New Holland North America, Inc.

Sperry Corporation

Steven J Campbell

Kenneth W McLean

Thomas L Stiefvater

Melanie W Harkcom

Terry A Young

Marc Christenson

Kenneth R Underhill

James T Clevenger, Jr

Robert A Wagstaff

M Luke Nolt

Darryl T Leeds

Mark L Cozine

J T Clevenger, Jr

Barry E Smith

Ray E Nooyen

Edward A Relf

William T Fry

Edward J Clement

A crop harvesting implement has a wheeled frame, a draft tongue pivotable between extreme left and right operating positions, a mechanism for pivoting the tongue, a drive line for transmitting rotational power from a tractor when coupled thereto, a crop harvesting header suspended from the frame and having operable components for engaging and processing crop material, a gearbox for receiving rotational power from the drive line and transmitting the power to the operable components of the crop harvesting header, an input shaft operatively connected to the drive line, a device for mounting the gearbox on the header so that the header rotates, and a steering mechanism for effecting rotational movement of the gearbox in concert with the pivotal movement of the tongue. The steering mechanism is located on the drive line to pivot the gearbox about its generally vertical pivot axis in response to the pivotal movement of the tongue during field operations so as to keep the input shaft of the gearbox at least generally aligned with the tongue.

Steering tube for pivotally rotating a hay harvester gearbox

A two stage hydraulic tongue swing mechanism and a tongue latch mechanism for controlling and affixing the tongue of a pull type implement while the implement is being laterally transported. The two stage hydraulic tongue swing mechanism comprises a tongue plate attached to the tongue. A free plate is pivotally attached at the tongue pivot and is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder. The tongue plate and free plate are selectively attached to each other by a lateral transport latch. The tongue latch mechanism is partly affixed to the tongue and partly to the trailframe. Attached to the tongue is a tongue handle that controls the position of a tongue pin. The tongue pin is biased into an angled strike plate with a slot on the edge of the trailframe. The tongue pin may be held in a retracted position by a notched lock bar.

Two stage hydraulic tongue swing mechanism

The device consists of a two stage hydraulic tongue swing mechanism and a tongue latch mechanism for controlling and affixing the tongue of a pull type implement while the implement is being laterally transported. The two stage hydraulic tongue swing mechanism comprises a tongue plate attached to the tongue. A free plate is pivotally attached at the tongue pivot and is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder. The tongue plate and free plate are selectively attached to each other by a lateral transport latch. The tongue latch mechanism is partly affixed to the tongue and partly to the trailframe. Attached to the tongue is a tongue handle that controls the position of a tongue pin. The tongue pin is biased into an angled strike plate with a slot on the edge of the trailframe. The tongue pin may be held in a retracted position by a notched lock bar.

Tongue latch mechanism

A curved implement tongue improves the turning characteristics of the implement, such as a mower-conditioner. The tongue is bent in the horizontal plane and incorporates a generally vertical box section at the end of the tongue. The tongue supports a driveline transmitting rotational power from a prime mover to the operative components of the mower-conditioner.

Curved draft tongue for mower conditioners

A curved implement tongue improves the turning characteristics of the implement, such as a mower-conditioner. The tongue is bent in the horizontal plane and incorporates a generally vertical box section at the end of the tongue. The tongue supports a driveline transmitting rotational power from a prime mover to the operative components of the mower-conditioner. The driveline incorporates a clutch assembly mounted on the input shaft of a bevel gearbox. The forward end of the input shaft is formed with a conical surface that mates with a corresponding conical hub bore formed within the clutch assembly. The end of the input shaft is formed as a truncated cone to provide a gap between the end of the shaft and the bottom of the bore and assure a proper seating of the two members.

Drive shaft support for mower conditioners

A modular disc cutterbar utilizes self-contained cutter modules clamped between alternating spacer modules by fasteners engaged with the spacer modules. To resist bending moments in the cutterbar, selected fasteners can have a length to span more than one cutter module. The drive mechanism is also of a modular construction including a symmetrical, reversible sealed drive apparatus within each cutter module and a transfer shaft passing through each interstitial spacer module to interconnect each cutter module drive mechanism. The drive apparatus incorporates an oil slinger to keep the remote seals lubricated. The rock guard for each cutter module is mounted on the adjacent spacer modules, while the skid shoe mounting is simplified. A crop mover mounted on each disc member above the cutting knife improves the transfer of severed crop material. An oil slinger mounted on the drive assembly within the cutter module draws oil from the reservoir past the adjacent bearing and disperses the oil onto the corresponding seal member for lubrication and cooling thereof.

Modular disc cutterbar for agricultural implements

A disc mower incorporates a modular disc cutterbar surrounded by a flexible canopy supported from a frame. A split guard is mounted to the distal end of the mower canopy to keep objects away from the end of the disc cutterbar. The guard presents a smooth contiguous surface to prevent debris and crop material from catching the guard. The guard has an L-shape configuration, including a front member leg oriented to project rearwardly while a rear leg member is oriented to project forwardly. The front and rear legs overlap in line with the transverse pivot axis of said canopy support such that the split guard presents a continuous edge for effectively deflecting crop material.

Disc mower cutterbar guard

A guide link mechanism is supported from the draft tongue of a pull-type harvester and connected to the gearbox mounted on the crop harvesting header to provide rotational power thereto wherein the guide link is supported from a sliding mechanism mounted on the tongue that accommodates the changes in distance in respective points associated with the pivotal movement of the draft tongue about a different pivot center than the gearbox. The sliding mechanism includes a bracket affixed to the underside of the draft tongue and low friction inserts, such as nylon, phenolic, urethane or polyethylene inserts, carried by the bracket. The guide link is connected to a slider plate that is slidably received by the phenolic inserts to permit a sliding movement thereof relative to the draft tongue. The rearward end of the guide link is pivotally connected to the gearbox to accommodate vertical movements of the crop harvesting header relative to the draft tongue. The guide link mechanism effects pivotal movement of the gearbox in response to the pivotal movement of the draft tongue to minimize angular deflection of the universal joints in the drive line supported on the draft tongue to deliver rotational power to the gearbox.

Guide link for a rotatable harvester gearbox

Oil slinger for cutter module drive assembly

Protective structure for a modular disc cutterbar

Disc cutterbar for agricultural implements

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.

Disc mower conditioner

In a crop harvesting and threshing machine of the type utilizing at least one axial flow threshing and separating rotor with auger flighting attached to the forward end thereof and mounted within a generally cylindrical elongate rotor casing having an inner sidewall and an opposing outer sidewall there is provided an elongate inwardly projecting stripper plate attached to the outer sidewall and cooperative with the auger flighting as the rotor rotates to force crop material rearwardly and to prevent the stems of the crop material from moving initially upwardly toward the top of the rotor casing and thereby preventing a wrapping about the rotor shaft.

Axial flow stripper plate

In a crop harvesting and threshing machine of the type utilizing at least one axial flow threshing and separating rotor within a generally cylindrical elongate rotor casing there is provided an annular member fastened to a support member surrounding the front portion of the threshing rotor, a guide member fastened to the support member and contiguous with the annular member projecting linearly outwardly therefrom, a ramp section sloping rearwardly and outwardly affixed to the support member adjacent the guide member to direct the crop material from the guide member generally outwardly and upwardly towards the rear of the rotor casing into contact with a transport fin affixed to the top of the casing in an oblique angular relation therewith, thereby promoting the further rearward movement of crop material as it is transported axially about the threshing rotor.

Growing community of inventors

New Holland, PA, United States of America

Steven J Campbell