Self-contained combine draper wing leveler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10568266-B2
Application number	US-201715785831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2017
Priority date	Oct 17, 2017
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A draper header for a combine, the draper header including an attachment frame adapted for attachment to the combine. A harvesting assembly includes a plurality of sections and a plurality of belts operable to feed crop material into the combine. The draper header is operable in a first mode that allows the plurality of sections to float relative to the attachment frame for ground following during harvesting, and in a second mode in which the attachment frame is raised to lift and support the harvesting assembly to be spaced above the ground. A hydraulic leveling system includes at least one leveling actuator. A valve is operable in response to the movement of the draper header into the second mode to direct pressurized hydraulic fluid into the at least one leveling actuator to automatically level the plurality of sections of the harvesting assembly when in the second mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A draper header for a combine, the draper header comprising:
an attachment frame adapted for attachment to the combine;
a harvesting assembly including a plurality of sections and a plurality of belts operable to feed crop material into the combine, the draper header being operable in a first mode that allows the plurality of sections to float relative to the attachment frame for ground following during harvesting, and the draper header being operable in a second mode in which the attachment frame is raised to lift and support the harvesting assembly to be spaced above the ground;
a hydraulic leveling system including at least one leveling actuator; and
a valve operable in response to the movement of the draper header into the second mode to direct pressurized hydraulic fluid into the at least one leveling actuator to automatically level the plurality of sections of the harvesting assembly into a planar orientation parallel to the ground when in the second mode.

2. The draper header of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sections of the harvesting assembly includes first and second wings extending in opposite lateral directions from a center section, each of the first and second wings comprising a draper belt operable to feed crop material toward the center section and the center section operable to feed crop material into the combine.

3. The draper header of claim 2 , wherein each draper belt is operable by a respective hydraulic motor coupled to a pressure rail supplied with pressurized hydraulic fluid from a pump.

4. The draper header of claim 3 , wherein the valve is opened upon transition to the second mode to connect the at least one leveling actuator with the pressure rail.

5. The draper header of claim 4 , wherein the at least one leveling actuator includes a first leveling actuator operable to level the first wing with respect to the center section, and a second leveling actuator operable to level the second wing with respect to the center section.

6. The draper header of claim 5 , wherein each of the first and second leveling actuators has a full stroke limit that corresponds to the planar orientation.

7. The draper header of claim 1 , wherein the at least one leveling actuator has a full stroke limit that corresponds to the planar orientation.

8. The draper header of claim 1 , wherein the valve includes a push button actuator positioned to be actuated for opening the valve in response to the movement of the draper header into the second mode.

9. The draper header of claim 1 , further comprising a cutterbar positioned at a forward edge of the draper header across the plurality of sections, the cutterbar operable to cut crop material from the ground.

10. The draper header of claim 1 , further comprising a resilient float element operable to resiliently support one of the plurality of sections of the harvesting assembly with respect to another of the plurality of sections of the harvesting assembly in both the first mode and the second mode.

11. The draper header of claim 10 , wherein the resilient float element is a hydraulic cylinder that is hydraulically isolated from the hydraulic leveling system.

12. A draper header for a combine, the draper header comprising:
a center section including an attachment frame adapted for attachment to the combine, the center section operable for feeding crop material in a rearward direction into the combine;
first and second wings extending in opposite lateral directions from the center section, the first and second wings comprising respective draper belts drivable by respective hydraulic motors and operable to feed crop material toward the center section, wherein each of the first and second wings is independently supported relative to the center section by a resilient float element;
first and second wing leveling hydraulic cylinders coupled, respectively, to the first and second wings and operable when energized to exert respective lifting forces to the first and second wings for leveling the first and second wings;
a cutterbar positioned at a forward edge of the draper header across the center section and the first and second wings, the cutterbar operable to reciprocate for cutting crop material from the ground; and
a hydraulic circuit including a pump having an outlet side operatively coupled to the respective hydraulic motors for driving the respective draper belts when the first and second wings engage the ground for harvesting, wherein a valve of the hydraulic circuit is actuable from a first position to a second position, in response to lifting of the first and second wings off the ground, to connect the first and second wing leveling hydraulic cylinders to the outlet side of the pump.

13. The draper header of claim 12 , wherein the resilient float elements supporting the first and second wings are passive elements only operable to provide lifting forces insufficient for leveling the first and second wings.

14. The draper header of claim 13 , wherein the resilient float elements are hydraulic cylinders separate from the hydraulic circuit.

15. The draper header of claim 12 , wherein the center section is supported by a stop on the attachment frame when the first and second wings are lifted off the ground, and wherein the valve includes a push button actuator actuable to drive the valve to the second position in response to the center section coming into contact with the stop on the attachment frame.

16. The draper header of claim 15 , wherein each of the first and second wing leveling hydraulic cylinders has a full stroke limit that corresponds to a level condition for the first and second wings.

17. The draper header of claim 12 , wherein the hydraulic circuit includes a tank line coupled to an inlet side of the pump, wherein the first and second wing leveling hydraulic cylinders are open to the tank line through the valve when the valve is in the first position, thus rendering the first and second wing leveling hydraulic cylinders inactive.

18. A method of leveling first and second wings of a harvesting assembly of a draper header on a combine, the method comprising:
operating the combine with the draper header on the ground and the first and second wings resiliently supported from a center section of the harvesting assembly;
operating the combine to achieve a lifted state of the draper header by lifting the center section off the ground to remove ground support from the first and second wings so that the center section is supported by a stop on an attachment frame that secures the combine draper header to the combine, leaving the first and second wings independently cantilevered from the center section; and
automatically energizing first and second wing leveling actuators, each operating to exert a lifting force to the respective one of the first and second wings to obtain and maintain a level orientation of both the first and second wings in the lifted state.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein each of the first and second wing leveling actuators is actuated to a full stroke limit to obtain the level orientation.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein each of the first and second wing leveling actuators is a hydraulic cylinder, and wherein energizing the first and second wing leveling actuators includes scavenging hydraulic fluid through a switched valve from a hydraulic circuit that drives draper belts of the first and second wings with hydraulic motors from a pump.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Vandeven Michael L
• Marvin Paul D

Classifications

• A01D41/141 Primary

  Automatic header control · CPC title

• A01D61/02

  Endless belts · CPC title

• A01D67/00 Primary

  Undercarriages or frames specially adapted for harvesters or mowers (coupling arrangements between animal or tractor and harvester or mower A01B59/00); Mechanisms for adjusting the frame (adjusting devices for the cutter-bar A01D34/28); Platforms · CPC title

• A01D34/04

  with cutters at the front · CPC title

• A01D69/03

  fluid · CPC title