ROWLESS CROP HARVESTER

• US 3,742,689 A
• Filed: 11/18/1971
• Issued: 07/03/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JI Case Company (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Arthur G. Barows, Edward W. Parrish
• Inventors: Barows, Arthur G., Parrish, Edward W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Guida, Antonio F.
• Application Number:
  US05/199,949
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 56/219,-226,DIG.1 214/83R,83.32 171/52,53,54,56
• US Class Current: 56/226
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/08 with means for cutting up the mown crop , e.g. forage harvesters
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 57/00 Delivering mechanisms for harvesters or mowers

Abstract

A non-row sensitive harvester adaptable for use on row and broadcast planted crops, the apparatus having a rotatable reel auger in one embodiment and a disk reel in another embodiment comprising a plurality of disk-like crop-penetrating gathering heads movable in a cyclic path relative to the ground, each of the heads having mounted thereon gathering elements which grasp and sweep the crops over a cutter, rotation of the reel and the actuation of the gathering elements being selectively adjustable to affect the operating characteristics of the harvester so that it is adaptable to a plurality of crops and situations.

Claims

1. A harvester comprising a transverse cutter, rotatable gathering means positioned generally above the cutter, said gathering means being in the form of a combination reel and auger including a central core and flighting thereon, and being operative for moving the cut crop plants laterally and rearwardly, fingers mounted on said flighting, the fingers being movable downwardly at the front and rearwardly at the bottom of the gathering means, and at the bottom moving rearwardly across the cutter, the fingers being movable into active position in which they are transversely disposed and into retracted position, and means operative in response to rotation of the gathering means for moving the fingers into active position only during a portion of the rotation of the gathering means including that portion in which they move across the cutter.

2. A forage harvester according to claim 1 wherein the gathering means includes a core of relatively small diameter and flighting of relatively great diameter extending a substantial distance radially beyond the core and developing crop-receiving pockets therebetween, the gathering reel being closely adjacent the cutter and the fingers are disposed at the periphery of the flighting.

3. A forage harvester according to Claim 2 wherein the gathering means includes a shaft with a plurality of sprockets thereon in the core, the fingers are incorporated in units each including a driven sprocket and a cam for directly actuating the fingers, and the construction includes endless drive chains interconnecting the sprockets in the core and the sprockets in the finger units.

4. A forage harvester according to claim 3 wherein the flighting is of generally hollow construction, and the finger units are effectively incorporated in the hollow interior of the flighting with only the fingers extending therefrom, and the endless drive chains are entirely enclosed in the core and flighting.

5. A forage harvester according to claim 2 wherein the fingers are at all times confined within the peripheral outer limits of the flighting.

6. A forage harvester according to claim 5 wherein the gathering means is of predetermined size and shape, fixed in location, and defining a single outermost projection of movement, and the fingers are at all times contained within such outermost projection and against movement radially therebeyond.

7. A harvester comprising a transverse cutter, a rotatable gathering assembly positioned generally above the cutter, said gathering assembly including an auger having a central hollow core and flighting thereon, the gathering assembly being operative for moving the cut crop plants laterally inwardly from the sides, a plurality of finger units each including two fingers and the units being distributed peripherally around and axially of the gathering assembly, each finger unit being self contained and mounted in the flighting and each including a pair of axially opposed plates, each plate mounting one of the fingers and the fingers being arranged on opposite sides of the unit and movable to active position in which they extend relatively oppositely on a line extending axially of the gathering assembly, and movable to retracted position, the unit including actuating means between the fingers which selectively actuates the fingers to extended position, and for controlling said activating means including means within said hollow core, and itself controlled by rotation of the gathering assembly.

8. A harvester according to claim 7 wherein the auger flighting includes sheeting continuous circumferentially around the gathering head having a base at the core and converging radially outwardly to a closed outer seam defining an inner space with the core, the finger units are detachably mounted at the periphery of the flighting and the axially opposed side plates thereof form continuations of the opposed elements of the increment of flighting in which the unit is mounted, the finger units defining an extension of the space witHin the flighting.

9. A harvester according to claim 8 wherein the actuating means in each finger unit includes a cam unit rotatable continuously in one direction, and the fingers including cam followers and finger elements arranged so that upon rotation of the gathering head, the cam unit rotates and moves the fingers to active position according to a predetermined shape of the cam in corresponding portions of rotation of the gathering assembly.

10. A harvester according to claim 9 wherein said control means is substantially entirely enclosed in the space within the flighting and core, the plates of the finger unit including flange means in which the fingers are mounted and which have shield means disposed forwardly relative to the direction of rotation of the gathering head shielding the mounting and related elements of the fingers in an arrangement in which the fingers have only elongated elements extending axially therebeyond.

11. In a crop harvester, a finger unit, comprising a pair of opposed plates adapted for mounting in a rigid assembly, a pair of fingers each including a body by which the finger is mounted, an actuating element and a finger element, the fingers being arranged oppositely along an axis extending between the opposed plates and being mounted for movement between an active position in which the finger elements extend generally outwardly from the plates, and a retracted position in which the finger elements extend generally in a direction transverse to said active position, and common actuating means between said plates and reactive between the fingers and operative for moving the fingers to said active position.

12. A finger unit according to claim 11 and including spring means biasing the fingers to retracted position.

13. A finger unit according to claim 11 wherein the elements constitute a self-contained unit, and wherein the side plates are adapted for mounting in a mounting member, and the unit includes a driven component incorporating a rotating driven element, adapted for operative connection with a driving element.

14. A finger unit according to claim 11 wherein the driven component includes a sprocket-cam unit having a cam element and mounted for rotation continuously in a single direction, and the fingers are actuated oppositely by said cam element.

15. A finger unit according to claim 14 wherein each finger includes a body, a finger element and a cam follower, the fingers being arranged for reaction against said cam element and movable thereby correspondingly to active position, the plates including flange means providing a shield extending forwardly of the mounting portions of the fingers whereby to protect them from the movement of the crop being harvested and to provide exposure only of the finger elements extending therebeyond in active position of the fingers.

16. A forage harvester of the character disclosed, comprising from front to rear, a first unit, a second unit and a third unit, the first unit being a standing-crop cutting unit and including a gathering head and a cutter both extending across the effective range of the harvester, the cutter being disposed adjacent the ground and the gathering head being disposed generally above the cutter, the gathering head being in the form of an auger having a core of relatively small radial dimension and flighting of substantially greater radial dimension than the core, the gathering head having its lower edge closely adjacent the cutter, the core of the gathering head being in such position, vertically, as to engage standing crop plants and bias them forwardly in the forward movement of the harvester, the gathering head including a plurality of fingers mounted adjacent its periphery, the fingers being movable between active position in which they extend generally axially of the gathering head and a retracted position in which they extend closely adjacent the flighting elements of the auger, means for moving the fingers into active position when in the lowermost positioN of the gathering head whereby to positively engage the crop plants and move the butt ends thereof rearwardly against the cutter and therebeyond, the harvester also including a platform leading rearwardly from the cutter and reacting against the gathering head and cooperative therewith for moving the crop plants after being cut by the cutter, rearwardly into the second unit, the second unit being operative for transmitting the cut crop plants into the third unit, and the third unit being operative for transmitting the cut plants rearwardly therefrom.

17. A forage harvester according to claim 16 wherein the platform at its forward end and immediately rearwardly of the cutter having a portion curved correspondingly to and closely adjacent the gathering head and leading to another portion of the platform adjacent the second unit, the means for moving the fingers being operative for maintaining them in extended position throughout their movement from a position forwardly of the cutter means continuously past the cutter means and along the curved portion of the platform.

18. A forage harvester according to claim 17 wherein the fingers when retracted are in trailing position relative to the direction of rotation of the gathering head, and they move into such trailing position at a position rotationally of the gathering head within the uppermost limit of the mass of cut crop plants moving generally horizontally from the gathering head to the second unit.

19. A harvester comprising a transverse cutter, a transverse gathering head in the form of an auger having transversely spaced sections oppositely arranged for gathering cut crop plants laterally inwardly toward an intermediate position, and the auger including flighting in the two sections terminating at said intermediate passage in a common terminal point, a plurality of fingers mounted in the flighting in the periphery thereof and movable between an active position in which the fingers extend transversely of the flighting and axially of the auger, and a retracted position in which they extend in trailing direction relative to the direction of rotation of the auger, the fingers in the aggregate and considered circumferentially the auger being staggered and overlapping axially whereby all increments of length of the cutter are covered by the fingers collectively, and the harvester having a platform reacting with the gathering head and cooperable therewith for feeding the crop plants rearwardly pursuant to their being cut, and the harvester having a rearwardly directed opening longitudinally in line with said intermediate position for receiving the cut plants.