WO2015184496A1

WO2015184496A1 - A cutter bar assembly and a bristle accessory for the cutter bar assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2015184496A1
Application number: PCT/AU2015/050289
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gary Allan FIECHTNER
Original assignee: FIECHTNER, Kingsley William James; FIECHTNER, Ronald Gary-Allan; FIECHTNER, Annallisa Samantha
Priority date: 2014-06-01
Filing date: 2015-05-28
Publication date: 2015-12-10

Abstract

A cutter bar assembly of a harvest header includes longitudinally extending guard fingers which point operatively forward and bristles which sweep back from the guard fingers at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal extension of the guard fingers. Accessories in the form of bristle crop holders are mounted to the guard fingers. The bristle crop holders comprise a body and rearwardly swept bristle fans which extend from the body. The bristle crop holders each include two or more bristle fans which are mounted one behind the other along the body.

Description

A CUTTER BAR ASSEMBLY AND A BRISTLE ACCESSORY FOR THE CUTTER

BAR ASSEMBLY

FIELD

[0001 ] Various embodiments of a cutter bar assembly of a harvest header and a bristle accessory for the cutter bar assembly are described herein.

SUMMARY

[0002] Various exemplary embodiments of a cutter bar assembly of a harvest header include longitudinally extending guard fingers which point operatively forward and bristles which sweep back from the guard fingers at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal extension of the guard fingers.

[0003] The cutter bar assembly may include a plurality of bristle accessories mounted to the guard fingers in a side-by-side manner, the accessories each comprising

a body configured to be mounted to a longitudinally extending guard finger of a cutter bar assembly of the harvest header; and bristles which extend from the body, the bristles oriented so that they sweep back from the guard finger at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal extension of the guard fingers.

[0004] The bristles may fan or radiate out from the guard fingers. The acute angle at which the bristles extend may thus be different for different bristles of the bristle fan. The acute angle may be between 80° and 0°, preferably less than 60 °, for example less than 45°.

[0005] Each guard finger may include two or more bristle fans which are mounted or fixed one behind the other along the guard finger. End regions of one bristle fan may overlap a forward part of a successive bristle fan. The bristles may be oriented and dimensioned so that distal end regions of the bristles projecting from adjacent guard fingers may overlap.

[0006] Various exemplary embodiments of a bristle accessory for a harvest header include: a body configured to be mounted to a longitudinally extending guard finger of a cutter bar assembly of the harvest header; and bristles which extend from the body, the bristles oriented so that they sweep back from the guard finger at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal extension of the guard finger.

[0007] The bristles may radiate or fan out from the body. The accessory may include two or more bristle fans which are mounted one behind the other along the body of the accessory. The bristles may be oriented and dimensioned so that distal end regions of the bristles projecting from adjacent accessories overlap.

[0008] Various exemplary embodiments of a sickle guard of a harvest header include a longitudinally extending guard finger and bristles which extend from the guard finger, the bristles oriented so that they sweep back from the guard finger at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal extension of the guard finger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 shows a top view of part of a harvest header, including an embodiment of a cutter bar assembly and embodiments of a bristle accessory mounted to sickle guards for the cutter bar assembly.

[0010] Figure 2 shows a sectioned side view of one of the bristle accessories of figure 1 mounted to a sickle guard of figure 1 .

[001 1 ] Figure 3 shows a side view, from one side, of the bristle accessory of figure 1 .

[0012] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a body and associated bristle fans of the bristle accessory of figure 3.

[0013] Figure 5 shows a front view of the body and the bristle fans of figure 4.

[0014] Figure 6 shows a top view of the body and the bristle fans of figure 4.

[0015] Figure 7 shows an exploded view of the body and the bristle fans of figure 4.

[0016] Figure 8 shows an exploded side view of the bristle accessory of figure 3.

[0017] Figure 9 shows an assembled sectional side view of the bristle accessory of figure 4.

[0018] Figure 10 shows a perspective top view of a gang plate including a number of spaced bristle accessories of figure 1 . [0019] Figure 1 1 shows a perspective bottom view of the gang plate and bristle accessories of figure 10.

[0020] Figure 12 shows a side view of a gang plate and brackets for mounting the body of figure 4 to a header front.

[0021 ] Figure 13 shows a sectioned side view of the body of figure 4 mounted to a header front using the gang plate and bracket of figure 12.

[0022] Figure 14 shows a sectioned side view of another embodiment of a bristle accessory mounted to a sickle guard.

[0023] Figure 15 shows an embodiment of a sickle guard including bristle fans.

[0024] Figure 16 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of side-by-side sickle guards and embodiments of bristle accessories mounted to the sickle guards.

[0025] Figure 17 shows a perspective view of yet another embodiment of a bristle accessory for mounting to sickle guards of a harvest header.

[0026] Figure 18 shows perspective view of still another embodiment of a bristle accessory for mounting to sickle guards of a harvest header.

[0027] Figure 19 shows a perspective side view of the cutter bar assembly of figure 1 , including the bristle accessories of figure 1 , in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Referring to figures 1 to 9, reference numeral 10 generally indicates an exemplary embodiment of a cutter bar assembly of a harvest header 12. The cutter bar assembly 10 is also referred to as a sickle bar assembly, knife assembly or a header front. Only part of the harvest header 12 is shown in figure 1 .

[0029] The cutter bar assembly 10 includes a reciprocating knife or sickle bar 14 and fixed guard fingers or sickle guards 16.

[0030] The sickle bar 14 comprises a longitudinally extending rib 18 and knives or sickles 20 spaced side-by-side along the rib 18. The sickles 20 have a V-shaped cutting edge 22. The sickles 20 extend into a slot 40 under a rearwardly extending lip 42 of the sickle guards 16. The sickles 20 are fixed to the rib 18 by bolts (not shown) which extend through the bases of the sickles 20 and through the rib 18. The rib 18 is a long, flat, bar that extends across the full width of the header 12. The sickles 20 cooperate with the sickle guards 16 to sever or cut standing crop as the header 12 advances forward through a field of crop.

[0031 ] The sickle guards 16 have longitudinally extending guard fingers 30 which point operatively forward. The guard fingers 30 each extend to a pointed nose 32 at the front 34 of the guard 16. The rear 36 of the guard 16 has a base 44 for mounting the guard 16 to a mounting plate or frame 38 of the header 12. The finger 30 extends longitudinally from the base 44 to the nose 32. A longitudinal axis of the finger is indicted by reference numeral 48 in figure 1 . In one embodiment, two laterally spaced guard fingers 30 extend from a single base 44.

[0032] The cutter bar assembly 10 further includes a plurality of bristle accessories in the form of bristle crop holders 50 fitted to the sickle guards 16. The holders 50 each comprise a body 52, a bracket 54 and bristle fans 56 having bristles 58 extending from the body 52.

[0033] The body 52 has a nose 60 extending to the front 62 of the holder 50. Behind the nose 60 is a socket 64 in which the nose 32 of the sickle guard finger 30 is received or nestles. The holders 50 are carried by the fingers 30. A longitudinal axis of the body 52 is indicated by reference numeral 59. The longitudinal axis 59 of the body 52 is parallel to the longitudinal axis 48 of the finger 48 to which the holder 50 is fitted. The longitudinal axis 59 extends from the rear 61 to the front 62 of the body 52.

[0034] The bracket 54 comprises a nose 66, a fixing plate 70 and a shank 68 extending between the nose 66 and the fixing plate 70. The nose 66 is partially received in the socket 64 of the body 52 and fixed to the body 52 using fasteners such as screws. The fixing plate 70 has a bolt hole for receiving a mounting bolt 26 to clamp the fixing plate 70 to the underside of the base 44 of the sickle guard 16. The fixing plate 70 and the bolt hole are dimensioned and configured to fit a specific model or make of sickle guard. The bracket 54 is of metal material, such as spring steel or aluminium. In another embodiment the bracket 54 may be integrally formed with the body 52, as is shown in the embodiment of figure 17.

[0035] The body 52 includes tracks or channels 74 which extend between sides of the body 52. The channels 74 are spaced one behind the other in a parallel arrangement along an upper part of the body 52. The channels 74 are V-shaped in top-view, but may also be curved or arcuate. Sloping grooves or slits 76 extend into the body 52 to the channels 74. The slits 76 extend from the top of the body 52 to the channels 74. The slits 76 are partially defined by ramps 77, shown in figure 7. The slits 76 and ramps 77 slope upwardly in a direction from the front 62 of the holder 50 to the rear 61 .

[0036] The bristle fans 56 comprise a base or backing 80 and a row of filaments or bristles 58 extending from the backing 80. The bristles 58 may be similar to the bristles of a brush. The bristles 58 may be between 80mm and 200mm long, for example between 100mm and 170mm long. The bristles 58 are resiliently deformable. The backing 80 is generally square in cross section. The backing 80 is received in the channels 74 and the bristles extend out from the body 52 through the slits 76. The slits 76 guide the bristles 58 to extend at an angle from the top of the holder 50. The backing 80 extends between lateral sides of the body 52, through the channel 74. The bristle fans 56 are lengths of suppressant brushes commonly used for dust and water spray protection on truck bodies, which have been trimmed and cut to fit the body 52.

[0037] The bristles 58 fan out from the backing 80 and hence fan out from the body 52. The shape of the channels 74 bends the backing 80 so that the bristles 58 open up to fan out from the backing 80. The bristles 58 are swept backwards in relation to the forwardly extending nose 60. That is to say that the bristles 58 extend at a substantially acute angle to the longitudinal axis 59 of the body 52. The bristles 56 along the outer edges of the fan 56 may extend at an acute angle of between 60 ° and 0 °, preferably at an angle of less than 45°, for example 25° for the outermost bristles. Figure 6 shows the acute angles "a" at which the outermost bristles 58 of two of the bristle fans 56 extend relative to the longitudinal axis 59. The inner bristles 58 are at an angle less than "a". A few bristles 58 in the centre of the fan 56 may extend along or parallel to the longitudinal axis 59, at an acute angle of 0°.

[0038] The bristles 58 are also angled upwardly at the angles of the ramps 77. The bristles 58 may be bent upwards. The first bristle fan 56 from the front 62 is divided into an angled fan 56.1 and a flat fan 56.2. The angled 56.1 fan extends at an angle to the longitudinal axis 59 of the body 52 and the flat fan 56.2 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 59.

[0039] The bristles 58 of successive bristle fans 56 overlap when viewed from the top. For example, distal end regions of the bristles 58 of the first bristle fan 56 from the front, fans over the exit of the slit entry to the second channel 74 from the front. A rear end region of a bristle fan 56 overlaps the front of the bristle fan 56 behind it. The bristle crop holder 50 includes four rows of bristles 58 in the form of the four bristle fans 56 longitudinally spaced one behind the other along the body 52 from the front 62 to the rear 61 of the body 52. The slots 74 are spaced between 3 and 6 centimetres apart, for example 4.5 centimetres apart.

[0040] Distal end region of some of the bristles 58 of bristle fans 56 of neighbouring or adjacent holders 50 also overlap and/or interweave. The bristle fans 56 fan out into the passage or space between two guards fingers 30.

[0041 ] Referring to the exploded view of figure 7, the body 52 comprises two parts 52.1 and 52.2 which are screwed together by screws 63. Each part 52.1 , 52.2 is molded from plastics material.

[0042] The rearmost bristle fan 56 extends all the way to an apron or draper belt 90 of the header 12. Severed crop material from the cutter bar assembly 10 falls onto the draper belt 90 and is delivered by the draper belt to a feeder house (not shown). In another known embodiment for combine harvesters the crop is carried by an auger instead of a draper belt. The bristle crop holders 50 may be used with a harvest auger front in the same manner as it is used with a draper front.

[0043] The header 10 is part of a combine harvester for harvesting crops. There is often appreciable crop loss when harvesting short or fragile crop due to much of the crop falling to the ground after being cut or the heads of the crop being pushed below the cutter bar before being cut. This is particularly true for crops such as mung beans, clovers, navy beans, chick peas, soybeans, lentils, or lodged crops.

[0044] The bristle fans 56 of the holders 50 hold the crop up as it is being cut by the sickle bar 14. The sickles 20 move from side to side in the slots 40 of the fingers 30. As the harvester advances forward along the crop, the fingers 30 guide the stalks of the crop directly into the path of the rapidly moving sickles 20. The crop, particularly the heads of the crop, is held up by the bristles 58 as the stalks pass between the fingers 20 towards the sickles 30. The cut crop rests on the fans 58 and importantly is captured between bristles 58 when moving in a direction against the grain of the bristles 58. As more crop is cut, the cut crop captured in the bristles 58 is pushed along successive bristle fans 56 until it falls on the draper. The cut crop which has advanced to the rearmost bristle fan 56 of the holder 50 may be helped along to the draper by pick-up tines 502 of a reel 504, shown in figure 19, as is known in the art of harvesters.

[0045] The bristles 58 hold the crop up to the sickles 20 for cutting, hold the crop up during cutting, and provide for the cut crop to only advance in a direction towards the draper. Any cut crop falling forwards from the header 12 is captured or wedged between bristles 58 due to the rearward or swept orientation of the bristles 58. The cut crop wedges between the bristles 58 before being advanced rearwardly by getting pushed rearward by other cut crop or the pick-up tines 502. The bristles 58 are oriented rearward to provide for the cut crop to advance from the sickles 30 to the draper belt 90 only and to impede movement of the cut crop in any other direction.

[0046] Reference may be made to US Patent No. 5,809,759 to The University of Saskatchewan (the "Saskatchewan" patent). The cutter bar of the Saskatchewan patent has bristles extending transversely between side by side bristle guards to capture fruit that would otherwise be lost due to dehiscence. As noted in the Summary of the Saskatchewan patent, the cutter bar bristle guards resist crop material movement through the bristle guard into the cutter. Aggressive reel operation is thus required to ensure plants are properly engaged in the bristle guards for cutting, as set out in the Abstract of the Saskatchewan patent. The bristle crop holders 50 of the present application allows easy passage of the crop to be cut to the sickle bar due to the swept back orientation of the bristles 58. The crop is allowed to slide along the rearwardly oriented bristles. The swept back configuration of the bristles 58 also provides for easy movement of the cut crop from the sickle bar to the draper. The cut crop is prevented from moving forward between bristle fans 56 as the cut crop is captured between the bristles 58 if it moves forward. Captured crop is eventually pushed rearward by freshly cut crop as the new cut crop advances along the bristle fans 56 to the draper. The bristle ends of successive bristle fans 56 provide steps or intervals past which the cut crop advance whereafter the cut crop cannot return to a previous bristle fan 56.

[0047] Referring to figures 10 and 1 1 , a row of holder bodies 52 is mounted to a gang plate 92. The gang plate 92 includes a number of brackets 94 which are similar to the brackets 54 described above. The gang plate 92 has a mounting plate 96 which joins ends of the brackets 94. The mounting plate 96 has holes therein for mounting the gang plate 92 to the underside of a cutter bar assembly. The brackets 94 are spaced to fit the guard finger spacing of known cutter bar assemblies.

[0048] Referring to figures 12 and 13, another embodiment of a gang plate 150 and brackets 160 are shown. The gang plate 150 comprises a top plate 152, tabs 156 and a web 154 extending between the top plate 152 and the tabs 156. The tabs 156 are fixed to the mounting plate 38 of the header and the web 154 extends operatively upwardly from the tabs 156. The top plate 152 has a row of holes for mounting the brackets 160 along the length of the gang plate 150. The brackets 160 each comprise a fixing plate 162, a nose 164 and a shank 164 extending between the fixing plate 162 and the nose 164. The fixing plate 162 is bolted to the top plate 152 using a bolt 158. The brackets 160 are spaced along the gang plate 150 so that each bracket 160 is aligned with a guard finger 30. The shank 164 extends over the finger 30. The nose 166 of the bracket 160 is received in the socket 64 of the holder 50. The holder 50 is fixed to the bracket by screws 170 which extend through the bracket 160 and into the body 52 of the holder 50.

[0049] In use, a row of holders 50 are mounted to the gang plate 150. For example, ten or twelve holders 50 may be mounted spaced from each other along the width of the gang plate 150. The gang plate 150, including the holders 50, is then mounted to a header front via the tabs 156 in a quick and simple manner. Should one of the holders 50 break, an individual holder can be replaced by removing the individual bracket 160 from the gang plate 150. To remove all of the holders 150 of the gang plate 150 from the header front at once, the whole gang plate 150 is removed.

[0050] Referring to Figure 14, reference numeral 100 generally indicates another exemplary embodiment of a bristle accessory in the form of a bristle crop holder. The bristle crop holder 100 comprises a body 102 and bristle fans 106 having bristles 108 extending from the body 102. The body 102 is fixed to the top of the guard finger with fasteners such as screws or bolts 104. The bristle fans 106 are the same as the bristle fans 56 and are fixed to the body 102 in the same manner as the bristle fans 56 are fixed to the body 52.

[0051 ] Features of the holder 100 that are the same as the features of the holder 50 are indicated by the same reference numerals in Figure 14 for the holder 100 as they are in Figures 1 to 9 for the holder 50.

[0052] Referring to Figure 15, a sickle guard including integrated bristle fans 56 is generally indicated by reference numeral 200. The sickle guard 200 includes a guard finger 202. The sickle guard 200 is similar to the sickle guard 16, but includes channels 204 formed in the along the upper part of the guard finger 202. The channels 204 are longitudinally spaced along the guard finger 202. The channels 204 receive and hold the backing 80 of the bristle fans 56.

[0053] Referring to figures 16 and 17, another embodiment of a bristle crop holder is indicated generally by reference numeral 300. The bristle crop holder 300 is similar to the bristle crop holder 50, comprising a body 302, a bracket 304 and bristle fans 56 having bristles 58 extending from the body 302. The body 302 and the bracket 304 are integrally formed of metal material, such as aluminium.

[0054] Referring to Figure 18, another embodiment of a bristle crop holder is indicated generally by reference numeral 400. The holder 400 comprises bristle fans 56, a plastic body 450 and a mounting plate 402. The mounting plate 402 is interchangeable to fit different types and models of header.

[0055] In the specification, including the claims, where the context permits, the term "comprising" and variants thereof such as "comprise" or "comprises" are to be interpreted as including the stated integer or integers without necessarily excluding any other integers.

[0056] It is to be understood that the terminology employed above is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The described embodiments are intended to be illustrative of the invention, without limiting the scope thereof. The invention is capable of being practised with various modifications and additions as will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

[0057] Various substantially and specifically practical and useful exemplary embodiments of the claimed subject matter, are described herein, textually and/or graphically, including the best mode, if any, known to the inventors for carrying out the claimed subject matter. Variations (e.g., modifications and/or enhancements) of one or more embodiments described herein might become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this application. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the claimed subject matter to be practiced other than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, as permitted by law, the claimed subject matter includes and covers all equivalents of the claimed subject matter and all improvements to the claimed subject matter. Moreover, every combination of the above described elements, activities, and all possible variations thereof are encompassed by the claimed subject matter unless otherwise clearly indicated herein, clearly and specifically disclaimed, or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

[0058] The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate one or more embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of any claimed subject matter unless otherwise stated. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non- claimed subject matter as essential to the practice of the claimed subject matter. [0059] The use of words that indicate orientation or direction of travel is not to be considered limiting. Thus, words such as "front", "back", "rear", "side", "up", down", "upper", "lower", "high"; "top", "bottom", "forwards", "backwards", "towards", "distal", "proximal", "in", "out"; "horizontal"; "vertical" and synonyms, antonyms and derivatives thereof have been selected for convenience only, unless the context indicates otherwise. The inventor envisages that various exemplary embodiments of the claimed subject matter can be supplied in any particular orientation and the claimed subject matter is intended to include such orientations.

[0060] Thus, regardless of the content of any portion (e.g., title, field, background, summary, description, abstract, drawing figure, etc.) of this application, unless clearly specified to the contrary, such as via explicit definition, assertion, or argument, or clearly contradicted by context, with respect to any claim, whether of this application and/or any claim of any application claiming priority hereto, and whether originally presented or otherwise: there is no requirement for the inclusion of any particular described or illustrated characteristic, function, activity, or element, any particular sequence of activities, or any particular interrelationship of elements; no characteristic, function, activity, or element is "essential"; any elements can be integrated, segregated, and/or duplicated; any activity can be repeated, any activity can be performed by multiple entities, and/or any activity can be performed in multiple jurisdictions; and any activity or element can be specifically excluded, the sequence of activities can vary, and/or the interrelationship of elements can vary.

[0061 ] The use of the terms "a", "an", "said", "the", and/or similar referents in the context of describing various embodiments (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising," "having," "including," and "containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,") unless otherwise noted.

[0062] Moreover, when any number or range is described herein, unless clearly stated otherwise, that number or range is approximate. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value and each separate subrange defined by such separate values is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. For example, if a range of 1 to 10 is described, that range includes all values there between, such as for example, 1 .1 , 2.5, 3.335, 5, 6.179, 8.9999, etc., and includes all subranges there between, such as for example, 1 to 3.65, 2.8 to 8.14, 1 .93 to 9, etc.

[0063] Accordingly, every portion (e.g., title, field, background, summary, description, abstract, drawing figure, etc.) of this application, other than the claims themselves, is to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive, and the scope of subject matter protected by any patent that issues based on this application is defined only by the claims of that patent.

Claims

1 . A cutter bar assembly of a harvest header comprising longitudinally extending guard fingers which point operatively forward and bristles which sweep back from the guard fingers at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal extension of the guard fingers.

2. The cutter bar assembly of claim 1 , including a plurality of accessories mounted to the guard fingers in a side-by-side manner, the accessories each comprising

3. The cutter bar assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bristles radiate or fan out from the guard fingers.

4. The cutter bar assembly of claim 1 , wherein each guard finger includes two or more fans of bristles which are mounted one behind the other along the guard finger.

5. The cutter bar assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bristles are oriented and dimensioned so that distal end regions of at least some of the bristles projecting from adjacent guard fingers overlap.

6. An accessory for a harvest header includes:

a body configured to be mounted to a longitudinally extending guard finger of a cutter bar assembly of the harvest header; and

bristles which extend from the body, the bristles oriented so that they sweep back from the guard finger at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal extension of the guard finger.

7. The accessory of claim 6, wherein the bristles radiate or fan out from the body.

8. The accessory of claim 6, wherein the accessory includes two or more fans of bristles which are mounted one behind the other along the body of the accessory.

9. The cutter bar assembly of claim 6, wherein the bristles are oriented and dimensioned so that distal end regions of at least some of the bristles projecting from adjacent accessories, mounted to a row of guard fingers, overlap.

10. A sickle guard of a harvest header includes a longitudinally extending guard finger and bristles which extend from the guard finger, the bristles oriented so that they sweep back from the guard finger at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal extension of the guard finger.

1 1 . The sickle guard of claim 10, wherein the bristles radiate or fan out from the guard finger.

12. The sickle guard of claim 10, wherein each guard finger includes two or more fans of bristles which are mounted one behind the other along the guard finger.

13. The sickle guard of claim 10, wherein the bristles are oriented and dimensioned so that distal end regions of at least some of the bristles projecting from adjacent guard fingers overlap.