Harvesters – Motorized harvester – With condition-responsive operation
Patent
1981-08-31
1983-10-18
Hirsch, Paul J.
Harvesters
Motorized harvester
With condition-responsive operation
56208, 56DIG15, A01D 4106, A01D 4500
Patent
active
044097786
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to crop collecting apparatus for a grain harvesting machine, such as the crop collecting table of a combine harvester.
In our British Pat. No. 1,479,270 we proposed a crop collecting table comprising a platform carrying crop cutting means along its leading edge and an endless belt type conveyor to receive cut crop and convey it rearwards, the cutting means and conveyor both being mounted on the platform so that they can swing up and down about a transverse pivot axis so as to follow ground contours. Hydraulic rams are provided to raise and lower the platform but the cutting means and conveyor are left free to ride over the ground in use. Variation of the height of the platform thus varies the forward inclination of the crop cutting means and conveyor.
Crop collecting tables are also known, such as shown in our British Pat. No. 1,124,111, which are fully supported by hydraulic rams above the ground and which are provided with a height control system including ground sensing means that senses variations in the height of the ground and causes the rams to vary the position of the table so that it is maintained at a pre-set constant height above the ground. However, the responsiveness of such a system and the power required to operate it is affected adversely by the increased weight of larger tables.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a crop collecting table that is adapted to follow ground contours with the crop cutting means maintained within an optimum range of forward inclinations and the operation of which is inherently less sensitive to table weight than the known tables with automatic height control systems.
This object is achieved according to the present invention by providing a crop collecting platform adapted for pivotal up and down movement about an axis that is located at the rear of the platform and extends transversely with respect to the direction of usual forwards motion of the apparatus, the platform comprising a leading section and a rear section hinged together about an intermediate transverse axis extending parallel to said rear axis, and actuation means provided to pivot the platform about the rear axis so as to raise and lower the platform relative to the ground and characterised by support means connected between the leading and rear sections of the platform so as to support the weight of the loading section and allow it to pivot within a preset angular range, sensor means that senses when the leading section reaches the limits of said pre-set angular range, and control means provided to control operation of the actuation means in a manner dependent upon operation of the sensor means so that in use the leading section pivots within said pre-set angular range and the whole platform is respectively raised and lowered when the leading section reaches the upper and lower limits of said angular range of movement.
The invention therefore divides operation of the platform between initial operation of a leading section of the platform and subsequent operation of the whole platform. This allows the leading section to be made light and responsive in its movements and reduces the operating power requirements by reducing the need to pivot the whole platform. Further, by limiting angular movement of the leading section of the platform, the forward inclination of the leading section can be maintained close to the optimum value for crop collection.
The leading section of the platform may ride over the ground on skids so that it pivots about the intermediate transverse axis as it follows ground contours. This pivotal movement acts through the sensor and control means to control the actuation means so as to maintain the leading section within its pre-set range of angular movement. The support means supports the majority of the weight of the leading section in use so that the leading section "floats" over the ground and yet still follows ground contours through that component of its weight acting through the skids on the
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Farris Robert L.
Hirsch Paul J.
Massey-Ferguson Services N.V.
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