Adjustable ear dam for a corn header

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12069988-B2
Application number	US-201917283735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2019
Priority date	Oct 12, 2018
Publication date	Aug 27, 2024
Grant date	Aug 27, 2024

Abstract

An agricultural header connectable to an agricultural vehicle including a frame, at least one row unit connected to the frame and including at least one gathering chain, at least one crop dividing member connected to the frame, and a crop saving attachment supported by the at least one crop dividing member and being adjustable between a lowered position and a raised position. The crop saving attachment including a base member fixedly attached to the at least one crop dividing member, an upper member movably attached to the base member and configured for adjusting between the lowered and raised positions, and a pair of flaps supported by the base member and slideably associated with the upper member so that a resting position of the pair of flaps remains substantially unchanged as the upper member is adjusted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An agricultural header connectable to an agricultural vehicle, comprising:
a frame;
at least one row unit connected to the frame and including at least one gathering chain;
at least one crop dividing member connected to the frame; and
a crop saving attachment supported by the at least one crop dividing member and being adjustable between a lowered position and a raised position, the crop saving attachment including:
a base member fixedly attached to the at least one crop dividing member;
an upper member movably attached to the base member and configured for adjusting between the lowered and raised positions; and
a pair of flaps supported by the base member and slideably associated with the upper member so that a resting position of the pair of flaps remains substantially unchanged as the upper member is adjusted;

wherein the agricultural header is in the form of a corn header, the at least one crop dividing member includes a hood connected to the frame and a corn snout pivotally connected to the crop saving attachment, and the crop saving attachment is in the form of a multipart ear dam such that the base is connected to the hood and the corn snout is pivotally connected to the upper member, and a distance between the at least one gathering chain and a respective flap remains substantially unchanged as the upper member is adjusted.

2. The agricultural header of claim 1 , wherein the upper member has a front end, and the upper member is pivotally attached to the base member adjacent to the front end.

3. The agricultural header of claim 1 , wherein the upper member includes at least two slots and the flaps are respectively slideably associated with the at least two slots.

4. The agricultural header of claim 3 , wherein the flaps are fixedly attached to the base member by fasteners which extend through the at least two slots, respectively, and the at least two slots define a travel path of the upper member.

5. The agricultural header of claim 3 , wherein the flaps are slideably attached to upper member by fasteners which slideably connect the flaps to the at least two slots of the upper member, respectively, and the flaps move relative to the upper member such that the at least two slots define a travel path of the flaps.

6. The agricultural header of claim 3 , wherein the upper member is in the form of an outer shell which covers the base member, the outer shell includes a front end, a middle section, and a rear end, and the at least two slots are positioned in the rear end of the upper member.

7. The agricultural header of claim 1 , further including at least one actuator connected to the base member and the upper member, and the at least one actuator is configured for selectively adjusting the upper member relative to the base member.

8. The agricultural header of claim 7 , further including a control device operably coupled to the at least one actuator and configured for automatically actuating the at least one actuator for raising and lowering the upper member.

9. The agricultural header of claim 1 , further including a biasing member connected in between the base member and the upper member, the biasing member being configured for biasing the upper member in the raised position, and a locking feature attached to the upper member for selectively restricting the upper member from being adjusted.

10. A crop saving attachment for a crop dividing member of an agricultural header, comprising:
a base member configured for attaching to the crop dividing member;
an upper member movably attached to the base member and configured for adjusting between a lowered position and a raised position; and
a pair of flaps supported by the base member and slideably associated with the upper member so that a resting position of the pair of flaps remains substantially unchanged as the upper member is adjusted;
wherein the upper member has a front end, the upper member is in the form of an outer shell which covers the base member, the outer shell includes the front end, a middle section, and a rear end, and the outer shell has an inner side facing the base member and an outer side facing the pair of flaps.

11. The crop saving attachment of claim 10 , wherein the upper member is pivotally attached to the base member adjacent to the front end.

12. The crop saving attachment of claim 10 , wherein the upper member includes at least two slots and the flaps are respectively slideably associated with the at least two slots.

13. The crop saving attachment of claim 12 , wherein the flaps are fixedly attached to the base member by fasteners which extend through the at least two slots, respectively, and the at least two slots define a travel path of the upper member.

14. The crop saving attachment of claim 12 , wherein the flaps are slideably attached to upper member by fasteners which slideably connect the flaps to the at least two slots of the upper member, respectively, and the flaps move relative to the upper member such that the at least two slots define a travel path of the flaps.

15. The crop saving attachment of claim 12 , wherein the at least two slots are positioned in the rear end of the upper member.

16. The crop saving attachment of claim 10 , further including at least one actuator connected to the base member and the upper member, and the at least one actuator is configured for selectively adjusting the upper member relative to the base member.

17. The crop saving attachment of claim 16 , further including a control device operably coupled to the at least one actuator and configured for automatically actuating the at least one actuator for raising and lowering the upper member.

18. The crop saving attachment of claim 10 , further including a biasing member connected in between the base member and the upper member, the biasing member being configured for biasing the upper member in the raised position, and a locking feature attached to the upper member for selectively restricting the upper member from being adjusted.

19. A method for selectively varying a crop saving capability of an agricultural header, comprising the steps of:
providing a crop saving attachment configured for attaching to the agricultural header and adjusting between a lowered position and a raised position, the crop saving attachment including a base member fixedly attached to at least one crop dividing member, an upper member movably attached to the base member and configured for adjusting between the lowered and raised positions, a pair of flaps supported by the base member and slideably associated with the upper member so that a resting position of the pair of flaps remains substantially unchanged as the upper member is adjusted, and at least one actuator connected to the base member and the upper member, wherein the upper member has a front end, the upper member is in the form of an outer shell which covers the base member, the outer shell includes the front end, a middle section, and a rear end, and the outer shell has an inner side facing the base member and an outer side facing the pair of flaps;
raising, by the at least one actuator, the upper member to be in the raised position to more aggressively save the crop material; and
lowering, by the at least one actuator, the upper member to be in the lowered position to less aggressively save the crop material.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Lauwers Andrew V
• Wenger Bradley J

Classifications

• A01D45/021

  Cornheaders · CPC title

• A01D45/023

  Gathering chains of belts · CPC title

• A01D63/00

  Outside dividers · CPC title

• A01D57/22 Primary

  for standing stalks · CPC title

• A01D45/02 Primary

  of maize {, i.e. kernel harvesting (for ensilage maize A01D43/081)} · CPC title