Draper header for attachment to a harvesting machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10349580-B2
Application number	US-201715642526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2017
Priority date	Jul 6, 2017
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A draper header is attached to a harvesting machine by an adapter including a bottom feed draper and an upper feed roller driven by a coupling from an output of the machine rotatable about an axis parallel to the forward direction and a right angle gearbox. The feed roller is mounted at each end allowing independent up and down floating movement of the ends and there is provided a mechanical linkage using two chains and an idler shaft between the output shaft of the gear box an input shaft of the roller with a universal coupling therebetween. The gear box is located at least partly underneath the discharge opening and underneath the feed roller, rearwardly of the rear guide roller of the feed draper, rearwardly of the axis of rotation of the feed roller and underneath a feed pan which is inclined upwardly and rearwardly over the gear box.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A combination of a self-propelled harvesting machine and a harvesting header attached thereto, the combination comprising:
a self-propelled harvesting machine having a feed opening at a forward end and a drive shaft at or adjacent the feed opening;
the self-propelled harvesting machine being mounted on ground wheels moving the self-propelled harvesting machine in a forward travel direction during harvesting;
a drive shaft of the self-propelled harvesting machine mounted at or adjacent the feed opening extending in a plane generally parallel to said forward travel direction and including an output coupling member at a forward end of the drive shaft;
a harvesting header comprising:
a header frame mounted on the self-propelled harvesting machine during harvesting and which is separable from the self-propelled harvesting machine;
a discharge opening in the header frame which discharges into the feed opening of the self-propelled harvesting machine;
a crop cutting device mounted on an elongate cutter bar connected to the header frame along a front edge of the header frame;
a draper assembly carrying the crop to the discharge opening;
the draper assembly including first and second side drapers each on a respective side of the discharge opening with an outer guide roller at an opposite end of the header frame, an inner guide roller adjacent the discharge opening, and a draper canvas wrapped around the outer and inner guide rollers to define a top run of the respective side draper so as to carry the cut crop across the header to a discharge end adjacent the discharge opening;
a feed roller member mounted at the discharge opening driven in rotation in a direction to carry crop underneath the feed roller member through the discharge opening into the feed opening;
a header power input coupling rotatable about an axis in said plane parallel to the forward travel direction which is connected to the output coupling;
a gear box connected to the header power input coupling;
the gear box having an output shaft which extends transversely to the forward travel direction;
and at least one drive transfer member receiving power from the output shaft and driving at least the feed roller member;
wherein the gear box is mounted on the header frame and is separated with the header frame when the header frame is separated from the self-propelled harvesting machine.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the drive system comprises a right angle gearbox.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein the right angle gearbox is mounted at least partially within an imaginary downward projection of the feed roller member.

4. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the output shaft also drives a hydraulic pump for at least driving the cutter and the drapers.

5. The combination according to claim 1 including a feed draper having a front guide roller located rearward of the cutter bar, a rear guide roller behind the front guide roller, and a draper canvas wrapped around the front and rear guide rollers to define a top run of the feed draper for receiving the crop material from the discharge ends of the first and second side drapers and for carrying the crop material rearwardly towards the discharge opening.

6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein the gearbox is positioned behind the rear guide roller of the feed draper.

7. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the gearbox is positioned rearwardly of the axis of rotation of the feed roller member.

8. The combination according to claim 1 wherein a crop guide surface is located over the gearbox and arranged to direct the crop to the feed opening.

9. The combination according to claim 8 wherein the guide surface is inclined upwardly and rearwardly.

10. The combination according to claim 1 including a bottom pan defining a bottom plane and wherein the gearbox is arranged behind the bottom pan and above the plane of the pan.

11. The combination according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a mechanical linkage between the output shaft and an input drive shaft connected to one end of the feed roller member.

12. The combination according to claim 11 wherein the mechanical linkage comprises an idler shaft parallel to the output shaft and the input drive shaft, a first chain and sprocket drive located between the output shaft and the idler shaft and a second chain and sprocket drive between the idler shaft and the input drive shaft.

13. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the feed roller member is mounted at each end on supports allowing up and down floating movement of the feed roller member.

14. The combination according to claim 13 wherein the supports comprise pivot arms for pivotal movement about a transverse axis longitudinal of the cutter bar.

15. The combination according to claim 14 wherein there is provided an idler shaft parallel to the output shaft and the input drive shaft, a first chain and sprocket drive located between the output shaft and the idler shaft and a second chain and sprocket drive between the idler shaft and the input drive shaft and wherein the pivot arms have a pivot axis coaxial with the idler shaft.

16. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the feed roller member is mounted at each end on supports allowing independent up and down floating movement of the ends of the feed roller member; wherein there is provided a mechanical linkage between the output shaft and an input drive shaft connected to one end of the feed roller member and wherein there is provided a universal coupling between the input drive shaft and said one end of the feed roller member to allow raising and lowering of said end relative to the other end.

17. The combination according to claim 16 wherein the universal coupling is located within an end portion of the feed roller member and connected to a transverse plate within the feed roller member.

18. A combination of a self-propelled harvesting machine and a harvesting header attached thereto, the combination comprising:
a self-propelled harvesting machine having a feed opening at a forward end and a drive shaft at or adjacent the feed opening;
the self-propelled harvesting machine being mounted on ground wheels moving the self-propelled harvesting machine in a forward travel direction during harvesting;
a drive shaft of the self-propelled harvesting machine mounted at or adjacent the feed opening extending in a plane generally parallel to said forward travel direction and including an output coupling member at a forward end of the drive shaft;
and a harvesting header comprising:
a header frame mounted on the self-propelled harvesting machine during harvesting and which is separable from the self-propelled harvesting machine;
a discharge opening in the header frame which discharges into the feed opening of the self-propelled harvesting machine;
a crop cutting device mounted on an elongate cutter bar connected to the header frame along a front edge of the header frame;
a draper assembly carrying the crop to the discharge opening;
the draper assembly including first and second side drapers each on a respective side of the discharge opening with an outer guide roller at an opposite end of the header frame, an inner guide roller adjacent the discharge opening, and a draper canvas wrapped around the outer and inner guide rollers to define a top run of the respective side draper so as to carry the cut crop across the header to a discharge end adjacent the discharge opening;
a feed roller member mount

Assignees

• Macdon Ind Ltd
• Mac Don Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Barnett Neil
• Dietsche Scott

Classifications

• A01D41/142 Primary

  Header drives · CPC title

• A01D61/008

  for longitudinal conveying, especially for combines · CPC title

• A01D61/02 Primary

  Endless belts · CPC title

• A01D34/04

  with cutters at the front · CPC title

• A01D41/06

  Combines with headers · CPC title