New Holland North America, Inc.

Ford New Holland, Inc.

New Holland Inc.

Other

Robert A Wagstaff

Richard E Jennings

John H Merritt

Emmett F Glass

Larry D Hall

H Nevin Lausch

John E Wanner

John R McClure

John B Crego

Emmett G Webster

Edmund O Howell

The device consists of a tapered spline coupler for a drive shaft of a pull-type forage harvester. The first drive shaft and second drive shaft each have a set of tapered splines that are inserted into a tapered, internally splined coupler. A pair of retaining rings affixed to the drive shafts draws the shafts into the coupler. A retaining bolt may be tightened to force the shafts into the coupler. A method for manufacturing the spline coupling consists of a cutting a groove in the drive shafts for a retaining ring. Tapered splines are cut onto the drive shafts. A tapered bore in the coupler is cut on a lathe by a boring bar. Splines in the coupler are created by use of a broaching tool. After the retaining rings are placed on the drive shafts, a retaining bolt tightens the assembly.

Method for making a shaft coupling with tapered spines for a pull-type forage harvester

The device consists of a tapered spline coupler for a drive shaft of a pull-type forage harvester. The first drive shaft and second drive shaft each have a set of tapered splines that are inserted into a tapered, internally splined coupler. A pair of retaining rings affixed to the drive shafts draws the shafts into the coupler. A retaining bolt may be tightened to force the shafts into the coupler.

Shaft coupling with tapered splines for a pull-type forage harvester

A main frame of a row crop attachment 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 a cutting mechanism 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 attachment adjacent the inlet in the harvester on which the attachment is mounted.

Row crop attachment for forage harvester

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 rotatable forage harvester cutterhead having a shaft with a drum assembly coaxially secured to the shaft. A plurality of uniquely configured knives extend from the outer cylindrical surface of the drum, each with a cutting edge length less than half the axial length of the cylindrical surface. The knives are supported by assemblies having a solid mounting block secured to the outer cylindrical surface, which mounting blocks have a mounting surface extending at an acute angle to a radial plane extending from the shaft. Fasteners secure the knives to the mounting surfaces with the cutting edges of the knives extending in the direction of rotation of the cutterhead and generating a cylinder as the cutterhead rotates. The knife designs enhance efficiencies by providing a rake angle, formed by the bottom surface of the knife and the radial plane, that is greater than the acute angle.

Forage harvester knife and mounting apparatus

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 rotatable forage harvester cutterhead having a rotatable shaft, and a plurality of axially spaced disc shaped plate members having substantially the same diameters and affixed in parallel planes transversely along the shaft for rotation therewith. A plurality of mounting members are detachably secured to the plate members for mounting a drum having an inner surface having a diameter at least as great as the diameters of the disc shaped plate members. Attachment means are employed for detachably securing the drum to the mounting members. Each of a plurality of substantially flat knives with a cutting edge extending in a transverse direction less than half the axial length of the drum are mounted on knife support assemblies comprising support blocks. The attachment means for securing the drum to the discs also secures the knife support blocks to the outer surface of the drum. Fasteners secure the knives to the blocks with the cutting edges extending in the direction of rotation of the cutterhead and generating a cylinder, under conditions where the cutterhead rotates, having a diameter larger than the diameter of the drum.

Cutterhead for forage harvester

A round baler having a pickup, a chamber for forming a cylindrical package of crop material and a generally transverse opening for feeding crop that has been picked up into the chamber. The baler includes a twine handling assembly having at least one twine arm with a twine dispensing end from which twine is dispensed in the vicinity of the transverse opening for applying a plurality of helical wraps on the cylindrical package of crop material formed in the chamber. Twine cutting apparatus is provided for cutting the twine, and a twine guide assembly is mounted to cooperate with the twine cutting apparatus to guide the twine to a cutting mechanism that is transferred to its operative position from a remote position after a predetermined amount of twine has been dispensed.

Twine cutting apparatus for round baler

A round baler having a main frame, a tailgate pivotally connected to the main frame and an apron extending around a plurality of guide rolls disposed in the main frame and the tailgate. A pair of take up arms, rotatably mounted on the main frame, carry at least one additional guide roll for the apron. A bale forming chamber, including the apron, varies in size from a bale starting position to a full bale position. A crop loading monitor is provided for signaling the operator when the compactness of the crop material in at least one portion of the bale being formed in the bale forming chamber reaches a predetermined acceptable level.

Round baler apparatus for monitoring bale shape

A round baler having a pickup, a chamber for forming a cylindrical package of crop material and a generally transverse opening for feeding crop that has been picked up into the chamber. The baler includes a twine handling assembly having at least one twine arm with a twine dispensing end from which twine is dispensed in the vicinity of the transverse opening for applying a plurality of helical wraps on the cylindrical package of crop material formed in the chamber. A twine cutting mechanism for cutting the twine, cooperates with a unique twine guide arrangement mounted to guide the twine to the cutting mechanism after a predetermined amount of twine has been dispensed.

Twine cutter for a round baler

A method of forming bales in a round baler having a crop pickup and a bale forming chamber which is either fixed or expandable during bale formation. In one baler in which the method is readily carried out, the chamber is defined by a flexible apron comprising a plurality of side by side elongated belts trained about a plurality of rolls, a series of transverse crop engaging rolls and a floor roll. The method includes the steps of positioning the round baler to pick up crop material with the pickup, feeding the picked up crop material into the expandable bale forming chamber, sensing the compaction of the crop material in one or more regions during its formation in the bale forming chamber, generating a signal indicative of the level of compaction of the crop material in the region or regions, and repositioning the round baler in response to variations in the signal during expansion of the chamber to maintain the compaction at a predetermined level.

Bale shape monitoring method for round balers

A method of wrapping cylindrical bales of crop material with netting material for use with apparatus including a feed roller which may be selectively driven to dispense the netting material from a supply roll into a round baler. The apparatus has a home position and a cutting position wherein the feed roller is latched. The apparatus also has a feeding position wherein the feed roller is driven. The method includes the steps of latching the feed roller when the apparatus is in the home position, unlatching the feed roller when the apparatus is moved from the home position to the feeding position, relatching the feed roller when the apparatus is moved from the feeding position to the cutting position, and maintaining the feed roller latched as the apparatus is moved from the cutting position to the home position.

Net wrapping method

A method of tensioning the apron of a round baler includes utilizing a pair of springs and a pair of hydraulic cylinders connected between apron take up arms and a tailgate of the round baler in a manner such that the springs normally urge the apron take up arms toward an inner position whereas the hydraulic cylinders resist movement of the apron take up arms from the inner position to an outer position. The hydraulic cylinders provide a primary source of apron tension and the springs provide a secondary source of apron tension so that, during bale formation, the apron tension generated by the hydraulic cylinders increases while the apron tension generated by the springs remains substantially constant.

Apron tensioning method for round balers

A system for tensioning the apron of a round baler includes a pair of springs and a pair of hydraulic cylinders connected between apron take up arms and a tailgate of the round baler. The springs normally urge the apron take up arms toward an inner position, and the hydraulic cylinders resist movement of the apron take up arms from the inner position to an outer position. The hydraulic cylinders provide a primary source of apron tension and the springs provide a secondary source of apron tension. During bale formation, the apron tension generated by the hydraulic cylinders increases while the apron tension generated by the springs remains substantially constant.

Apron tensioning system for round balers

Apparatus for wrapping cylindrical bales of crop material with netting material includes a feed roller which may be selectively driven to dispense the netting material from a supply roll into a round baler. The apparatus has a home position and a cutting position wherein the feed roller is latched by a latch arm. The apparatus also has a feeding position wherein the feed roller is driven by the PTO of a tractor. A lever mounted for rotation about the axis of the feed roller has an idler pulley on one end thereof engageable with a belt for effecting the driving of the feed roller. The lever also has a rod on the other end thereof connected to a latch arm for effecting the latching of the feed roller. An electrical actuator is connected to the lever for moving the apparatus between the home, feeding, and cutting positions. A knife for cutting the netting material is connected to the lever for movement between a retracted position and an operative position.

Growing community of inventors

Lancaster, PA, United States of America

Robert A Wagstaff