally transverse to the direction of travel of the forage harvester, comprises a tube and flighting mounted on the tube for engaging the upper portion of standing row crops as the forage harvester traverses the field. A transverse cutting assembly, mounted below the auger, has cutting device for cutting the lower portion of standing row crops. Also mounted below the auger are elements for engaging the lower portion of the stalks in cooperation with the auger flighting under conditions where the auger is rotated in a direction that urges the crop material downwardly and inwardly. After the crop is cut it is urged rearwardly by the auger toward a crop outlet in the floor of the attachment adjacent the inlet in the harvester on which the attachment is mounted. Intermediate the crop engaging elements and the floor are crop grasping elements that cooperate with the auger to grasp the lower portion of the crop material before, during and after cutting takes place.

Crop guide for forage harvester row crop attachment

A clamp for adjustably mounting an airspeed indicator to a webbing. The clamp is configured as a pair of planar jaws designed to clamp the webbing when tightened by a bolt passing through the jaws. Each jaw includes a socket half so that a socket is created when the jaws are brought together. A resilient hoop is used to encircle the barrel of the airspeed indicator in a resiliently constrictive manner. A ball is mounted to the external periphery of the resilient hoop and is configured to be received in the socket and clamped therein when the jaws are clamped to the webbing.

Webbing clamp and resilient hoop apparatus and method

A crop gathering attachment for an agricultural harvester having a rotatable auger-like conveyor for transporting crop material, a stationary crank shaft mechanism enclosed in the conveyor and having a shaft portion disposed eccentrically and parallel to the rotational axis of the conveyor, and a retractable finger arrangement comprising a plurality of finger members pivotally connected at their inner ends to the shaft portion and projecting outwardly through guiding members provided in the peripheral wall of the conveyor. The finger arrangement is timed such that due to the eccentric disposition of the shaft portion, the finger members are reciprocated relative to the conveyor wall upon rotation of the conveyor, thereby protruding from the wall at one side of the conveyor for projecting into the crop material and being retracted relative to the wall at the generally diametrically opposed side of the conveyor for releasing the transported crop. A unique actuator is operatively connected to the crank shaft mechanism for remotely controlling the position of the shaft portion relative to the conveyor and thereby varying the timing of the finger members.

Auger finger control mechanism

A sharpening apparatus is disclosed for a plurality of knives disposed in a cutterhead generating a cylindrical periphery when rotating. The apparatus comprises a grinding stone; a carriage for carrying the grinding stone in a grinding mode across the cutterhead in a line generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the cutterhead; a drive coupled to said carriage for effecting reciprocatory movement of the carriage; and means for applying constant pressure on the knives by the grinding stone during grinding operations such that the cutterhead retains its cylindrical periphery after repeated sharpening operations.

Sharpening apparatus for forage harvester knives

A row crop attachment for forage harvesters has a plurality of row crop divider units arranged side-by-side on a base frame to define a plurality of crop conveying paths. A pair of gathering chains are arranged to pass through each of the crop conveying paths from an entrance to an exit thereof, and a pair of rotary knives are disposed adjacent the entrance of each crop conveying path. Apparatus is provided for converting each of the gathering chains between an extended profile where it is wrapped around a drive sprocket and a pair of idler sprockets with one of the idler sprockets being located forwardly of the rotary knives, and a non-extended profile wherein it is wrapped around only the drive sprocket and the other idler sprocket so that the forwardly located idler sprocket is eliminated.

Apparatus for converting gathering chain profiles in forage harvester

A method and apparatus for maintaining the cylindrical profile of forage harvester cutterheads involves moving a grinding stone back and forth along a predetermined path between positions which are adjacent opposite ends of a cutterhead. Initially, the grinding stone is moved gradually toward the cutterhead along a first slope until it is fully engaged with the cutting edges of the cutterhead knives. Next, the grinding stone is moved generally lengthwise of the cutterhead along a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cutterhead while it is kept fully engaged with the cutting edges of the cutterhead knives. Finally, the grinding stone is moved gradually away from the cutterhead along a second slope until it is fully disengaged from the cutting edges of the cutterhead knives.

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New Holland, PA, United States of America

Larry D Hall