Harvesters – Raking and loading – Lifting reels
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-16
2001-11-13
Will, Thomas B. (Department: 3671)
Harvesters
Raking and loading
Lifting reels
C056S132000, C056SDIG002
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314709
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to crop gathering headers for agricultural harvesting machines and more particularly to a tine guard for a windrow pickup attachment for forage harvesters, and the method for mounting the tine guard on the attachment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The recognized agricultural practice of forage harvesting consists of cutting either green or mature crop material into discrete particles, and conveying the particles from the field to a storage facility, such as a silo. While in storage the crop material undergoes an acid fermentation to give the particles an agreeable flavor and to prevent spoilage. This overall operation, which is commonly referred to as an ensilage process, converts standing crop in the field to livestock feed, generally called silage.
An essential piece of farm machinery used for producing silage is the forage harvester which is adapted to gather standing or windrowed crop material from the field, chop it into small particles and then convey the cut crop material to a temporary storage receptacle, such as a wagon. Harvesters of this type are either self-propelled or pulled by a tractor. Typically, forage harvesters comprise a base unit having a rotary cutter having a generally cylindrical configuration with knives peripherally mounted to cooperate with a stationary shear bar for cutting material by a shearing action as it is passed across the surface of the bar. The chopped crop material is then discharged from the harvester through a spout, which directs the flow of crop material to a wagon towed behind or along side the harvester. U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,846, issued Sep. 23, 1980 in the name of E. H. Priepke et al, shows a self propelled forage harvester that has a general configuration that is typical of prior art base units.
Forage harvesters, regardless of the type, i.e., both self propelled or pull type, have a crop gathering attachment that initially encounters crop material, as the harvester moves across the field. As mentioned above, the crop being harvested is either standing, such as row crops, or lying in the field, such as grass raked into a windrow. In the case of windrowed crop, a pickup attachment, extending from the front of the harvester, typically includes a reel consisting of a plurality of fingers, each of which is moveable through a predetermined path for engaging and picking up the windrowed crop material from the ground. The fingers urge the crop material rearwardly over side-by-side stripper plates that define slots through which the fingers extend. The stripper plates terminate in the general vicinity of a transverse auger that consolidates the crop material and feeds it through a rear opening in the header to the base unit of the harvester for processing. A typical forage harvester windrow pickup attachment is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,756, issued on Jan. 29, 1985 in the name of J. G. Greiner, et al, hereby incorporated by reference.
In present day forage harvester operations there is a need for a pickup attachment that is readily serviceable. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,171, issued Oct. 1, 1991 in the name of Gary L. Bich, et al, is directed to an arrangement for mounting or removing tine guards on a pickup in a time saving manner. In the '171 patent, hereby incorporated by reference, a plurality of tine guards are affixed to upper and lower mounting plates,
30
and
32
(see FIG.
2
), that are removeably secured to the pickup frame. The entire assembly is removable to gain access to elements of the reel. This obviates the time consuming task of separately removing and reattaching each individual tine guard under circumstances where field repair or routine service requires replacement of the guards or tines, or access to other reel elements enclosed within the tine guard assembly, e.g., tine bar bearings, cam follower assemblies, etc.
To this end, the present invention is directed to an improved windrow pickup attachment for forage harvesters having new and unique features for improving serviceability and attendant cost effectiveness without affecting reliability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a forage harvester windrow pickup attachment having an improved tine guard.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a forage harvester windrow pickup attachment having an improved tine guard assembly.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for mounting a tine guard on a forage harvester windrow pickup attachment.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for mounting a plurality of tine guards on a forage harvester windrow pickup attachment.
In pursuance of these and other important objects the present invention contemplates improvements to a windrow pickup attachment for a forage harvester in which the attachment comprises a main frame mounted on the front of the forage harvester base unit in which crop processing takes place. The attachment is mounted adjacent an input opening in the harvester base unit for receiving crop material. A transverse reel, mounted on the main frame for picking up crop material from the ground, includes a series of tines and a plurality of arcuate side-by-side tine guards, each guard having first and second end portions. The tines project outwardly between the tine guards for engaging crop material and urging it upwardly and rearwardly along the tine guards. The attachment further comprises a tine guard mounting assembly comprising an upper mounting plate attached to the main frame to which the first end portions are detachably affixed, a lower mounting plate attached to the main frame to which the second end portions are detachably affixed, and means for receiving crop material from the tine guards and feeding such crop material to crop processing means via the input opening. More particularly, the invention contemplates tine guards symmetrically shaped to permit the first end portions to be interchangeably affixed to the top or bottom mounting plate and the second end portions to be interchangeably affixed to the bottom or top mounting plate, respectively.
The present invention also contemplates a method for mounting tine guards on a windrow pickup attachment of the type generally set forth in the preceding paragraph, wherein the method comprises the steps of securing to the frame the top of one of the symmetrically shaped tine guards, securing to the frame the bottom of such symmetrically shaped tine guard, detaching such symmetrically shaped tine guards at the top and bottom, and resecuring the top and bottom of such detached symmetrically shaped tine guard to the frame, whereby the top is disposed in the position the bottom was originally secured and the bottom is disposed in the position the top was originally secured.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description, which follows, in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings wherein one principal embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1877519 (1932-09-01), MacGregor
patent: 3226921 (1966-01-01), Shepley
patent: 3613345 (1971-10-01), Cofer
patent: 4223846 (1980-09-01), Priepke et al.
patent: 4236372 (1980-12-01), Munro et al.
patent: 4495756 (1985-01-01), Greiner et al.
patent: 5052171 (1991-10-01), Bich et al.
patent: 5394682 (1995-03-01), Frimml et al.
patent: 6079194 (2000-06-01), Waldrop
McClure John R.
Waldrop T. William
Mammen Nathan
Miller Larry W.
New Holland North America Inc.
Stader John William
Will Thomas B.
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