GB2057238A - Crop chopper for maize trash and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

A crop chopper primarily for the disposal of maize trash. Two rotors 2, 4 are provided one above the other in a casing 6. Both rotate on horizontal axes. The lower rotor 2 has swinging flails 18 to cut the standing stalks and the upper rotor 4 has pivoted hammers 20 working between fixed cutting blades 22 inside the casing 6 to chop the cut crop and any other debris which was lying on the ground and which will be thrown up by the flails 18 of the first rotor. The fixed cutting blades 22 are sharpened on four edges 23 and so present four alternative cutting edges by reversal or turning over. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Crop chopper for maize trash and the like Certain agricultural crops are harvested in such a way that a good deal of straw or trash is left in the field and this has to be disposed of one way or another before the land can again be ploughed. An example is maize grown for the cobs (as distinct from fodder maize where the whole plant is used) where after the cobs have been harvested by machined the bottom portion of the stalk is left standing up out of the ground with the upper part in a bedraggled and drooping condition hanging down to the ground in and around the undamaged part of the stalk.

Various machines have been produced to sever the standing part of the stalk from the ground and chop it and the remaining trash and discharge it behind the machine back on to the ground. Most of them however do not grind the material anything like sufficiently finely nor do they cope very well with stones which sometimes are caught up in the mechanism.

According to this invention there is provided a crop chopper for maize trash and the like comprising a first horizontal rotor with an array of flails for severing the standing stalks and throwing them together with other trash lying on the ground to a second horizontal rotor mounted above the first and having an array of hammers working between fixed cutters to chop up the cut crop received from the flails.

One form of chopper made according to this invention is illustrated in the drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a side view; and Fig. 2 is a detail view of the fixed cutters.

Referring to the drawing two rotors 2 and 4 are mounted one above the other in a casing 6, the casing 6 being mounted on a chassis 8 supported at the front end 10 by a drawbar (not shown) on a tractor, and at the rear end 12 on a pair of wheels 14 provided with height adjustment means 16.

Transversely across the lower part of the casing is the rotor 2 carrying an array of flails 18 of the type described in my Patent Nos. 893656 and 899934. This rotor 2 is arranged to run at the appropriate speed with the flails 18 nearesttheground moving forwardly and these will swipe off the stalks and leaf material as well as suck up fallen debris from the plant. All of this material is then thrown vertically up inside the front of the casing 6 at a fair velocity.

Transversely across the upper part of the casing is the chopper rotor 4 in which an array of swinging hammers 20 revolve fairly fast, e.g. 2,800 r.p.m. and will engage with the rising debris.

In the top circular peripheral part of the casing 6 there are a series of fins 21 on the front of the machine casing. The cutter blades 22 are fixed to the fins so that the blades 22 project inwardly into the space swept by the cutter hammers 20. It will be seen that the rapidly rotating hammers 20 will carry the material between the blades 22 of the cutters thus chopping it into fairly short lengths. Because of the speed of the rotor 4 the material will issue out of the casing 6 through a suitable opening and fall back on to the ground.

The cutting blades 22 which are sharpened on four edges 23 are each pivoted to a fin 23 on a fairly substantial bolt 24 at the outside end and project through slots 25 in the front curved part of the casing 6 into the cutting region. The cutters 22 are secured in position each by a small inexpensive second bolt or split pin 26. If a stone hits the working edge 23 of the cutting blade 22 with considerable force this second bolt or pin 26 will shear and will allow the cutting blade 22 to pivot on the thicker bolt 24 so that it can swing out of the way. It can then be restored by merely re-affixing a new small bolt or pin 26.

This machine can be made wide enough to take in three or four rows of maize at a time and is, of course, driven from the tractor by means of a power take off shaft through a bevel gearbox 27 and with suitable belt drives 28 and 30 to the two rotors 2 and 4. The cutting blades 22 present four alternative cutting edges 23 by either reversal or turning over.

1. Crop chopper for maize trash and the like comprixing a first horizontal rotor with an array of flails for severing the standing stalks and throwing them together with other trash lying on the ground to a second horizontal rotor mounted above the first and having an array of hammers working between fixed cutters to chop up the cut crop received from the flails.

2. Crop chopper according to claim 1 wherein the two rotors are mounted in a common casing and the fixed cutters project inwardly from the upper part thereof.

3. Crop chopper according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the fixed cutters take the form of cutting blades with four alternative cutting edges.

4. Crop chopper according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the cutting blades are pivoted to the casing by strong bolts and fixed against rotation by shear bolts or pins.

5. Crop chopper according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the casing is mounted on a chassis adapted for attachment to a drawbar at the front and provided with a pair of wheels at the back, said wheels being adjustable as to height.

6. Crop chopper substantially as described with reference to the drawing.

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

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Crop chopper for maize trash and the like Certain agricultural crops are harvested in such a way that a good deal of straw or trash is left in the field and this has to be disposed of one way or another before the land can again be ploughed. An example is maize grown for the cobs (as distinct from fodder maize where the whole plant is used) where after the cobs have been harvested by machined the bottom portion of the stalk is left standing up out of the ground with the upper part in a bedraggled and drooping condition hanging down to the ground in and around the undamaged part of the stalk. Various machines have been produced to sever the standing part of the stalk from the ground and chop it and the remaining trash and discharge it behind the machine back on to the ground. Most of them however do not grind the material anything like sufficiently finely nor do they cope very well with stones which sometimes are caught up in the mechanism. According to this invention there is provided a crop chopper for maize trash and the like comprising a first horizontal rotor with an array of flails for severing the standing stalks and throwing them together with other trash lying on the ground to a second horizontal rotor mounted above the first and having an array of hammers working between fixed cutters to chop up the cut crop received from the flails. One form of chopper made according to this invention is illustrated in the drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a side view; and Fig. 2 is a detail view of the fixed cutters. Referring to the drawing two rotors 2 and 4 are mounted one above the other in a casing 6, the casing 6 being mounted on a chassis 8 supported at the front end 10 by a drawbar (not shown) on a tractor, and at the rear end 12 on a pair of wheels 14 provided with height adjustment means 16. Transversely across the lower part of the casing is the rotor 2 carrying an array of flails 18 of the type described in my Patent Nos. 893656 and 899934. This rotor 2 is arranged to run at the appropriate speed with the flails 18 nearesttheground moving forwardly and these will swipe off the stalks and leaf material as well as suck up fallen debris from the plant. All of this material is then thrown vertically up inside the front of the casing 6 at a fair velocity. Transversely across the upper part of the casing is the chopper rotor 4 in which an array of swinging hammers 20 revolve fairly fast, e.g. 2,800 r.p.m. and will engage with the rising debris. In the top circular peripheral part of the casing 6 there are a series of fins 21 on the front of the machine casing. The cutter blades 22 are fixed to the fins so that the blades 22 project inwardly into the space swept by the cutter hammers 20. It will be seen that the rapidly rotating hammers 20 will carry the material between the blades 22 of the cutters thus chopping it into fairly short lengths. Because of the speed of the rotor 4 the material will issue out of the casing 6 through a suitable opening and fall back on to the ground. The cutting blades 22 which are sharpened on four edges 23 are each pivoted to a fin 23 on a fairly substantial bolt 24 at the outside end and project through slots 25 in the front curved part of the casing 6 into the cutting region. The cutters 22 are secured in position each by a small inexpensive second bolt or split pin 26. If a stone hits the working edge 23 of the cutting blade 22 with considerable force this second bolt or pin 26 will shear and will allow the cutting blade 22 to pivot on the thicker bolt 24 so that it can swing out of the way. It can then be restored by merely re-affixing a new small bolt or pin 26. This machine can be made wide enough to take in three or four rows of maize at a time and is, of course, driven from the tractor by means of a power take off shaft through a bevel gearbox 27 and with suitable belt drives 28 and 30 to the two rotors 2 and 4. The cutting blades 22 present four alternative cutting edges 23 by either reversal or turning over. CLAIMS

1. Crop chopper for maize trash and the like comprixing a first horizontal rotor with an array of flails for severing the standing stalks and throwing them together with other trash lying on the ground to a second horizontal rotor mounted above the first and having an array of hammers working between fixed cutters to chop up the cut crop received from the flails.

2. Crop chopper according to claim 1 wherein the two rotors are mounted in a common casing and the fixed cutters project inwardly from the upper part thereof.

3. Crop chopper according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the fixed cutters take the form of cutting blades with four alternative cutting edges.

4. Crop chopper according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the cutting blades are pivoted to the casing by strong bolts and fixed against rotation by shear bolts or pins.

5. Crop chopper according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the casing is mounted on a chassis adapted for attachment to a drawbar at the front and provided with a pair of wheels at the back, said wheels being adjustable as to height.

6. Crop chopper substantially as described with reference to the drawing.