CA1248763A - Swather attachment - Google Patents
Swather attachmentInfo
- Publication number
- CA1248763A CA1248763A CA000472701A CA472701A CA1248763A CA 1248763 A CA1248763 A CA 1248763A CA 000472701 A CA000472701 A CA 000472701A CA 472701 A CA472701 A CA 472701A CA 1248763 A CA1248763 A CA 1248763A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- frame
- conveyor
- long
- attachment
- crops
- 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.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
- A01D43/00—Mowers combined with apparatus performing additional operations while mowing
- A01D43/06—Mowers combined with apparatus performing additional operations while mowing with means for collecting, gathering or loading mown material
- A01D43/077—Mowers combined with apparatus performing additional operations while mowing with means for collecting, gathering or loading mown material with auxiliary means, e.g. fans, for transporting the mown crop
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
- A01D57/00—Delivering mechanisms for harvesters or mowers
- A01D57/20—Delivering mechanisms for harvesters or mowers with conveyor belts
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental Sciences (AREA)
- Harvesting Machines For Root Crops (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
A harvester implement attachment for directing crop windrows or swaths as they are discharged behind a swather or like implement. The attachment is particularly suited for use with a crop harvester having a frame with opposite ends and a transverse forward cutting edge over which crops are directed rearwardly and a pair of transverse crop-receiving first conveyors carried by said frame behind the cutting edge for conveying said crops to a throat formed in the frame intermediate the frame ends. The attachment comprises the combination of a short conveyor having a width greater than the with of the said throat, means for suspending the short conveyor from the frame beneath the throat for receiving crops from the first conveyors and for conveying said crops rearwardly through the throat, a long transverse conveyor slidably mounted on the frame rearward of said frame adapted to receive crops from the short conveyor, reversible drive means for selectively driving the long conveyor in either direction, and means for sliding said long conveyor transversely on the frame for discharging crops at a desired location intermediate the ends of the frame or outwardly of one end of the frame.
A harvester implement attachment for directing crop windrows or swaths as they are discharged behind a swather or like implement. The attachment is particularly suited for use with a crop harvester having a frame with opposite ends and a transverse forward cutting edge over which crops are directed rearwardly and a pair of transverse crop-receiving first conveyors carried by said frame behind the cutting edge for conveying said crops to a throat formed in the frame intermediate the frame ends. The attachment comprises the combination of a short conveyor having a width greater than the with of the said throat, means for suspending the short conveyor from the frame beneath the throat for receiving crops from the first conveyors and for conveying said crops rearwardly through the throat, a long transverse conveyor slidably mounted on the frame rearward of said frame adapted to receive crops from the short conveyor, reversible drive means for selectively driving the long conveyor in either direction, and means for sliding said long conveyor transversely on the frame for discharging crops at a desired location intermediate the ends of the frame or outwardly of one end of the frame.
Description
~2~7~
This invention relates to a harvester implement and, more particularly, relates to an implement attachment for directing windrows or swaths as they are discharged behind a swather or like implement.
Swathers are well known in the art to cut standing crops such as grain and hay to arrange the cut crops into windrows or swaths for subsequent pickup by a combine or bailer. The cut crops are discharged rearwardly from the swather centrally of the machine or from an end of the machine. The area of discharge of the cut crop from either a central delivery or end delivery machine normally is fixe~.
A standing grain or hay crop often is of poor yield and consequently the swa~h formed by the harvester will be light and thin. It has been - recognised and is well known that large-capaci~y combines operate more efficiently with a relatively full capacity at a slow forward field velocity as compared to the operation of a relatively empty machine travelling at a high field speed in an attempt to accommodate the machine capacity. ~uch of the machine cylinder house efficiency is lost at low rates of feed and the machine is much more prone to `:
. . .
`; ' ' ~L2~3~63 wear and to damage when travelling at high s~eeds due to its large size and to the rough terrain over which it usually must travel.
The doubling of a swath by deposition of a second swath on top of a first swath reduces the area of contact between the double swath the ground to enhance drying or curing of the crop.
Attempts have been made to design harvesters of the windrow and swather type which can selectively discharge adjacent swaths side-by-side or on top of each other to double the content of the swaths.
United States Patent 3,059,403 issued October 23, 196~ discloses a windrowing machine having a generally central discharge which can be laterally offset by the adjustment of rearwardly converging baffles. U.S. Patent 3,149,449 issue~
discloses a windrowing attachment for a strawchopper comprising a pivotally mounted deflector for discharging chopped straw to either side of the attachment.
A harvester of the windrower type disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,214,002 issued October 26, 1965 employs conveyor means that can be relatively shifted and reversed as to direction of travel so that the windrower can operate as a centre-delivery ~ype or end-delivery type with an extensionl if desired, of the end delivery.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an implement attachment which can selectively discharge a swath of grain or hay centrally of or to a side of a swather or windrower~ Swathers frequently are prone to plugging and jamming of the cut crop in the throat of the swather~ It is another object of the present invention to provide an implement attachment which can readily accommodate variable quantities of cut grain or hay to minimize plugging of the implement.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an implement attachment which is sturdy in constru~tion and reliable in operation for :
7~
3.
a wide variety of operating conditionsO
The attaGhment of ~he present invention is particularly suited for use with a crop harvester having a frame with opposite ends and a transverse forward cutting edge over which crops are directe~
rearwardly and a pair of transverse crop-receiving first conveyors carried by said frame behind the cutting edge for conveying said crops to a throat formed in the frame intermediate the frame ends. The attachment comprises, in its broad aspect, the combination of a short conveyor having a width greater than the width of the said throat, means for suspending the short conveycr from the frame beneath the throat for receiving crops from the first conveyors and for conveying said crops rearwardly through the throat, a long transverse conveyor slidably mounted on the frame rearward of said frame adapted to receive crcps from the short conveyor, reversible drive means for selectively driving the long conveyor in either direction, and means for sliding said long conveyor transversely on the frame for discharging crops at a desired location intermediate the ends of the frame or outwar~ly of one end of the frame.
The means for supporting the short conveyor from the frame permit the short conveyor to pivot about the support means whereby lowering of said forward cutting edge pivots the short conveyor about the support means and raises the discharge end of the short conveyor above the long transverse conveyor.
The means for slidably mounting the long transverse conveyor comprises at least one and preferably two slide rails rigidly mounted on the harvester frame at the rearward side of said ~rame, a pair of spaced-apart sleeves secured to said lon~
transverse conveyor on the forward side thereof and slidably mounted on said rails, and a pair of spaced-apart castor wheels pivotably mounted on sai~
long transverse conveyor on the rearward side thereof, whereby the long transverse conveyor is ~L~4~71E;3 4.
supported on its forward side on the frame and on its rearward side on the castor wheels and can be slidably moved laterally, reciprocally relative to the harvester frame~
The means for slidably mounting the transverse long conveyor on the frame includes a double-acting, hydraulically-actuated piston-cylin~er assembly pivotally mounted at one end on said frame and secured at the other end to one of the sleeves sidably mounted on the slide rails wherein actuation of said piston-cylinder assembly selectively slides said transverse long conveyor on said slide rails.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention and the manner in which they can attained will become apparent from the following detailed description of the apparatus of the invention, in which:
Figure l is a plan view which schematically illustrates a substantially central discharge from a swather and an end discharge by the implement attachment of the present invention;
Fiyure 2 is a plan of the apparatus of the present invention showing an en~
discharge;
Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view showing the implement attachment of the invention positioned direc~ly behind a swather and, in ghost lines, fully extended to one side of the swather;
Figure 4 is a perspective view, partly cut away, of the implement of the present invention located directly behind a swather;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the shor~
conveyor oelow the throat of the swather; and Figure 6 is a schematic view of a hydraulic ~248763 system of the invention.
With reference now to Figure 1, a tractor 10 is shown pulling a harvester, in this case a swather 12, by means of a hitch connection well known in the art, depicted by numeral 13, with a power takeoff from the tractor to the swather, also well known in the art, wi~h an implement attachment 15 connected thereto. Swather 12 has a customary reel 14 rotatably mounted within swather frame 16 to direct a crop cut by a transverse forward cutting edge formed by a cutting bar 18 onto transverse conveyor belts 22, 24 travelling towards each other to convey the cut crop in the direction of the arrows onto a short conveyor belt 26, forming par~ of a conveyor 27, hereinafter called the "short conveyor", travelling rearwardly as depicted by the arrows under throat opening 28 formed longitudinally in the swather. A
long transverse conveyor belt 30 mounted on long conveyor 32 is disposed adjacent to the rear side of frame 16 at or below the level of and independent of the short conveyor 27 for receiving the cut crop from the short conveyor whereby long conveyor belt 30 can be driven for the flow of cut crop to the left, as shown in Figure 1 by solid lines, or for the flow of cut crop to the right as shown in Figure 1 by broken lines, for selective discharge of the cut crop into a swath to either side of the swather, such as swath 34 to the left of the swather.
The swather attachment 15 of the present invention is shown more clearly with reference ~o Figures 3 and 4 wherein transverse long conveyor belt 32, shown by ghost lines in Figure 3, discharges a crop at the left end of the attachment. Long conveyor 30 comprises a rigid frame 31 having a pair of parallel; spaced-apart longitudinal lower tubular members 35, 36 secured a fixed distance apart by transverse frame members 38, one of which is shown, welded thereto~ An elongated side plate 40 closes the rearward side of the long conveyor~ A shorter side plate 42 on the forward side of the long ~Z9~63 6.
conveyor extends from the short conveyor 27, when the attachment is positioned to the right as viewed in Figure 3, to the left discharge end of the long conveyor.
Spaced-apart lateral members 44, 46 are secured at one end of the long conveyor and about one-third the length of the conveyor from the opposite end of the long conveyor above the conveyor by upr ght members 48, 50 secured to longitu~inal 10 members 35, 36 respectively. A diagonal member 52 and longitudinal member 53 reinforce each of rearward extensions 56, 58 of members 44, 46. Castor wheels 54 are pivotally secured to extensions 56, 58 to allow attachment 15 to be moved in any desired 15 direction.
The forward extensions 60, 62 of members 44, 46 have sleeves 64, 66 welded thereto adapted to slide on slide rails 68, 70 respectively which are rigidly secured a uniform distance above rear frame 20 member 16a by clamps 72. Slide rails 68, 70 can be axially aligned, as illustrated, or a single slide rail provided to extend substantially the full length of the attachment. Double-acting hydraulic cylinder 74 with piston rod 76 is pivotally connected at one end 78 to frame member 16a and pivotally connected at the other end 79 to sleeve 66 whereby extension of rod 76 pushes long conveyor 30 to the left as viewed in Figure 4 (depicted by ghost lines) and retraction of rod 76 draws long conveyor 30 to the right substantially behind swather 12 as shown in Figure 3.
A hydraulic motor 80 operatively connected to drive roll 82 drives belt 32 in either direction as desired, as in~icated in Figure 1.
With reference now to Figure 5, a pair of side plates 88 defines the longitudinal passage or throat 28 of the swather connecting conveyors 22, 24 with long conveyor 32. Short belt 26 is supported in a short conveyor frame having sides 90 and transverse member 89 with an idler roll 91 at the front table adjacent the cutter bar 18 and a roll 93 driven by ~2~1~7~3 hydraulic motor 92 at the rear end. Sides 90 can be upright, as illustrated by solid lines, or flared outwardly, as illustrated by ghost lines. Short conveyor 27 is suspended from swather frame 16 at its rear end by a pair of chains 94 bolted at their lower end to the sidewalls 90 and secured at their upper ends to clips 95 welded onto frame member 16a so that short conveyor 27 can be readily raised or lowered and the rear end of the short conveyor suspencled at a desired height above long conveyor 32. The forward end of short conveyor 27 is bolted to cutter bar 18 whereby said forward end of the short conveyor is raised and lowered with the cutter bar to pivot the short conveyor about support chains 94 below the level of throat side plates 88.
A short belt or canvas width of about 54 inches for a throat opening of about 46 inches has been found to give optimum throughput for high volumes of grain. Plugging often occurred using a standard 42 inch belt in the conventional 46 inch opening but 54 inch and 60 inch wide belts provided a surprising improvement in throughput without plugging A hydraulic system shown schematically in Figure 6 comprises an inlet line 100, from a tractor hydraulic outlet having a priority flow control valve 102 and hydraulic motor 92 operatively connected to drive roll 93 of short conveyor 27 in series with a
This invention relates to a harvester implement and, more particularly, relates to an implement attachment for directing windrows or swaths as they are discharged behind a swather or like implement.
Swathers are well known in the art to cut standing crops such as grain and hay to arrange the cut crops into windrows or swaths for subsequent pickup by a combine or bailer. The cut crops are discharged rearwardly from the swather centrally of the machine or from an end of the machine. The area of discharge of the cut crop from either a central delivery or end delivery machine normally is fixe~.
A standing grain or hay crop often is of poor yield and consequently the swa~h formed by the harvester will be light and thin. It has been - recognised and is well known that large-capaci~y combines operate more efficiently with a relatively full capacity at a slow forward field velocity as compared to the operation of a relatively empty machine travelling at a high field speed in an attempt to accommodate the machine capacity. ~uch of the machine cylinder house efficiency is lost at low rates of feed and the machine is much more prone to `:
. . .
`; ' ' ~L2~3~63 wear and to damage when travelling at high s~eeds due to its large size and to the rough terrain over which it usually must travel.
The doubling of a swath by deposition of a second swath on top of a first swath reduces the area of contact between the double swath the ground to enhance drying or curing of the crop.
Attempts have been made to design harvesters of the windrow and swather type which can selectively discharge adjacent swaths side-by-side or on top of each other to double the content of the swaths.
United States Patent 3,059,403 issued October 23, 196~ discloses a windrowing machine having a generally central discharge which can be laterally offset by the adjustment of rearwardly converging baffles. U.S. Patent 3,149,449 issue~
discloses a windrowing attachment for a strawchopper comprising a pivotally mounted deflector for discharging chopped straw to either side of the attachment.
A harvester of the windrower type disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,214,002 issued October 26, 1965 employs conveyor means that can be relatively shifted and reversed as to direction of travel so that the windrower can operate as a centre-delivery ~ype or end-delivery type with an extensionl if desired, of the end delivery.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an implement attachment which can selectively discharge a swath of grain or hay centrally of or to a side of a swather or windrower~ Swathers frequently are prone to plugging and jamming of the cut crop in the throat of the swather~ It is another object of the present invention to provide an implement attachment which can readily accommodate variable quantities of cut grain or hay to minimize plugging of the implement.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an implement attachment which is sturdy in constru~tion and reliable in operation for :
7~
3.
a wide variety of operating conditionsO
The attaGhment of ~he present invention is particularly suited for use with a crop harvester having a frame with opposite ends and a transverse forward cutting edge over which crops are directe~
rearwardly and a pair of transverse crop-receiving first conveyors carried by said frame behind the cutting edge for conveying said crops to a throat formed in the frame intermediate the frame ends. The attachment comprises, in its broad aspect, the combination of a short conveyor having a width greater than the width of the said throat, means for suspending the short conveycr from the frame beneath the throat for receiving crops from the first conveyors and for conveying said crops rearwardly through the throat, a long transverse conveyor slidably mounted on the frame rearward of said frame adapted to receive crcps from the short conveyor, reversible drive means for selectively driving the long conveyor in either direction, and means for sliding said long conveyor transversely on the frame for discharging crops at a desired location intermediate the ends of the frame or outwar~ly of one end of the frame.
The means for supporting the short conveyor from the frame permit the short conveyor to pivot about the support means whereby lowering of said forward cutting edge pivots the short conveyor about the support means and raises the discharge end of the short conveyor above the long transverse conveyor.
The means for slidably mounting the long transverse conveyor comprises at least one and preferably two slide rails rigidly mounted on the harvester frame at the rearward side of said ~rame, a pair of spaced-apart sleeves secured to said lon~
transverse conveyor on the forward side thereof and slidably mounted on said rails, and a pair of spaced-apart castor wheels pivotably mounted on sai~
long transverse conveyor on the rearward side thereof, whereby the long transverse conveyor is ~L~4~71E;3 4.
supported on its forward side on the frame and on its rearward side on the castor wheels and can be slidably moved laterally, reciprocally relative to the harvester frame~
The means for slidably mounting the transverse long conveyor on the frame includes a double-acting, hydraulically-actuated piston-cylin~er assembly pivotally mounted at one end on said frame and secured at the other end to one of the sleeves sidably mounted on the slide rails wherein actuation of said piston-cylinder assembly selectively slides said transverse long conveyor on said slide rails.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention and the manner in which they can attained will become apparent from the following detailed description of the apparatus of the invention, in which:
Figure l is a plan view which schematically illustrates a substantially central discharge from a swather and an end discharge by the implement attachment of the present invention;
Fiyure 2 is a plan of the apparatus of the present invention showing an en~
discharge;
Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view showing the implement attachment of the invention positioned direc~ly behind a swather and, in ghost lines, fully extended to one side of the swather;
Figure 4 is a perspective view, partly cut away, of the implement of the present invention located directly behind a swather;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the shor~
conveyor oelow the throat of the swather; and Figure 6 is a schematic view of a hydraulic ~248763 system of the invention.
With reference now to Figure 1, a tractor 10 is shown pulling a harvester, in this case a swather 12, by means of a hitch connection well known in the art, depicted by numeral 13, with a power takeoff from the tractor to the swather, also well known in the art, wi~h an implement attachment 15 connected thereto. Swather 12 has a customary reel 14 rotatably mounted within swather frame 16 to direct a crop cut by a transverse forward cutting edge formed by a cutting bar 18 onto transverse conveyor belts 22, 24 travelling towards each other to convey the cut crop in the direction of the arrows onto a short conveyor belt 26, forming par~ of a conveyor 27, hereinafter called the "short conveyor", travelling rearwardly as depicted by the arrows under throat opening 28 formed longitudinally in the swather. A
long transverse conveyor belt 30 mounted on long conveyor 32 is disposed adjacent to the rear side of frame 16 at or below the level of and independent of the short conveyor 27 for receiving the cut crop from the short conveyor whereby long conveyor belt 30 can be driven for the flow of cut crop to the left, as shown in Figure 1 by solid lines, or for the flow of cut crop to the right as shown in Figure 1 by broken lines, for selective discharge of the cut crop into a swath to either side of the swather, such as swath 34 to the left of the swather.
The swather attachment 15 of the present invention is shown more clearly with reference ~o Figures 3 and 4 wherein transverse long conveyor belt 32, shown by ghost lines in Figure 3, discharges a crop at the left end of the attachment. Long conveyor 30 comprises a rigid frame 31 having a pair of parallel; spaced-apart longitudinal lower tubular members 35, 36 secured a fixed distance apart by transverse frame members 38, one of which is shown, welded thereto~ An elongated side plate 40 closes the rearward side of the long conveyor~ A shorter side plate 42 on the forward side of the long ~Z9~63 6.
conveyor extends from the short conveyor 27, when the attachment is positioned to the right as viewed in Figure 3, to the left discharge end of the long conveyor.
Spaced-apart lateral members 44, 46 are secured at one end of the long conveyor and about one-third the length of the conveyor from the opposite end of the long conveyor above the conveyor by upr ght members 48, 50 secured to longitu~inal 10 members 35, 36 respectively. A diagonal member 52 and longitudinal member 53 reinforce each of rearward extensions 56, 58 of members 44, 46. Castor wheels 54 are pivotally secured to extensions 56, 58 to allow attachment 15 to be moved in any desired 15 direction.
The forward extensions 60, 62 of members 44, 46 have sleeves 64, 66 welded thereto adapted to slide on slide rails 68, 70 respectively which are rigidly secured a uniform distance above rear frame 20 member 16a by clamps 72. Slide rails 68, 70 can be axially aligned, as illustrated, or a single slide rail provided to extend substantially the full length of the attachment. Double-acting hydraulic cylinder 74 with piston rod 76 is pivotally connected at one end 78 to frame member 16a and pivotally connected at the other end 79 to sleeve 66 whereby extension of rod 76 pushes long conveyor 30 to the left as viewed in Figure 4 (depicted by ghost lines) and retraction of rod 76 draws long conveyor 30 to the right substantially behind swather 12 as shown in Figure 3.
A hydraulic motor 80 operatively connected to drive roll 82 drives belt 32 in either direction as desired, as in~icated in Figure 1.
With reference now to Figure 5, a pair of side plates 88 defines the longitudinal passage or throat 28 of the swather connecting conveyors 22, 24 with long conveyor 32. Short belt 26 is supported in a short conveyor frame having sides 90 and transverse member 89 with an idler roll 91 at the front table adjacent the cutter bar 18 and a roll 93 driven by ~2~1~7~3 hydraulic motor 92 at the rear end. Sides 90 can be upright, as illustrated by solid lines, or flared outwardly, as illustrated by ghost lines. Short conveyor 27 is suspended from swather frame 16 at its rear end by a pair of chains 94 bolted at their lower end to the sidewalls 90 and secured at their upper ends to clips 95 welded onto frame member 16a so that short conveyor 27 can be readily raised or lowered and the rear end of the short conveyor suspencled at a desired height above long conveyor 32. The forward end of short conveyor 27 is bolted to cutter bar 18 whereby said forward end of the short conveyor is raised and lowered with the cutter bar to pivot the short conveyor about support chains 94 below the level of throat side plates 88.
A short belt or canvas width of about 54 inches for a throat opening of about 46 inches has been found to give optimum throughput for high volumes of grain. Plugging often occurred using a standard 42 inch belt in the conventional 46 inch opening but 54 inch and 60 inch wide belts provided a surprising improvement in throughput without plugging A hydraulic system shown schematically in Figure 6 comprises an inlet line 100, from a tractor hydraulic outlet having a priority flow control valve 102 and hydraulic motor 92 operatively connected to drive roll 93 of short conveyor 27 in series with a
2-position 4-way control valve 104 which supplies hydraulic motor 80 operatively connected to roll 82 to permit reversing of motor 80. Flow controller 102 permits a priority flow of hydraulic oil to motors 80 and 92 to ensure continual operation of the conveyors during actuation of cylinder 74 and during lifting of the reel 14 and front table by single-acting cylinders 106 and 108 respectively which are supplied from controller 102 by way of 3-bank control valve 110. Control valve 110 comprises 3-position 3-way valves 110 and llOb which control cylinders lOÇ and 108 respectively and 3-position 4-way valve llOc which controls cylinder 74 through cylinder lock .
875~
8.
valve lO9o Reel lift cylinder 106 and table lift cylinder 108, together with double-acting slide-rail cylinder 74, thus can be independently controlled by valve 110. A second priority flow control valve 114 in series with priority control valve 102 and control valve 110 bleeds off excess flow to return line 112.
It has been found that the second priority flow control valve 114 reduces back pressure on the valves and maintains an increased flow towards valve 110 when cylinder 74 is not in use to eliminate hesitation in motors 92 and 80 when cylinder 74 is actuated. For example, I have found that for a tractor having about 28 gallons per minute (gpm) discharge of hydraulic fluid, 8 gpm can be divided at priority control valve 102 for flow to hydraulic motors 92 and 80 while a flow of 20 gpm is maintained to control valve 114 which divides out 4 ~pm to valve 110. Return line 112 communicates the hydraulic system to the tractor hydraulic inlet.
A 60 hp tractor providing 8.3 gpm of hydraulic fluid at 2000 psi will also operate the swather attachment. For a swather or windrower with a 24 ft. cutter bar, conveyor belt speeds up to about 800 fpm, preferably about 420 fpm, were satisfactory to move cut crops through throat 28 at field speed of 4 to 6 mph. A 7' cylinder 74 permits about 6.5 ft.
travel of long conveyor 30; the reciprocal travel of conveyor 30 and reversing of conveyor belt 32 allowing flexibility in discharge and placement of swaths.
In operation, the operator of a lead tractor of a pair of tractors drawing swathers as depicted in Figure 2 can have the long conveyor 15 retracted to a position behind the swather whereby the swath 34 is delivered substantially centrally of the swather or the lead tractor need not have a long conveyor attachment whereby the swath is discharged at the swather throat. The operator of the second tractQr can extend the long conveyor to the left of the swather about 6 feet to deposit the second swath 34a g ~ 3763 on top of or adjacent to the first swath 34.
It will be understood that modifications can be made in the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope and purview of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
~- .
:
875~
8.
valve lO9o Reel lift cylinder 106 and table lift cylinder 108, together with double-acting slide-rail cylinder 74, thus can be independently controlled by valve 110. A second priority flow control valve 114 in series with priority control valve 102 and control valve 110 bleeds off excess flow to return line 112.
It has been found that the second priority flow control valve 114 reduces back pressure on the valves and maintains an increased flow towards valve 110 when cylinder 74 is not in use to eliminate hesitation in motors 92 and 80 when cylinder 74 is actuated. For example, I have found that for a tractor having about 28 gallons per minute (gpm) discharge of hydraulic fluid, 8 gpm can be divided at priority control valve 102 for flow to hydraulic motors 92 and 80 while a flow of 20 gpm is maintained to control valve 114 which divides out 4 ~pm to valve 110. Return line 112 communicates the hydraulic system to the tractor hydraulic inlet.
A 60 hp tractor providing 8.3 gpm of hydraulic fluid at 2000 psi will also operate the swather attachment. For a swather or windrower with a 24 ft. cutter bar, conveyor belt speeds up to about 800 fpm, preferably about 420 fpm, were satisfactory to move cut crops through throat 28 at field speed of 4 to 6 mph. A 7' cylinder 74 permits about 6.5 ft.
travel of long conveyor 30; the reciprocal travel of conveyor 30 and reversing of conveyor belt 32 allowing flexibility in discharge and placement of swaths.
In operation, the operator of a lead tractor of a pair of tractors drawing swathers as depicted in Figure 2 can have the long conveyor 15 retracted to a position behind the swather whereby the swath 34 is delivered substantially centrally of the swather or the lead tractor need not have a long conveyor attachment whereby the swath is discharged at the swather throat. The operator of the second tractQr can extend the long conveyor to the left of the swather about 6 feet to deposit the second swath 34a g ~ 3763 on top of or adjacent to the first swath 34.
It will be understood that modifications can be made in the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope and purview of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
~- .
:
Claims (10)
1. An attachment for use with a crop harvester having a frame with opposite ends and a transverse forward cutting edge over which crops are directed rearwardly and a pair of transverse crop-receiving first conveyors carried by said frame behind the cutting edge for conveying said crops to a throat formed in the frame intermediate the frame ends, comprising, in combination:
a short conveyor having a width greater than the width of the said throat, means for suspending the short conveyor from the frame beneath the throat for receiving crops from the first conveyors and for conveying said crops rearwardly through the throat, a long transverse conveyor slidably mounted on the frame rearward of said frame adapted to receive crops from the short conveyor, reversible drive means for selectively driving the long conveyor in either direction, and means for sliding said long conveyor transversely on the frame for discharging crops at a desired location intermediate the ends of the frame or outwardly of one end of the frame.
a short conveyor having a width greater than the width of the said throat, means for suspending the short conveyor from the frame beneath the throat for receiving crops from the first conveyors and for conveying said crops rearwardly through the throat, a long transverse conveyor slidably mounted on the frame rearward of said frame adapted to receive crops from the short conveyor, reversible drive means for selectively driving the long conveyor in either direction, and means for sliding said long conveyor transversely on the frame for discharging crops at a desired location intermediate the ends of the frame or outwardly of one end of the frame.
2. An attachment for use with a crop harvester as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for supporting the short conveyor from the frame permit the said short conveyor to pivot about the support means.
3. An attachment for use with a crop harvester as claimed in claim 2 wherein said short conveyor is attached at its forward end to the forward cutting edge whereby lowering of said forward cutting edge pivots the short conveyor about the support means and raises the discharge end of the short conveyor above the long transverse conveyor.
4. An attachment for use with a crop harvester as claimed in claim 3 wherein said means for slidably mounting the long transverse conveyor comprises at least one slide rail rigidly mounted on the harvester frame at the rearward side of said frame, a pair of spaced-apart sleeves secured to said long transverse conveyor on the foreward side thereof and slidably mounted on said rail, and means for supporting the rearward side of the long transverse conveyor.
5. An attachment for use with a crop harvester as claimed in claim 3 wherein said means for slidably mounting the long transverse conveyor comprises at least one slide rail rigidly mounted on the harvester frame at the rearward side of said frame, a pair of spaced-apart sleeves secured to said long transverse conveyor on the foreward side thereof and slidably mounted on said rail, and a pair spaced-apart castor wheels pivotably mounted on said long transverse conveyor on the rearward side thereof, whereby said long transverse conveyor is supported on its forward side on the harvester frame and on its rearward side on the caster wheels and can be slidably moved transversely relative to the harvester frame.
6. An attachment for use with a crop harvester as claimed in claim 5 wherein said reversable drive means comprises a hydraulically-actuated motor operatively connected to said conveyor for selectively driving the conveyor in either direction.
7. An attachment for use with a crop harvester as claimed in claim 6 wherein said long transverse conveyor has a side plate on the forward side thereof extending substantially the length thereof.
8. An attachment for use with a crop harvester as claimed in claim 7 wherein said means for slidably mounting the transverse conveyor on the frame includes a double-acting, hydraulically-actuated piston-cylinder assembly pivotally mounted at one end on said frame and secured at the other end to one of the sleeves slidably mounted on the slide rail wherein actuation of said piston-cylinder assembly selectively slides said transverse table on said slide rail.
9. An attachment for use with a crop harvester as claimed in Claim 1, 5 or 7 comprising a hydraulic motor for driving said short conveyor, a reversible hydraulic motor for selectively driving the long conveyor in either direction, a double-acting piston-cylinder assembly mounted at one end on the frame and secured at the other end to the long conveyor, and conduit means for communicating said motors in series from a hydraulic fluid supply and for supplying said motors independent of the piston-cylinder assembly.
10. An attachment for use with a crop harvester as claimed in Claim 1, 5 or 7 comprising a hydraulic motor for driving said short conveyor, a reversible hydraulic motor for selectively driving the long conveyor in either direction, a double-acting piston-cylinder assembly mounted at one end on the frame and secured at the other end to the long conveyor, and conduit means for communicating said motors in series from a hydraulic fluid supply and for supplying said piston-cylinder assembly independent of said motors, said conduit means including a first priority flow control valve for providing a continuous supply of hydraulic oil to said motors during actuation of the piston-cylinder assembly and a second priority flow control valve for by-passing the piston-cylinder assembly when not in use.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000472701A CA1248763A (en) | 1985-01-23 | 1985-01-23 | Swather attachment |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000472701A CA1248763A (en) | 1985-01-23 | 1985-01-23 | Swather attachment |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1248763A true CA1248763A (en) | 1989-01-17 |
Family
ID=4129654
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000472701A Expired CA1248763A (en) | 1985-01-23 | 1985-01-23 | Swather attachment |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1248763A (en) |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1998005195A1 (en) * | 1996-08-06 | 1998-02-12 | Maasland N.V. | A machine combination, a rake and pick-up and displacing member, as well as a method |
| WO1999033332A1 (en) * | 1997-12-23 | 1999-07-08 | Kverneland Taarup A/S | Mower for cutting standing crop |
| EP0934690A1 (en) * | 1998-02-04 | 1999-08-11 | Deere & Company | Swathing device |
| EP1250833A1 (en) * | 2001-04-18 | 2002-10-23 | Kuhn S.A. | Mower with windrow regrouping mechanism |
| FR2837347A1 (en) * | 2002-03-21 | 2003-09-26 | Kuhn Sa | Agricultural mower comprises carrying vehicle and two front work units in front of vehicle and two side work units either side work zone of front units |
| EP2145526A3 (en) * | 2008-07-16 | 2010-03-03 | Deere & Company | Center conveyor front coupler for a draper cutting platform |
-
1985
- 1985-01-23 CA CA000472701A patent/CA1248763A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (14)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1998005195A1 (en) * | 1996-08-06 | 1998-02-12 | Maasland N.V. | A machine combination, a rake and pick-up and displacing member, as well as a method |
| NL1003745C2 (en) * | 1996-08-06 | 1998-02-12 | Maasland Nv | Machine combination, rake and pick-up and displacement member as well as working method. |
| US6164051A (en) * | 1996-08-06 | 2000-12-26 | Maasland N.V. | Machine combination, a rake and pick-up and displacing member, as well as a method |
| WO1999033332A1 (en) * | 1997-12-23 | 1999-07-08 | Kverneland Taarup A/S | Mower for cutting standing crop |
| EP0934690A1 (en) * | 1998-02-04 | 1999-08-11 | Deere & Company | Swathing device |
| FR2823637A1 (en) * | 2001-04-18 | 2002-10-25 | Kuhn Sa | AGRICULTURAL MOWER COMPRISING A MOUNTING MECHANISM |
| EP1250833A1 (en) * | 2001-04-18 | 2002-10-23 | Kuhn S.A. | Mower with windrow regrouping mechanism |
| US6612102B2 (en) | 2001-04-18 | 2003-09-02 | Kuhn S.A. | Mower comprising a windrow grouping mechanism |
| FR2837347A1 (en) * | 2002-03-21 | 2003-09-26 | Kuhn Sa | Agricultural mower comprises carrying vehicle and two front work units in front of vehicle and two side work units either side work zone of front units |
| WO2003079761A1 (en) * | 2002-03-21 | 2003-10-02 | Kuhn, S.A. | Agricultural cutter comprising a carrier vehicle and several work units |
| US7500341B2 (en) | 2002-03-21 | 2009-03-10 | Kuhn S.A. | Agricultural cutter comprising a carrier vehicle and several work units |
| US8074432B2 (en) | 2002-03-21 | 2011-12-13 | Kuhn S.A. | Agricultural mower comprising a carrying vehicle and several work units |
| US8220233B2 (en) | 2002-03-21 | 2012-07-17 | Kuhn S.A. | Agricultural mower comprising a carrying vehicle with four steering and driving wheels and plural pivotable front and lateral work units |
| EP2145526A3 (en) * | 2008-07-16 | 2010-03-03 | Deere & Company | Center conveyor front coupler for a draper cutting platform |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US8186138B2 (en) | Windrow merger | |
| US5507139A (en) | Crop aerator having a pivoted header frame | |
| CA2110775C (en) | A feeder adapter for mounting a combine header to a feeder housing of a combine | |
| US4938010A (en) | Harvesting header having adjustable width, draper belt discharge opening | |
| US7404283B2 (en) | Crop collecting assembly for an agricultural harvester | |
| US4910951A (en) | Windrow merger | |
| US4211059A (en) | Row crop attachment | |
| US3834142A (en) | Side delivery rake | |
| EP0406766B1 (en) | Mower | |
| US4590751A (en) | Double windrowing attachment for harvester | |
| CA2313579C (en) | Self-propelled mowing vehicle and conveyor | |
| US20170202146A1 (en) | Continuous windrow merger | |
| US6164051A (en) | Machine combination, a rake and pick-up and displacing member, as well as a method | |
| US5980382A (en) | Self-propelled peanut combine | |
| CA2521187A1 (en) | Conveyor for a windrower | |
| US4662162A (en) | Tomato harvester | |
| US5463857A (en) | Double knife stubbel cutter | |
| CA1248763A (en) | Swather attachment | |
| US4584826A (en) | Tomato harvester | |
| NL9402063A (en) | Hay construction machine. | |
| CA2323978C (en) | Vehicle | |
| US3656282A (en) | Method of gathering crops from trees | |
| US5842333A (en) | Adjustable head assembly for cotton harvester | |
| CA1212245A (en) | Tobacco combine with selective conveyor raising | |
| WO1999033332A1 (en) | Mower for cutting standing crop |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |