Combine header equipped with an automated header transport system and header steering mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11937546-B2
Application number	US-202117350126-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2021
Priority date	Dec 17, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

A header including a front and rear wheel assembly, each assembly having an axle and two wheels. Each wheel assembly is coupled to the main body of the header by an actuating system having an actuator mechanism for actuating a swivel movement of the axle and the wheels to bring the wheel assembly to or from a road transport position. The front and rear wheel assemblies are equipped with tie rod arrangements for steering the header when it is transported on the road. The wheels of the wheel assemblies are operated as caster wheels. The tie rod arrangement of the front wheel assembly is coupled to a pivotable base connected to, or connectable to, a drawbar. The wheel assemblies have respective actuators which are synchronized so as to synchronize the position of the front and rear wheels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A self-propelled agricultural working machine comprising:
a feeder at a front of the machine configured to be moved up or down; and
a header that is detachably coupled to a front of the feeder, wherein the header comprises:
a back wall;
two support and transport wheel assemblies on either side of the feeder, designated as front and rear wheel assemblies, each of the front and rear wheel assemblies comprising an axle and two wheels attached at the two ends of the axle, the wheel assemblies being movable between a field position wherein the axle of each assembly is essentially parallel to a longitudinal direction of the header and a transport position wherein the axle of each assembly is transversal to the longitudinal direction; and
two actuating systems configured to move respective ones of the wheel assemblies from the field position to the transport position and vice versa, wherein the wheels of the wheel assemblies are pivotable relative to their respective axles and about axes which are transversal to the respective axles, in order to steer the wheel assemblies;
wherein the front wheel assembly comprises:
a pivotable base that is pivotably connected to a central location of the axle of the front wheel assembly, the pivotable base being pivotable about an essentially vertical axis, and optionally a deployable drawbar coupled to said pivotable base;
a first tie rod arrangement configured to transfer the pivotal position of the base to the wheels of the front wheel assembly; and
a first variable length actuator pivotably coupled to the axle of the front wheel assembly and to one of the wheels of the front wheel assembly;

wherein the rear wheel assembly comprises:
a second tie rod arrangement configured to transfer the pivotal position of one rear wheel to the other rear wheel; and
a second variable length actuator pivotably coupled to the axle of the rear wheel assembly and to one of the wheels of the rear wheel assembly;
and wherein the operation of the variable length actuators of the front and rear wheel assemblies is synchronized, so as to synchronize the pivotal positions of the wheels of the front and rear wheel assemblies;

wherein at least one of the actuating systems is configured to move a respective wheel assembly from the field position to the transport position and vice versa, the at least one actuating system comprising:
a first frame element and a first actuator mechanism coupled between the first frame element and the back wall of the header, wherein the first actuator mechanism is configured to actuate a forward movement of the first frame element from a position behind the back wall of the header to a forward position and vice versa, when the header is lifted up to a given height by the feeder; and
a second frame element and a second actuator mechanism coupled between the first frame element and the second frame element, wherein the axle of the respective wheel assembly is coupled to the second frame element, and wherein the second actuator mechanism is configured to actuate a swivel movement of the second frame element and thereby of the respective axles and the respective wheels relative to the first frame element when the first frame element is in the forward position, and wherein the swivel movement is configured to bring the respective wheel assembly to or from a position wherein the respective axle is transverse to the longitudinal direction of the header.

2. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the first tie rod assembly comprises a pair of tie rods pivotably coupled between the respective wheels of the front wheel assembly and the pivotable base.

3. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the first tie rod assembly comprises:
a first tie rod pivotably coupled between the wheels of the front wheel assembly in such a way that the first tie rod transfers the pivotal position of one front wheel to the other front wheel; and
a second tie rod pivotably coupled between one of the wheels of the front wheel assembly and the pivotable base.

4. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the second tie rod arrangement consists of a single tie rod that is pivotably coupled between the wheels of the rear wheel assembly in such a way that the single tie rod transfers the pivotal position of one rear wheel to the other rear wheel.

5. The working machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a second pivotable base pivotably connected to a central location of the axle of the rear wheel assembly, the second pivotable base being pivotable about an essentially vertical axis, and wherein the second tie rod arrangement comprises a pair of tie rods pivotably coupled between the respective wheels of the rear wheel assembly and the second pivotable base.

6. The working machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a second pivotable base pivotably connected to a central location of the axle of the rear wheel assembly, the second pivotable base being pivotable about an essentially vertical axis, and wherein the second tie rod assembly comprises:
a first tie rod pivotably coupled between the wheels of the rear wheel assembly in such a way that the first tie rod transfers the pivotal position of one rear wheel to the other rear wheel; and
a second tie rod pivotably coupled between one of the wheels of the rear wheel assembly and the second pivotable base.

7. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are synchronized in such a way that the wheels of the rear wheel assembly pivot in a direction opposite to the pivot direction of the wheels of the front wheel assembly.

8. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second variable length actuators are hydraulic actuators which are hydraulically coupled.

9. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the axle of the wheel assembly is pivotably suspended from the second frame element so that the axle is freely pivotable relative to the second frame element when the wheel assembly is lifted up from the ground.

10. The working machine according to claim 9 , wherein the axle is pivotable relative to the second frame element about a pivot axis that is essentially perpendicular to the axle.

11. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the axle is coupled to the second frame element in an out-of-center location of the axle.

12. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the front wheel assembly further comprises a deployable drawbar that is pivotable relative to the pivotable base between an essentially vertical storage position and an essentially horizontal deployed position, the wheel assembly further comprising a drawbar actuator configured to actuate a pivoting movement of the drawbar between said two positions, and wherein the actuator mechanism of the swivel movement and the drawbar actuator are configured so that the pivoting movement of the drawbar is synchronized with the swivel movement of the axle so that the drawbar is brought from the storage position to the deployed position as the wheel assembly swivels towards the transversal position of the axle and vice versa.

13. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein the machine is a combine harvester or a forage harvester.

14. A self-propelled agricultural working machine comprising:
a feeder at a front of the machine configured to be moved up or down; and
a header that is detachably coupled to the front of the feeder, the header comprising:
a back wall;
two support and transport wheel assemblies on either side of the feeder, designated as front and rear

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Jongmans Dré W J
• Missotten Bart M A
• De Ceunynck Kenneth
• Reubens Sam
• Tallir Frederik
• Van Overschelde Pieter
• Desmyter Michiel

Classifications

• A01D41/141 Primary

  Automatic header control · CPC title

• A01B73/005

  for endwise transportation, i.e. the direction of transport being substantially perpendicular to the direction of agricultural operation (A01B73/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A01D75/002 Primary

  Carriers for the transport of harvesters or mowers · CPC title

• B62D13/04

  for individually-pivoted wheels · CPC title