Harvesters – Gang
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-28
2001-11-20
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)
Harvesters
Gang
C056S013600, C056S255000, C056S295000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318055
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to rotary cutter apparatus.
This invention has particular but not exclusive application to rotary cutter apparatus suitable for use in tractor drawn hay-making mower apparatus, and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application. However, it is to be understood that this invention could be used in other applications, such as maintenance mower apparatus.
Mowers are used for the cutting of grass and crops for fodder such as hay and silage. In general, the standing green crop is cut about 25 mm to about 150 mm above ground level by tractor drawn mowing apparatus. Once cut, the crop is generally conditioned. This is achieved in one method by being fed between rotating rollers of about 200 mm to about 300 mm in diameter for conditioning by bruising.
Alternatively the cut feed is conditioned between spoke conditioning flails, forage blower or cutter and blower. The cut and conditioned material is generally deposited on the ground in windrows.
The present mowers may include from four to six cutting apparatus comprising rotating discs with two to three cutting knives per disc, of 400 mm to 500 mm diameter, and mounted on a floating bar that rests on the ground when working. Alternatively, there is provided apparatus comprising pairs of counter-rotating discs of about 600 mm to about 1200 mm diameter bearing about 3 to about 5 cutting blades per disc.
The present type mowers require the use of high speed rotating cutting discs to cut and lift the crop and to feed the cut crop through conditioning means. Whilst the speeds currently in use are in excess of the speed required for cutting, lower speeds do not provide sufficient lift to feed the cut material to the conditioning apparatus. In an attempt to improve the lifting capacity for a given speed it has been proposed to provide the cutting discs with lifting means such as radial bars in the form of pressed ribs or welded bar or angle iron, oval-shaped discs or the like. To date, none have been effective in providing sufficient lift at relatively low disc speeds.
Notwithstanding the use of high speed discs with the aforedescribed lift improving means, present apparatus cannot achieve a consistent flow of grass and other crop types from the cutting discs to the conditioning means. The high speed cutting knives have tip speeds of 250 to 300 kph and this combined with the shape of the discs requires an excessive amount of power to maintain cutting and lifting of the crop to the conditioning means. Existing apparatus also has difficulty in mowing the headlands of standing crops without mincing the crop, which downgrades the hay quality and reduces the quantity recoverable.
The high speed of the existing cutting discs has the further disadvantage of picking up foreign objects such as rocks, stones, timber, sticks and metal objects, which are propelled at considerable speed either into the conditioning means or out of the apparatus altogether, such high speed projectiles being dangerous to operators and others.
The present invention aims to substantially alleviate at least one of the above disadvantages and to provide mower apparatus which will be reliable and efficient in use. Other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter become apparent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in vertical-axis mower and conditioner apparatus including:
a chassis adapted to be moved over a crop to be mown;
a plurality of rotary cutter assemblies disposed across said chassis and each comprising a substantially circular body member supported for driven vertical-axis rotation on said chassis and a cutting member disposed peripherally of said body member; and
conditioning apparatus adapted to accept crop cut by said cutter assemblies, characterised in that said rotary cutter assemblies are arranged in counterrotating pairs with overlapping cutting arcs, the nip of said counterrotating pairs being toward the direction of travel, said body member having an upper portion adapted to receive cut crop by virtue of the motion of the chassis in the direction of travel through the crop, said upper portion having crop lifting means comprising a leading wall portion extending outwardly on said body member from a substantially radially directed inner end towards said periphery and curved in a trailing direction to a substantially circumferentially directed outer end, having an upper edge spaced from a plane of travel of said cutting member, and a trailing land portion extending from said upper edge towards said plane.
The cutting assembly preferably forms part of a mower apparatus comprising a plurality of cutter assemblies. The cutter assemblies are preferably disposed in counter-rotating adjacent positions in the mower apparatus. The cutting members of the adjacent cutter assemblies are preferably disposed such that the swept areas of the cutter means are overlapping.
The body member is preferably supported for rotation about a substantially vertical axis such that the cutter means sweeps in a substantially horizontal plane. The body member may be rotated by any suitable means such as a power take off from a tractor or the like, or the apparatus may be self propelled.
The cutting member may comprise one or more rigidly mounted or centrifugally deployed blade means disposed about the periphery of the body member. The blade or blades may be substantially planar or may be contoured to assist in delivering the cut crop from the mower apparatus or to conditioning means. Preferably, the blades are inclined such that the leading edge is lower than the trailing edge to contribute to lifting of the cut crop.
The lifting means are preferably disposed in multiples about a substantially circular body member. The lifting means may take any suitable form. For example, the lifting means may include one of more leading wall portions helically disposed such that their solid of rotation is a broad, short cone.
Alternatively, the lifting means may comprise one or more leading wall portions extending substantially radially at their inner end but curving out towards the periphery in a trailing direction, such that the outer end is behind the point on the circumference described by the initial radial direction. Preferably, the curve of the wall portions and the number of lifting means is selected such that the angular displacement of the outer end of the wall portion is substantially equal to 360° divided by the number of lifting means. However, it is also envisaged that the lifting means may be spaced or overlapping by a significant departure from this even division.
Preferably, the apparatus is provided with four lifting means distributed evenly about the body member.
The upper edge of the wall portions are preferably spaced from a plane of travel of the cutting member in either a parallel or inclined manner. It is preferred that the upper edge extend substantially from the axial region of the body member to the periphery. However, it is envisaged that the upper edge may fall considerable short of either or both of these extremes.
The trailing land portion preferably extends as a smooth surface from the upper edge towards the plane of the cutting means to terminate at the foot of an adjacent wall portion. However, it is envisaged that the surface may be other that smooth and may for example terminate in a substantially planar region extending to the next wall portion. Further, in the case of the helically disposed walls of the embodiment describing a cone as a solid of rotation, the lands may, after being inclined towards the plane of the cutting means, meet a surface which inclines away from the plane, which surface meets the foot of the wall portion higher on the conical form.
The cutter apparatus may be of any suitable material. Preferably, the body portion is formed of mild steel for ease of fabrication, cheapness and strength. The lifting means may be pressed formed or fabricated integrally with the body member, or may be
Berkowitz Marvin C.
Mammen Nathan
Nath Gary M.
Nath & Associates PLLC
Pezzuto Robert E.
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