GB2164234A

GB2164234A - Self-propelled implement carrier

Info

Publication number: GB2164234A
Application number: GB08522628A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nils Fredriksen; Heinrich Kleinemenke
Original assignee: Claas KGaA mbH
Current assignee: Claas KGaA mbH
Priority date: 1984-09-18
Filing date: 1985-09-12
Publication date: 1986-03-19
Also published as: GB2164234B; FR2570245A1; FR2570245B1; DE3434183A1; GB8522628D0; DE3434183C2

Abstract

A self-propelled implement carrier carries at its front a beet topping and lifting unit 3 to which a steeply inclined conveyor 4 is connected to form an assembly unit, by means of which the topped beets are conveyed upwardly. From there the topped beets go on to a cleaning belt 6 which opens into an intermediate bin 7 with which a transfer belt 8 is associated. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Self-propelled implement carrier The invention relates to a self-propelled implement carrier comprising a front-mounted sugar beet (or similar root crop) topping and lifting unit and a means disposed at the rear end for transferring the harvested beet on to an accompanying vehicle.

German laid-open application (DE-OS) No.

30 05 597 discloses a self-propelled beet lifter wherein the operations of cutting off leaves, topping, lifting, cleaning and intermediate storage are carried out in one working operation, that is to say, the beets are not put back on the ground after the lifting operation. Self-propelled beet lifters of this kind operate satisfactorily in themselves.

However, they do suffer from the disadvantage that they are only intended for lifting beets and for that reason cannot be used in other ways. In order to overcome that disadvantage, it is known from practical situations to use self-propelled implement carriers and system tractors which, for the purposes of beet lifting, are fitted with a suitable front-end implement. After the beets have been topped and lifted, the above-mentioned implement deposits the beets between the axles of the self-propelled implement carrier so that they can be picked up by a further means mounted at the tail end of the implement carrier, and put into an intermediate storage bin.Self-propelled implement carriers and system tractors of this kind are being increasingly used in practice as they can be employed not only for the beet harvest but universally in agriculture, by employing suitable ancilliary equipment. However, when such vehicles are used for the beet harvest, they suffer from a serious disadvantage which is that the lifted beets are first deposited on the ground. More specifically, it is not possible to avoid deposited beets being damaged or rolling away sideways so that it must be reckoned that there will be crop losses. Another disadvantage is that the driver of the implement carrier is often overworked because it is scarcely possible to view the point at which the beets are picked up again, from the driving position. Another disadvantage is the increased expenditure on pick-up members and the additional power that they required.

The present invention is therefore based on the problem of so designing a self-propelled implement carrier of the kind set forth in greater detail in the opening part of this specification, that on the one hand the universality of use thereof is not detrimentally affected while on the other hand it is possible to harvest beets as when using a selfpropel led beet lifter, that is to say without the lifted beets being put into intermediate storage on the ground.

According to the invention, there is provided a self-propelled implement carrier comprising a frontmounted beet topping and lifting unit and a means disposed at the end for transferring the harvested beet on to an accompanying vehicle, wherein a steeply inclined conveyorfor receiving the topped beets is fixedly connected to the beet topping and lifting unit, the conveyortogetherwith said unit forming a first assembly unit, and wherein also mounted on the implement carrier is an intermediate bin which forms a second assembly unit with a cleaning belt conveyor whose receiving end is disposed below the discharge end of the steeply inclined conveyor and whose discharge end opens into the intermediate bin.

By virtue of using two assembly units of suitable design, which are separate from each other, it is not possible to harvest beets without intermediate storage thereof on the ground, and without the universality of use of the implement carrier being obstructed by any fixed pieces of equipment mounted in or on the implement carrier. In the preferred arrangement, a construction which is of a simple nature provides that the first assembly unit is fixed to the front of the implement carrier by way of a per se known three-point mounting arrangement.

That ensures that it is easy to fit and remove the first assembly unit. In order now that the second assembly unit can also be fitted on to and removed from the implement carrier in a simple manner, the second assembly unit has a bearer frame which can be locked to the implement carrier and which has support legs which can be extended on both sides of the implement carrier. A desirable feature of the invention also provides that a pivotable belt conveyor for discharging the beets from the bin is also connected to the frame and to the second assembly unit, in addition to the intermediate bin and the cleaning belt conveyor.By virtue of the belt conveyor being pivotable, the topped beets can be transferred both laterally, selectively to the right or to the left, on to a vehicle which travels beside the implement carrier, and also on to a waggon which is attached to the rear of the self-propelled implement carrier. In a construction which is simple in nature, the transfer belt conveyor is mounted pivotably by means of two mountings which are disposed perpendicularly one above the other, with one mounting being fixed to the bin and one mounting being fixed to the frame. In many cases, it is desirable to recover the beet leaf which has been cut off. In order to meet that requirement, a blower may be provided which is fixedly mounted on the lifting unit and which picks up the leaf material which has been cut off.The discharge pipe or nozzle of the blower is pivotable about a vertical axis so that leaf material recovery can also be effected selectively to the right or the left of the implement carrier.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a self-propelled implement carrier according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view of the implement carrier shown in Figure 1.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a self-propelled implement carrier which has a three-point mounting arrangement 2 at its front end. The mounting arrangement 2 carries a beet topping and lifting unit 3 which is of a known construction and which will therefore not be described in greater detail at this point.

Asteep-angle conveyor 4 is fixedly connected to the beet cropping and lifting unit 3 and forms an assembly unit therewith. The topped beets which are conveyed laterally by the roller conveyor 5 of the beettopping and lifting unit 3 are transported upwardly by the steep-angle conveyor 4 and drop on to the receiving end of a cleaning conveyor belt 6, the discharge end of which opens into an intermediate bin 7 so that the beets pass into the bin 7. Disposed beneath the bin 7 which is open and converges downwardly in a funnel-like configuration is one end of a transfer belt 8 which is secured to a pivotable frame 9. The frame 9 is supported pivotably by means of a lower mounting 10 on a bearer frame 11 to which the bin 7 is fixedly connected.Afurther mounting 12 is fixed to the bin 7 perpendicularly above the mounting 10, the frame 9 being additionally supported on the further mounting 12 by way of holding members 13. The cleaning conveyor belt 6 is also fixedly connected to the bearer frame 11 by way of struts 14. The bin 7, the cleaning conveyor belt and the pivotable transfer belt 8 consequently represent an assembly unit 20, the common bearer frame 11 of which can be locked to the self-propelled implement carrier 1.

For that purpose, the bearer frame 11 on the one hand has tapered centering bores 15 into which centering pins 16 which are fixedly connected to the implement carrier 1 engage (DE-OS No. 30 24 664).

The bearer frame 11 is also provided with two struts 17 whose lower ends have forks 18 which engage from above around a transverse member 19 which is fixed with respect to the implement carrier, and which are supported on the transverse member 19.

If the assembly unit 20 is to be removed from the self-propelled implement carrier 1, it is only necessary to extend the support legs 21, which are in the form of piston rods, out of the cylinders 22 which are fixedly connected to the frame 11. That causes the assembly unit 20 to be lifted so that the implement carrier 1 can move away from beneath it.

Likewise, the beettopping and lifting unitwhich, with the steep-angle conveyor 4, forms an assembly unit 23, can be released from the three-point mounting arrangement 2 so that the implement carrier 1 is freed for other attachment units.

The blower 24 for picking up the leaf material is fixedly mounted laterally to the lifting unit 3. At the outlet of the blower 24, the discharge nozzle 26 is mounted pivotably about a vertical axis by way of a rotary mount 25.

Depending on the respective position of the accompanying trailer, the discharge nozzle 26, just like the transfer belt 8, can be adjusted directly from the driving position by means of adjustment members which are not described in greater detail herein.

The term "belt" is not used herein in a limited sense and includes endless chain and slat conveyors for example.

Claims

1. A self-propelled implement carrier comprising a front-mounted beet topping and lifting unit and a means disposed at the end for transferring the harvested beet on to an accompanying vehicle, wherein a steeply inclined conveyor for receiving the topped beets is fixedly connected to the beet topping and lifting unit, the conveyor together with said unit forming a first assembly unit, and wherein also mounted on the implement carrier is an intermediate bin which forms a second assembly unit with a cleaning belt conveyor whose receiving end is disposed below the discharge end of the steeply inclined conveyor and whose discharge end opens into the intermediate bin.

2. A self-propelled implement carrier according to claim 1 wherein the first assembly unit is fixed to the front of the implement carrier by way of a threepoint mounting arrangement.

3. A self-propelled implement carrier according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the second assembly unit has a bearer frame which can be locked to the implement carrier and which has support legs which can be extended on both sides of the implement carrier.

4. A self-propelled implement carrier according to claim 3 wherein the bin, the cleaning belt conveyor and a pivotable belt conveyor for discharging the beets from the bin, are connected to the frame.

5. A self-propelled implement carrier according to claim 4 wherein the pivotable belt conveyor is mounted pivotably by means of two mountings which are arranged perpendicularly one above the other, one mounting being secured to the bin and one mounting being secured to the frame.

6. A self-propelled implement carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the harvested beets can be transferred both laterally, selectively to the right or to the left, on to a vehicle with trailer, which travels beside the implement carrier, and also on to a trailer which is coupled to the rear of the implement carrier.

7. A self-propelled implement carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein both beet discharge and beet leaf recovery can be effected laterally selectively on the right or on the left of the implement carrier.

8. A self-propelled implement carrier substantially as described with reference to the drawings.