GB2157548A

GB2157548A - Agricultural chopping machines

Info

Publication number: GB2157548A
Application number: GB08408878A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brian Terence Cowell; Keith William Coles
Original assignee: Wilder John Ltd
Current assignee: Wilder John Ltd
Priority date: 1984-04-06
Filing date: 1984-04-06
Publication date: 1985-10-30
Also published as: GB8408878D0

Abstract

An agricultural machine for chopping straw and stubble comprises: a hollow casing 1 mounted for being driven over a field at an angle offset to the forward direction D and housing a power-driven rotor 4 carrying spaced- apart fails 5. The flails pass through gaps in a cutting comb 16 mounted inside the casing. The casing is open at the bottom 8, for the collection of material to be chopped, and is apertured at the rear 19, for the sizing and exit of chopped material. A machine may comprise several such modules. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to agricultural machines Description of the Invention This invention relates to agricultural machines, particularly for the purpose of chopping straw and stubble.

After grain harvesting, there exists the problem of disposing of straw and stubble remaining in a field.

The baling of straw and burning of stubble is one method of dealing with the problem which has its own disadvantages. The chopping of the straw and stubble and more even spreading over a field prior to plowing-in, is an alternative method and there exists a need for machines to perform the task of chopping and spreading.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved agricultural machine for this purpose.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an agricultural machine for chopping straw, stubble and the like, adapted for being driven over a field in a forward direction, comprising a hollow casing housing a power-driven rotor extending laterally of said forward direction, said rotor carrying flails for revolving with the rotor inside the casing and interdigitating with a complementary cutting comb attached to the casing, said casing being open at the bottom, to permit of the collection and entry into the casing of material to be chopped, and having louvres or like laterally-extending apertures opening rearwards of the casing for sizing and permitting exit from the casing of chopped material.

Conveniently, said machine comprises a plurality of machine modules each having an apertured casing, fla:l-bearing rotor and complementary cutting comb within the casing, said modules being arranged side by side laterally of said direction of forward motion.

Preferably, the axes of said module rotors are offset with respect to the direction transverse of said direction of forward motion, so that the flails sweep a path offset to the forward direction.

Short Description of the Drawings In order that the invention may readily be carried into practice, one embodiment will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. lisa diagrammatic plan view of a single module of an agricultural machine for chopping straw, stubble and the like; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the module of Fig. 1 in a plane perpendicular to the rotor axis thereof; and Fig. 3 is a section view of the module of Fig. 1 in a plane passing through the rotor axis and the complementary cutting comb.

Description of the Specific Embodiment Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a single module of an agricultural machine according to the invention, having a casing 1 and attached to a forward draw-bar 2. The casing 1 contains a rotary flail and complementary cutting comb to be described, the axis of the flail rotor being indicated by the line A-A.

In use, a convenient number of modules are assembled side by side, either in line or in echelon, as is preferred. The modules are driven forward by their draw-bars, the direction of forward motion being indicated by the arrow D.

The axis A-A is offset with respect to the horizontal line perpendicular to the direction of motion, as shown.

Referring to Fig. 2, the casing 1 houses a flail rotor, shown generally at 3, and comprising a hollow shaft 4, carried on end-bearings, not shown.

The rotor shaft 4 carries sets of flail arms 5, attached to the shaft4 by brackets 6 and hinged on shafts 7 having axes B-S.

In Fig. 2, the arrow D indicates the forward direction and is the projection of arrow D of Fig. 1 in the plane of the drawing. The casing 1 has a lower opening, shown generally at 8, extending some 90" about the flail rotor axis A, and extending from rearwards of the lowermost point 9 of the flail path, forwardly, to a lateral casing fold line 10. Forwardly of the line 10, the casing 1 has a flared opening 11 extending to a line 12 approximately level with the rotor axis A-A. Above the line 12, the casing has a vertical face and a return portion 14.

Above the opening 8, is a transverse slot 15, through which extends the cutting comb 16. The comb 16 comprises generally rectangular tines 17, more clearly shown in Fig. 3, carried in a slotted frame 18 attached on the outside of the casing 1, by means not shown, so that the tines 17 extend into the casing 1 interior.

Nearthetopofcasing land extending downwardly and rearwardly is a louvred outlet aperture, shown generally at 19. The louvres comprise horizontal bars 20, spaced in sequence around the casing.

The direction of rotation of the rotor 3 is clockwise, as seen in Fig. 2. The flail arms 5 each have a straight front face and a rear face which tapers towards the shaft 7, as shown.

As viewed in Fig. 3, the direction of rotation of the rotor 3 is downwards, into the plane of the drawing, below the rotor axis A-A, and upwards, from the plane of the drawing, above the rotor axis A-A. The flail arms 5 interdigitate with the comb tines 17 as the flail arm path sweeps through the plane of the comb 16 and the view of Fig. 3 is chosen to illustrate the flail arms 5, on one side of the rotor 3, passing between the tines 17.

In use, the entire machine is drawn forward, over a field with straw and stubble, behind a tractor and the flail rotors are driven by mechanical, or hydraulic, power take-off.

In operation, the flail arms 5 are swept forwardly as the machine moves forward and material to be chopped is taken into the casing 1 at the intake opening 8 and is carried upwardly in the front interior part of the casing 1 until it reaches the comb 16. Here, the complementary action of flail arms 5 and comb tines 17 causes much of the input material to be chopped.

If the chopped material is sized small enough to pass the outlet louvres 20, such material is expelled from the casing at the outlet 19 with sufficient force to be spread widely behind the outlet. The residual material which is too large to pass the louvres 20, passes around the casing 1 for the second time and is further chopped by its second pass through the flail arms and comb tine cutters.

The flail arms 5 are hinged on shafts 7 and are flung outwardly by centrifugal force as the rotor 3 rotates to take up the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In the event of a large foreign body entering the casing 1, the flail arms 5 can hinge backwardly, relatively to their direction of rotation, so as to prevent damage to the flail arms or comb tines. The same action can occur in the event of input material jamming inside the casing.

As seen from the plan view of Fig. 1, the path swept by the flail arms 5 is not in line with the direction of forward motion, as shown by the arrow D, but at a small angle thereto. This provision ensures that "dead" areas, where there are no flail arms, such as in the areas of the rotor support bearings at the ends of the modules, are nevertheless swept by the flail arms as the machine moves forwards.

Typical dimensions for the modules is one metre wide. The rotational speed of the flail rotors is 2,500 to 3,000 r.p.m.

The machine described above as specific embodiment of the invnetion is able to cut stubble and chop straw at the same time and thus in a single pass of the machine over a field.

Claims

1. An agricultural machine for chopping straw, stubble and the like, adapted for being driven over a field in a forward direction comprising a hollow casing housing a power-driven rotor extending substantially laterally of said forward direction, said rotor carrying flails for revolving with the rotor inside the casing and interdigitating with a complementary cutting comb attached to the casing, said casing being open at the bottom, to permit of the collection and entry into the casing of material to be chopped, and having louvres or like laterally-extending apertures opening rearwards of the casing, for sizing and permitting exit from the casing of chopped material.

2. An agricultural machine as claimed in Claim 1, comprising a plurality of machine modules each having an apertured casing, flail-bearing rotor and complementary cutting comb within the casing, said modules baing arranged side by side substentially laterally of said direction of forward motion.

3. An agricultural machine as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the axes of said module rotors are offset with respect to the direction perpendicular to said direction of forward motion, so that the flails sweep a path offset to the forward direction.

4. An agricultural machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the flails comprise rigid flail arms hinged to the rotor.

5. An agricultural machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, having a plurality of sets of flails.

6. An agricultural machine as claimed in Claim 5, having two sets of flails mounted diametrally on the rotor.

7. An agricultural machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the bottom opening of the casing extends substantially 90 about the flail rotor axis from rearward of the lowermost point of the flail path, forwardly.

8. An agricultural machine as claimed in Claim 7, in which the said bottom casing opening is provided with a forwardiy-extending flared opening.

9. An agricultural machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the cutting comb comprises a series of generally rectangular tines carried in a frame attached on the outside of the casing.

10. An agricultural machine as claimed in Claim 1, constructed substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.