Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01F—PROCESSING OF HARVESTED PRODUCE; HAY OR STRAW PRESSES; DEVICES FOR STORING AGRICULTURAL OR HORTICULTURAL PRODUCE
  • A01F12/00—Parts or details of threshing apparatus
  • A01F12/40—Arrangements of straw crushers or cutters

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a spreader accociated with a cutting machine for spreading over a ground chopped comminuted material received from the cutting machine, said spreader being connected to an outlet from the cutting machine and having a plurality of spreader wings, said wings being pivotally mounted on said cutting machine in juxtaposed position and extending substantially backwards from said outlet, in addition to which said spreader wings are adjustable in the transverse direction of said spreader by means of an adjusting mechanism comprising a connection element connected to the spreader wings and an actuator connected to the connection element.
• the cutting machine preferably is a straw chopper, preferably a flail chopper incorporated in a combine harvester.
• the material to be chopped-up preferably is formed by ordinary, dry straw emanating usually from such crops as wheat, barley, rye and oats.
• the material likewise could consist of for instance maize, sunflower, etcetera, comprising comparatively large and stiff plant parts.
• a spreader of the kind defined in the introduction is previously known from SE 511 138 C2.
• the spreader wings are divided in accordance with one embodiment into a left-hand group and a right-hand group, each having its separate connection element and with its separate actuator for individual and separate adjustment of the groups. Owing to this arrangement of the groups it is difficult to adjust the spreader wings in a simple and reliable manner in order to permit to shift according to wish between adjustment of the spreading width of the chopped material and/or compensation for side winds.
• the main object of the invention is primarily to eliminate the above-described drawbacks and to provide a spreader, which while having a simple and reliable structure provides improved and more convenient adjusting of the spreading width of the chopped material over the ground and/or compensation for side winds.
• the spreader wings are divided into at least two groups, in that one connection element is associated with each group of spreader wings and in that said actuator is common to all spreader-wing groups, said actuator being interconnected to a first one of said connection elements and said connection elements being interconnected by means of a shiftable motion-transmission member to make it possible to shift according to wish between adjustment of the spreading width of said chopped material over the ground and/or compensation for side winds.
• Fig 1 is a schematic side view of the rear part of a combine harvester comprising a spreader positioned after or downstream of a chopper and has an arrangement in accordance with the invention.
• Figs 3-6 are plan views of the spreader in accordance with Fig 1 and of groups of spreader wings incorporated therein in various adjustment positions for spreading and side-wind compensation.
• Fig 7 is an enlarged view of the area within circle A in Fig 3, and
• Fig 8 is an enlarged view of the area within circle B in Fig 6.
• the combine harvester designated generally by numeral 1 and only partly shown in Fig 1 is of a rather conventional structure, with the exception of the inventive spreader, generally designated by numeral 2, and for this reason neither the function nor the construction of the combine harvester will be described in any detail herein.
• the combine harvester 1 is fitted e.g. with a cutting machine 3 in the form of a straw chopper, preferably a flail chopper, of prior-art construction.
• a cutting machine 3 in the form of a straw chopper, preferably a flail chopper, of prior-art construction.
• the cutting machine 3 is located at the rear end of the combine harvester 1 as seen in the direction of travel C of the latter.
• the cutting machine 3 is formed with an inlet 4 for reception of threshed but unchopped cuttung material 5, usually straw emanating from such crops as wheat, barley, rye and oats a well as from oil-producing plants and maize, sunflower, etcetera, and with an outlet 6 for the chopped and comminuted cutting material 5.
• the main task of the spreader 2 is to spread the chopped cutting material 5, discharged from the cutting machine 3 via the outlet 6 therein, over a ground 7, in this case a field.
• the spreader 2 in accordance with the embodiment shown and described herein essentially is configured as a nozzle 8, which is directed backwards and which is open in a downwards- backwards direction.
• the nozzle 8 has an upper essentially horizontal wall 9 and two essentially vertical end walls 10.
• the wall 9 and the end walls 10 preferably are made from sheet metal or some other rather rigid material and in any suitable, conventional manner they are connected to the outlet 6 from the cutting machine 3.
• spreader wings 11 Positioned underneath the upper wall 9 and intermediate the end walls 10 are several spreader wings 11, in the present case in the number of ten and preferably made from the same material as the wall 9 and the end walls 10, i.e. from sheet metal or the like. These spreader wings 11 are pivotally mounted in the upper wall 9 for adjustment of the spreader wings in the transversal direction of the spreader 2 in consideration of the desired width and pattern of spreading and of the existing side wind as also of the slope of the ground 7.
• the spreader wings 11 are located essentially in parallel and in juxtaposed relationship and have an L-shaped profile with two horizontal and vertical flanges 12 and
• each spreader wing is a comparatively narrow attachment flange, see below, whereas the vertical flange 13 extends essentially backwards from the outlet 6 and forms the wing proper, which is comparatively wide.
• the spreader wings 11 are divided into at least two groups, in this present case into one left-hand group 11A and one right-hand group 11B, each group comprising five spreader wings 11.
• the spreader wings 11 of both groups 11A and 11B are adjustable transversely or laterally at their front ends or leading edges 14 facing the outlet 6 of the cutting machine 3 by means of a adjusting mechanism, generally designated by numeral 15 and to be described further on.
• a adjusting mechanism generally designated by numeral 15 and to be described further on.
• the spreader wings 11 are via their horizontal flanges 12 essentially vertically pivotally mounted in the upper wall 9 by means of support elements generally designated by numeral 17.
• These support elements 17 could be in the form of guide pins joining the upper wall 9 to the horizontal attachment flanges 12 of the spreader wings 11 and passing through oppositely positioned apertures made in the wall 9 and in the flanges 12.
• the adjusting mechanism 15 could be constructed in various ways, but in the shown embodiment it is formed with connection elements 18A and 18B, respectively, each one of which is connected to its respective one of the groups 11A, 11B of the spreader wings 11, said connection elements extending in the transverse direction of the spreader 2, and thus also of the combine harvester 1 and the cutting machine 3, i.e. at right angles to the direction of travel C.
• the connection elements 18A, 18B are located on the upper face of the upper wall 9 of the spreader 2, and preferably they are shaped as elongated struts, such as a U-profile made of steel or the like.
• connection element 18A and 18B is connected to the respective front ends 14 of the spreader wings 11 of each group 11A, 11B by means of support elements generally designated by numeral 19.
• the support elements 19 could be in the form of guide pins which are arranged, preferably adjustably mounted, on the associated one of connection elements 18A, 18B and on the horizontal attachment flanges 12 of the spreader wings 11 at the front ends 14 of the spreader wings .
• the guide pins could in this case pass through guide slots formed in the upper wall 9, said slots extending in the transverse direction and in aligned relationship.
• the adjusting mechanism 15 comprises a single actuator 20 operating to move the connection elements 18A, 18B and consequently to adjust the two groups 11A, 11B of spreader wings 11 transversely.
• the actuator 20 is common to the two groups 11A and 11B of spreader wings 11 and it could be operated manually, hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically or in some other way.
• the actuator 20 is formed by a hydraulically operated piston-and-cylinder unit, which is driven by a pump, not shown, via ducts, not shown either.
• the actuator 20 is articulated to a first one 18A of the connection elements 18A, 18B via a transmission means, generally designated by numeral 21.
• the transmission means 21 comprises as principal components an angle lever 22, which is pivotally mounted on the spreader 2 close to one of its side, an angle bracket 23 mounted on the first connection element 18A close to one of the ends thereof, in this case to the inner end, and a coupling link 24 arranged between the angle lever and the angle bracket.
• the actuator 20 and the angle lever 22 are hingedly interconnected and the angle lever 22, the coupling link 24 and the angle bracket 12 likewise are hingedly interconnected by means of suitable pivots 25, not described in closer detail.
• connection elements 18A and 18B associated with groups 11A and 11B, respectively, preferably are interconnected by means of a shiftable motion-transmission member 26, which makes it possible to rapidly and in a simple manner shift between adjustment of the spreading width of the chopped material 5 over the ground 7 and/or side-wind compensation in response to the existing conditions and to the operator's choice.
• the motion-transmission member 26 thus is hingedly connected, preferably such that its position may be shifted, on the one hand to the angle bracket 23 on the first connection element 18A and on the other to a link mechanism 27, which is hingedly connected to the second connection element 18B.
• this link mechanism 27 may comprise a double-armed lever 29, which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends in a pivot 28 on the spreader 2, preferably on the upper wall 9 thereof. At one of its ends, said lever 29 is hingedly connected by means of a pivot 30 to the second connection element 18B via a link rod 31.
• the link rod 31 is articulated at one of its ends to said one end of the lever 29 via the pivot 30, whereas at its opposite end it is connected via a pivot 32 to an attachment means 33 mounted on the second connection element 18B.
• the motion- transmission member 26 may be arranged to be shifted in any convenient manner but preferably by manual, hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical means.
• the motion-transmission member 26 is configured as a shifting rod 34.
• the shifting rod 34 may be shifted according to wish, preferably without the use of tools, for connection to two connections 36 in the form of locking holes or the like formed in the angle bracket 23.
• the connections 36 are located in alignment but differently spaced relative to the direction of travel C of the spreader 2.
• the shifting rod 34 is connectable by means of a corresponding locking bolt 37 or the like in the same manner as above to two oppositely located connection 38 on the lever 29.
• the two connections 36 on the angle bracket 23 are located one on either side of the articulation point of said coupling rod 24 to the bracket via the pivot 25 whereas the two connections 38 on the lever 29 are positioned one on either side of the pivotal support of the lever on the upper wall of the spreader 2 via the pivot 28.
• Fig 2 shows the spreader 2 in the situation when its spreader wings 11 of both groups 11A and 11B assume their position at delivery from the manufacturer, wherein the shifting rod 34 assumes the sidewind compensation position, see also Fig 7.
• Fig 3 shows the left-hand group 11A of the spreader wings 1 in the position of maximum spreading and the right-hand group 11B in the position of reduced spreading and side- wind compensation
• Fig 4 shows the left-hand group 11A in the position of reduced spreading and sidewind compensation and the right-hand group 11B in the position of maximum spreading.
• the shifting rod 34 has been moved to the position for adjusting the spreading width only, which width is at its maximum in Fig 5 and at its minimum in Fig 6.
• the number of spreader wings 11 in each group as also the number of groups on the spreader 2 could be varied according to need, and the arrangements of mounting the spreader wings on the spreader could differ from those described and shown.
• the configuration of the adjusting mechanism 15 including the connection elements 18 and the actuator 20 could also be altered in several different ways, and this is true particularly as regards the motion-transmission member 26.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)
• Fertilizing (AREA)
• Soil Working Implements (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20285899

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (7)

Citations (3)

• 2001
  • 2001-11-07 SE SE0103701A patent/SE520354C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2002
  • 2002-11-07 WO PCT/SE2002/002031 patent/WO2003039238A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-11-07 DE DE10294970T patent/DE10294970T5/de not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (3)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events