Crop conveyor deck with adjustable discharge angle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10863673-B2
Application number	US-201816047717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2018
Priority date	Apr 22, 2015
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A windrower with a header has a conveying medium with first and second portions connected with a pivot joint and moveable across a plural rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower. In an operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular position of the second portion. The windrower harvests crop with the header, receives the mowed crop on the conveyor system, adjusts a rate at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system, and adjusts an angle of trajectory at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system.

First claim

At least the following is claimed:

1. A windrower having mechanism for harvesting crop material from a field and for discharging the harvested crop material as the windrower advances along a field, the windrower comprising:
a chassis;
a header coupled to the chassis and located at a front of the windrower to harvest crop material as the windrower advances along a field and discharge the harvested crop in a rearwardly directed stream;
a crop conveyor system comprising:
a plurality of rollers;
a conveying medium moveable across the plurality of rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower;
a frame coupled to the chassis with a structural assembly the frame comprising a first portion and a second portion with a pivot joint in between said first and second portions, wherein a first roller of the plurality of rollers is coupled to the first portion and a second roller of the plurality of rollers is coupled to the second portion;
an actuable device configured to move the second portion and the second roller relative to the first portion and the first roller about the pivot joint such that a first section of the conveying medium across the first portion of the frame is oriented relative the ground at an orientation that is different than an orientation of a second section of the conveying medium across the second portion of the frame such that an angle of trajectory relative the ground of crop material leaving the conveying medium is different than an angle of movement of the crop material relative the ground on the first section of the conveying medium;
a control system comprising a controller and a user interface residing in a cab of the windrower, wherein the controller is configured to actuate the actuable device; and
a sensor to detect an angular position either between the first and second portions or of one of the first or second portions relative to a predetermined position.

2. The windrower of claim 1 , wherein the frame further comprises one or more guide members proximal to the pivot joint, the one or more guide members providing a hindrance to movement of the conveying medium in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the conveying medium proximal to the pivot joint.

3. The windrower of claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of rollers comprises a drive roller, and further comprising a motor that is configured to cause movement of the drive roller, which in turn causes movement of the conveying medium across the plurality of rollers.

4. The windrower of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first frame bracket attached to one side of the frame in the first portion and coupled to the pivot joint; and
a second frame bracket attached to the one side of the frame in the second portion; and
wherein the actuable device couples the first frame bracket and the second frame bracket as the actuable device moves the second portion throughout a predetermined range.

5. The windrower of claim 1 , wherein a discharge end of the frame on one side of the windrower extends to approximately an outside dimension of and in parallel with one side of the header.

6. The windrower of claim 1 , wherein the structural assembly is configured to move the frame relative the chassis between an operational, lowered position in which the crop material is directed onto the conveying medium and a non-operational, raised position in which the stream of crop material is directed onto the ground away from the conveying medium.

7. A crop conveyor system for a windrower tractor configured to receive crop material from a harvesting header coupled to a chassis of the windrower tractor and discharge the harvested crop material to a side of the windrower tractor as the windrower advances along a field, the crop conveyor system having a frame mountable to the chassis and moveable relative the chassis with a structural assembly between an operational, lowered position in which the crop material is directed onto the crop conveyor system and a non-operational, raised position in which the stream of crop material is directed onto the ground beneath the windrower tractor and away from the crop conveyor system, the crop conveyor system comprising:
a plurality of rollers;
a conveying medium moveable across the plurality of rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower;
a first portion of the frame, wherein a first roller of the plurality of rollers is coupled to the first portion;
a second portion of the frame connected to the first portion with a pivot joint in between said first and second portions, wherein a second roller of the plurality of rollers is coupled to the second portion;
an actuable device configured to move the second portion and the second roller relative to the first portion and the first roller about a pivot joint such that a first section of the conveying medium across the first portion of the frame is oriented relative the ground at an orientation that is different than an orientation of a second section of the conveying medium across the second portion of the frame such that an angle of trajectory relative the ground of crop material leaving the conveying medium is different than an angle of movement of the crop material relative the ground on the first section of the conveying medium;
a control system comprising a controller and a user interface residing in a cab of the windrower, wherein the controller is configured to actuate the actuable device; and
a sensor to detect an angular position either between the first and second portions or of one of the first or second portions relative to a predetermined position.

8. The crop conveyor system of claim 7 , wherein the frame further comprises one or more guide members proximal to the pivot joint, the one or more guide members providing a hindrance to movement of the conveying medium in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the conveying medium proximal to the pivot joint.

9. The crop conveyor system of claim 7 , wherein one of the plurality of rollers comprises a drive roller, and further comprising a motor that is configured to cause movement of the drive roller, which in turn causes movement of the conveying medium across the plurality of rollers.

10. The crop conveyor system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a first frame bracket attached to one side of the frame in the first portion and coupled to the pivot joint; and
a second frame bracket attached to the one side of the frame in the second portion; and
wherein the actuable device couples the first frame bracket and the second frame bracket as the actuable device moves the second portion throughout a predetermined range.

Assignees

• Agco Corp

Inventors

• Treffer Douglas R
• Jost Daniel S
• Bollinger Shane A

Classifications

• A01D43/04 Primary

  with haymakers, e.g. tedders · CPC title