Deere + Company

Other

Roger Dale Stephenson

Stephen K Parsons

Allan Wesley Rosenbalm

James C Walters

Jeremy J Faust

Thomas A Nichols

Craig Allen Richardson

Todd C Aeschliman

Charles Scott Sloan

Joshua D Graeve

David V Rotole

Michael Joseph Verhulst

Roger William Frimml

James L Vogt

Jerry L Krafka

Kellen B Hill

Darwin Daniel Fish

J Clark Fickle

Mark Alan Jordan

Annette Rae Roe

Joshua Gnewuch

Allan Rosenbalm

A crop harvesting machine configured to move cut crop positively across a cutterbar and toward a conditioner element using an undershot rotating element or undershot auger. The crop harvesting machine includes a cutterbar having a plurality of rotary cutters having rotational axis aligned along a line transverse to a moving direction of the crop harvesting machine. The undershot rotating element is subtended by portions of the rotary cutters and is located between rotational axis lines of the rotating cutters and an exit of the crop harvesting machine. The undershot rotating element moves cut crop between the undershot rotating element and the plurality of rotary cutters and to a conditioner element which conditions the cut crop for placement of the conditioned cut crop in swaths on a field.

Method and apparatus for harvesting crop material

A hitch mount assembly includes features configured to facilitate hitching of a drawbar receiver to a drawbar. The hitch mount assembly includes an alignment member supported for movement relative to the drawbar receiver. The alignment member is configured to abut the drawbar and consequently move the drawbar receiver relative to the drawbar to substantially align the pin opening of the receiver with the pin hole of the drawbar. The hitch mount assembly also includes a view window in the drawbar receiver for viewing movement of the drawbar within the drawbar cavity.

Pin-drop hitch mount assembly with alignment features for aligning drawbar and drawbar receiver

A hitch mount assembly includes a drawbar receiver with a drawbar cavity and a pin opening and a pin removably received within the pin opening. A latch that is supported for movement between a first position and a second position. The latch, in the first position, is configured to engage the pin and retain the pin in a retracted position. The latch, in the second position, is configured to disengage the pin and release the pin for movement of the pin from the retracted position to the extended position. Furthermore, the hitch mount assembly includes a biasing member that biases the latch toward the first position and a pin rest configured to support the pin when the latch is in the second position. The pin rest is configured to release the pin as the latch biases from the second position to the first position and engages the pin.

Pin-drop hitch mount assembly with biased pin retainer mechanism

A hitch mount assembly includes a drawbar receiver configured to receive a drawbar and a pin receiver that is supported by the drawbar receiver. Furthermore, the assembly includes a pin that is received within the pin receiver and a latch that is supported for movement between a first position and a second position. The latch, in the first position, is configured to engage the pin and retain the pin in a retracted position. The latch, in the second position, is configured to disengage and release the pin for movement of the pin from the retracted position to an extended position. Moreover, the assembly includes a biasing member configured to bias the latch toward the first position to retain the pin in the retracted position.

A pin-drop hitch mount assembly includes a drawbar receiver that defines a drawbar cavity and a pin opening that is open to the drawbar cavity. The assembly also includes a pin that is supported for movement within the pin opening between first and second unhitched positions and a hitched position. The hitch mount assembly further includes a latch that is supported for movement relative to the drawbar receiver between a first position, an intermediate position, and a second position. The latch, in the first position, engages and supports the pin in the first unhitched position. The latch, in the second position, disengages the pin for movement toward the hitched position. The hitch mount assembly includes a biasing member that biases the latch from the intermediate position toward the first position to return the pin to the first unhitched position as the drawbar moves out of the drawbar cavity.

A tractor assembly includes a tractor having a first set of wheels and a second set of wheels, a mower-conditioner assembly coupled to the tractor, a shield coupled to the conditioner at a location rearward thereof, and a crop moving assembly coupled to either the tractor or mower-conditioner assembly. The mower-conditioner assembly includes a mowing mechanism configured to cut a crop and a conditioner configured to crimp the crop. The shield deflects the crimped crop rearwardly therefrom and forms a windrow of a first width. The windrow is disposed directly behind the tractor and includes a device for spreading the windrow in at least one direction to form a second width. The second width is greater than the first width.

System of laying swath of cut crop for improved dry down time and method thereof

A module cutterbar assembly includes a plurality of modules coupled to one another along a joint. Each module has a first surface defining a first plane and an internal cavity. A drive transfer mechanism is disposed within the internal cavity of each of the plurality of modules, and a drive hub assembly is mechanically coupled to the drive transfer mechanism and extends out of the internal cavity away from the first plane. A cutting disk is coupled to the drive hub of each of the plurality of modules. A coupling mount is positioned on each side of each joint and extends from the first plane towards the cutting disk. A cavity is partially defined by the first plane, the cutting disk, and the drive hub in each module. The coupling mount is disposed at least partially within the cavity.

Cutterbar module structure

A rotary cutterbar disk hub assembly for diverting debris includes a cutterbar housing defining an internal cavity and a bearing housing defining an axis and coupled to the cutterbar housing. A labyrinth is defined in the bearing housing circumferentially about the axis, and a barrier is formed by the bearing housing at a location radially outward of the labyrinth. A disk hub is positioned concentric with the axis and coupled to the bearing housing and cutterbar housing. The disk hub forms at least one protrusion that extends towards the bearing housing and is radially adjacent to the labyrinth. The barrier restricts a portion of the debris from entering the labyrinth, and the at least one protrusion severs debris that is disposed near the labyrinth as the disk hub rotates.

Debris diverter for rotary cutterbar

A modular cutterbar assembly capable of moving in a direction of travel may include a first module forming a first surface, a second surface, a front edge, and a rear edge. The assembly may also include a second module coupled to the first module such that the second module forms a first surface, a second surface, a front edge, and a rear edge. A joint is defined between first and second module and defining a joint plane. A first coupler is defined through the joint of the first and second modules at each respective front edge and defining a first coupler axis, and a second coupler is defined through the joint of the first and second modules at each respective rear edge and defining a second coupler axis. The joint plane is angled relative to the direction of travel.

Joint for rotary cutterbar

A modular cutterbar assembly operably coupled to a work machine includes at least one module and an end cap coupled to the at least one module. The end cap includes an upper surface defined between a first end and a second end, and an inner cavity is defined in the first end of the end cap. The inner cavity is configured to substantially enclose a drive transfer mechanism. An aperture is defined in the upper surface, and a coupler arm is integrally formed with the second end of the end cap. The coupler arm is configured to be coupled to the work machine.

Rotary cutterbar module end cap

An elongated rotary cutterbar assembly includes a housing having a first surface, a second surface, a front portion, and a rear portion. At least one disk is rotatably coupled to the housing, and the assembly further includes a first tab at least partially disposed between the first surface and the second surface, and a tab plane defined by the first tab and extending between the first surface and the second surface. A stop surface is defined in the housing offset from the tab plane towards the first surface, and a disk guard is coupled to the housing at the first tab. A receiver is defined in the disk guard at a location adjacent to the first stop surface. When a force is applied to the disk guard towards the first surface, the first receiver contacts the first stop surface to restrict deflection of the disk guard relative to the housing.

Disk guard support

A work vehicle for working a swath of crop has at least one ground-engaging wheel or track mounted to the work vehicle and movable in a travel direction along a tread path. A first redistribution device is mounted to the work vehicle to move crop that is ahead of the at least one ground-engaging wheel or track relative to the travel direction. A second redistribution device is mounted to the work vehicle to move crop that is behind the at least one ground-engaging wheel or track relative to the travel direction. The first redistribution device is configured to open the swath of crop along substantially only the tread path ahead of the at least one ground-engaging wheel or track relative to the travel direction, and the second redistribution device is configured to close the swath of crop along the tread path behind the at least one ground-engaging wheel or track relative to the travel direction.

Work vehicle with wheel/track crop swath avoidance

A mowing implement includes an improved crop and forage material converging arrangement for a wide mowing implement equipped with a rotary cutter bar and powered converging drums. One or more stripper elements are mounted for rotation with one or more converging drums so as to limit the tendency for cut material to wrap around the converging drums, and to more consistently transfer the cut material to the material discharge zone. Each stripper element can be located and dimensioned to sweep a path a near an adjacent converging drum and pass in close proximity to an auger of the mowing implement to effectively guide and converge material. Each stripper elements can be an oblong plate configured and arranged to strip cut material from an adjacent converging drum and deflect the stripped material towards a material discharge zone of the implement.

Converging drum and stripper arrangement

A material processing machine includes a rotary conveyer for delivering material to a material conditioner. The conveyer has a rotatable body and a paddle is mounted on the body. The paddle includes a support portion having a radially outer end and a radially inner end which is attached to the body. The outer end is not ahead of the inner end with respect to a direction of rotation of the body. The paddle also includes a lip portion which is supported by the support portion. The lip portion is forward or advanced with respect to the outer end of the support portion, with respect to the direction of rotation of the body.

Conveyer for a material processing machine

A wide cut harvesting platform includes a rotary cutter bar having right- and left-hand outer and inner cutting units having respective inner and outer cutting discs at its opposite ends rotating in appropriate opposite directions for conveying cut crop from outer ends of the cutter bar to a central crop discharge path leading to a crop conditioning arrangement extending across the path. A first embodiment includes horizontal, right- and left-hand converging augers mounted so as to diverge forwardly above inner and outer cutting discs at the opposite ends of the cutter bar from locations at opposite sides of the discharge path and forward of the conditioner arrangement. A second embodiment includes first and second forwardly diverging augers like the first embodiment but being shorter and respectively terminating outwardly adjacent right- and left-hand converging drums respectively mounted to, and for rotating together with the right- and left-hand outer cutting discs.

Growing community of inventors

Ottumwa, IA, United States of America

Roger Dale Stephenson