Deere & Company

William J Sikula, Jr

Michael Keith Wyffels

Leon F Nelson

Dan T Montgomery

An engine fan mount is provided which isolates the fan from vibrations causing pitch and yaw of the fan drive shaft. Each fan bolt is provided with a spacer extending through the fan, which metal washers at each end of the spacer on either side of the fan. Elastomeric washer are positioned about the spacer on either side of the fan between the fan and the metal washers. A slight clearance, e.g., 1 mm, is provided between the fan through bore and the spacer. When the bolt is tightened, the elastomeric washers are only slightly compressed, with the metal washers and spacers preventing further compression. The fan is free to float axially along the spacers, and to vary in angle (within the limits of the clearance) relative to the bolts and drive shaft.

Cooling fan isolation mount

A combine auger drive is operated by closing a switch which energizes a solenoid-operated valve which engages a hydraulic auger drive clutch. An electronic controller controls combine engine fuel delivery rate in response to sensed engine speed on throttle position via an electrically-operated, rack-controlled fuel pump. A summing unit modifies the rack position control signal when the switch is closed to increase fuel pumping rate when the auger drive is engaged.

Combine power boost system

A valve for preventing the loss of fluid from a fluid circuit in an engine block when a screw on filter element located at a low point in the circuit is removed includes a bore in the engine block having an inlet passage connected to the bore near a valve seat which connects the bore to the outside of the engine block. The bore contains a poppet valve having a threaded end for engaging the filter element and a pin and spring combination passing through a longitudinal slot in the poppet valve to cause the poppet valve to block the bore to prevent the loss of fluid. The poppet valve is hollow and open to an outlet passage in the engine block which is spaced away from and is always blocked from the inlet passage. The through passage has a check surface and contains a check ball and check spring which are disposed between the pin and the threaded end of the poppet valve. The check spring has a free height which causes it to act to prevent the flow of fluid from the outlet passage when the bore is blocked by the poppet valve but allow the flow when the bore is unblocked. The poppet valve is opened by screwing on the filter element which allows fluid to enter the inlet of the filter element. After the fluid is filtered the fluid exits from the filter element through a center outlet and past the check ball and out the outlet passage.

Filter element shutoff valve

A filter wrench includes a cylindrical housing with internal lugs and a centrally positioned punch for draining and removing a screw-on filter having an outer canister and an inner filter element. As the housing is impactively positioned over the filter, the punch successively punctures the outer canister and then the inner filter element before the lugs indent the outer canister and the bottom of the housing abuts the canister. With the punch extending through the punctures, the housing is held on the filter while the outer canister and the inner filter element are drained through passages in the punch and an outlet in the housing. When draining is complete, a formed nut on the outside of the housing allows the filter wrench to be rotated causing the lugs to rotate the filter for removal.

Growing community of inventors

Waterloo, IA, United States of America

William J Sikula, Jr