GB1590183A - Root crop harvester device - Google Patents

Description

(54) ROOT CROP HARVESTER DEVICE (71) I, JOHN WALTER BLENCH, a British Subject, of 456 Herne Road, Ramsey St.

Mary, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to a device for fitting to a towed root crop harvester.

In my co-pending patent application no.

22782/77, (Serial No. 1587252) there is described a device for fitting to a towed multirow root crop harvester which has a fore-and-aft beam connected to a cross beam, the latter beam having supports extending laterally of the fore-and-aft beam to which respective pairs of skids are secured, one pair of skids per row of crops to be harvested in use, and the fore-and-aft beam having fixing means by which in use it can be firmly clamped to the main towing beam of the harvester.

The present invention is concerned with a device for providing skids on a single row harvester and which can be clamped to the main towing beam of the harvester whether the power take off shaft which is connected to the towing tractor lies above or below the main towing beam.

A device in accordance with the invention comprises a pair of clamp plates, means by which the plates may be rigidly clamped one on either side of the main towing beam of a harvester, the clamp plates having, respectively, abutments projecting from their opposed faces to engage upper and lower surfaces of the beam to prevent angular movement between the plates and the beam, a carrier bar projecting from the outward facing surface of each clamp plate, and a clamp securable to each carrier bar, each clamp carrying a supporting bracket on which a leg carrying a skid is mountable so as to be adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the leg.

A preferred embodiment of the invention suitable for use with Ransomes 33A and 33B model beet harvesters will now be described by way of example. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a device according to the invention mounted on a harvester main towing beam, and Figure 2 shows a detail thereof.

In this embodiment the device embodies two spaced apart skids 1 to engage the soil surface one on either side of a single row of beet to be harvested and for the purposes set forth in my above-mentioned co-pending application.

Each skid, which is of solid cross-section is welded to the bottom end of a vertical leg 2, each leg having a longitudinal row of holes 11 through two of which, selectively, bolts 3 are passed to secure the leg to a bracket 4 carried by a clamp 12 which is in turn secured to a square section carrier bar 6 extending outwardly from a rectangular clamp plate 7. The clamp plates are bolted together on to the harvester towing beam 13 so as to tie one on either side thereof.

Each of the clamps comprises a base part 14 from which the bracket extends and a cap 15. Both the base part and the cap have vshaped surfaces to engage the surfaces of the carrier bar on either side thereof and the cap is secured to the base part by bolts 16, the shanks of which pass through the cap and the heads of which lie in a T-section slot 17 in the base part.

Each clamp plate 7 has a bolt hole 21 at each of its corners and a fifth bolt hole 22 intermediate its upper and lower edges to receive four clamping bolts which, when tightened, press the plates firmly against the sides of the towing beam. Three bolts 18 pass through three of the corner holes 21 of the plates to lie under and above the beam, and the fourth bolt, which passes through the fifth bolt hole 22 in each plate, passes through the beam itself. By this construction, the plates can be reversed top-to-bottom according as to whether the power take-off shaft 19 of the harvester lies under or over the beam 13. To ensure additional rigidity, each plate carries an abutment member 20 on its inside surface which contacts the beam, the member on one plate lying against the beam top surface and the member on the other plate lying against the beam bottom surface.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A device for fitting to a towed single row root crop harvester, comprising a pair of clamp plates, means for rigidly clamping the plates one on either side of the harvester main towing beam, the clamp plates having, respectively, abutments projecting from their opposed faces to engage upper and lower surfaces of the beam to prevent angular movement between the plates and the beam, a carrier bar projecting from the outward facing surface of each plate, and a clamp securable to each carrier bar and carrying a bracket on which a leg carrying a ground engaging skid is mounted so as to be adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the leg.

2. A device according to claim I, wherein each carrier bar is of non-circular section and each clamp has clamping surfaces mating with the carrier bar surfaces to prevent mutual rotation between the bar and its respective clamp.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein each clamp is formed of two parts secured together around its respective carrier bar by bolts.

4. A device according to any of the preceding claims wherein each leg has a row of holes to selectively receive bolts for attaching the leg to its respective bracket.

5. A device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the clamping means for the clamp plates comprises four bolts selectively housable in five holes in each plate so that three of the bolts may lie under and over the main towing beam and the fourth bolt may pass through the beam, whereby the plates may be reversed top to bottom.

6. A device for fitting to a towed single row root crop harvester constructed and arranged subtantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

1. **WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

   surface.

   WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A device for fitting to a towed single row root crop harvester, comprising a pair of clamp plates, means for rigidly clamping the plates one on either side of the harvester main towing beam, the clamp plates having, respectively, abutments projecting from their opposed faces to engage upper and lower surfaces of the beam to prevent angular movement between the plates and the beam, a carrier bar projecting from the outward facing surface of each plate, and a clamp securable to each carrier bar and carrying a bracket on which a leg carrying a ground engaging skid is mounted so as to be adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the leg.
2. 2. A device according to claim I, wherein each carrier bar is of non-circular section and each clamp has clamping surfaces mating with the carrier bar surfaces to prevent mutual rotation between the bar and its respective clamp.
3. 3. A device according to claim 2 wherein each clamp is formed of two parts secured together around its respective carrier bar by bolts.
4. 4. A device according to any of the preceding claims wherein each leg has a row of holes to selectively receive bolts for attaching the leg to its respective bracket.
5. 5. A device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the clamping means for the clamp plates comprises four bolts selectively housable in five holes in each plate so that three of the bolts may lie under and over the main towing beam and the fourth bolt may pass through the beam, whereby the plates may be reversed top to bottom.
6. 6. A device for fitting to a towed single row root crop harvester constructed and arranged subtantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings.