Agricultural chopper with linked counter knives and shear bar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10111384-B2
Application number	US-201514880181-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2015
Priority date	Oct 9, 2015
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

An agricultural harvester includes a chassis; a threshing and separating assembly carried by the chassis; and a chopper assembly carried by the chassis that receives crop material from the threshing and separating assembly. The chopper assembly includes at least one movable chopping knife; a plurality of counter knives movable between a first knife position and a second knife position, the plurality of counter knives configured to cooperate with the at least one chopping knife to cut crop material when in the first knife position; a shear bar movable between a first bar position and a second bar position; and a linkage assembly connected to the plurality of counter knives and the shear bar such that the linkage assembly is selectively actuable to simultaneously move the plurality of counter knives and the shear bar between their respective first and second positions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An agricultural harvester, comprising:
a chassis;
a threshing and separating assembly carried by said chassis; and
a chopper assembly carried by said chassis that receives crop material from said threshing and separating assembly, said chopper assembly including:
at least one movable chopping knife;
a plurality of counter knives movable between a first knife position and a second knife position, said plurality of counter knives configured to cooperate with said at least one chopping knife to cut crop material when in said first knife position;
a shear bar movable between a first bar position and a second bar position; and
a linkage assembly connected to said plurality of counter knives and said shear bar such that said linkage assembly is selectively actuable to simultaneously move said plurality of counter knives between said first knife position and said second knife position and said shear bar between said first bar position and said second bar position,
wherein said linkage assembly includes a pivotable knife arm linked to said plurality of counter knives and a pivotable bar arm linked to said shear bar, wherein pivoting of said knife am moves said plurality of counter knives between said first knife position and said second knife position and pivoting of said bar arm moves said shear bar between said first bar position and wherein said linkage assembly further includes an engagement cam that is rotated by a shaft and that engages at least one surface of said bar arm.

2. The agricultural harvester according to claim 1 , wherein said shear bar is configured to impede a flow of crop material through said chopper assembly in said first bar position and be removed from said flow of crop material in said second bar position.

3. The agricultural harvester according to claim 2 , wherein said plurality of counter knives do not cooperate with said at least one chopping knife in said second knife position.

4. The agricultural harvester according to claim 1 , wherein said engagement cam is selectively positionable between a camming position and a non-canuning position, said engagement cam engaging said at least one surface of said bar arm in said camming position and not engaging said at least one surface of said bar arm in said non-camming position.

5. The agricultural harvester according to claim 1 , wherein pivoting said knife arm and said engagement cam in a first pivoting direction causes said bar arm to pivot in a second pivoting direction opposite to said first pivoting direction.

6. The agricultural harvester according to claim 1 , wherein said linkage assembly includes a second engagement cam that is rotated by said shaft and configured to move said shear bar to an engaged position without said plurality of counter knives being moved to an engaged position.

7. The agricultural harvester according to claim 1 , wherein said linkage assembly further includes a disengagement cam configured to engage a surface of said bar arm and retract said shear bar.

8. The agricultural harvester according to claim 1 , wherein said knife arm pivots about a first pivoting axis and said bar arm pivots about a second pivoting axis that is not coincident with said first pivoting axis.

9. The agricultural harvester according to claim 1 , wherein said linkage assembly further includes at least one of an engagement cam and a gear configured to rotate in a first pivoting direction and cause said bar arm to rotate in a second pivoting direction opposite to said first pivoting direction.

10. The agricultural harvester according to claim 1 , wherein said linkage assembly is connected to and selectively actuable b y at least one of a handle, a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, and an electric actuator.

11. A chopper assembly for an agricultural harvester, comprising:
at least one movable chopping knife;
a plurality of counter knives movable between a first knife position and a second knife position, said plurality of counter knives configured to cooperate with said at least one chopping knife to cut crop material when in said first knife position;
a shear bar movable between a first bar position and a second bar position; and
a linkage assembly connected to said plurality of counter knives and said shear bar such that said linkage assembly is selectively actuable to simultaneously move said plurality of counter knives between said first knife position and said second knife position and said shear bar between said first bar position and said second bar position, wherein said linkage assembly includes a pivotable knife arm linked to said plurality of counter knives and a pivotable bar arm linked to said shear bar, wherein pivoting of said knife arm moves said plurality of counter knives between said first knife position and said second knife position and pivoting of said bar arm moves said shear bar between said first bar position and said second bar position, wherein said linkage assembly further includes an engagement cam carried by said knife arm that engages a surface of said bar arm and wherein said engagement cam is selectively positionable between a caroming position and a non-ramming position, said engagement cam engaging said surface of said bar arm in said caroming position and not engaging said surface of said bar arm in said non-caroming position.

12. The chopper assembly according to claim 11 , wherein pivoting said knife arm and said engagement cam in a first pivoting direction causes said bar arm to pivot in a second pivoting direction opposite to said first pivoting direction.

13. An agricultural harvester, comprising:
a chassis;
a threshing and separating assembly carried by said chassis; and
a chopper assembly carried by said chassis that receives crop material from said threshing and separating assembly, said chopper assembly including:
at least one rotatable chopping knife;
a plurality of counter knives movable between a first knife position and a second knife position, said plurality of counter knives configured to cooperate with said at least one chopping knife to cut crop material when in said first knife position;
a concave forming a boundary of a crop flow path through the chopper assembly;
a shear bar movable between a first bar position and a second bar position, said shear bar positioned past said plurality of counter knives in a direction of crop material flow through the crop flow path of said chopper assembly, said shear bar comprising a plate having a face portion that projects through a bar opening in the concave to a position above the concave, into and laterally across the crop flow path to impede flow in the first bar position and the face portion is retracted from the crop flow path below the concave in the second bar position; and
a linkage assembly connected to said plurality of counter knives and said shear bar such that said linkage assembly is selectively actuable to simultaneously move said plurality of counter knives between said first knife position and said second knife position and said shear bar between said first bar position and said second bar position.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Linde Cooper W
• Dilts Mark D
• Isaac Nathan E
• Jackson Austin L

Classifications

• A01F12/448

  Sieve adjusting means · CPC title

• A01F12/46

  Mechanical grain conveyors · CPC title

• A01F12/40 Primary

  Arrangements of straw crushers or cutters · CPC title

• A01F7/06

  with axles in line with the feeding direction {; Axial threshing machines} · CPC title

• A01D41/1243 Primary

  Devices for laying-out or distributing the straw · CPC title