Header with flexible crop cutting knife

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10462968-B2
Application number	US-201816214335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2018
Priority date	Nov 24, 2016
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A crop header having a frame mounted on a vehicle has a sickle cutter bar and a draper. The draper is guided at its front edge by a longitudinally extending rail mounted on the frame. The cutter bar is mounted at spaced positions by spring blades attached to a fixed beam at the rear which allow up and down flexing movement of the cutter bar relative to the draper rail. At the center discharge the cutter bar is carried on shorter blades which are carried on a beam in front of the front draper roller. A locking device is provided for commonly and automatically moving the beam in a direction to lift the cutter bar into a raised position in which the cutter bar is locked against flexing movement with the locking device being operable in response to the cutter bar being raised off the ground.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A crop harvesting machine comprising:
a header having a main frame structure extending across a width of the header and mounted
on a propulsion vehicle;
a flexible cutter bar mounted on the main frame structure across a width of the header and carrying a reciprocating crop cutting sickle knife;
a ground engaging structure carried by the flexible cutter bar which engages the ground when the flexible cutter bar is cutting at the ground;
the flexible cutter bar being mounted on the frame at spaced positions along the length of the cutter bar by a plurality of longitudinally spaced elongate mounting components which extend forwardly from the main frame structure frame to the cutter bar with each of the elongate mounting components being movable at the cutter bar in a direction upwardly and downwardly relative to the main frame structure;
and a locking device extending longitudinally of the cutter bar and engaging each of a plurality of the elongate mounting components with movement of the locking device commonly moving the mounting components to a locked position in which the cutter bar is locked against flexing movement.

2. The crop harvesting header according to claim 1 including a control device operating the locking device and a sensor providing a signal responsive to movement of the flexible cutter bar from the ground to a raised position wherein the control device operates the locking device in response to the signal.

3. The crop harvesting header according to claim 2 wherein the sensor is a ground sensing device which detects a distance of the cutter bar from the ground.

4. The crop harvesting header according to claim 2 wherein the sensor is a sensing device responsive to an output from a control system which controls operation of the header which operation indicates when the cutter bar is raised off the ground.

5. The crop harvesting header according to claim 1 wherein the locking device raises the cutter bar.

6. The crop harvesting header according to claim 1 wherein the locking device comprises a beam to which the elongate mounting components are attached, the beam extending parallel to the cutter bar.

7. The crop harvesting header according to claim 6 wherein the beam is spaced rearwardly from the cutter bar and the elongate mounting components extend forwardly from the beam to the cutter bar.

8. The crop harvesting header according to claim 7 wherein the beam is forward of a rear edge of a table of the header.

9. The crop harvesting header according to claim 7 wherein the elongate mounting components each comprise a flexible blade rigidly attached at its rear end to the beam.

10. The crop harvesting header according to claim 9 wherein each of the flexible blades is rigidly attached at its rear end to the beam and each is rigidly attached to the cutter bar at its front end.

11. The crop harvesting header according to claim 1 comprising a draper transport system for moving the cut crop toward a discharge location of the header including at least one draper mounted on rollers generally parallel to the forward direction so that the draper carries the crop transverse to the forward direction, the draper having a front edge adjacent the cutter bar and a rear edge adjacent a rear of the frame.

12. The crop harvesting header according to claim 11 wherein the draper is carried on the frame so as to be fixed on the frame against flexing with the cutter bar.

13. The crop harvesting header according to claim 2 wherein the sensor comprises a ground sensing device which automatically detects when the cutter bar is on the ground.

14. A crop harvesting machine comprising:
a header having a main frame structure extending across a width of the header and mounted on a propulsion vehicle;
a flexible cutter bar mounted on the main frame structure across a width of the header and carrying a reciprocating crop cutting sickle knife;
a ground engaging structure carried by the flexible cutter bar which engages the ground when the flexible cutter bar is cutting at the ground;
the flexible cutter bar being mounted on the frame at spaced positions along the length of the cutter bar by a plurality of longitudinally spaced elongate mounting components which extend forwardly from the main frame structure frame to the cutter bar with each of the elongate mounting components being movable at the cutter bar in a direction upwardly and downwardly relative to the main frame structure;
a locking device commonly moving a plurality of the mounting components to a locked position in which the cutter bar is locked against flexing movement;
a control device operating the locking device;
and a sensor providing a signal responsive to movement of the flexible cutter bar from the ground to a raised position;
the control device operating the locking device in response to the signal.

15. The crop harvesting header according to claim 14 wherein the sensor is a ground sensing device which detects a distance of the cutter bar from the ground.

16. The crop harvesting header according to claim 14 wherein the sensor is a sensing device responsive to an output from a control system which controls operation of the header which operation indicates when the cutter bar is raised off the ground.

17. The crop harvesting header according to claim 14 wherein the locking device raises the cutter bar.

18. The crop harvesting header according to claim 14 wherein the locking device comprises a beam to which the elongate mounting components are attached, the beam extending parallel to the cutter bar.

19. The crop harvesting header according to claim 18 wherein the beam is spaced rearwardly from the cutter bar and the elongate mounting components extend.

20. The crop harvesting header according to claim 18 wherein the beam is forward of a rear edge of a table of the header.

21. The crop harvesting header according to claim 18 wherein the elongate mounting components each comprise a flexible blade rigidly attached at its rear end to the beam.

22. The crop harvesting header according to claim 21 wherein each of the flexible blades is rigidly attached at its rear end to the beam and each is rigidly attached to the cutter bar at its front end.

23. The crop harvesting header according to claim 16 comprising a draper transport system for moving the cut crop toward a discharge location of the header including at least one draper mounted on rollers generally parallel to the forward direction so that the draper carries the crop transverse to the forward direction, the draper having a front edge adjacent the cutter bar and a rear edge adjacent a rear of the frame.

24. The crop harvesting header according to claim 23 wherein the draper is carried on the frame so as to be fixed on the frame against flexing with the cutter bar.

25. The crop harvesting header according to claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises a ground sensing device which automatically detects when the cutter bar is on the ground.

Assignees

• Macdon Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Shearer Bruce Robert

Classifications

• A01D57/20

  with conveyor belts · CPC title

• A01D41/145 Primary

  Header lifting devices · CPC title

• A01D41/141

  Automatic header control · CPC title

• A01D34/02

  having reciprocating cutters · CPC title

• A01D41/14 Primary

  Mowing tables · CPC title