Draper header for a crop harvesting machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11510367-B2
Application number	US-202016832057-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2020
Priority date	May 13, 2019
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

Crop is carried into a feed opening of a harvester by two side drapers, two rear back sheets defining an opening between inner edges, a central feed draper and a roller with end flight portions and a central finger portion located above the feed draper. In this geometry, a bottom tangent to the flight portions has a position which is at a height below the rear edge of the side drapers. The roller axis of the feed roller is behind the rear edge of the side drapers and behind a common plane containing the back sheets. The inner guide roller of each of the first and second side drapers is located inwardly of the inner edge of the first back sheet and inwardly of an outer end of the end flight portion. A forward most tangent to the flight portions projects forward of or proud of the common back sheet plane.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A crop harvesting header for a harvester comprising:
a main frame structure extending between two ends of the header across a width of the header for movement in a direction generally at right angles to the width across ground including a crop to be harvested;
a mounting assembly for carrying the main frame structure on the harvester;
a cutter bar across a front of the main frame structure carrying a cutter knife operable for cutting the crop as the header is moved forwardly across the ground;
and a crop transport system for moving the cut crop toward a discharge location of the header for feeding the crop into a feed opening of the harvester;
the crop transport system including:
a first side draper having an outer end guide roller at a first end of the header, an inner end guide roller adjacent the discharge location and a draper canvas to define a top run of the canvas for carrying the cut crop from the cutter knife across the header to a discharge end adjacent the discharge location;
a second side draper having an outer end guide roller at a second end of the header, an inner end guide roller adjacent the discharge location and a draper canvas to define a top run of the canvas for carrying the cut crop from the cutter knife across the header to a discharge end adjacent the discharge location;
a feed draper located at the discharge location and including a front guide roller adjacent 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 toward the feed opening of the harvester;
each of the first and second side drapers having a front edge at the cutter bar and a rear edge;
and a feed roller having a main drum rotatable about a roller axis generally parallel to the cutter bar, the main drum including a finger section at a center portion adjacent the feed opening and first and second auger flight portions arranged on respective end portions of the main drum outwardly of the finger section;
the main frame structure including first and second back sheets each having a bottom edge at the rear edge of a respective one of the first and second side drapers, with each of the first and second back sheets extending upwardly and rearwardly from the bottom edge in a common back sheet plane;
the first and second back sheets each having an inner edge thereof spaced on each respective side of the feed opening, the inner edges are spaced apart and define an opening between the back sheets through which the crop passes to the feed opening of the harvester;
wherein the entire feed roller, including the finger section and the first and second auger flight portions, is positioned within the opening between the inner edges;
wherein a bottom tangent to the bottom of the flight portions has a position which is at a height below the rear edge of the side drapers;
wherein the roller axis of the feed roller is behind the rear edge of the side drapers and behind the back sheet;
wherein the inner end guide roller of the first side draper is located inwardly of the inner edge of the first back sheet and inwardly of an outer end of the first auger flight portion;
wherein the inner end guide roller of the second side draper is located inwardly of the inner edge of the second back sheet and inwardly of an outer end of the second auger flight portion;
and wherein a forward most tangent to the flight portions is forward of the common back sheet plane.

2. The header according to claim 1 wherein the forward most tangent to the flight portions is rearward of the rear edge of the first and second side drapers.

3. The header according to claim 1 wherein the rear roller of the feed draper is behind the rear edge of the first and second side drapers.

4. The header according to claim 1 wherein the rear roller of the feed draper is in a vertical plane close to or slightly in front of the roller axis.

5. The header according to claim 1 wherein a tangent to the flight portions is immediately adjacent the rear edge of the side drapers.

6. The header according to claim 1 wherein the main drum is coaxial about the roller axis.

7. The header according to claim 1 wherein the main drum is of a constant diameter about the roller axis.

8. The header according to claim 1 wherein an exterior edge of the first and second auger flight portions lie in an imaginary cylindrical surface surrounding the roller axis.

9. The header according to claim 1 wherein the feed draper has a width substantially equal to the width of the feed opening and the feed roller including the first and second auger flight portions thereon is wider than the feed opening.

Assignees

• Macdon Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Bell Andrew
• Shearer Bruce

Classifications

• A01D57/20

  with conveyor belts · CPC title

• A01D41/14 Primary

  Mowing tables · CPC title

• A01D61/008

  for longitudinal conveying, especially for combines · CPC title

• A01D61/006 Primary

  with rollers, e.g. adjustable · CPC title

• A01D61/002

  transversal conveying devices · CPC title