AU599244B2 - Crop transporter - Google Patents

Description

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRtALIA Patent Act 1952 CO0M P LET E S P f; C I F I C A T I 0 N

(ORIGINAL)

Class Int. Class Application Number :PI 2594

S.

*6

S

g.

C

C.

C

C.

C.

C.

S C

SC

CC

e.g.

Lodged :22 J-une 1987 Complete Specification Lodged Accepted Published Priority: IThis document contains the amendments made under Section 49 and is correct for priniting.

Relat'.I Art 6 SC C 56

OC

Name of Applicant Address of Applicant Actual Inventor Address for Service AUSTOFT INDUSTRIES LIMITED 3 Maryborough Street, Bundaberg, Queensland, Commonwealth of Australia MALCOLM JOHN BAKER JAMES RICHARD WARREN F.B. RICE CO. Patent Attorneys, 28A Montague Street, BALMAIN. 2041.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "Crop Transporter" The following statement is~ a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to Us: S000436 300043a 21 /06$/88 ,i 1 I

INTRODUCTION

This invention relates to a crop transporter and, more particularly, to a crop transporter for transporting and unloading sugarcane.

BACKGROUND OP THE INVENTION Crop transporters are used for the transportation of cane loaded from cane harvesters and the unloading of the transported cane into containers which are normally transported subsequently to ai mill for processing.

Present transporters, while prciding successful assistance in the loading, transporting and unloading of cane billets, also contain shortcomings which decrease their flexibility and increase costs.

For example, articulated vehicles are presently used in one crop transporter design. While such articulated vehicles need not use steerable front axles which, when mechanically drivan, can be complex and costly, artic',latrd vehicles are inherently less stable than vehicles using a 2* rigid frame. This instability is underlined when large S: tires are used as is the case with cane transporters because of the often wet and adverse field conditions under which cane harvesting frequently takes place.

A further transporter uses an elevator and a cross <1 .onveyc.r, the elevator raising the cane billets from the bin in which the billets are transported and the cross conveyor receiving the billets from the elevator and conveying them normal to the longitudinal axis of the transporter to a loading bin located at the side of the transporter. While these transporters serve to suitably unload the billets when the loading bin is located at the appropriate height, it

"I

frequently is the case that the top of the loading bin is higher than the discharge exit of the cross conveyor The only way to raise the cross conveyor for suitable discharge is to raise the entire vehicle and this is time consuming and unacceptable, Yet a further problem with present transporters relates to the shape of the bin in which the cane billets are transported. Since the support structure for the bin is located at the forward portion of the bin and since the width restrictions for trucks and other vehicles used on 01!00: public roads prohibit excess width, the forward pction of the bin is tapered as it leads to the elevator. ll~tapored Se portion is vulnerable to being clogged or jammed because it a ofso: is especially difficult to compress cane and also because S. C..canL harvesting, particularly green cane harveBsting, inherently includes a large amount of trash which may contribute to the build up in the tapered area.

disc 4 .,osed a crop transporter comprising a main frame, I ~n support frame attached to said main frame, a bin ached toI C bin support frame, an elevator with an entran area located forwa dly nd u ward y fr m s aid entr ce a ea t discarg are, acros coveyor ccatesbtaily iscthare fraraoro of said bn, said crs vyor eig r W' a~N 0 rat 2a SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention, there is disclosed a crop transporter comprising, a) a main frame, b) a bin having a forward end and a rearward end, c) an elevator with an entrance area located adjacent the forwarP end of the bin, said elevator extending forward'. and upwardly from the entrance area to a discharge area, d) a cross conveyor located substantially normal to the direction of movement of the elevator and being located below and adjacent to the discharge area of the elevator, the cross conveyor being directly or indirectly too connected to the bin and being moveable therewith, 15 e) first elevating means to raise and lower the S• forward end of the bin and the cross conveyor connected therewith, relative to the frame. and f) second elevating means to raise and lower the rearward end of the bin relative to the frame and to pivot the bin about an axis normal to the direction of movement of the elevator and adjacent the discharge area of the elevator.

H j 4!n havinag two oppesiteiy facing sidewall an endwll-pjn frontwall, said bin being pivotably conne osaid bin support frame at a positio nrdly of said frontw~ll. and first elevaj jn ans connected between said main frame and binor frame.

BRIEF~~~ D-CITOI O H E1~VIEWS OF TUE DRAWINGS A specific embodiment of the ,-vention will now be I. described, by way of example only, with the use of drawings in which; Figure I is a plan view of the crop transporter according to the invention,- Figure 23 is an isometric view of the crop transporter according to the invention with the bin and cross conveyor in the loading position; ***Figure 3 is an isometric view of the crop transporter similar to Figure 2 but with the bin and cross 9 06 conveyor illustrated in a position f,or unloading the bin; Figure 4 is a vide view of the crop transporter; .:Figures 5A and 5B illustrate an enlarged partial plan and a partial side view of the attachment details between the cross conveyor, the bin support frame and the bin; and Figures 6A and 6B illustrate the rear wheel assembly and the front axle assembly, respectively.

13~ tDE8CRIPTION-OF SPECIFIC-ENDQDIMENT Referring now to the drawings, a crop transporter is shown generally at 10 in the figures. It comprises a bin generally shown at 11, an elevator 12 within the bin~ 11 (Figure 1) a cross conveyor shown generally at 13 and the operators console or cab 14 at the forward end and righthaid side of the transporter The transporter 10 has a rigid frame or chassis running the length of' the transporter 10, The operators **see: console 14 is mounted directly to the chassis 20 as well as too:: the prime. mover or engine 21.

The bin 11 has two oppositely facing sidew'alls 2',23, an endwall 24 and a frontwall 30. The elevator 12 too.** has an entrance area 31 within the forward portion of the bin 11 andi a discharge area 32 (Figure 4) located forwardly and upwardly fzo the entrance area 31.

***tooThe cross conveyor 13 is located substantially normal to the elevator 12 and is located below and adjacent .~to the discharge area 32 of the elevator 12. Two extendible wings 33,34 are provided, one on each end of the main or central portion 40 of the cross conveyor 13. The wings ji 33t84 are pivotably connected to the central portion 40 of to:* the cross conveyor 13 and a pair of hydraulic cylinders 41, 42 are connected between the central portion 40 of the cross conveyor 13 and the wings 33,34 as clearly shown in Figilre 3.

A bin support frame 43 is connected by way of a pivotablo connection 44 at each side of the chassis 20 to the chassis 20. A pair of elevating hyrdraulic cylinders (only one of which is shown) are mounted between the chassis and the bixi support frame 43. The cylinders 50 (only one of which is shown) act to raise the bin support frame 43 i___llljl_ i-

CSP

relative to the chassis relative to the chassis

I

A pair of twin brackets 52,53 extend forwardly from the forward edge of the frontwall 30 of the bin 11 as clearly illustrated in Figures 5A and 5E. The bin 11 is pivotably connected to the bin support frame 43 by way of pivotable connections at the twin brackets 52,53. The cross conveyor 13 includes a pair of bra,')Aets 54,60 and these brackets 54,60 are pivotably connected to respective arms 61,62 extending from the bin support frame 43.

elevating hydraulic cylinders 63 (onl.y one of shown) are connected between the frame 20 and to clearly seen in Figure 3. These cylinders 63 00 11 relative to the main frame 20 and tilt the 03-94: relative to the bin support frame 43.

A pair of which is the bin 11 as raise the bin bin I]- .:.i~iSice he cross conveyor 13 is pivotably connected to the bin suppcrt 1 frama; 4 3 and, a(.-cordingly, will be raised or lowered depening on the: movement of the bin support '29,-frame 43, the crosza conveyor 13 must be maintained substantially horizon'tally throughout its travels in the vertical direction with bin support frame 43. To this end, two separate support mechanisms are provided to serve -his function. When the bin 11? is in the loading position as most clearly seen in Figure 4, a suppor-t arm 70 etends from bottom of cross conveyor 13 to a stop 71 on the for~ard end of the Zrontwall 30 of bin 11. When the cross conveyor 13 is in its raised position as illusrated in Figure 3 and the bin 11 is tilted to its unload',"n position, a second support arm 72 is used which abuts a Stop 73 on the bin support frame 43.

The wheels 74, 75 of the transporter 10 are individually powered by a rfespeci-,ive hydraulic motor The raear wheels 75 are connected to reduction hubs 81 which havel a reduction ratio of appro,,mately 30:1. The reduction hubs 81 ate connected to a respective disc brakre 82 and 6 thence to the respective hydraulic motor 80. The reduction hub-dlsc brake assembly is connected to a mounting plate 84 by bolts 83 and the mounting plate is connected directly to the chassis The forward wheels 74 are similarly each connected to a reduction hub 81 with its disc brake 82 and hydraulic motor 80. This assembly, however, is connected to a mounting plate 90 which is pivotably connected at 100 to a rocking axle 91 which is pivotably connected by pin 101 to the chassis SA tie rod 92 extends between the two steeving links 94, 95 and a steering cylinder 93 is mounted to the rocking axle 91 and extends to a steering link 94 connected between the mounting plate 90 and the tie rod 92.

OPERATION

In operation, the transporter 10 will proceed in the condition illustrated ini Figures 1,2 and 4 and will be positioned beside a harvester (not shown) as the harvester proceeds through the cane field. Because the frame 20 of ths transporter 10 is rigid, the operator has the increased •flexibility of backing the transporter 10 if desired. The position of the operators console 14 on the side of the transporter 10 further facilitates the operation by giving the operator a clear view of any obstructions on the headlands and for street operation.

When the loading is complete or when the operator desires, the transporter 10 then proceeds with its load of billets to the unloading station. The hydraulic cylinders 50 are then extended by the operator which will act to raise the bin support frame 43 and, consequently, the cross Sconveyor 13 and bin 11 until the desired unloading height 7 for the cross conveyor 13 is reached. As the bin support frame 43 is being raised, the support arm 70 will be in contact with stop 71 on bin 11 and, therefore, the cross conveyor 13 will remain substantially horizontal. The operator will extend the hydraulic cylinders 41,42 to fully extend the wings 33,34 of the cross conveyor 13.

The operator will then initiate operation of the tilt motion of the bin 11 by extending the hydraulic cylinders 63. The bin 11, being pivotably connected to the bin support frame 43, will rotate upwardly about horizontal axes 102 (Figures 5A and B) until the bin 11 reaches the position shown in Figure 3. As the bin 11 moves upwardly, the cross conveyor 13 would normally moves downwardly about axis 102 because of the movement of stop 71 on bin 11 with its associated support arm 70. To prevent such movement, the further support arm 72 is provided which contacts stop 73 on bin support frame 43 after the cross conveyor 13 moves downwardly a predetermined distance. Thus, the cross conveyor 13 continues to maintain a substantially horizontal unloading position regardless of the respective positions of the bin 11 and the bin support frame 43.

The bilits carried by the bin 11 will move to the forward portion of the bin 11 and will be carried by the S elevator 12 from its entrance area 31 to its discharge area 32 (Figure The crop falls downwardly onto the central portion 40 of cross conveyor 13. Depending on the side chosen for unloading the transporter 10, the cross conveyor 13 will be run right or left so as to carry the billets from the central portion 40 and discharge them into an adjacent receiving bin located beside the transporter Following the completion of the unloading operation, the bin 11 is moved downwardly by retracting the hydraulic cylinders 63 and, following this operation, the Shydraulic cylinders 41,42 are retracted which folds the

C-

wings 33,34 upwardly and vertical to the central portion of the cross conveyor 13. The bin support frame 43 is then lowered by retracting hydraulic cylinders Many ziodifications nmay be made in the specific apparatus described which should be taken as illustrative of one embodiment of the invention only and not as limiting the scope of the invention which should be construed in aooordanca with the accompanying claims.

0 00 0 0 0 0 a 0 0 0 0 0

Claims (8)

1. A crop transporter comprising, a) a main frame, b) a bin having a forward end and a rearward end, c) an elevator with an entrance area located adjacent the forward end of the bin, said elevator extending forwardly and upwardly from the entrance area to a discharge area, d) a cross conveyor located substantially normal to the direction of movement of the elevator and being located below and adjacent to the discharge area of the elevator, the cross conveyor being directly or indirectly connected to the bin and being moveable therewith, e) first elevating means to raise and lower the forward end of the bin and the cross conveyor connected therewith, relative to the frame, and f) second elevating means to raise and lower the rearward end of the bin relative to the frame and to pivot the bin about an axis normal to the direction of movement of the elevator and adjacent the discharge area of the elevator.

2. A crop transporter as claimed in claim 1 in which the crop transporter includes a bin support frame having forward and rearward ends, the bin support frame being pivotably connected at or adjacent its rearward end to the main frame and being pivotably connected at or adjacent its forward end to the bin. S*

3. A crop transporter as claimed in claim 2 in which the first elevating means extends between the main frame and the forward end of the bin support frame.

4. A crop transporter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the second elevating means extends between the main frame and the bin at a point distal to the forward end thereof.

A crop transporter as claimed in claim 1 in which the ,oV i i i C 0 C* S C. C C .r 10 cross conveyor is pivotably connected di, to the bin or is pivotably connected directly to the bin support frame.

6. A crop transporter as claimed in claim 5 in which means are provided on the crop transporter to maintain the cross-conveyor in a substantially horizontal plane as the cross-conveyor is raised and lowered by the first elevating means.

7. A crop transporter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 in which the bin includes a pair of substantially parallel side walls and the elevator extends across the full width of the forward end of the bin between the side walls.

8. A crop transporter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 16th day of March 1990 AUSTOFT INDUSTRIES LIMITED Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F.B. RICE CO. i 1 I I