CA1106189A - Farm implement with a pivotable tongue - Google Patents
Farm implement with a pivotable tongueInfo
- Publication number
- CA1106189A CA1106189A CA322,650A CA322650A CA1106189A CA 1106189 A CA1106189 A CA 1106189A CA 322650 A CA322650 A CA 322650A CA 1106189 A CA1106189 A CA 1106189A
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- forming machine
- bale
- roll forming
- frame
- hay
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Abstract
S P E C I F I C A T I O N
FARM IMPLEMENT WITH A PIVOTABLE TONGUE
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
In a crop roll forming machine adapted to be towed by a towing vehicle there is provided a power means for selectively steering the roll forming machine transversely relative to the powered towing vehicle so that crop material collected from the field is delivered to a bale forming region uniformly across the width of the region and formed within that region into large, generally cylindrically shaped bales of substantially uniform diameter. The selectively steerable power means is fastened to a pivotable draft member connectable to the powered towing vehicle and fastened to the mobile frame of the roll forming machine at a point that is between the opposing sides of the roll forming machine.
FARM IMPLEMENT WITH A PIVOTABLE TONGUE
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
In a crop roll forming machine adapted to be towed by a towing vehicle there is provided a power means for selectively steering the roll forming machine transversely relative to the powered towing vehicle so that crop material collected from the field is delivered to a bale forming region uniformly across the width of the region and formed within that region into large, generally cylindrically shaped bales of substantially uniform diameter. The selectively steerable power means is fastened to a pivotable draft member connectable to the powered towing vehicle and fastened to the mobile frame of the roll forming machine at a point that is between the opposing sides of the roll forming machine.
Description
11(~61~
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is concerned primarily with crop roll forming machines. Specifically, this invention is concerned with apparatus that will permit a roll forming machine to be attached immediately to the rear of a towing vehicle and be selectively steered transversely with respect to the towing vehicle by the vehicle operator as the roll forming machine moves across a field collecting crop material that previously has been cut and depositèd in a windrow on the field.
Historically it has been the custom to harvest forage crops by mowing crops, letting them dry in the field, forming the dried crop material into windrows and passing a hay-baling machine over and along those windrows to form the crop material into rectangular bales. Recently it has become a common and increasingly popular practice to form crop materials into large compact rolls rather than rectangular bales as formerly done. This technique has permitted the crop material to be deposited in roll form and left in fields for extended ; periods of time since the rolled material tends to provide a self-shedding protective covering from inclement weather. The ability to leave these rolled bales in fields thus obviated the additional steps of gathering the rectangular bales and transporting them to a storage area protected from the elements.
Large crop roll forming machines form their completed crop roll or bale from windrows of crop material that are often considerably narrower than the pickup mechanism which is usually located on the front of the roll forming machines.
Traditionally the towing vehicle, normally a tractor, is steered back and forth across a windrow of crop material is approximately 3 to 31~ feet wide in order to feed the crop material into .
-- 1 - ~ ' I61~i9 1 and across the full width of the roll forming machine. The material thus is delivered from the pickup mechanism to the adjacent and c~-linear bale forming region in a uniform distribution pattern across the width of the bale forming region. This is a direct result of the effect of the tractor's steering pattern on the corresponding path of travel of the roll forming machine. The steering pattern appears as a sinusoidal curve centered about the windrow, which serves as the horizontal axis. In reality, the tractor path has lag or dwell stretches as the path approaches the upper and lower peaks of the curve to allow the roll forming machine to have uniform feeding of crop material at the outsides of the bale forming region.
This is necessary since astrictly sinusoidal path across the windrow would result in approximately twice as much time being spent with the centers of the co-linear pickup and bale forming region straddling the windrow than with the outer portions of the pickup and bale forming region over the windrow.
This pattern of the towing vehicle appears in an overhead view as a path of travel consisting of serially segmented stretches, the first being parallel to the windrow, then a diagonal stretch cutting across the windrow and finally another stretch of travel parallel to the windrow. This pattern is merely repeated all the way across the field as the tractor and roll forming machine move along the preformed windrows of crop material.
This technique permits a cylindrical crop roll to be formed that is substantially uniform in diameter and density from end to end. If this pattern were not followed and a strictly sinusoidal path were, a bale that would approximate the shape of an egg or barrel would be formed. However, this pattern requires the tractor operator to continually look over his shoulder at the
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is concerned primarily with crop roll forming machines. Specifically, this invention is concerned with apparatus that will permit a roll forming machine to be attached immediately to the rear of a towing vehicle and be selectively steered transversely with respect to the towing vehicle by the vehicle operator as the roll forming machine moves across a field collecting crop material that previously has been cut and depositèd in a windrow on the field.
Historically it has been the custom to harvest forage crops by mowing crops, letting them dry in the field, forming the dried crop material into windrows and passing a hay-baling machine over and along those windrows to form the crop material into rectangular bales. Recently it has become a common and increasingly popular practice to form crop materials into large compact rolls rather than rectangular bales as formerly done. This technique has permitted the crop material to be deposited in roll form and left in fields for extended ; periods of time since the rolled material tends to provide a self-shedding protective covering from inclement weather. The ability to leave these rolled bales in fields thus obviated the additional steps of gathering the rectangular bales and transporting them to a storage area protected from the elements.
Large crop roll forming machines form their completed crop roll or bale from windrows of crop material that are often considerably narrower than the pickup mechanism which is usually located on the front of the roll forming machines.
Traditionally the towing vehicle, normally a tractor, is steered back and forth across a windrow of crop material is approximately 3 to 31~ feet wide in order to feed the crop material into .
-- 1 - ~ ' I61~i9 1 and across the full width of the roll forming machine. The material thus is delivered from the pickup mechanism to the adjacent and c~-linear bale forming region in a uniform distribution pattern across the width of the bale forming region. This is a direct result of the effect of the tractor's steering pattern on the corresponding path of travel of the roll forming machine. The steering pattern appears as a sinusoidal curve centered about the windrow, which serves as the horizontal axis. In reality, the tractor path has lag or dwell stretches as the path approaches the upper and lower peaks of the curve to allow the roll forming machine to have uniform feeding of crop material at the outsides of the bale forming region.
This is necessary since astrictly sinusoidal path across the windrow would result in approximately twice as much time being spent with the centers of the co-linear pickup and bale forming region straddling the windrow than with the outer portions of the pickup and bale forming region over the windrow.
This pattern of the towing vehicle appears in an overhead view as a path of travel consisting of serially segmented stretches, the first being parallel to the windrow, then a diagonal stretch cutting across the windrow and finally another stretch of travel parallel to the windrow. This pattern is merely repeated all the way across the field as the tractor and roll forming machine move along the preformed windrows of crop material.
This technique permits a cylindrical crop roll to be formed that is substantially uniform in diameter and density from end to end. If this pattern were not followed and a strictly sinusoidal path were, a bale that would approximate the shape of an egg or barrel would be formed. However, this pattern requires the tractor operator to continually look over his shoulder at the
- 2 -61~39 1 roll forming machine as it traverses the windrow, as well as observing the area ahead of the direction of travel of the tractor as it moves across a field. This continuous forward and rearward observation by the tractor operator soon results in excessive operator fatigue, especially when the machines are operated for 8 or 10 or more hours a day in a field.
This weaving or back and forth pattern of the tractor has become more and more critical to a farmer operating a crop roll forming machine with the development of commercial roll forming machines having bale forming regions that have increased in width or transverse length from four feet to as much as six feet in length. Obviously, the greater the width or transverse length of the bale forming region, the more accentuated the weaving pattern of the towing vehicle must be to achievethe desired uniform distribution of crop material ~ ~
across the bale forming region. -A problem associated with this particular pattern that a tractor would follow in maneuvering a crop roll forming machine along a windrow was the fact that the front wheels of tractors frequently were spaced so closely together that the wheels ran across the windrow. This continuous crossing and recrossing of the windrow by the front wheels of the tractor would cause some breakage of the crop material with resultant crop loss and decrease in nutritional value of the crop material to be formed into a completed crop roll.
This problem, coupled with the widespread manufacture and use of tractors that have their front wheels sufficiently spaced apart to enable them to straddle a windrow while making a pass over and along that windrow, has made it especially attractive for a roll forming machine to be equipped with a 11~61~3 with a pivotable draft member connectable to a tractor. The roll forming ; machine is connected to the tractor so that the roll forming machine follows a generally predetermined pattern while the trac*or follows a straight path centered over the windrow. This design substantially decreases the amount of effort required for a tractor operator to monitor the path of the roll forming machine as the tractor passes over and along a preformed windrow of crop material and enables the operator to remotely control the selective steering of the roll forming machine without varying the path of the tractor.
This permits uniform distribution of crop material to be effected across the entire width or transverse length of the roll forming machine and permits the tractor operator to pass along and across windrows without having to continually observe both to the rear and the front of the tractor's path of travel.
SUMMARY OF l~IE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided, in a baler adapted for towing by a tractor, the combination comprising: a pickup for picking up hay from a windrow; means defining a transversely extending bale forming zone for receiving hay from the pickup; means for forming the hay into a cylindrical bale; and means for st0ering said baler transversely relative to said tractor during bale formation thereby controlling the feed of hay along the transverse extent of said zone to form bales of uniform diameter.
Use of such a baler will greatly decrease the amount of operator fatigue experienced during the steering of the tractor towing the crop roll forming machine along and across the preformed windrows of crop material.
According to a preferred embodiment, there is provided, in a crop roll forming machine adapted to be towed by a vehicle following a predeter-mined path of travel, the combination comprising: (a) a mobile frame having opposing sides; (b) bale forming means movably affixed to the frame; (c) a bale forming region defined generally by the bale forming means and the mobile , i frame; (d) a pickuy affixed to the frame to collect crop material from a field and deliver it to the bale forming region; ~e) a draft member pivotally connectable to the towing vehicle and pivotally fastened to the mobile frame - at a point between the opposing sides, and (f) power means pivotally affixed to the draft member and the frame for selectively steering the roll forming machine transversely relative to the path of travel of the towing vehicle so that the crop material collected from the field is delivered to the bale forming region uniformly across the width of the region to form large general-ly cylindrically shaped bales of substantially uniform diameter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon con-sideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when it is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Fig, 1 is a top plan view of a crop roll forming machine equipped with a pivotable draft member connected to a towing vehicle, such as a tractor;
161~
1 Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the pivotable draft member of a crop roll forming machine taken along the section line 2-2 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a top plan view diagrammatically depicting the path of a crop roll forming machine as it traverses a windrow of crop material and is pivoted through a predetermined path by the power steerable means as the roll forming machine is towed behind a tractor that straddles the windrow.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Fig. 1 shows a top plan view of the roll forming machine, indicated generally by the numeral 10, connected via pivotable draft member 11, to the towing hitch 12 of a tractor 13, only a portion of which is shown. Thetroll forming machine has side frame members 15 that extend generally vertically upwardly from both sides of the machine. The side frame members 15 are connected to side shielding members 16 at their forwardmost portions. Frame members 15 are braced by horizontal support beam 18 at the front of the machine 10. The roll forming machine 10 has a floor, indicated generally by the numeral 19, with a series of parallel, elongate, endless chains 20 rotatably mounted about sprockets (not shown) set therein.
The series of chains 20 comprise the lower apron of the roll forming machine. Supported by brackets 21 and idler sprockets 22 are a pair of endless flexible chains 23. The chains 23 are interconnected by a series of parallel, spaced-apart, elongate tubes 25 which comprise, in combination with the chains, the upper apron of the roll forming machine 10. The forward portion of the roll forming machine has a pickup, designated generally by the numeral 26, which collects crop material fro~ a windrow 11~61~i9 1 that is preformed on a field and delivers it to the lower apron chains 20 for further delivery into contact with the elongate tubes 25 of the upper apron within a region defined therebetween as the roll forming region. The roll forming machine 10 is mounted to a pair of wheels 28 which allows the roll forming machine 10 to be highly maneuverable when connected to a towing vehicle. The structure of the roll forming machine 10 is not described in further detail at this time because the details of the structure are generally well known in the art and are illustrated fully in U.S. Patent No. 3,859,909 to Mast, dated January 14, 1975. It should be noted at this point that while the subject matter of the instant invention is described in the context of utilization on only the type of roll forming machine disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. patent, it is to be understood that it can be used equally as well on any type ofroll forming machine. Additionally, the preferred embodiment of the pivotal draft member 11 is illustrated in Fig. 1 as being pivotable from a point generally midway between the sides of the frame of the roll forming machine 10. However, it should be recognized that under certain circumstances a pivotable draft member with the pivot point positioned between the sides of the frame, but other than in ; the center, may be suitable.
Looking specifically to the forward portion of roll forming machine 10 it is seen in Fig. 1 that the pivotable draft member 11 is fixed to support beam 18 by mounting bracket plates 29, only one of which is shown in Fig. 1. Draft member 11 is pivotable about pivot pin 30 in bushing 31, best shown in Fig. 2. Pivot pin 30 is rotatably placed within support brackets 32 and bushing 31. Support brackets 32 are positioned interiorly 1 of mounting bracket plates 29, thereby orming supporting structure on both the top and bottom of draft member 11. This configuration permits pivotable draft member 11 to operate under greater stress loads. A mounting plate 33 is fastened in a suitable manner to an appropriate side of the rear portion of draft member 11. As best shown in Fig. 2, hydraulic cylinder 35 is fastened to plate 33 by means of a locking pin 36. The locking pin 36 projects through appropriately sized apertures (not shown) in both mounting plate 33 and the fastening brackets `
37 of the rod portion 38 of hydraulic cylinder 35. The opposing end of cylinder 35 is fastened to support beam 18 by means of a ~, mounting plate 39 suitably fastened to beam 18. Cylinder 35 is detachably and pivotally fastened to plate 39 by means of a locking pin 40 that is inserted through appropriately sized apertures in cylinder bracket arms 41. The arms 41 act as retainers for the tongue portion 42 of mounting plate 39.
Hydraulic cylinder 35 is a dual action cylinder having hydraulic lines 43 extending from the cylinder toward the hydraulic power source (not shown) of the tractor 13. The operation of the cylinder 35 is remotely controlled by the operator of the tractor 13 through the use of appropriate control means, such as for example, a manually controlled valve of an appropriate hydraulic system, both of which are not shown but which are common knowledge to those skilled in this art.
The power for driving the mechanically operated components of the roll forming machine 10 is supplied by the power takeoff 45 of the tractor 13 as shown in Fig. 1. The `~ power is transferred from power takeoff 45 through shaft 46 to a universal joint 48. The forwardmost portion of shaft 46 is connected to the power takeoff 45 by a universal joint 49.
11~61~9 1 Universal joint 48 connects to power takeoff shaft 50 through a slip clutch 51. Shaft 50 leads into a right angle gearbox 52, which is mounted to the upper mounting plate 29 atop horizontal support beam 18. Shaft 50 connects via a universal joint 53 to the gearbox input shaft 55, as best seen in Fig. 2. The structure of the universal joints are not described further here since they are old and well known.
Power is transmitted from the gearbox 52 through gearbox output shaft 56 and then through a series of conventional drives. Both shafts 55 and 56 have bushings 58 facilitating their connection to the operable gearbox components.
It should be noted that the universal joint 53 is coincident with the vertical axis about which the draft member 11 is pivotable to permit the draft member 11 and the power transfer shafts 50 and 55 to be operable under all conditions without damage to the drive line.
In operation the patterned path of travel of the roll forming machine 10 behind the towing tractor 13, achieved by the actuation of the hydraulic cylinder 35 with the resultant movement of the pivotable draft member 11, is best seen in Fig. 3. As the roll forming machine 10 is towed along a windrow by the tractor 13, the hydraulic cylinder 35 is remotely controlled by the tractor operator through the use of the manually controlled valve of the appropriate hydraulic system.
The roll forming machine 10 initially straddles the windrow and by actuation of the cylinder 35 the draft member 11 is caused to pivot about pin 30. ~ome pivotal motion is also present between draft member 11 and the tractor hitch 12. This pivotal motion causes the roll forming machine 10 to be offset laterally with respect to the path of travel of the tractor 13 and the ~ .
61&9 1 windrow. As the roll forming machine 10 is offset to one of its lateral positions the crop material being fed from the windrow is distributed toward the appropriate side of the bale forming region by the pickup 26. The roll forming machine is then maintained in that laterally offset position for a predetermined period of time until the operator remotely activates the hydraulic cylinder 35, thereby causing the draft member 11 to pivot again about pin 30 and at the appropriate connecting point on the tractor hitch 12. Again, this causes the roll forming machine 10 to be laterally offset, but in the opposite direction so that the crop material in the windrow is fed by the pickup across the full width of the bale forming region until it is fed to the opposing side of the bale forming region. The roll forming machine 10 is then maintained in this position for an equally predetermined period of time until the procedure is repeated.
While the preferred structure in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated is shown and described above, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular details thus presented, but, in fact, widely different means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of this invention. The scope of the appended claims is intended to encompass all obvious changes in the details, materials and arrangement of parts which will occur to one of skill in the art upon a reading of this disclosure.
.::
This weaving or back and forth pattern of the tractor has become more and more critical to a farmer operating a crop roll forming machine with the development of commercial roll forming machines having bale forming regions that have increased in width or transverse length from four feet to as much as six feet in length. Obviously, the greater the width or transverse length of the bale forming region, the more accentuated the weaving pattern of the towing vehicle must be to achievethe desired uniform distribution of crop material ~ ~
across the bale forming region. -A problem associated with this particular pattern that a tractor would follow in maneuvering a crop roll forming machine along a windrow was the fact that the front wheels of tractors frequently were spaced so closely together that the wheels ran across the windrow. This continuous crossing and recrossing of the windrow by the front wheels of the tractor would cause some breakage of the crop material with resultant crop loss and decrease in nutritional value of the crop material to be formed into a completed crop roll.
This problem, coupled with the widespread manufacture and use of tractors that have their front wheels sufficiently spaced apart to enable them to straddle a windrow while making a pass over and along that windrow, has made it especially attractive for a roll forming machine to be equipped with a 11~61~3 with a pivotable draft member connectable to a tractor. The roll forming ; machine is connected to the tractor so that the roll forming machine follows a generally predetermined pattern while the trac*or follows a straight path centered over the windrow. This design substantially decreases the amount of effort required for a tractor operator to monitor the path of the roll forming machine as the tractor passes over and along a preformed windrow of crop material and enables the operator to remotely control the selective steering of the roll forming machine without varying the path of the tractor.
This permits uniform distribution of crop material to be effected across the entire width or transverse length of the roll forming machine and permits the tractor operator to pass along and across windrows without having to continually observe both to the rear and the front of the tractor's path of travel.
SUMMARY OF l~IE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided, in a baler adapted for towing by a tractor, the combination comprising: a pickup for picking up hay from a windrow; means defining a transversely extending bale forming zone for receiving hay from the pickup; means for forming the hay into a cylindrical bale; and means for st0ering said baler transversely relative to said tractor during bale formation thereby controlling the feed of hay along the transverse extent of said zone to form bales of uniform diameter.
Use of such a baler will greatly decrease the amount of operator fatigue experienced during the steering of the tractor towing the crop roll forming machine along and across the preformed windrows of crop material.
According to a preferred embodiment, there is provided, in a crop roll forming machine adapted to be towed by a vehicle following a predeter-mined path of travel, the combination comprising: (a) a mobile frame having opposing sides; (b) bale forming means movably affixed to the frame; (c) a bale forming region defined generally by the bale forming means and the mobile , i frame; (d) a pickuy affixed to the frame to collect crop material from a field and deliver it to the bale forming region; ~e) a draft member pivotally connectable to the towing vehicle and pivotally fastened to the mobile frame - at a point between the opposing sides, and (f) power means pivotally affixed to the draft member and the frame for selectively steering the roll forming machine transversely relative to the path of travel of the towing vehicle so that the crop material collected from the field is delivered to the bale forming region uniformly across the width of the region to form large general-ly cylindrically shaped bales of substantially uniform diameter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon con-sideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when it is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Fig, 1 is a top plan view of a crop roll forming machine equipped with a pivotable draft member connected to a towing vehicle, such as a tractor;
161~
1 Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the pivotable draft member of a crop roll forming machine taken along the section line 2-2 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a top plan view diagrammatically depicting the path of a crop roll forming machine as it traverses a windrow of crop material and is pivoted through a predetermined path by the power steerable means as the roll forming machine is towed behind a tractor that straddles the windrow.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Fig. 1 shows a top plan view of the roll forming machine, indicated generally by the numeral 10, connected via pivotable draft member 11, to the towing hitch 12 of a tractor 13, only a portion of which is shown. Thetroll forming machine has side frame members 15 that extend generally vertically upwardly from both sides of the machine. The side frame members 15 are connected to side shielding members 16 at their forwardmost portions. Frame members 15 are braced by horizontal support beam 18 at the front of the machine 10. The roll forming machine 10 has a floor, indicated generally by the numeral 19, with a series of parallel, elongate, endless chains 20 rotatably mounted about sprockets (not shown) set therein.
The series of chains 20 comprise the lower apron of the roll forming machine. Supported by brackets 21 and idler sprockets 22 are a pair of endless flexible chains 23. The chains 23 are interconnected by a series of parallel, spaced-apart, elongate tubes 25 which comprise, in combination with the chains, the upper apron of the roll forming machine 10. The forward portion of the roll forming machine has a pickup, designated generally by the numeral 26, which collects crop material fro~ a windrow 11~61~i9 1 that is preformed on a field and delivers it to the lower apron chains 20 for further delivery into contact with the elongate tubes 25 of the upper apron within a region defined therebetween as the roll forming region. The roll forming machine 10 is mounted to a pair of wheels 28 which allows the roll forming machine 10 to be highly maneuverable when connected to a towing vehicle. The structure of the roll forming machine 10 is not described in further detail at this time because the details of the structure are generally well known in the art and are illustrated fully in U.S. Patent No. 3,859,909 to Mast, dated January 14, 1975. It should be noted at this point that while the subject matter of the instant invention is described in the context of utilization on only the type of roll forming machine disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. patent, it is to be understood that it can be used equally as well on any type ofroll forming machine. Additionally, the preferred embodiment of the pivotal draft member 11 is illustrated in Fig. 1 as being pivotable from a point generally midway between the sides of the frame of the roll forming machine 10. However, it should be recognized that under certain circumstances a pivotable draft member with the pivot point positioned between the sides of the frame, but other than in ; the center, may be suitable.
Looking specifically to the forward portion of roll forming machine 10 it is seen in Fig. 1 that the pivotable draft member 11 is fixed to support beam 18 by mounting bracket plates 29, only one of which is shown in Fig. 1. Draft member 11 is pivotable about pivot pin 30 in bushing 31, best shown in Fig. 2. Pivot pin 30 is rotatably placed within support brackets 32 and bushing 31. Support brackets 32 are positioned interiorly 1 of mounting bracket plates 29, thereby orming supporting structure on both the top and bottom of draft member 11. This configuration permits pivotable draft member 11 to operate under greater stress loads. A mounting plate 33 is fastened in a suitable manner to an appropriate side of the rear portion of draft member 11. As best shown in Fig. 2, hydraulic cylinder 35 is fastened to plate 33 by means of a locking pin 36. The locking pin 36 projects through appropriately sized apertures (not shown) in both mounting plate 33 and the fastening brackets `
37 of the rod portion 38 of hydraulic cylinder 35. The opposing end of cylinder 35 is fastened to support beam 18 by means of a ~, mounting plate 39 suitably fastened to beam 18. Cylinder 35 is detachably and pivotally fastened to plate 39 by means of a locking pin 40 that is inserted through appropriately sized apertures in cylinder bracket arms 41. The arms 41 act as retainers for the tongue portion 42 of mounting plate 39.
Hydraulic cylinder 35 is a dual action cylinder having hydraulic lines 43 extending from the cylinder toward the hydraulic power source (not shown) of the tractor 13. The operation of the cylinder 35 is remotely controlled by the operator of the tractor 13 through the use of appropriate control means, such as for example, a manually controlled valve of an appropriate hydraulic system, both of which are not shown but which are common knowledge to those skilled in this art.
The power for driving the mechanically operated components of the roll forming machine 10 is supplied by the power takeoff 45 of the tractor 13 as shown in Fig. 1. The `~ power is transferred from power takeoff 45 through shaft 46 to a universal joint 48. The forwardmost portion of shaft 46 is connected to the power takeoff 45 by a universal joint 49.
11~61~9 1 Universal joint 48 connects to power takeoff shaft 50 through a slip clutch 51. Shaft 50 leads into a right angle gearbox 52, which is mounted to the upper mounting plate 29 atop horizontal support beam 18. Shaft 50 connects via a universal joint 53 to the gearbox input shaft 55, as best seen in Fig. 2. The structure of the universal joints are not described further here since they are old and well known.
Power is transmitted from the gearbox 52 through gearbox output shaft 56 and then through a series of conventional drives. Both shafts 55 and 56 have bushings 58 facilitating their connection to the operable gearbox components.
It should be noted that the universal joint 53 is coincident with the vertical axis about which the draft member 11 is pivotable to permit the draft member 11 and the power transfer shafts 50 and 55 to be operable under all conditions without damage to the drive line.
In operation the patterned path of travel of the roll forming machine 10 behind the towing tractor 13, achieved by the actuation of the hydraulic cylinder 35 with the resultant movement of the pivotable draft member 11, is best seen in Fig. 3. As the roll forming machine 10 is towed along a windrow by the tractor 13, the hydraulic cylinder 35 is remotely controlled by the tractor operator through the use of the manually controlled valve of the appropriate hydraulic system.
The roll forming machine 10 initially straddles the windrow and by actuation of the cylinder 35 the draft member 11 is caused to pivot about pin 30. ~ome pivotal motion is also present between draft member 11 and the tractor hitch 12. This pivotal motion causes the roll forming machine 10 to be offset laterally with respect to the path of travel of the tractor 13 and the ~ .
61&9 1 windrow. As the roll forming machine 10 is offset to one of its lateral positions the crop material being fed from the windrow is distributed toward the appropriate side of the bale forming region by the pickup 26. The roll forming machine is then maintained in that laterally offset position for a predetermined period of time until the operator remotely activates the hydraulic cylinder 35, thereby causing the draft member 11 to pivot again about pin 30 and at the appropriate connecting point on the tractor hitch 12. Again, this causes the roll forming machine 10 to be laterally offset, but in the opposite direction so that the crop material in the windrow is fed by the pickup across the full width of the bale forming region until it is fed to the opposing side of the bale forming region. The roll forming machine 10 is then maintained in this position for an equally predetermined period of time until the procedure is repeated.
While the preferred structure in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated is shown and described above, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular details thus presented, but, in fact, widely different means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of this invention. The scope of the appended claims is intended to encompass all obvious changes in the details, materials and arrangement of parts which will occur to one of skill in the art upon a reading of this disclosure.
.::
Claims (9)
1. In a baler adapted for towing by a tractor, the combination comprising:
a pickup for picking up hay from a windrow;
means defining a transversely extending bale forming zone for receiving hay from the pickup;
means for forming the hay into a cylindrical bale;
and means for selectively steering said baler transversely relative to said tractor during bale formation to control the feed of hay along the transverse extent of said zone to form bales of uniform diameter.
a pickup for picking up hay from a windrow;
means defining a transversely extending bale forming zone for receiving hay from the pickup;
means for forming the hay into a cylindrical bale;
and means for selectively steering said baler transversely relative to said tractor during bale formation to control the feed of hay along the transverse extent of said zone to form bales of uniform diameter.
2. In a baler adapted for towing by a tractor, the combination comprising:
a pickup for picking up hay from a windrow;
means defining a transversely extending bale forming zone for receiving hay from the pickup;
means for forming the hay into a cylindrical bale;
a draft structure having a pivot connection to said baler and adapted for coupling to the tractor; and power means for oscillating said baler horizontally about said pivot connection during bale formation to shift the pickup transversely back and forth relatively to said windrow so that hay is fed into said zone along its length to form bales of uniform diameter.
a pickup for picking up hay from a windrow;
means defining a transversely extending bale forming zone for receiving hay from the pickup;
means for forming the hay into a cylindrical bale;
a draft structure having a pivot connection to said baler and adapted for coupling to the tractor; and power means for oscillating said baler horizontally about said pivot connection during bale formation to shift the pickup transversely back and forth relatively to said windrow so that hay is fed into said zone along its length to form bales of uniform diameter.
3. In a baler adapted for towing by a tractor, the combination comprising:
a pickup for picking up hay from a windrow;
means defining a transversely extending bale forming zone for receiving hay from the pickup; means for forming the hay into a cylindrical bale; and means for steering said baler transversely relative to said tractor during bale formation thereby controlling the feed of hay along the transverse extent of said zone to form bales of uniform diameter.
a pickup for picking up hay from a windrow;
means defining a transversely extending bale forming zone for receiving hay from the pickup; means for forming the hay into a cylindrical bale; and means for steering said baler transversely relative to said tractor during bale formation thereby controlling the feed of hay along the transverse extent of said zone to form bales of uniform diameter.
4. In a crop roll forming machine adapted to be towed by a vehicle following a predetermined path of travel and having a mobile frame with opposing sides, a pickup for collecting crop material from a field and directing it to a bale forming region, means fastened to the frame for forming the crop material into a large generally cylindrically shaped bale and generally defining the bale forming region, the improvement comprising:
a draft member having a first and a second end, the first end of the draft member being pivotally connectable to the towing vehicle and the second end being pivotally affixed to the mobile frame at a point between the opposing sides, power means for selectively steering the roll forming machine transversely to the path of travel of the vehicle, the power means further being fastened to the frame and the draft member so that actuation of the power means causes the roll forming machine to move transversely relative to the path of travel thereby causing the crop material to be fed transversely across the bale forming region to form bales of substantially uniform diameter across their entire length.
a draft member having a first and a second end, the first end of the draft member being pivotally connectable to the towing vehicle and the second end being pivotally affixed to the mobile frame at a point between the opposing sides, power means for selectively steering the roll forming machine transversely to the path of travel of the vehicle, the power means further being fastened to the frame and the draft member so that actuation of the power means causes the roll forming machine to move transversely relative to the path of travel thereby causing the crop material to be fed transversely across the bale forming region to form bales of substantially uniform diameter across their entire length.
5. The roll forming machine according to Claim 4, wherein the pivot point of the second end of the draft member is approximately midway between the opposing sides of the frame.
6. The roll forming machine according to Claims 4 or 5, wherein the power means is a hydraulically actuated cylinder having a first and a second end, the cylinder being pivotally connected at the first end to the draft member and at the second end to the frame so that upon actuation the cylinder causes the draft member to be pivoted thereby causing the roll forming machine to move transversely with respect to the path of travel as it collects the crop material from the field.
7. In a crop roll forming machine adapted to be towed by a vehicle following a predetermined path of travel, the combination comprising:
(a) a mobile frame having opposing sides;
(b) bale forming means movably affixed to the frame;
(c) a bale forming region defined generally by the bale forming means and the mobile frame;
(d) a pickup affixed to the frame to collect crop material from a field and deliver it to the bale forming region;
(e) a draft member pivotally connectable to the towing vehicle and pivotally fastened to the mobile frame at a point between the opposing sides; and (f) power means pivotally affixed to the draft member and the frame for selectively steering the roll forming machine transversely relative to the path of travel of the towing vehicle so that the crop material collected from the field is delivered to the bale forming region uniformly across the width of the region to form large generally cylindrically shaped bales of substantially uniform diameter.
(a) a mobile frame having opposing sides;
(b) bale forming means movably affixed to the frame;
(c) a bale forming region defined generally by the bale forming means and the mobile frame;
(d) a pickup affixed to the frame to collect crop material from a field and deliver it to the bale forming region;
(e) a draft member pivotally connectable to the towing vehicle and pivotally fastened to the mobile frame at a point between the opposing sides; and (f) power means pivotally affixed to the draft member and the frame for selectively steering the roll forming machine transversely relative to the path of travel of the towing vehicle so that the crop material collected from the field is delivered to the bale forming region uniformly across the width of the region to form large generally cylindrically shaped bales of substantially uniform diameter.
8. The roll forming machine according to Claim 7, wherein the pivotal fastening point of the draft member to the frame is approximately midway between the opposing sides of the frame.
9. The roll forming machine according to Claim 7 or 8, wherein the power means is a hydraulically actuated cylinder having a first and second end, the cylinder being pivotally connected at the first end to the draft member and at the second end to the frame so that upon actuation the cylinder causes the draft member to be pivoted thereby causing the roll forming machine to move transversely with respect to the path of travel as it collects the crop material from the field.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US90887678A | 1978-05-23 | 1978-05-23 | |
| US908,876 | 1978-05-23 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1106189A true CA1106189A (en) | 1981-08-04 |
Family
ID=25426359
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA322,650A Expired CA1106189A (en) | 1978-05-23 | 1979-03-02 | Farm implement with a pivotable tongue |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1106189A (en) |
-
1979
- 1979-03-02 CA CA322,650A patent/CA1106189A/en not_active Expired
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry |