Cnh America LLC

New Holland North America, Inc.

Sperry Rand Corporation

Sperry Corporation

Robert L Rice

Kenneth W McLean

David M Dechristopher

Philip J Ehrhart

Aquila D Mast

Charles H Hoffman

Donald L Osborne

Douglas G Branham

Cecil Sudbrack

Larimer J Knepper

Cecil R Sudbrack

Constantine J Kermes

Nicole L Fair

An improved shield panel for use in the top shield of a rotary disc cutterbar equipped mower that features a twin sheet, vacuum formed plastic panel with a steel frame that interfaces with existing hinge and mounting structures on the mower to enable the plastic shield panel to directly replace a steel shield panel. Stiffening ribs formed into the plastic shield provide the necessary strength for the shield panel while the resiliency of the plastic material enables the plastic shield panel to better withstand impacts from flying debris generated from cutterbar operation. Molded receptacles in the exterior surface of the shield panels are configured to receive connectors for the mower front shield curtain and any stiffening members necessary for attachment to the mower. The predominate use of plastic reduces weight and lowers production costs compared to a comparable steel panel with a plastic protective liner.

Twin sheet vacuum formed covers for disc mower cutterbars

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 lift assist bar for a windrow merger lift mechanism comprising an elongate lift bar connected at one end to the lift mechanism using a ball joint and having a bearing structure on the opposite end, a fulcrum pin connected to a lift arm of the mechanism for contact with an intermediate point of the lift bar between the opposing ends, and a bearing pad connected to the windrower chassis wherein said lift assist bar, being positioned by movement of the lift mechanism from a working position of the merger apparatus toward a non-working position such that the bearing structure contacts the bearing pad, causes the merger assembly to be lifted and held in the non-working position thereby reducing stresses on other linkage members of the lift mechanism.

Windrow merger lift assist bar

Self-propelled windrower

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 disc mower conditioner utilizing a modular disc cutterbar to sever standing crop material by impact action supports the cutterbar from the header of the mower conditioner by a pair of transversely spaced support arms mounted by spherical bushings to the header to allow flexing of the support arms as induced by the cutterbar. The mounting of the spherical bushings utilize conical washers engagable with conical sockets in spacers to limit vertical movement of the spacer relative to the header when the corresponding support arm flexes. The mower conditioner header further includes an optional viney crop guide that has a curved leading edge that directs viney crop downwardly into engagement with the adjacent disc cutter. The viney crop guide is also bent inwardly to contain and control the flow of crop material. The mower conditioner swathboard includes a position control mechanism that incorporates a positive down stop in the form of a pin riding within a corresponding slotted opening in an associated bracket to prevent the swathboard from coming into an inadvertent engagement with the conditioning rolls.

Viney crop guide for disc mower conditioners

Mower conditioner swathboard support with down stop

A release mechanism for a combine stone trap latch is disclosed wherein the detection of a stone in the crop feed path by either electronic or mechanical detection mechanisms can trigger the release of the latch from a trap door to permit the stone to be ejected from the feed path. The mechanical detection mechamism includes a pinch roller rotatably mounted on a bearing plate above the trap door for movement to selectively vary the distance between the pinch roller and the trap door. A trip link operatively associated with the electronic detection mechanism is pivotally mounted on the bearing plate to maintain a fixed positional relationship between the trip link and a cam member affixed to the pinch roller whenever the pinch roller is positionally adjusted. The release mechanism operatively cooperates with the trip link when the electronic detection mechanism senses a stone in the feed path to unlatch the trap door without the need for adjustment when the bearing plate is moved to adjust the position of the pinch roller relative to the trap door.

Combine stone trap latch release

A roll forming machine picks up crop material and forms, twine wraps and discharges rolls or large round bales thereof as the machine is continuously moving across the field. The machine has a mobile frame supporting a pickup and a floor, the latter supporting a lower conveyor. A front upper apron is supported on the frame above a front portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a front roll forming region therewith. A rear upper apron is supported on the frame above a rear portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a rear roll forming region therewith. Formation of a crop material roll is initiated in the front region and completed in the rear region after the roll has been partially formed in the front region and transferred to the rear region. Mechanism on the frame supports portions of the rear upper apron being located respectively at front and rear ends of the rear region. The mechanism is operable for raising and lowering the rear upper apron portions toward and away from the lower conveyor and floor in a coordinated manner for facilitating receipt through the front end of the rear region of the roll when transferred from the front region, completion of the formation of the transferred roll in the rear region and discharge of the roll through the rear end of the rear region when completed.

Raising and lowering mechanism for the rear chamber in a crop material

A roll forming machine picks up crop material and forms, twine wraps and discharges rolls or large round bales thereof as the machine is continuously moving across the field. The machine has a mobile frame supporting a pickup and a floor, the latter supporting a lower conveyor. A rear upper apron is movably supported on the frame above a rear portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a rear roll forming region therewith. A front upper apron is movably supported on the frame above a front portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a front roll forming region therewith having an inlet end and a discharge end. A series of generally planar ramp elements are disposed in laterally spaced apart relationship transversely across the floor at the discharge end of the front roll forming region. Each ramp element is mounted for movement between a lowered position and a raised position. Also, the front upper apron has a portion located at the discharge end of the region which is movable between a raised position and a lowered position. Means is provided for coordinating the movement of the ramp elements and the upper apron portion so as either to dispose the ramp elements and the upper apron portion at their respective raised and lowered positions to close the discharge end of the roll forming region or to dispose the same at their respective lowered and raised positions to open the discharge end of the region.

Growing community of inventors

New Holland, PA, United States of America

Robert L Rice