Reel finger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12089532-B2
Application number	US-202117452990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2021
Priority date	Jun 10, 2019
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

A reel for use in an agricultural header has an axis of rotation and comprises a bat and a finger. The bat is mounted to rotate around the axis of rotation to gather crop, and has a non-circular cross-sectional profile. The finger is mounted to the bat to rotate with the bat around the axis of rotation to gather crop. The finger comprises a tine and a clamshell mount to which the tine is coupled and that surrounds the bat to mount the finger to the bat against rotation about the bat.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reel for use in an agricultural header, the reel having an axis of rotation, the reel comprising:
a bat mounted to rotate around the axis of rotation to gather crop, the bat having a non-circular cross-sectional profile, and
a finger mounted to the bat to rotate with the bat around the axis of rotation to gather crop, the finger comprising a tine and a clamshell mount to which the tine is coupled and that comprises:
a spine to which the tine is coupled;
a first spacer wing extending laterally from the spine away from the tine along the bat in a first lateral direction, the first spacer wing forming a first outboard end without another tine; and
a second spacer wing extending laterally from the spine away from the tine along the bat in a second lateral direction opposite the first lateral direction, with the spine positioned between the first spacer wing and the second spacer wing, the second spacer wing forming a second outboard end without another tine;

wherein the spine, the first spacer wing, and the second spacer wing surround the bat to mount the finger to the bat against rotation about the bat without additional hardware;
wherein the first spacer wing of the clamshell mount comprises a lock that holds the clamshell mount on the bat.

2. The reel of claim 1 , wherein the clamshell mount comprises a first jaw to which the tine is coupled, a second jaw, and a hinge interconnecting the first jaw and the second jaw for relative movement of the first and second jaws between an open, unlocked position of the clamshell mount and a closed, locked position of the clamshell mount, and the first jaw, the second jaw, and the hinge cooperate to provide the spine and the first spacer wing.

3. The reel of claim 2 , wherein each of the first jaw and the second jaw comprises a distal end portion relative to the hinge, the distal end portions of the first and second jaws are coupled to one another in the closed, locked position and separated from one another in the open, unlocked position.

4. The reel of claim 3 , wherein the distal end portion of the first jaw or the second jaw comprises a tab positioned on the first spacer wing, and the distal end portion of the other of the first jaw or the second jaw comprises an aperture receiving the tab positioned on the first spacer wing in the closed, locked position.

5. The reel of claim 3 , wherein the bat includes multiple corners, the distal end portions of the first and second jaws are coupled to one another in the closed, locked position corresponding to one of the multiple corners, and the distal end portions of the first and second jaws are separated from one another in the open, unlocked position corresponding to the one of the multiple corners.

6. The reel of claim 2 , wherein the second jaw comprises a distal end portion relative to the hinge, and the distal end portion is coupled to a portion of the finger in the closed, locked position and separated from the portion of the finger in the open, unlocked position.

7. The reel of claim 2 , wherein the hinge is a living hinge.

8. The reel of claim 2 , wherein an interior polygonal cross-sectional profile of the clamshell mount includes multiple corners, and the hinge of the clamshell is positioned at one of the corners.

9. The reel of claim 2 , wherein the hinge interconnecting the first spacer wing of the first jaw and the first spacer wing of the second jaw for relative movement of the spacer wings of the first and second jaws between an open, unlocked position of the clamshell mount and a closed, locked position of the clamshell mount.

10. The reel of claim 1 , wherein the lock comprises a tab structure and a tab receiver, and the tab structure is coupled to the tab receiver.

11. The reel of claim 10 , wherein the tab structure comprises a tab, and the tab receiver comprises an aperture receiving the tab.

12. The reel of claim 1 , wherein the spine and the first spacer wing are configured to move together between the open, unlocked position of the clamshell mount and the closed, locked position of the clamshell mount.

13. The reel of claim 12 , wherein the clamshell mount of the finger comprises a first jaw, a second jaw, and a hinge interconnecting the first jaw and the second jaw for relative movement of the first and second jaws between an open, unlocked position of the clamshell mount and a closed, locked position of the clamshell mount, the first jaw, the second jaw, and the hinge cooperate to provide the spine and the first spacer wing, and the first jaw comprises a first wing portion of the first spacer wing, the second jaw comprises a second wing portion of the first spacer wing.

14. The reel of claim 13 , wherein the first wing portion comprises a tab or aperture at a distal end portion of the first jaw relative to the hinge, the second wing portion comprises the other of the tab or aperture at a distal end portion of the second jaw relative to the hinge, and the aperture receives the tab in the closed, locked position.

15. The reel of claim 1 , comprising a second finger adjacent to the finger and mounted to the bat to rotate with the bat around the axis of rotation to gather crop, the second finger comprising a second tine and a second clamshell mount to which the second tine is coupled and that comprises a second spine to which the second tine is coupled, a first spacer wing of the second clamshell mount extending laterally from the second spine away from the second tine along the bat, and a second spacer wing of the second clamshell mount, wherein the second spine is positioned laterally between the first spacer wing of the second clamshell mount and the second spacer wing of the second clamshell mount such that the first and second spacer wings of the second clamshell mount extend laterally from the spine in laterally opposite directions away from the tine along the bat, and the first spacer wing of the clamshell mount of the finger abuts the second spacer wing of the second clamshell mount of the second finger.

16. A finger for use with a reel in an agricultural header, the reel comprising a bat mounted to rotate around an axis of rotation of the reel to gather crop, the bat having a non-circular cross-sectional profile, the finger configured to mount to the bat to rotate with the bat around the axis of rotation to gather crop, the finger comprising:
a tine, and
a clamshell mount to which the tine is coupled and that comprises:
a spine to which the tine is coupled;
a first spacer wing extending laterally from the spine away from the tine along the bat in a first lateral direction, the first spacer wing forming a first outboard end without another tine; and
a second spacer wing extending laterally from the spine away from the tine along the bat in a second lateral direction opposite the first lateral direction, with the spine positioned between the first spacer wing and the second spacer wing, the second spacer wing forming a second outboard end without another tine;

wherein the spine, the first spacer wing, and the second spacer wing surround the bat to mount the finger to the bat against rotation about the bat without additional hardware;
wherein the first spacer wing of the clamshell mount comprises a lock that holds the clamshell mount on the bat.

17. A reel for use in an agricultural header, the reel having an axis of rotation, the reel comprising:
a bat mounted to rotate around the axis of rotation to gather crop, and
a finger mounted to the bat to rotate with the bat around the axis of rotation to gather crop, the finger comprising a tine

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Mossman Michael W

Classifications

• A01D43/06

  with means for collecting, gathering or loading mown material {(A01D43/086 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A01D65/02

  Lifting fingers · CPC title

• A01D7/06

  with tines specially shaped or attached · CPC title

• A01D80/02

  Tines; Attachment of tines · CPC title

• A01D57/02 Primary

  using reels · CPC title