Macdon Industries Ltd

Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone Gmbh

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Other

Neil Gordon Barnett

Geoffrey U Snider

Andreas Afting

Konstantin Kolegaev

Kevin J Shinners

Walter M Schlesser

Philip Otto

Scott Dietsche

Ricky Chan

Nolan Lacy

Bruce Robert Shearer

James Thomas Dunn

David J Jordan

Russell George Lyons

Karl Bernard Hundt

Graham Michael Leverick

Jann Peter Garbald

Daniel Victor Kaethler

Marcel Remillard

Leonard M Ferre

Reid Christ

Matthew James Stephens

Leonard Ferre

Cyrus Nigon

In a crop harvesting machine there is provided a pair of hydraulic float cylinders or springs for a header such as a rotary mower relative to a self-propelled vehicle, where a float spring force is controlled to provide a predetermined lifting force is provided to the header. The spring force is varied in response to detection of ground speed to decrease the lifting force at higher ground speeds. A position sensor is used to generate an indication of movement and/or acceleration. The electronic control is arranged, in response to changes in the sensor signal, to temporarily change the control signal to vary the lifting force and thus change the dynamic response of the hydraulic float cylinder. In order to reduce static friction so that the system can react quickly, an arrangement is provided for causing relative reciprocating movement in an alternating wave pattern between the piston and cylinder.

Crop harvesting machine with variable header float

A crop harvesting machine with a cutter bar on a header frame has a height control system which uses depending sensor fingers arranged in contact with the ground so as to measure a height of the cutter bar above the ground. The sensor fingers are controllably retractable under actuation from an operator in the cab or automatically in response to prescribed conditions being met. The actuator used in retracting the sensor fingers can also be used to adjustably control ground pressure of the sensor fingers in the deployed position of the sensor fingers engaging the ground. The header height is adjusted using laterally spaced apart hydraulic linkages which can be operated at different elevations relative to one another responsive to different height signals relating height of opposing ends of the header frame relative to the ground to also control tilt of the header relative to the harvester frame.

Crop harvesting machine including retractable sensor fingers with adjustable ground pressure and header tilt control

A draper header is attached to a harvesting machine by an adapter including a bottom feed draper and an upper feed roller driven by a coupling from an output of the machine rotatable about an axis parallel to the forward direction and a right angle gearbox. The feed roller is mounted at each end allowing independent up and down floating movement of the ends and there is provided a mechanical linkage using two chains and an idler shaft between the output shaft of the gear box an input shaft of the roller with a universal coupling therebetween. The gear box is located at least partly underneath the discharge opening and underneath the feed roller, rearwardly of the rear guide roller of the feed draper, rearwardly of the axis of rotation of the feed roller and underneath a feed pan which is inclined upwardly and rearwardly over the gear box.

Drive transfer member for operably coupling a draper header to a harvesting machine

In a rotary mower having ten generally horizontal cutter disks forming a total cutting length along the cutter bar of 16 feet, the discharge opening containing the parallel conditioner rolls and a parallel transfer roll has a width of at least 125 inches. This allows a first outermost one of the ten disks and approximately one half of the next adjacent disk to be mounted on the cutter bar outwardly of the discharge opening. A convergence system then includes only first and second impellers with the first impeller mounted on the first disk for rotation therewith and the second impeller mounted on an upper support above the impeller so that the second impeller hangs downwardly toward the second disk for contacting the cut crop and mounted immediately adjacent with the second impeller having a peripheral edge located at or immediately adjacent the vertical plane of the side of the discharge opening.

Crop convergence system for rotary mower

Draper header for attachment to a harvesting machine

A pull-type crop engaging machine such as a rotary mower comprises a frame mounted on transversely spaced field ground wheels for movement with a hitch arm extending to a tractor and a transport assembly attached behind the frame for moving downwardly to a transport position so that in the transport position the hitch arm extends from one end of the frame generally in the transverse direction for towing the machine in the transverse direction. The transport includes a transport ground wheel which acts to raise the frame to pass underneath the crop engaging system to support the machine on the wheel, on a second wheel behind the frame and on the hitch. The movement of the hitch and the wheel is connected and started at a position of the hitch so that the machine remains balanced. A shield behind the frame includes a portion which moves with the transport wheel.

Pull-type disk mowing machine transport system

A pull-type rotary mower comprises a frame with a transverse main beam mounted on transversely spaced field ground wheels for movement with a central hitch arm extending to a tractor and a transport assembly attached to the main beam the frame for moving downwardly to a transport position so that in the transport position the hitch arm extends from one end of the frame generally in the transverse direction for towing the machine in the transverse direction. The transport includes front and rear transport ground wheel which act to support the machine on the wheels. A shield assembly, which in the field position extends rearwardly behind the frame to engage the crop emerging from a conditioner within a center discharge opening, includes at least a portion which is moved to a retracted position at the frame to allow the rear transport wheel to move to the transport position.

Crop machine with operation of two hydraulic machine elements based on movement of one machine part relative to another

Pull-type crop harvesting machine transport system actuated at a predetermined angle of the hitch

Pull-type crop harvesting machine transport system including a swath protection shield

Pull-type crop harvesting machine transport system where a transport wheel can move underneath the crop engaging system

Pull-type crop harvesting machine transport system where the machine remains balanced on transport wheels and the hitch as the transport system is deployed

A crop header has generally horizontal flail disks mounted on a cutter bar for driven rotation about generally upright axes. A pair of conditioner rolls is mounted in a discharge opening. A crop converging system includes two over-shot auger elements defined by a common rotary member with an auger flight carried thereon arranged generally longitudinal of the cutter bar so as to carry the cut crop longitudinally of the cutter bar to the entrance opening. The common rotary member includes two portions connected at a center location driven at one end and supported at the center location by a bearing and support plate connected to the cutter bar attached to one portion and a universal joint between the end of the supported portion and the other portion to allow flexing of the cutter bar to be transmitted through the universal joint.

Rotary disk header with a roller for transferring the crop supported by a center bearing

A crop harvesting header, the top conditioning roll is set back from a conventional position slightly leading the bottom roller so as to instead reside directly over or slightly rearward of the bottom roller, whereby rejection of crop material back into the cutting zone by the top roller is reduced. A rear deflector compensates for a resulting lack of upward trajectory of crop material from the nip, acting to impart a lifting action to same as it exits the rear of the header. Concentrated streams of crop material from pairs of counter-rotating disks may be broken up by a rotational action of the deflector. A front deflector may be included to further prevent crop rejection by the top roller by directing lifted crop material downwardly toward the nip to avoid contact with an upper front quadrant of the top roller.

Rotary disk crop harvesting header with rearwardly shifted top conditioning roll and lower rear deflector

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CA

Neil Gordon Barnett