AU7941698A

AU7941698A - A crop spreader, a blade therefor and methods of use thereof

Info

Publication number: AU7941698A
Application number: AU79416/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Michael Palfrey Cuthbert; Alistair Ross Mcwhannel
Original assignee: REESE ENGINEERING Ltd
Current assignee: REESE ENGINEERING Ltd
Priority date: 1997-05-28
Filing date: 1998-05-27
Publication date: 1998-12-30
Also published as: WO1998053661A1

Description

WO 98/53661 PCT/NZ98/00066 1 A CROP SPREADER, A BLADE THEREFOR AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF FIELD OF INVENTION 5 This invention relates to a crop spreader, a blade therefor and methods of use thereof. BACKGROUND 10 Some conventional mowers used for cutting variety of crops incorporate a mechanism for spreading the cut crop behind the mower or to the side of the path of the mower. Generally, these mowers are designed to deliver cut crop to the spreader which spreads the crop. In one common 15 mower two counter rotating cutting blades funnel cut crop into a windrow behind the mower. A spreader is used to spread the windrow and usually comprises a rotatable body powered by a vehicle, such as a tractor, having a number of blades or tines attached to the rotatable body. Spreaders are known in which the blades or tines rotate in a plane 20 which is substantially parallel or substantially perpendicular to the ground when in use. Generally, a spreader is fixed to a mower in a location such that the cut crop is delivered into the path of the rotating blades or tines of the spreader. The effect of the rotating blades or tines is to cast the cut crop to the side of the mower's path. 25 Crops vary in height and entanglement. Furthermore, a crop may be wet and heavy or dry and light depending on the weather conditions. However, known mower/spreader arrangements are not well adapted to be used on a wide variety of crop types. Generally, the type of blades or 30 tines of the spreader and their height above the ground when in use, cannot readily be varied for different terrains and crop conditions.

wo 98/wSO1 PCT/NZ98/00066 2 SUMMARY OF INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a spreader which overcomes these problems or at least provides the public with a useful 5 alternative. In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a spreader for spreading a cut crop wherein the spreader comprises a plurality of blades attached to a rotatable body, wherein the rotatable body comprises a 10 plurality of attachment means each adapted to secure a blade, and wherein each attachment means is further adapted to enable the position of each blade to be varied relative to the rotatable body. There is also provided a spreader for spreading cut crop wherein the 15 spreader comprises a plurality of planar blades attached to a rotatable body, wherein the rotatable body comprises a plurality of attachment means each adapted to secure a blade having a first edge and a second edge, and wherein the arrangement of each attachment means and blade is such that the first edge or second edge may be selected as the leading 20 edge of the blade. There is further provided a spreader for spreading a cut crop wherein the spreader comprises a plurality of planar blades attached to a rotatable body, wherein the rotatable body comprises a plurality of attachment 25 means each adapted to secure a blade, and wherein each blade extends from the axis of rotation of the rotatable body at an angle between 0 degrees and 60 degrees. It is preferred that each attachment means is adapted to enable the 30 position of each blade to be varied relative to the rotatable body.

WO 98/53661 PCT/NZ98/00066 3 It is further preferred that each attachment means comprises opposed faces each having a plurality of holes which enable a blade to be fixed via one of the holes to the attachment means at a preselected location so that the blade extends from the rotatable body by a desired distance. 5 Each blade may be secured to the attachment means via a securing pin placed through a hole located towards one end of the blade and through a hole in the opposed faces of the attachment means. 10 Preferably, each blade has a first edge and a second edge, and the arrangement of each attachment means and blade is such that the first edge or second edge may be selected as the leading edge of the blade when in use. 15 It is further preferred that the attachment means also comprises a shield attached to one side of the attachment means so that the pin arrangement is protected from damage or dislodgement by cut crop when in use. 20 Preferably, the spreader has three blades. In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a blade adapted for use in the spreader of this invention wherein the angle between a first edge of the blade and the main axis of the blade is different from the 25 angle between a second edge of the blade and the main axis of the blade. It is preferred that the first edge of the blade is substantially parallel to the main axis of the blade and the second edge includes an angled portion so that the width of the blade at one end is less than the width of the 30 main body of the blade.

wU 98W5iI PCT/NZ98/00066 4 The blade is preferably a planar blade and has width and thickness dimensions suitable to give the blade strength and durability. The blade may be constructed of a hard rigid material such as metal, for example, spring steel. 5 Preferably, the blade has a hole at one end to enable it to be secured to a spreader by securing means such as a pin. A further aspect of the invention provides a crop mower including the 10 spreader of the first aspect of this invention. Preferably the spreader is positioned on the crop mower so that cut crop is delivered into the path of the rotating blades. It, is further preferred that the rotatable shaft of the spreader is in a generally upright orientation, preferably at an angle between 16' and 50' from vertical, more preferably between 16' and 250. 15 A further aspect of this invention is a method of spreading cut crop comprising rotating the blades of the spreader of the first aspect of this invention and feeding the cut crop into the path of the rotating blades. 20 The invention also provides a method of adjusting the distance which each blade of the spreader of this invention extends from the rotatable body comprising removing a securing pin from each blade/attachment means arrangement, moving the blade relative to the rotatable body and inserting the securing pin through a hole in the blade and a hole in each of 25 the opposed faces of the attachment means thus securing the blade in a new location relative to the rotatable body. This invention also provides a method of varying the type of spreading to suit the type of crop by removing a securing pin fixing a blade to an 30 attachment means, disengaging the blade from the attachment means, rotating the blade about its main axis and reattaching the blade to the WO 98/53661 PCT/NZ98/00066 5 attachment means with the securing pin, so that the following edge of the blade becomes the leading edge when in use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 5 This invention is described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a spreader 10 Figure 2 is a perspective view of a blade used in a spreader Figure 3 is a perspective view of a spreader attached to part of a mower. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 15 Referring to Figure 1, the spreader 1 comprises a rotatable body 2 which is partially covered by a housing 3. The rotatable body 2 is attached via a shaft (not shown) to a pulley 4 the side edge of which is shaped to hold a belt 5. Movement of belt 5 causes disc 4 to rotate, in turn causing 20 rotatable body 2 to rotate. The rotatable body 2 of the spreader 1 of Figure 1 and 3 comprises three substantially identical attachment means 6. A blade 7 is shown secured to each of two of the three attachment means 6. The blades 7 extend 25 from the rotatable body 2 at an angle of approximately 45 from the axis of rotation of the rotatable body 2. One attachment means 6 is shown in Figure 1 without a blade 7 secured thereto The attachment means 6 has a back face 8 and a front face 11. 30 Both faces 8 and 11 have an aligned series of holes 9.

WO 98/53661 PCT/NZ98/00066 6 Figure 2 shows a blade 7 having a hole at 10 at one end. Each blade 7 is secured to an attachment means 6 by sliding the proximal end of the blade 7 between the faces 8 and 11. 5 The hole 10 is aligned with one of the holes 9 in the faces 8 and 11 and a securing pin inserted through the holes to secure each blade 7 to an attachment means 6. Should the height of a blade 7 above the ground need to be varied, the securing pin can be removed, the blade 7 moved relative to the attachment means 6, the hole 10 aligned with a different 10 hole 9, and the securing pin inserted. It will be appreciated that alternatively each attachment means 6 may have a single hole 9 and each blade 7 may have a plurality of holes 10 to give the same effect. Each attachment means 6 and blade 7 is protected from damage or 15 dislodgement by a shield 12. Each shield 12 is a substantially rigid plate and is located in the leading side of each attachment means 6. The blade 7, as shown in Figure 2, has a straight edge 13 and an edge 14 having inclined portion 15. Edge 13 or edge 14 may be selected as 20 the leading edge when in use. Edge 14 having inclined portion 15 is more suitable as the leading edge when spreading cut crop which is dry or lightweight or ordered whereas edge 13 is more suitable as the leading edge when spreading cut crop which is wet or heavy or tangled. The leading edge of blade 7 can be changed by removing the securing pin, 25 sliding blade 7 out of attachments means 6, rotating the blade 7 about its main axis, inserting the blade 7 back into the attachment mean 6, and replacing the securing pin. Figure 3 shows the spreader 1 attached via an arm 16 to a part of a 30 mower 17. The spreader 1 is in a substantially upright orientation and is inclined at an angle between 160 and 500 from vertical. The spreader 1 is located on the mower 17 so that cut crop is delivered by rotating cutting WO 98/53661 PCT/NZ98/00066 7 blades attached to the underside of drums 18 into the path of rotating spreader blades 7. The spreader blades 7 cause the cut crop to be cast to the side of the path of the mower 17. 5 One advantage of the spreader of this invention is that the leading edge of each blade 7 can be varied for use when spreading cut crop which is heavy and tangled or for use when the cut crop to be spread is light and generally ordered. 10 A spreader comprising the adjustable attachment means 6 has an advantage over conventionally spreaders as the height of the blades 7 above ground when in sue may be varied to suit different crop heights or terrains. 15 Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to integers or components having known equivalents, such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth. Although the invention has been described by way of example and with 20 reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be appreciated that improvements and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 25 INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The crop spreader is useful for the spreading of crop following cutting of the crop by a crop mower. The crop spreader is particularly useful where the type of crop to be cut can vary. The crop spreader is adjustable for 30 effective spreading of wet and heavy crops and of dry and light crops.

Claims

2. A spreader as claimed in claim 1 wherein the distance of an end of each blade from the rotatable body can be varied.
3. A spreader for spreading cut crop wherein the spreader comprises a plurality of planar blades attached to a rotatable body, wherein 15 the rotatable body comprises a plurality of attachment means each adapted to secure a blade having a first edge and a second edge, and wherein the arrangement of each attachment means and blade is such that the first edge or second edge may be selected as the leading edge of the blade. 20 4. A spreader for spreading a cut crop wherein the spreader comprises a plurality of planar blades attached to a rotatable body, wherein the rotatable body comprises a plurality of attachment means each adapted to secure a blade, and wherein each blade extends from the axis of rotation of the rotatable body at an angle 25 between 0 and 60 degrees.
5. A spreader as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein each attachment means is adapted to enable the position of each blade to be varied relative to the rotatable body. WU 9S/bOOl PCT/NZ98/00066 9
6. A spreader as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein each attachment means comprises opposed faces each having a plurality of holes which enable a blade to be fixed via one of the holes to the attachment means at a preselected location so that 5 the blade extends from the rotatable body by a desired distance.
7. A spreader as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein each attachment means comprises opposed faces each having a hole which enables a blade having a plurality of holes to be fixed by one of the holes to the attachment means at a preselected location 10 so that the blade extends from the rotatable body by a desired distance.
8. A spreader as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7 wherein each blade is secured to the attachment means via a securing pin placed through a hole located towards one end of the blade and through a 15 hole in the opposed faces of the attachment means.
9. A spreader as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein each blade has a first edge and a second edge, and the arrangement of each attachment means and blade is such that the first edge or second edge may be selected as the leading edge of the blade 20 when in use.
10. A spreader as claimed in claim 9 wherein the edges have different conditioning effects in the spreading of the cut crop.
11. A spreader as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the attachment means includes a shield attached to one side of the 25 attachment means so that the pin arrangement is protected from damage or dislodgement by cut crop when in use.
12. A spreader as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the spreader has three blades.
13. A blade adapted for use in the spreader of any one of claims 1 to 30 12 wherein the angle between a first edge of the blade and the wO 9S/ooi PCT/NZ98/00066 10 main axis of the blade is different from the angle between a second edge of the blade and the main axis of the blade.
14. A blade as claimed in claim 13 wherein the first edge of the blade is substantially parallel to the main axis of the blade and the 5 second edge of the blade includes an angled portion so that the width of the blade at one end is less than the width of the main body of the blade.
15. A blade as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14 wherein the blade has a hole at one end to enable it to be secured to a spreader by a 10 securing means such a pin.
16. A blade as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15 which is planar and has width and thickness dimensions suitable to give the blade strength and durability.
17. A crop mower including the spreader of any one of claims 1 to 12. 15 18. A crop mower as claimed in claim 17 wherein the spreader is positioned on the crop mower so that cut crop is delivered into the path of the rotating blades.
19. A crop mower as claimed in claim 17 or claim 18 wherein the rotatable shaft of the spreader is in a generally upright orientation. 20 20. A crop mower as claimed in claim 19 wherein the rotatable shaft of the spreader is at an angle between 160 and 50' from vertical.
21. A crop mower as claimed in claim 20 wherein the rotatable shaft of the spreader is at an angle between 16o and 250.
22. A method of spreading cut crop comprising rotating the blades of 25 the spreader as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12 and feeding the cut crop into the path of the rotating blades.
23. A method of adjusting the distance which each blade of the spreader as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12 extends from the rotatable body comprising removing a securing pin from each WU 98/53o61 PCT/NZ98/00066 11 blade/attachment means arrangement, moving the blade relative to the rotatable body and inserting the securing pin through a hole in the blade and a hole in each of the opposed faces of the attachment means thus securing the blade in a new location 5 relative to the rotatable body.
24. A method of varying the type of spreading by a spreader as claimed in anyone claims 1 to 12 to suit the type of cut crop by removing a securing pin fixing a blade to an attachment means, disengaging the blade from the attachment means, rotating the 10 blade about its main axis and reattaching the blade to the attachment means with the securing pin, so that the following edged of the blade becomes the leading edge when in use.
25. A spreader as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12 substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the 15 accompanying drawings.
26. A blade as claimed in claim 13 subsequently as herein describes with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.