Harvester for stripping seed from a standing crop

• US 4,738,087 A
• Filed: 04/26/1982
• Issued: 04/19/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: EZRA C Lundahl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Lundahl, E. Cordell
• Primary Examiner(s): Swiatek, Robert P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lepiane, Adriene J.
• Application Number:
  US06/371,741
• Time in Patent Office: 2,185 Days
• Field of Search: 56/12.8, 56/12.9, 56/13.1, 56/13.2, 56/126, 56/128, 56/129, 56/130, 56/DIG. 1, 56/DIG. 8, 56/DIG. 12
• US Class Current: 56/130
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 45/30 of grass-seeds or like seeds

Abstract

A harvester includes a mobile vehicle with a forward vertically adjustable header that includes a mechanism for stripping grain from a standing crop as the machine advances while leaving the stem of the crop attached to the soil. The stripping mechanism including a pair of axially transverse vertically offset brush-type rotors having randomly spaced radial bristles, the upper rotor being disposed slightly forwardly of the lower and being driven so that its lower surface moves rearwardly in close proximity to the rearwardly moving upper surface of the lower roller that is driven in the opposite direction from the first rotor. The grain heads on most of the standing crop is disposed between the axes of the rotors, and the grain is stripped as the heads move into the bite between the rotors. A front blower directs a stream of air toward the bite and a rear blower directs a stream of air upwardly to the rear of the lower rotor, to create a lower pressure zone behind the rotors that assist the feeding of stripping material to a collector bin on the vehicle.

Claims

1. A harvesting machine for stripping seeds from a standing crop while essentially leaving the stems of the crop attached to the soil and comprising:

a mobile main frame adapted to advance over a field of the standing crop;

a vertically adjustable harvesting header carried by the main frame;

a first brush type axially transverse stripping rotor mounted for rotation on the header and having closely spaced radial bristles with outer ends forming a generally cylindrical outer periphery, the axis of the stripping rotor being below the level substantially all of the seeds on the standing crop;

a second brush type axially transverse stripping rotor having closely spaced radial bristles with outer ends forming a generally cylindrical outer periphery and mounted on the header forwardly and above the first stripping rotor in close proximity thereto, the axis of the second rotor being generally above the level of the seeds on the standing crop;

means for rotating the rotors in opposite directions at peripheral speeds in the range of 18 to 27 m/sec, the front side of the first rotor moving upwardly and the front side of the second rotor moving downwardly so that the seeds engaged by the rotors move rearwardly through the bite between the rotors and are stripped from the standing stems;

a crop collector on the header behind the rotors for receiving material passing through the bite between the rotors and having an outlet; and

a blower means mounted on the header and having an outlet communicating with the housing adjacent to the first rotor for directing a stream of air along the rear side of the first rotor and through the outlet, the air stream inducing a rearward flow of air between the rotors to convey stripped seeds rearwardly.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, and including a second blower means mounted on the header and having a rearwardly directed outlet forwardly of the second rotor and above the level of the standing crop for directing a rearward stream of air toward the bite between the rotors.

3. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the outer ends of the bristles are randomly located on the brush periphery so that the rotating brush presents a substantially solid face to the crop, the seeds being stripped from the stems by the outer ends of the bristles.

4. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the rotating means comprises means for rotating the rotors in the range of from 21 to 23 m/sec.

5. A harvesting machine for stripping seeds from a standing crop while essentially leaving the stems of the crop attached to the soil and comprising:

a mobile frame adapted to advance over a field of the standing crop;

a harvesting header carried by the main frame;

a lower axially transverse stripping brush mounted for rotation on the header and having a hub and radially projecting resilient bristles, the bristles being of a common radial length, with the outer ends thereof being randomly oriented on the brush periphery so that the rotating lower brush presents a substantially solid face to the crop, the lower side of the lower brush being below the level of the seeds on the standing crop;

an upper axially transverse stripping brush mounted on the header forwardly of and above the lower stripping brush in close proximity thereto, the upper brush including a hub and radially projecting resilient bristles which have a common radial length with the outer ends thereof being randomly oriented on the brush periphery so that the rotating upper brush presents a substantially solid face to the crop, the axis of the upper brush being generally above the level of the seeds on the standing crop;

means for rotating the brushes in opposite directions at peripheral speeds in the range of 18 to 27 meters per second, the front side of the lower brush moving upwardly and the front side of the upper brush moving downwardly so that the seeds engaged by the bristles of the brushes move rearwardly through the bite between the rotors and are stripped from the standing stems;

a crop collector on the header behind the rotors for receiving material passing through the bite between the rotors and having an outlet; and

a blower means mounted on the header and having an outlet directed rearwardly toward the brushes for directing a stream of air against the standing crop ahead of the brushes to bend the stems toward the bite and a guide plate between the upper brush and the outlet for directing air into the bite between the brushes.

6. The invention defined in claim 5, and including a second blower means mounted on the header and having an outlet communicating with the housing adjacent to the first brush for directing a stream of air along the rear side of the first brush through the outlet, the air stream including a rearward flow of air through the brushes.