Harvesters – Standing-grain gatherers – Rotating reel – horizontal axis
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-06
2004-03-23
Kovács, Árpád F (Department: 3671)
Harvesters
Standing-grain gatherers
Rotating reel, horizontal axis
C056S226000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06708475
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and improved drive for the bat reel assemblies of combines used to harvest crops such as canola, rye, oats, wheat, soybeans and other crops, and more particularly, to a new and improved drive system for combine reel bats which allows the bats to feed the crop into the combine continuously at a more consistent rate than heretofore in cooperation with the cutter to reduce the breakage of reel bat fingers and combine down time, increase the efficiency of the combine, and decrease crop loss.
Combines are commonly used by farmers all over the world to harvest their crops. Various varieties of grains, kernels and beans that range in height from a couple inches to several feet above ground, are cut by the header and fed into the combine. Combines which are designed to harvest these crops have a floating header pivotally connected to the combine in front of a feed auger. Mounted over the header is a plurality of elongated bats arranged in circumferentially spaced apart and parallel fashion to define a reel which rotates as the combine moves down the field. Each of the bats of the reel assembly have a plurality of spaced apart fingers or an elongated paddle (“fingers” herein) which rake through the crop and presents the crop to the cutter on the leading edge of the header and feeds the cut crop into the auger of the combine. Depending upon the crop size, the moisture of the crop and the cutting conditions, feeding the crop into the auger may present problems. While it is desired to have a constant flow of cut crop fed over the header bottom and into the auger, typically, bunches of cut crop collect on the header bottom and are fed into the auger in clumps causing a number of problems ranging from higher fuel consumption, inconsistent operation to breakage and shut down. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header by which crops are properly presented for cutting and cut crops are more continuously and evenly fed into the auger.
All such combines either have a floating header or a rigid or fixed header. Both headers have at its leading edge a cutter blade. The floating header pivotally hangs from the header such that the header gravitationally lies on the ground and follows the contour of the ground. Because of the unevenness of the ground, the header may move up and down causing a number of problems ranging from feed inconsistencies to actual impingement upon the fingers of the rotating bats resulting in finger breakage and down time. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header to cooperate with a floating header and reduce finger breakage. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header to provide for improved feeding of cut crop into the auger with both floating headers and fixed headers and at the same time to reduce bat finger breakage and combine down time. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header which allows the bats to accommodate a floating header in all header positions.
Farmers presently adjust the height of the bats from the header in its highest position such that the rake fingers of a bat will clear the header in all header positions. This means that when the header is in is lowest position, the rake fingers of the bat may be positioned away from the header 9 to 15 inches or so. Thus, the rake fingers do not adequately feed cut crop into the auger of the combine and cut crop is left on the field. Additionally, cut crop is bunched up on the header and fed into the auger in clumps discontinuously. In order to accomplish continuous, consistent and even feeding of crop into the auger, the rake fingers of the bats desirably are positioned away from the header approximately ½ to 4 inches. However, if the bats were adjusted so that the fingers of the bats were approximately ½ to 4 inches from the floating header, the header in normal operation would repeatedly engage the reel fingers and the reel fingers would be broken causing combine down time. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header by which the reel fingers cooperate with the floating header to continuously feed cut crop into the auger at a more consistent rate. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header which rotates the reel fingers as they approach the header to provide the desired feed of cut crop into the auger continuously and at a more consistent rate without finger breakage.
The shape of the headers in relation to the reel fingers of the bats also provides that typically the distance between the reel fingers of the bats and the header increase as the crop approaches the auger. In some instances, typically the distance between the reel fingers and the bat may increase from approximately 6 to 7 inches to approximately 12 to 15 inches away from the header as the crop is fed into the auger. Such does not provide for an even and consistent flow of cut crop into the auger. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header whereby the reel fingers of the bats are spaced apart from the header essentially the same distance over the entire distance between the cutter bar to the auger. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the reel fingers of each bat whereby the reel fingers begin to rotate ahead of the header into a collapsed condition and to rotate in the opposite direction to extend the fingers into their normal generally vertical position adjacent to the auger.
It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat assembly of a combine header to lift down crop clear of the ground by the reel fingers of the bat reel assembly and present the same to the cutter bar to efficiently feed the cut crop into the auger continuously and at a more consistent rate without finger breakage.
It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header which presents the cut crop lengthwise to the combine feed unit and holds the cut crop generally vertically in front of the feed auger and presents the cut crop lengthwise to the thrashing cylinder thereby to continuously feed the cut crop at a more consistent rate without finger breakage.
It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header which allows the combine to top wheat, oats and other such crops to have more high quality straw available, reduce combine load and reduce rotor loss.
It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the reel fingers of each bat which allows the reel fingers to move upon impact and biases the reel fingers into their generally vertical position adjacent to the auger and remote from the header and in their collapsed condition over the header.
Farmers utilizing combine headers which have a bat reel which rotates over a header such as above described, often experience cut crop winding about the bats. This crop entanglement reduces the efficiency of the bats to feed cut crop into the auger. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat assembly of a combine at a position remote from the header to unwind cut crop from the reel fingers. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved drive system for the bat reel assembly of a combine header which rotates the reel fingers at a position remote from the header in the opposite direction to unwind cut crop from the rake fingers.
It is a
Kovács Árpád F
Krieg DeVault Lundy LLP
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