Windrow merger

Details Windrow merger Windrow merger

1999-02-26

2001-04-10

Will, Thomas B. (Department: 3671)

Harvesters

Combined rakes and tedders

Side-delivery rake

C056S370000, C056S345000, C056SDIG002

Reexamination Certificate

active

06212865

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a towable farm implement. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for merging one or more windrows in a field.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When a feed product, such as alfalfa, or a grain product, such as wheat and oats, is ready to be harvested, the product may be too moist for further processing after cutting. In such cases the product is typically cut and left in long generally parallel windrows in the field. The product is left in such windrows to afford drying of the product by the wind and sun. After several days of drying in the field, the windrow is typically picked up and the product may be either stored or further processed.
In order to minimize the number of windrows that must be picked up, it makes economic sense to merge one or more windrows into a single windrow. The single remaining windrow may then be picked up as desired. Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for a windrow merger that is capable of efficiently picking up a windrow in a field and moving the product comprising the windrow in a transverse direction to be merged with another windrow. The merger must have a wide pickup head in order to accommodate the widest of windrows. It is desirable that such pick up be accomplished in an efficient manner. Accordingly, the windrow merger should be able to efficiently pick up the windrow on flat surfaces, but also through areas of unevenness in the surface of the field. Additionally, the windrow merger must work as closely as possible to the field surface in order to pick up as much of the material comprising the windrow as possible while being towed at the greatest possible practical forward speed. Further, the material comprising the windrow must be handled effectively without plugging up the windrow merger thereby allowing continuous operation without the need to stop and unplug the merger.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The windrow merger of the present invention substantially meets the aforementioned needs of the industry. The pickup head of the windrow merger is designed to operate in close proximity to the surface of the field in which the windrow is deposited even though the instant pickup head is significantly wider than current pickup heads. By operating close to such surface the windrow merger of the present invention is able to efficiently pick up a very high portion of the product material comprising the windrow. Further, the pickup head of the windrow merger is able to accommodate undulations and other variations in the surface of the field while still maintaining a close proximity to the surface while operating at towed speeds in excess of 10 mph. Further, the windrow merger is capable of efficiently picking up the product material comprising the windrow and depositing it in a translational direction while substantially avoiding clogging any of the components necessary to pick up the product material and move it in the translational direction.
The present invention is a windrow merger for merging product material disposed in a windrow on a ground surface. The windrow merger has a transverse conveyor assembly carried on a merger fame, at least a portion of the frame underlying the transverse conveyor assembly, and a tongue operably pivotally coupled to the merger frame, the tongue being couplable to a vehicle for towing the windrow merger. The windrow merger includes a pickup head having a pickup conveyor system including a rotatable pickup conveyor belt for picking up product material disposed in a windrow on a field surface. The pickup head is pivotally coupled to the merger frame and has a leading pickup edge. The pickup head has suspension means for suspending the leading pickup edge such that the leading pickup edge exhibits two degrees of motional freedom.


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