Center link knife drive for a header of an agricultural harvester

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10568259-B2
Application number	US-201815865834-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2018
Priority date	Jan 9, 2018
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A knife head drive assembly for a header of an agricultural harvester including a knife head assembly for attachment to a forward end of the header. A first pivot arm and a second pivot arm are carried by the knife head assembly and are pivotably connected by a linkage. A rotating crank is operatively connected to and extending substantially transverse to the knife head assembly for engagement with a drive. A reciprocating shaft is connected to the rotating crank and either of the pivot arms or the linkage. Operation of the knife head drive assembly results in substantially linear, opposed oscillating motion of cutter bars carried by the knife head assembly.

First claim

We claim:

1. A header for an agricultural harvester comprising:
a chassis;
a conveyor supported by the chassis;
a drive supported by the chassis;
a rotating crank operatively connected to the drive;
a reciprocating shaft connected to the rotating crank; and
a knife head assembly about a forward end of the conveyor, spaced from the drive, and connected to the reciprocating shaft, the knife head assembly comprising:
a knife head, and
a first pivot arm pivotably connected to the knife head and the reciprocating shaft, and wherein the first pivot arm comprises a pivot about which the first pivot arm pivots.

2. The header of claim 1 , wherein the drive is positioned adjacent a lateral side of the conveyor.

3. The header of claim 1 , wherein the knife head assembly further comprises a second pivot arm connected to the first pivot arm, and wherein pivoting of the first pivot arm by the reciprocating shaft in a first direction pivots the second pivot arm in a second direction opposite the first direction, and pivoting of the first pivot arm by the reciprocating shaft in the second direction causes the second pivot arm to pivot in the first direction.

4. The header of claim 1 , further comprising a drive shaft driven by the drive and connected to an oscillating drive mechanism that includes the rotating crank.

5. The header of claim 4 , wherein the oscillating drive mechanism includes a gear set connecting the drive shaft to a gear operably connected to the rotating crank, wherein the rotating crank includes an eccentrically arranged pin operatively connected to a second end of the reciprocating shaft for driving the reciprocating shaft in an oscillating motion.

6. The header of claim 1 , further comprising a bracket supported by the chassis, first and second pivot arms pivotably connected to the bracket, and a linkage having a first end pivotably connected to the first pivot arm and a second end pivotably connected to the second pivot arm.

7. The header of claim 6 , wherein the first pivot arm has a first end, an intermediate portion pivotably connected to the bracket, and a second end connected to a first cutterbar knife head, wherein the second pivot arm has a first end, an intermediate portion pivotably connected to the bracket, and a second end connected to a second cutterbar knife head, and wherein a first end of the reciprocating shaft is pivotably connected to the first pivot arm, the second pivot arm or the linkage.

8. The header of claim 1 , wherein the knife head assembly further comprises:
a second pivot arm; and
a linkage comprising:
a central link having a first end, an intermediate portion pivotably connected to the chassis, and a second end,
a first lateral link having a first end pivotably connected to a first end of the first pivot arm and a second end pivotably connected to the first end of the central link, and
a second lateral link having a first end pivotably connected to a first end of the second pivot arm and a second end pivotably connected to the second end of the central link, and

wherein the reciprocating shaft is connected to the central link.

9. The header of claim 1 , further comprising a skid shoe having a forward end and a rearward end, and positioned beneath the knife head assembly, wherein the forward end of the skid shoe is pivotably connected to the chassis.

10. The header of claim 9 , wherein the rearward end of the skid shoe is connected to the chassis and movable between a latched and unlatched position, wherein in the unlatched position the skid shoe depends from the chassis to permit cleaning of the knife head assembly and in a latched position the skid shoe covers the knife head assembly.

11. A knife head drive assembly for a header of an agricultural harvester comprising:
a knife head assembly for attachment to a forward end of the header;
a rotating crank operatively connected to and extending substantially transverse to the knife head assembly for engagement with a drive;
a reciprocating shaft having a first end and a second end opposite the first end connected to the rotating crank; and
a first pivot arm carried by the knife head assembly, wherein the first pivot arm is pivotably connected to the knife head assembly, is pivotably connected to the reciprocating shaft, and comprises a pivot about which the first pivot arm pivots.

12. The knife head drive assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a second pivot arm carried by the knife head assembly and a linkage pivotably connecting the first pivot arm and the second pivot arm, wherein pivoting of the first pivot arm by the reciprocating shaft in a first direction causes the linkage to pivot the second pivot arm in a second direction opposite the first direction, and wherein pivoting of the first pivot arm by the reciprocating shaft in the second direction causes the linkage to pivot the second pivot arm in the first direction.

13. The knife head drive assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first pivot arm has a first end pivotably connected to the first end of the reciprocating shaft, an intermediate portion pivotably connected to a bracket, and a second end connected to a first cutterbar knife head, wherein the second pivot arm has a first end, an intermediate portion pivotably connected to the bracket, and a second end connected to a second cutterbar knife head, wherein a first end of the linkage is pivotably connected to the first pivot arm between the intermediate portion and the second end of the first pivot arm, and a second end of the linkage is pivotably connected to the second pivot arm between the intermediate portion and the first end of the second pivot arm.

14. The knife head drive assembly of claim 11 , further comprising:
a second pivot arm;
a linkage comprising:
a central link having a first end, an intermediate portion for pivotably connecting to a header, and a second end,
a first lateral link having a first end pivotably connected to a first end of the first pivot arm and a second end pivotably connected to the first end of the central link, and
a second lateral link having a first end pivotably connected to a first end of the second pivot arm and a second end pivotably connected to the second end of the central link; and

a reciprocating shaft connected to the rotating crank and the central link.

15. The knife head drive assembly of claim 11 , wherein the knife head drive assembly is unhoused.

16. The knife head drive assembly of claim 11 , further comprising an open grate skid shoe positioned beneath the knife head assembly.

17. The knife head drive assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a skid shoe positioned beneath the knife head assembly for pivotably mounting to a header.

18. An agricultural harvester comprising:
a powered vehicle;
a header for attachment to the powered vehicle, the header comprising:
a chassis,
a conveyor supported by the chassis,
a drive supported by the chassis; and
a knife head drive assembly comprising:
a knife head assembly attached to a forward end of the header,
a rotating crank operatively connected to and extending substantially transverse to the knife head assembly for engagement with the drive,
a reciprocating shaft connected to the rotating crank, and
a first pivot arm pivotably connected to the reciprocating shaft and the knife head assembly, wherein the first pivot arm comprises a pivot about which the first pivot arm pivots.

19. The agricultural harvester of claim 18 , wherein the drive is positioned adjacent a lateral side of the conveyor.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Cook Joel
• Hinkle John
• Farley Herb
• Dechristopher David M
• Lehman Barry

Classifications

• A01D34/145

  Devices for connecting the knife-bars to the driving mechanism · CPC title

• A01D34/34 Primary

  Devices for connecting the rod to the crank-pin of the driving mechanism · CPC title

• A01D41/142

  Header drives · CPC title

• A01D34/30 Primary

  Driving mechanisms for the cutters · CPC title