Deere + Company

Marlan John Rolfes

Donald W Demorest

A pull-type forage harvester has a feed roll transmission shiftable between forward, reverse and neutral modes by means of a pair of identical single-acting hydraulic cylinders connected symmetrically to the rockshaft of a shifting fork and controlled through a solenoid-operated valve controlled electrically from the operator's station of the pulling tractor. Hydraulic connections are such that after completion of shifting from one transmission output mode to another, both hydraulic cylinders are open to a common hydraulic return line. However, inadvertent change of pressure in the return line will not cause shifting of the feed roll transmission as, due to the equal size of the hydraulic cylinders and the symmetrical arrangement of the cylinders with relation to the transmission shifter rockshaft, the shifting effort applied to the rockshaft by the respective cylinders would be equal but opposite, resulting in zero net shifting effort.

Power transmission control for a pull-type implement

An agricultural tractor has a cab enclosed operator station and a pair of rearward hydraulic coupling elements, one of which is selectively connected to the tractor fluid pressure supply and the other of which is connected to the tractor reservoir by means of a control within the cab. The tractor tows and powers a pull-type forage harvester having three hydraulic cylinders that respectively control the deflection of the discharge spout cap, the rotation of the discharge spout, and the transmission control lever that controls the rotational direction of the feed roll drive. A valve package is removably mounted on the exterior of the cab rear wall and has a pair of inlet lines respectively connected to the tractor hydraulic coupling elements, three sets of hydraulic lines to the respective hydraulic cylinders on the forage harvester, and three control valves for controlling the flow of fluid between the inlet lines and the three sets of outlet lines. The control valves are controlled from within the tractor by three control levers pivotally mounted on the rear wall of the tractor and having rearward ends on the exterior of the tractor removably connected to the three control valves, the control valve package being mounted on the rearward wall of the tractor by means of a latching device that permits rearward separation of the control valve housing from the cab upon the application of a rearward force on the housing in excess of a predetermined amount, the control valves being freely separated from the control levers upon separation of the control valve housing from the cab.

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Ottumwa, IA, United States of America

Marlan John Rolfes