Corn head row unit gearbox drive shaft seal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10130038-B2
Application number	US-201514874227-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2015
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A corn head row unit gearbox includes an input shaft, that rotates about a first axis of rotation and that drives a set of gears. The gears transfer rotation of the input shaft into rotation of a gathering chain output shaft about a second axis of rotation, generally transverse to the first axis of rotation. The gathering chain drive shaft rotates within a bushing mounted within a frame structure of the gearbox. A bushing seal has an annular mounting sleeve with an inner diameter that is press fit over a boss on the frame structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A row unit gear box seal system, comprising:
an annular attachment sleeve annularly disposed about an axis and having an inner surface, the inner surface of the annular attachment sleeve having an inner diameter sized for press fit engagement with an outer surface of a boss on a structural frame of a row unit gear box;
a resilient seal member, that is resilient relative to the annular attachment sleeve, fixedly coupled to a portion of the annular attachment sleeve and oriented for frictional engagement with a drive shaft that rotates relative to the structural frame, wherein the resilient seal member directly engages the drive shaft; and
a wear sleeve that has an overlapping portion that overlaps at least a portion of the resilient seal member in an axial direction, the wear sleeve frictionally engaging the resilient seal member, and being rotatably mounted relative to the resilient seal member, to rotate with the drive shaft and wherein the resilient seal member includes an elongate annular excluder lip that has a connection portion and a tip portion, the tip portion being disposed, in a relaxed position, radially spaced from the axis further than the connection portion, the tip portion frictionally engaging a first portion of the wear sleeve, the first portion of the wear sleeve being different from the overlapping portion of the wear sleeve, the first portion of the wear sleeve deflecting the tip portion of the annular excluder lip in a direction generally radially away from the axis, when the wear sleeve is fitted over the resilient seal member.

2. The row unit gear box seal system of claim 1 wherein the resilient seal member comprises:
an annular oil lip extending radially inward toward the axis and sized for frictional engagement with the drive shaft.

3. The row unit gear box seal system of claim 2 wherein the drive shaft rotates within a bushing mounted to the structural frame of the row unit gear box and wherein the resilient seal member comprises:
an annular dirt lip axially spaced from the annular oil lip in a direction away from the bushing, the annular dirt lip extending radially inward toward the axis and being sized for frictional engagement with the drive shaft.

4. The row unit gear box seal system of claim 3 wherein the resilient seal member comprises:
a first annular lip extending radially outward away from the axis and frictionally engaging the overlapping portion of the wear sleeve.

5. The row unit gear box seal system of claim 2 and further comprising:
a bias member disposed about the annular oil lip and biasing the annular oil lip of the resilient seal member radially inwardly.

6. The row unit gear box seal system of claim 1 wherein the resilient seal member is molded onto the portion of the annular attachment sleeve.

7. The row unit gear box seal system of claim 1 wherein the annular attachment sleeve is made of stainless steel and wherein the resilient seal member is made of rubber.

8. A corn head row unit gear box, comprising:
a structural frame having a first annular boss;
an input shaft rotatably mounted to the structural frame;
a set of output shafts rotatably mounted to the structural frame by a set of mounting mechanisms and each rotatable about a corresponding axis of rotation;
a gear train mounted within the structural frame that transfers rotation of the input shaft into rotation of the set of output shafts; and
a first seal system disposed about at least a given one of the mounting mechanisms that mounts at least a given one of the output shafts to the structural frame within the first annular boss, the first seal system comprising:
a first annular attachment sleeve with an inner surface in press fit engagement with an outer surface of the first annular boss;
a first resilient seal member, that is resilient relative to the first annular attachment sleeve, fixedly coupled to a portion of the first annular attachment sleeve, wherein the first resilient seal member directly, and frictionally, engages the given output shaft; and
a first wear sleeve that has a collar fixedly attached to the given output shaft along a contact portion that extends axially away from the first resilient seal member, the first wear sleeve having an overlapping portion that overlaps at least a portion of the first resilient seal member in an axial direction, the overlapping portion being spaced from the given output shaft in a radial direction, the first resilient member including a first annular lip that extends radially outward from the given output shaft and frictionally engages the overlapping portion of the first wear sleeve, the first wear sleeve being rotatably mounted relative to the first resilient seal member, to rotate with the given output shaft.

9. The corn head row unit gear box of claim 8 wherein the set of output shafts comprises a first gathering chain drive shaft and a second gathering chain drive shaft and wherein the given output shaft comprises the first gathering chain drive shaft.

10. The corn head row unit gear box of claim 9 wherein the structural frame includes a second annular boss and further comprising:
a second seal system disposed about at least a given one of the mounting mechanisms that mounts the second gathering chain drive shaft to the structural frame within the second annular boss.

11. The corn head row unit gear box of claim 10 wherein the second seal system comprises:
a second annular attachment sleeve with an inner surface in press fit engagement with an outer surface of the second annular boss;
a second resilient seal member, that is resilient relative to the second annular attachment sleeve, fixedly coupled to a portion of the second annular attachment sleeve and frictionally engaging the second gathering chain drive shaft; and
a second wear sleeve that has an overlapping portion that overlaps at least a portion of the second resilient seal member in the axial direction, the second wear sleeve directly, and frictionally, engaging the second resilient seal member, and being rotatably mounted relative to the second resilient seal member, to rotate with the second gathering chain drive shaft.

12. The corn head row unit gear box of claim 9 wherein the first gathering chain drive shaft rotates within a first bushing mounted to the structural frame and wherein the first resilient seal member comprises:
an annular oil lip extending radially inward toward an axis and frictionally engaging the first gathering chain drive shaft;
an annular dirt lip axially spaced from the annular oil lip in a direction away from the first bushing, the annular dirt lip extending radially inward toward the axis and frictionally engaging the first gathering chain drive shaft; and
an annular excluder lip that frictionally engages a first portion of the first wear sleeve, the first portion of the first wear sleeve being different from the overlapping portion of the first wear sleeve, the first portion of the first wear sleeve deflecting the annular excluder lip in a direction generally radially away from the axis.

13. The corn head row unit gear box of claim 11 wherein the second gathering chain drive shaft rotates within a second bushing mounted to the structural frame and wherein the second resilient seal member comprises:
an annular oil lip extending radially inward toward an axis and frictionally engaging the second gathering chain drive shaft;
an annular dirt lip axially spaced from the annular oil lip in a direction away from the second bushing, the annular dirt lip extending radially inward toward the axis and frictionally engaging the second gathering chain drive shaft; and

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Bernklau Nathaniel R
• Welch Randy R
• Bomleny Duane M
• Cabezas Sara
• Perez Ramirez Javier Jose
• Sudhakar Badhe Prafulla

Classifications

• A01D2101/00

  Lawn-mowers · CPC title

• F16J15/3264

  the elements being separable from each other · CPC title

• F16J15/3232

  having two or more lips · CPC title

• A01D45/023 Primary

  Gathering chains of belts · CPC title

• A01D69/06 Primary

  Gearings · CPC title