GB2196225A - Cutter mechanism for an agricultural machine - Google Patents

Description

1 GB2196225A 1 SPECIFICATION severing the cut material in the regions of

in tended tracks for wheels of such machine and Cutter mechanism for an agricultural ma- guiding the material to leave such tracks clear, chine the severing and guidance means comprising a 70 respective pair of oppositely effective convey The present invention relates to a cutter ing elements arranged on the reel in each of mechanism for front mounting on an agricultu- said regions to convey cut material to either ral machine, especially a mechanism by which side thereof, a respective rotary severing disc travel tracks are left free of harvested stock coaxially and fixedly mounted on an axial shaft for the wheels of the machine. In the remainof the reel substantially centrally of each of ing region, the harvested stock can be deposi- said regions and between the conveying ele ted over about the width of the cutting ments of the associated pair, a respective pair mechanism. of severing knives arranged behind the cutter In DD-PS 235 411 there is described a cut- bar with respect to an intended direction of ting mechanism for wide deposit for an auto- 80 travel of the mechanism to bear one against mative agricultural machine, in which cut har- each side face of each disc and each having a veststock is deposited by means of a tine reel cutting edge extending from a point outside through delivery openings over about the the circumference of the disc and in the direc width of the cutting mechanism. Between the tion of peripheral movement of the disc, and a delivery openings, guide walls are mounted at 85 respective guide element arranged behind each a trough of the mechanism in front of the disc with respect to said intended direction of wheels of the machine. For the severing of travel.

the harvested stock, approximately vertical In a preferred embodiment the cutter severing knives are fixedly arranged closely mechanism serves for wide deposit and is behind a knife beam of the cutting mecha- 90 mountable at the front of an automotive agri nism. Stripper fingers, which are fastened on cultural machine, travel tracks free of har tine shafts of the reel, wipe against both sides vested material being left for the wheels of of each severing knife. In the wheel region, the machine. The severing knives are mounted where the cutting mechanism possesses no in the track regions and behind a knife beam delivery openings, segments in the reel are 95 in the cutting mechanism and co-operate with arranged to form a cylindrical shell and aree- equipment fastened at the reel arranged above quipped at the outside with worm segments the knife beam, wherein cylindrical shell seg of opposite sense, whereby the harvested ments and worm segments of opposite sense stock is conveyed out of these wheel regions are fastened in the travel track regions at the transversely to the delivery direction. 100 reel and guide walls are mounted behind the This arrangement has disadvantages in re- severing knives in the cutting mechanism. The spect of the production costs, since quite severing equipment acts on the shaft in the complicated measures are required for mount- reel, operates almost free of play between the ing of the stripper fingers on the tine shafts. severing tools and introduces no additional At the same time, the functional reliability of 105 forces onto the tine shafts. For this purpose, this cutting mechanism may leave something in about the middle of the travel tracks and to be desired. Since a gap between the sever- behind the worm segments of opposite sense, ing knife and the'stripper fingers is always a circularly shaped knife or disc is mounte present due to functional and constructional d-firmly and perpendicularly to the shaft of reasons, the result is a drawing-in of the har- 110 the reel-centrally at the reel and in that case vested stock, which may eventually lead to projects beyond the cylinder shell formed by failure of the cutting mechanism through the cylinder shell segments. The stationary clogging and deformation. Moreover, there is severing knives lie against both sides of the increased wear at control tracks of the tine disc and the cutting edges of the knives start shafts and at the tine shafts themselves, since 115 outside the circumference of the disc and are the total forces, which arise during stripping displaced rearwardly in operative rotational di and by reason of the poor intake behaviour of rection of the reel. The cut material is con the severing equipment are further increased, veyed evenly towards the rear by the reel and act by way of the tine shafts on the control delivered. The guide walls and worm seg tracks. 120 ments of opposite sense, which convey the There is thus a need for a cutter mechanism material laterally, are provided in order to keep whichJor a small production effort may pos- the travel tracks free. For the severing of ma sess high functional reliability and good wear terial that is tangled and matted together, the behaviour. discs are fastened to the reel and each run According to the present invention there is 125 constantly between the respective two sever- provided a front-mounting cutter mechanism ing knives, wherein the severing knives can be for an agricultural machine, comprising a cutter set slightly obliquely against the disc and bear bar for cutting crop material, a reel rotatable or be pressed thereagainst, The material is in a given direction for depositing the cut ma- severed in a drawn manner in the narrowing terial, and severing and guidance means for 130 gap between severing knives and disc. In this 2 GB2196225A 2 case, the cylindrical shell segments prevent Severing equipment, which is illustrated in laying over or pressing back of the cut ma- detail in Figs. 2 and 3, is arranged in line with terial. the middle of the wheels 13 in front of the Expediently, the disc at its circumference guide walls 14 and in the trough 3. The has teeth each possessing a flatly rising front 70 equipment comprises pairs of severing knives flank and a steeply dropping rear flank. This 15 which, in this embodiment, are settably tooth shape in conjunction with toothed, cor- secured by screws to a holder 16. The knives rugated or arcuate severing knives ensures a 15 project by their cutting edges, which exparticularly good seizing, drawing-in and sever- tend at the top starting out from the knife ing of the material. 75 beam 2 straight towards the rear and which It is also expedient if mounting means, such can be smooth, corrugated or toothed, to near as holders, in which the severing knives are cylindrical shell segments 17 arranged be mounted in resettable manner, are fastened at tween the tine shafts 8. The segments 17, the trough of the cutting mechanism. which together form a nearly closed cylindrical Finally, it is advantageous if one of the sev- 80 shell, extend in the region of the guide walls ering knives of each pair is prolonged rear- 14 and are connected with the structure of wardly to act as a separating wall as far as an the reel, in particular with arms 18 thereof. A upper end of the associated guide wall. respective circularly shaped knife 19 or 19' is By means of a cutter mechanism embodying so fastened, extending radially outwards, to the invention, a more exact, shear-like cut of 85 the segments 17 that it engages between the the mowed harvested material may be knives 15 of each pair, wherein the knives 15 achieved at the severing place in the region of bear laterally thereagainst. At the circumfer the travel tracks of the machine. Clogging in ence, the knife 19 or 19' possesses teeth 20, the region of the severing knives may be ex- which rise flatly in operative direction of the cluded, which improves the serviceability of 90 reel 5 and possess a generally radial rear the cutter mechanism. Since the circularly edge. The knife 19 or 19' is furthermore so shaped knives or discs are mounted directly structured that the tine shafts 8 can extend on the shaft of the reel, the tine shafts can be freely therethrough. At both sides of each of dimensioned to be smaller. At the same time, the knives 19 and 19% worm segments 21 of wear at control tracks for the tine shafts may 95 opposite sense, which convey the harvested be reduced. stock transversely to the reel 5 and away An embodiment of the present invention will from the severing equipment, are welded to now be more particularly described by way of the individual cylinder shell segments 17.

example with reference to the accompanying For the exact severing of the harvested drawings, in which: 100 stock, a separating wall 22 is mounted be- Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a cutter tween the reel 5 and the guide wall 14 in mechanism embodying the invention; prolongation of one of the knives 15 of each Fig. 2 is a cross-section, to an enlarged pair. The wall 22 reaches from the guide wall scale and along the section line in Fig. 1, of 14 laterally to the knife 19 or 19' and ends at the mechanism; and 105 the top with the guide wall 14. In addition, Fig. 3 is a front elevation, to an enlarged several obliquely extending stripper bars 23 scale, of part of the mechanism. are fastened one above the other on the guide Referring now to the drawings there is walls 14.

shown in Fig. 1 a cutter mechanism 1 which In Fig. 3, the cylindrical shell segments 17 comprises of a knife beam 2, a trough 3, side 110 on the lefthand side have been omitted for the walls 4 and 4' and a reel 5, which is mounted sake of clarity.

in the side walls 4 arid 4' and arranged above the knife beam 2. The side walls 4 and 4' are CLAIMS additionally connected with each other through 1. A front-mounting cutter mechanism for transverse carriers 6 and W. The reel 5 pos- 115 an agricultural machine, comprising a cutter sesses a shaft 7 and tines 9 at tine shafts 8, bar for cutting crop material, a reel rotatable wherein roller levers 10, which are guided in a in a given direction for depositing the cut ma control track 11 at the side wall 4, are terial, and severing and guidance means for mounted at the ends of the tine shafts 8 for severing the cut material in the regions of in control of the setting of the tines 9. This 120 tended tracks for wheels of such machine and mechanism 1 is mounted frontally at an auto- guiding the material to leave such tracks clear, mative agricultural machine, which is not illus- the severing and guidance means comprising a trated in detail. Mowed harvest stock leaves respective pair of oppositely effective convey the cutting mechanism 1 rearwardly through ing elements arranged on the reel in each of delivery openings 12, 12' and 12", which ex- 125 said regions to convey cut material to either tends over the entire width of the mechanism side thereof, a respective rotary severing disc 1. In order to keep travel tracks free for the coaxially and fixedly mounted on an axial shaft wheels 13 of the machine, guide walls 14 are of the reel substantially centrally of each of inserted in prolongation of the trough 3 in the said regions and between the conveying ele mechanism 1 in front of the wheels 13. 130 ments of the associated pair, a respective pair 3 GB2196225A 3 of severing knives arranged behind the cutter bar with respect to an intended direction of travel of the mechanism to bear one against each side face of each disc and each having a cutting edge extending from a point outside the circumference of the disc and in the direc tion of peripheral movement of the disc, and a respective guide element arranged behind each disc with respect to said intended direction-of travel.

2. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the conveying elements com prises a part-cylindrical member with a Con veying flight.

3. A mechanism as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the discs is pro vided with teeth each defined by a flatly rising flank leading in said given direction of rotation of the reel and discs and a steeply rising flank trailing in that direction.

4. A mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reel is ar ranged in part in a trough and the severing knives are adjustably mounted on mounting means at the trough.

5. A mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein one of the sev ering knives of each pair is provided with an extension extending substantially to the top of the associated guide element.

6. A mechanism substantially as hereinbe- fore described with reference to the accom panying drawings 7. An agricultural machine provided at the front thereof with a cutter mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

Published 1988 at The Patent Office, state House, 66/71 High Holborn, London WC 1 R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Office, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD.

Printed by Burgess & Son (Abingdon) Ltd. Con, 1/87.

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