GB2081562A - Harvester - Google Patents

Abstract

A harvester adapted to reap and collect plants whose grain carrying heads are short in proportion to the length of their stalks comprises a cutter 4 to cut the plants immediately below the grain-carrying heads or thereabout and a collector 5 to collect the cut crop. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Harvester adapted to reap and collect plants The present invention concerns a harvester adapted to reap and collect plants whose grain carry ing heads are short in proportion to the length of their stalks.

In reaping plants and, after a suitable period of time for drying them, threshing the plants with a threshing machine of the "thresher" type (the type of machine receiving whole reaped plants - grains and stalks), and particularly in threshing plants whose grain carrying heads are short in proportion to the length of their stalks, the plants reaped near the roots present the problem of an unduly heavy load at threshing time to the great detriment of threshing efficiency and the problem of a great deal of grain being thrown out of the machine and lost.

Furthermore, a harvester provided with a large capacity collector for efficient harvesting would have the disadvantage of a large vehicle body with poor manoeuvrability. Conversely, if a collector of reduced capacity is provided in the interest of manoeuvrability, then harvesting efficiency will deteriorate.

An object of the invention is to provide an easily manoeuvrable harvester which is efficient for a harvesting operation in which plants, especially the kind of plants whose grain carrying heads are short in proportion to the length of their stalks, are reaped and collected and are subsequently thrown, grains and stalks together, into the threshing chamber of a threshing machine of the "thresher" type.

According to the present invention a harvester comprises an automotive vehicle body, a reaper for reaping plants having grain carrying heads at positions immediately below the grains or thereabout and a collector to collect reaped grain carrying plant heads.

As this harvester reaps plants immediately below the grain carrying heads orthereabout it is capable of collecting a great quantity of plants (grain carrying heads) with a relatively small collector. This allows not only the subsequent threshing operation to be carried out efficiently with high rate of grain recovery but the vehicleperse can perform efficient harvesting for its relatively small size with good manoeuvrability.

In one embodiment of the invention the reaper and the collector are arranged longitudinally of the vehicle body and a conveyor extends from the reaper to the collector to convey the reaped grain carrying heads, the conveyor having a forward end projecting forwardly of the reaper to serve also as means to take in the grain carrying plant heads to the reaper. This arrangement provides for simplicity, compactness and low cost ofthe harvester by dispensing with components necessary where a separate plant intake means is provided, such as a drive mechanism for the plant intake means and attaching elements therefor.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a part sectional side view of a harvester in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan; Fig. 3 is a part sectional side view of a modified harvester; and Fig. 4 is a rearview in vertical section correspond ingto Fig. 3.

In Figs. 1 and 2, an automotive vehicle or harvester A of the type accompanied by a walking operator comp- rises a motor 1, a pair of right and left ground engaging wheels 2 and a steering handle 3 which is substantially U-shaped in plan. The harvester A further com prises a reaper 4 adapted to reap rice, wheat or other plants having grain carrying heads, at positions immediately below the grains or thereabout, a col lector 5 arranged rearwardly of the reaper 4 to collect reaped grain carrying plant heads and a reaped grain conveyor 6 extending from the reaper 4 to the collector 5. The forward end of the conveyor 6 projects forwardly of the reaper4 and acts also as means to take in the grain carrying plant heads to the reaper 4.

Centrally of the vehicle A and rearwardly of the wheels 2 there is provided a runner member 8 which is vertically oscillatable and lockable by means of a turnbuckle 7. By vertically oscillating this runner member 8, the reaping position of the reaper 4 is varied on a fulcrum provided by the parts of the wheels 2 contacting the ground or the axis of their axle. The steering handle 3 carries a lever 9 for operating a main clutch (not shown) mounted in a transmission connecting the motor 1 to the ground engaging wheels 2, the reaper 4, the conveyor 6 and an accelerator lever 10 connected to the motor 1.

The collector 5 comprises a collecting bag removably attached to the steering handle 3 and to a rear portion of a guide plate 11 of the conveyor 6.

The conveyor 6 has the following construction: a driven shaft 15 and a drive shaft 16 extend transversely of the harvester A and above the guide plate 11,with a suitable longitudinal distance between each other and are supported by lateral frame members. The driven shaft 15 and the drive shaft 16 carry pairs of pulleys 13 and 14 adjacent the ends thereof respectively, endless belts 17 being trained over the longitudinally opposed pairs of the pulleys 13 and 14. The endless belts 17 carry a plurality of bars 18 at suitable intervals in the direction of movement of the belts 17 to engage and transfer the grain carrying plant heads. The driven shaft 15 carries, between the pulleys 13 and frame members 12, star-shaped rotary plant dividers 19 to divide the plants to right and left into those to be reaped and those not to be reaped.

The modified automotive vehicle or harvester A shown in Figs. 3 and 4 comprise a motor 1, a single ground engaging wheel 2, a steering handle 3, and a pair of right and left plant dividers 19 and runner members 20, at a forward position ofthe harvester A. A reaper4 and a conveyor 6, the latter including grain head engaging and transferring bars 18 each rigidly carrying a plurality of catch nails 1 by, are arranged vertically oscillatable and lockable relative to the body of the vehicle A about the axis of a drive shaft 16. A collector in this embodiment may comprise a tank 5 formed of sheet metal and disposed so as to overlie the top of the motor 1. The collector tank S has one lateral wall 5A oscillatable to open and ciose.

Claims (5)

1. A harvester comprising an automotive vehicle body, a reaper for reaping plants having grain carrying heads at positions immediately below the grains orthereabout, and a collector to collect reaped grain carrying plant heads.

2. A harvester as claimed in claim 1, in which the reaper and the said collector are arranged longitudinally of the vehicle body, a conveyor being provided to extend from the reaper to the collectorto convey the reaped grain carrying plant heads, the conveyor having a forward end projecting forwardly of the reaper to serve also as means to take in the grain carrying plant heads to the reaper.

3. A harvester as claimed in claim 2, in which the conveyor comprises a drive shaft and a driven shaft, each of the shafts carrying a pair of pulleys, endless belts being trained over the pulleys and carrying a plurality of bars.

4. A harvester as claimed in claim 3, in which the reaper and the conveyor are rigidly interconnected and adapted to be vertically oscillatable and lockable on the drive shaft.

5. A harvester constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 or Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.